2020-03-26
Psalm 139:16 TLB
Iyanla Vanzant said, “Everything that happens to you is a reflection of what you believe about yourself. We can’t…draw to ourselves more than we think we are worth.” That means how we see ourselves determines the kind of relationships we establish. Many of us harbor a low sense of self-esteem. We deem everyone else as being more important than ourselves and think meeting their needs is more important than meeting our own needs. We compare ourselves and allow others to determine who we are, and become dependent on their approval to prop up our identity. But it’s a slap in the face to God to look at another person and say, “I wish I were like them.” God made you for His own purpose, that you might reflect a unique aspect of His glory. As believers in Christ, we’ve been given a new identity as children of God. We weren’t created to live dependently on any other person. Rather, God is restoring us to the image of His Son and making us whole (See 2 Corinthians 3:18). In Him we don’t ever need to be afraid to be who we really are. It’s time to develop a true opinion of yourself based on the truth that God made you exactly, precisely, intricately, wondrously, and uniquely you – a one-of-a-kind creation for which there’s no comparison. The psalmist wrote: “You…scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe…How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly!” (Psalm 139:16-18 TLB).
Soul food: Job 24-28; Matt 25:31-46; Ps 38:13-22; Prov 8:24-26
Psalm 139:16 NLT
How we see ourselves determines the kind of relationships we establish. Many of us live with low self-esteem. We believe everyone else is more important than ourselves and think meeting their needs is more important than meeting our own needs. We compare ourselves and allow others to determine who we are, and then we found our whole identity on their approval. But we shouldn’t look at another person and say, ‘I wish I were like them.’ God made each of us to reflect a unique aspect of His glory. We’re all one-of-a-kind creations who can’t be compared. As Christians, we’ve been given a new identity as children of God. The Bible says: ‘If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!’ (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV). God’s making us more like Jesus, and making us whole (have a read of 2 Corinthians 3:18). In Him we don’t ever need to be afraid to be who we really are. The psalmist wrote: ‘You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!’ (v.15-16 NCV). God knew each of us before we were born. He already knew what we’d be like, and the things we would do. He already had amazing plans and purposes for us in His kingdom. When we find ourselves depending on others for approval, we don’t allow God to speak the truth of who we are over us. We should never forget that we’ve been uniquely created by the ultimate Creator, and that we’re always lovable and acceptable to Him.
Job 24-28; Matt 25:31-46; Ps 38:13-22; Prov 8:24-26
Psalm 139:16 NLV
Iyanla Vanzant het gesê: ‘Alles wat met jou gebeur is ‘n refleksie van wat jy van jouself glo. Ons kan nie meer as wat ons dink ons werd is, na onsself toe aantrek nie.’ Dit beteken dat die manier wat ons onsself sien, die tipe verhoudings wat ons aanknoop bepaal. Baie van ons het ‘n lae selfbeeld. Ons dink dat almal anders belangriker as ons is en dat hulle behoeftes belangriker as ons behoeftes is. Ons vergelyk ons met ander en laat hulle toe om te bepaal wie ons is; en ons word afhanklik van hulle goedkeuring om ons identiteit te onderhou. Dis egter ‘n klap in die gesig van God om na ander te kyk en te sê: ‘Ek wens ek was meer soos hulle.’ God het jou vir sy eie doel gemaak, sodat jy ‘n unieke aspek van sy glorie kan reflekteer. As gelowiges in Christus, het ons ‘n nuwe identiteit as kinders van God ontvang. Ons is nie geskep om in afhanklikheid van enige ander persoon te lewe nie. God is eerder besig om ons na die beeld van sy Seun te omskep en ons heel te maak (sien 2 Korintiërs 3:18). In Hom hoef ons nie bang te wees vir wie ons regtig is nie. Dis tyd om ‘n ware opinie van jouself te vorm, gebaseer op die waarheid dat God jou presies, ingewikkeld, wonderbaarlik en uniek geskep het – ‘n skepping sonder gelyke. Die Psalmdigter het geskryf: ‘Nog voordat ek mens geword het, het U my al beplan… U het besluit wat met my sou gebeur. God, dit troos my om te weet dat U alles in u hand hou. Die gedagte daaraan is net te groot om te verstaan. As ek dit probeer verstaan, besef ek my kop is te klein…’ (Psalm 139:16-18 DB).
Sielskos: Job 24-28; Matt 25:31-46; Ps 38:13-22; Spr 8:24-26
2020-03-25
James 1:15 NKJV
When God says no to sin, He’s not being demanding – He’s being protective. The Bible explains the dangers and subtleties of sin this way: “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren” (vv. 14-16 NKJV). Today some folks are advocating the idea of legalizing certain drugs, such as marijuana, for recreational use. But the idea has already been tried, and it failed disastrously. In the late 1980s, the Swiss set aside city property in Zurich, where addicts could legally shoot up and where free needles were provided, hoping to slow the spread of AIDS. The area of Platzspitz became known as “Needle Park.” So how did the experiment work out? Almost overnight the number of drug users visiting the park soared from 200 to 20,000. Ten thousand “consumption events” occurred per day, as users from all over Switzerland came to get in on the fun. They soon outnumbered the local population. The death rate went through the roof, as health officials sought to resuscitate as many as fifty overdose cases per day. And the crime rate, instead of decreasing, went through the roof too. City officials finally called off the experiment and closed the park. Almost immediately the crime rate dropped to its former levels, and the program ended in total failure. When God says to you, “Don’t go there,” it’s because He loves you and wants only the best for you. So be wise, listen to Him, and don’t go there!
Soul food: Job 21-23; Matt 25:14-30; Ps 38:1-12; Prov 8:22-23
James 1:15 NCV
When God says no to sin, He’s not being demanding and controlling – He’s being protective. The Bible explains the dangers of sin this way: ‘People are tempted when their own evil desire leads them away and traps them. This desire leads to sin, and then the sin grows and brings death’ (vv.14-16 NCV). We’ll all be tempted by things in our lives. We’ll all have desires that we want to fulfil, even though we know they’re wrong. But when we give in to those temptations and desires, we can find ourselves sinning against God. The Bible says: ‘A good person who gives in to evil is like a muddy spring or a dirty well’ (Proverbs 25:26 NCV). When we give in to our desires, we let sin pollute us. Sin never leads to good things. And God doesn’t want us to experience these bad things in our lives because He loves us so much. He just wants the best for us. Sometimes we can think that God’s trying to take all the fun out of our lives. But He knows that if we go down the wrong path, we’ll end up somewhere we don’t want to be. Jesus said: ‘If you love me, you will obey my commands’ (John 14:15 NCV). So if we truly love God, we’ll want to do the things He wants us to do. If we love ourselves more than God, we’ll be concerned about missing out on things and wanting to go our own way. Our obedience to Him is an expression of our love for Him. And His desire for us to continually do the right thing is an expression of His love for us. It’s not about rules and regulations, it’s about the love and protection of our Father.
Job 21-23; Matt 25:14-30; Ps 38:1-12; Prov 8:22-23
