2020-03-25
Jakobus 1:15 NLV
Wanneer God vir sonde nee sê, is Hy nie veeleisend nie – Hy is beskermend. Die Bybel verduidelik die gevare en listigheid van sonde as volg: ‘Ons eie natuurlike geneigdheid beproef ons, sleep ons saam en verlei ons. As ons natuurlike geneigdheid eers bevrug geraak het, is sonde die babatjie wat gebore word. En as hierdie babatjie kans kry om volwasse te word, gee dit geboorte aan die dood. Moet dus nie mislei word nie, my geliefde broers en susters’ (verse 14-16 NLV). Vandag staan baie mense die idee voor om sekere dwelms, soos dagga, wettig te maak. Dit is egter al voorheen gedoen en het klaaglik misluk. In die laat 1980’s, het Switserland eiendom in Zurich beskikbaar gestel waar dwelmverslaafdes wetlik heroïen kon spuit en waar gratis naalde voorsien is, in ‘n poging om die verspreiding van VIGS te verminder. Hierdie area in Platzpitz het bekend geword as ‘Naalde Park.’ Hoe het die eksperiment uitgedraai? Amper oornag het die aantal dwelmgebruikers wat die park besoek het van 200 tot 20,000 gegroei. Dwelmgebruikers van oral oor Switserland het gekom om deel te neem aan die pret. Gou het hulle die plaaslike bevolking oorskrei. Die sterftesyfer het deur die dak geskiet en beamptes moes daagliks soveel as vyftig mense wat ‘n oordosis geneem het, probeer bybring. Die misdaadsyfer het ook deur die dak geskiet. Stadsamptenare het uiteindelik die eksperiment beëindig en die park toegemaak. Amper onmiddellik het misdaad weer na vroeëre vlakke gedaal en die program was ‘n totale mislukking. Wanneer God vir jou sê: ‘Moenie daar gaan nie,’ is dit omdat Hy vir jou lief is en net die beste vir jou wil hê. Wees dus wys, luister na Hom en moenie daar gaan nie!
Sielskos: Job 21-23; Matt 25:14-30; Ps 38:1-12; Spr 8:22-23
2020-03-24
Romans 4:5 NIV
There are only two ways you can become “righteous.” The first is through trying, and the second is through trusting. When you try to earn God’s approval by your performance, you can never rest because you can never really be sure you’ve done enough to please Him. But when you place your trust in Christ’s finished work on the cross, the Bible says you enter into God’s “rest” (See Hebrews 4:3). Paul writes, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation (something that didn’t exist before) has come. The old (appetites and actions) has gone, the new (appetites and actions) are here” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV). You don’t have to struggle to be seen as righteous in God’s eyes. The moment you placed your trust in Jesus, God made you “the righteousness of God [in Christ]” (v. 21 NIV). Why did He do it that way? Because any righteousness you could achieve through good works and keeping rules falls so far short of what He requires that He sees it as “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). So God credited His righteousness to you (See 2 Corinthians 5:18). Paul writes: “David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight…whose record the Lord has cleared of sin” (Romans 4:6-8 NLT). Hymnist Edward Mote wrote these words: “Dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.” Rejoice! That’s how God sees you – made righteous by faith!
Soul food: Job 18-20; Matt 25:1-13; Ps 55:12-23; Prov 8:19-21
Romans 5:1 NIV
Sometimes we can think that we have to earn our salvation and be good enough to be called ‘righteous’. We can burn ourselves out trying to do everything, and be everything. But the truth is, no matter how hard we try, we’re always going to mess up at some point. That’s because we’re human. The Bible says: ‘For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard’ (Romans 3:23 NLT). And God knows that we could never be perfect. That’s why He sent His Son to die for us, to save us from our sins and make us righteous in His eyes. This was His gift to us, because of how much He loves us (take a look at Ephesians 2:8-9). When we believe in Jesus, we’re made righteous because God sees us through Jesus. The Bible tells us that, ‘Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ We are now at peace with God, so we don’t need to worry that we’re not good enough for Him or that we need to do certain things to make Him love us. He loves and accepts us just as we are. But this doesn’t mean we can just do whatever we want, and think that we can do nothing until the day we die. God has a purpose for us and wants to work through us to build His kingdom and reach people who don’t yet know Him. And when we truly love God, we will want to do these things. When we do God’s work from a place of love, rather than a place of striving, we won’t end up burned out and disillusioned. Instead, we can rest in Him, and the knowledge that we’re righteous and saved.
Job 18-20; Matt 25:1-13; Ps 55:12-23; Prov 8:19-21
Romeine 4:5 NLV
Daar is net twee maniere hoe jy kan poog om vrygespreek te word. Die eerste een is deur te probeer en die tweede een is deur te vertrou. Wanneer jy probeer om God se goedkeuring deur jou optrede te verdien, kan jy nooit tot rus kom nie, omdat jy nooit seker kan wees dat jy genoeg gedoen het om sy guns te wen nie. Wanneer jy egter jou vertroue in Christus se voltooide werk aan die kruis plaas, sê die Bybel dat jy God se ‘rus’ binnegaan (sien Hebreërs 4:3). Paulus skryf: ‘Daarom – iemand wat één is met Christus, is ‘n nuwe skepping. Die ou dinge is verby, kyk, die nuwe is hier!’ (2 Korintiërs 5:17 NLV). Jy hoef nie te sukkel om deur God vrygespreek te word nie. Die oomblik wat jy jou vertroue in Jesus plaas, word jy ‘…op grond van ons eenheid met Christus, deur God vrygespreek…’ (2 Korintiërs 5:21 NLV). Hoekom het Hy dit so gedoen? Omdat enige vryspraak wat jy deur goeie dade en deur die reëls te onderhou probeer verdien, so ver tekort skiet dat Hy dit as ‘vuil klere’ sien (sien Jesaja 64:6). Paulus skryf: “Koning Dawid het hiervan gepraat toe hy beskryf het hoe gelukkig die mens is wat sonder enige wetsprestasies tog deur God vrygespreek word: ‘Gelukkig is daardie mense wie se oortredings nie gestraf word nie en wie se sondes uitgewis word. Gelukkig is die mens vir wie die Here die sonde glad nie meer toereken nie!'” (Romeine 4:6-8 NLV). Edward Mote het hierdie gesang geskryf: ‘Dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.’ Wees bly! Dis hoe God jou sien – vrygespreek deur geloof!
Sielskos: Job 18-20; Matt 25:1-13; Ps 55:12-23; Spr 8:19-21
2020-03-23
2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV
Here’s an amazing and life-changing truth. The God who made His sinless Son to “be sin” takes unrighteous people like us and makes them “righteous.” How does it happen? By works? No, by faith! “People are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners” (Romans 4:5 NLT). This righteousness isn’t about behaving the right way – it’s about believing the right way. You can’t become righteous in God’s eyes through human effort or keeping the law. You become righteous only through faith in Christ, and trusting in His finished work on the cross. You say, “But I feel so guilty when I sin.” And you should; it’s a good deterrent! But Christ took away all your sins; therefore He took away all your guilt. So what are you feeling? Inner conflict! Your regenerated spirit lives in your unregenerated body, and it reacts the same way your natural body reacts to something harmful. Sin feels foreign to the new you, and when you indulge in it, the pleasure is brief and the aftermath is bad. In essence, your spiritual boundaries have been violated, and your regenerated spirit is telling you that you can’t indulge in sin anymore. That’s not who you are! The old you could have indulged in sin and enjoyed it, but the new you can’t, because you are “a new creation in Christ” (See 2 Corinthians 5:17). So rejoice! Today God sees you as “righteous,” therefore you can approach Him at any time with complete confidence (See Ephesians 3:12).
Soul food: Job 15-17; Matt 24:36-51; Ps 55:1-11; Prov 8:17-18
