2019-07-09
Mark 8:34 NIV
God is a desire-creating, desire-satisfying God. Birds want to fly because God created them to do it. Dolphins want to swim because God created them with an instinct to swim. God doesn’t plant wrong desires in us. When Adam first saw Eve, he discovered he had a strong desire for her. Where did that desire come from? God. God actually delights in fulfilling your desires. Now, some of your desires get distorted by sin and need to be cleansed, purified, and retrained. This is what Jesus refers to when He says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” We must say no to desires that would keep us from living in the flow of God’s Spirit. We must always be ready to sacrifice a lesser desire for the sake of living a greater life. On the other hand, nothing makes a human being more vulnerable to temptation than a joyless life. If God removed all your desires you wouldn’t be human. A slab of cement doesn’t have to worry about weeds growing on it, but it will also never be a garden. God’s plan is that every time we experience an authentic desire – a God-implanted desire – we come to understand more deeply what a good God He is. We learn how He has wired us and what He wants us to do in life, and as a result we find ourselves loving Him more and more. That’s why the Bible says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8 NKJV).
Soul food: Acts 3:11-5:42; Matt 8:10-17; Ps 109:16-31; Prov 15:23-26
2019-07-08
Psalm 34:8 NKJV
When the Bible tells you what you ought to do, you can take it in two different ways: the ought of obligation or the ought of opportunity. The first kind refers to your duty. You ought to pay your taxes, you ought to keep your dog on a leash, you ought to take your driver’s test. The second kind gives you life. You ought to take a break, you ought to see the world, you ought to taste this cake. The “oughts” of Jesus’ message are mainly the oughts of opportunity. And as you become more aware of this, you may start feeling guilty because your desire for God doesn’t run deep enough. The problem is, you can’t make yourself desire God more by simply telling yourself you should. But He is so gracious and patient in wanting you to want Him, that He is willing to work with this kind of honesty. That’s why His Word says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.” The word “taste” is an invitation from a confident chef. You don’t have to commit to eating the whole enchilada; just try a taste and if you don’t like it you can skip the rest. The chef is convinced if he can just get you to take that first bite, you’re going to want the whole thing. The truth is that the more you read God’s Word and pray, the more rewarding it becomes and the more you are drawn to it. Yes, it begins as a discipline. But when you stick with it, it becomes a delight.
Soul food: Acts 1:1-3:10; Matt 8:1-9; Ps 109:1-15; Prov 15:22
Psalm 34:9 NLV
Wanneer die Bybel vir jou sê wat jy veronderstel is om te doen, kan jy dit op twee verskillende maniere opneem: die veronderstelling van verpligting of die veronderstelling van geleentheid. Die eerste manier verwys na jou plig. Jy is verplig om jou belasting te betaal, jy is verplig om jou hond aan ‘n leiband te hou, jy is verplig om jou bestuurslisensie te hê. Die tweede manier is die geleenthede wat jou lewe gee. Jy moet die geleentheid aangryp om ‘n breuk te neem, om die wêreld te sien, om ‘n happie van hierdie stuk koek te neem. Die boodskap van Jesus se Woord is grotendeels die veronderstellings van geleentheid eerder as verpligting. Soos jy meer bewus hiervan word, sal jy dalk begin skuldig voel omdat jou begeerte na God nie diep genoeg is nie. Die probleem is dat jy nie jouself kan maak om God meer te begeer deur eenvoudig vir jou self te sê dat jy moet nie. Hy is egter so genadig en geduldig met jou, dat Hy bereid is om met hierdie tipe eerlikheid te werk. Dis hoekom sy Woord sê: ‘Beproef en sien dat die Here goed is.’ Dis soos ‘n ma wat vir haar kieskeurige kind sê om net die kos te proe voordat hy besluit of hy dit wil eet. Sy is vol vertroue dat hy die hele bord kos sal opeet as hy net die eerste happie vat. Hoe meer jy God se Woord lees en bid, hoe meer lonend raak dit en hoe meer raak jy daartoe aangetrokke. Ja, dit begin as ‘n dissipline. Wanneer jy dit egter volhou, word dit ‘n plesier.
Sielskos: Hand 1:1-3:10; Matt 8:1-9; Ps 109:1-15; Spr 15:22
2019-07-07
Psalm 100:2 NLV
Om in jou verhouding met God te groei, moet jy van die ‘moet’ na die ‘wil’ kategorie toe beweeg. Die basiese waardering wat ons vir enige ervaring of gebeurtenis het, is wat die sielkundige, Jonathan Haidt, ons ‘hou-van-meter’ noem. Jou ‘hou-van-meter’ het die dag wat jy gebore is begin werk. Smaakkliere is byvoorbeeld goed ontwikkel in babas, dus behels hulle hou-van-meter gewoonlik dit wat in hulle monde gaan: ‘Ek hou daarvan – ek moet meer daarvan kry,’ ‘of ‘Ek haat dit – vat dit weg.’ Soos jy aanhou groei, registreer alles in jou lewe op jou hou-van-meter, sonder dat jy daaroor hoef te dink. Elke klank wat jy hoor, elke gesprek waaraan jy deelneem, elke happie wat jy eet, registreer as positief of negatief op jou skaal. Mense registreer ook op jou hou-van-meter. Jy vind jouself aangetrokke tot sekere mense gedurende die kortste van gesprekke. Iets binne-in jou sê: ‘Ek hou van hierdie persoon. Ek geniet hierdie gesprek.’ Dit gebeur die heeltyd. Hier is ‘n vraag om te oorweeg: Hou jy van God? Dit mag dalk soos ‘n vreemde vraag klink, maar as jy nie daarvan hou om tyd saam met Hom te spandeer nie, sal jy dit nie doen nie. Jy moet eerlik daaroor wees, want jy kan God nie mislei nie. In die Skrif word die Christelike lewe met ‘n ses-en-twintig myl marathon vergelyk. By die drie-en-twintig myl merker maak dit nie saak of jy dink jy moet klaarmaak nie, jy sal dit net doen omdat jy dit wil doen. Jou ‘wil’ hou met ander woorde aan wanneer jou ‘moet’ dit makliker sal vind om tou op te gooi. Die Psalmdigter het gesê: ‘Dien die Here met blydskap…’ omdat niks anders jou in staat sal stel om die marathon klaar te maak nie.
Sielskos: Rut 1:3-18; Joh 6:41-69
Psalm 100:2 NKJV
To grow in your relationship with God, you must move from the “should” to the “want to” category. The most basic assessment we have for any experience or event is what psychologist Jonathan Haidt calls our “like-o-meter.” Your like-o-meter was running the day you were born. For example, taste receptors in babies are pretty well developed, so their like-o-meter usually involves what goes into their mouths: “I like it – gotta have more,” or “I hate it – get it out of here.” As you continue to grow, everything in life registers on your like-o-meter without your even having to think about it. Every sound you hear, every conversation you’re part of, every bite you eat, rates positively or negatively on your scale. And people also register on your like-o-meter. During the briefest conversations you’ll find yourself drawn toward certain people. Something within you says, “I like this person. I’m enjoying this conversation.” It’s always going on. So here’s a question to consider: Do you like God? That may sound like a strange question, but if you don’t like spending time with Him, you won’t do it. And you need to be honest about it, because you can’t pull the wool over God’s eyes. In Scripture the Christian life is compared to a twenty-six-mile marathon. At mile marker twenty-three it doesn’t matter whether you think you should finish, you’ll only do it because you want to. In other words, your “want-to” keeps you going when your “should” finds it easier to quit. The Psalmist said, “Serve the Lord with gladness” because nothing else will enable you to go the distance.
Soul food: Ruth 1:3-18; John 6:41-69
