2020-04-24
Romeine 12:10 NLV
Tydens die somer van 1986, het twee skepe in die Swartsee langs die kus van Rusland gebots. Honderde passasiers het gesterf nadat hulle oorboord in die ysige water geval het. Nuus van die ramp het erger geword toe ‘n ondersoek die oorsaak van die ongeluk onthul het. Dit was nie as gevolg van ‘n tegnologiese probleem soos ‘n radar wat nie gewerk het of digte mis nie. Die oorsaak was menslike hardkoppigheid. Altwee kapteins was bewus van die ander skip se teenwoordigheid en kon toegang aan mekaar verleen het. Nuusverslae het egter berig dat nie een van die kapteins vir die ander een wou plek maak nie, omdat beide te trots was om toe te gee. Teen die tyd dat hulle tot hulle sinne gekom het, was dit te laat. As jy iemand met ‘n sterk wil is, iemand wat dinge laat gebeur, moet jy dink aan wat jy nou net gelees het. As jy die argument wen, maar die verhouding seermaak of verloor, wat het jy dan regtig bereik? As jy reg is maar die verhouding verloor, is dit ‘n verlies. Die woord vir jou vandag is dus: ‘As broers en susters in God se huisgesin moet julle mekaar in liefde koester en voor in die ry staan om mekaar met respek te hanteer… Konsentreer op dit wat onderlinge eensgesindheid bevorder. Moenie belangrik probeer wees nie, maar vind julle geluk by die nederiges. Moenie dink dat net julle altyd reg is nie. Moenie vir enigiemand kwaad met kwaad terugbetaal nie; wees positief teenoor alle mense. Sover dit vir julle moontlik is, moet julle goeie verhoudings handhaaf met alle mense. Geliefdes, julle moet julleself nie wreek nie. Laat die straf aan God oor… Moenie toelaat dat die slegte julle onderkry nie, maar deur goed te doen moet julle die slegte te bowe kom’ (verse 10; 16-19; 21 NLV).
Sielskos: Dan 5-7; Mark 4:1-12; Ps 7:10-17; Spr 10:17-18
2020-04-23
Philippians 2:14 NLT
Chronic complainers are almost impossible to help. You can never satisfy them but they won’t let you stop trying, so you end up feeling trapped. Once you get a reputation as a chronic complainer, people avoid you like the plague, and you end up feeling lonely and unappreciated. And chances are you’ll never really understand why! Attitudes don’t just happen – you choose them. Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4 NKJV). Joylessness is something many church folks are prone to indulge in, and it’s usually not the kind of problem that gets you tossed out of the choir or removed from the church board. The psalmist writes, “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24 NKJV). Notice that he doesn’t say, “Yesterday was God’s day, how happy I was then.” Or, “Tomorrow will be God’s day, I’ll endure until then.” No, this day is a gift from God! Complaining is often self-centered; it’s about what you like and don’t like. It is self-focused. Real joy is a choice. It comes to those who devote themselves to something greater than their own happiness. There are decisions you get to make every day, like what you eat, the clothes you wear – and the attitude you project. Paul was in prison with no hope of release when he wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” His circumstances didn’t dictate his joy, his focus did! And the same goes for you. “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT). So today choose joy!
Soul food: Dan 3-4; Mark 3:20-35; Ps 7:1-9; Prov 10:16
Filippense 2:14 NLV
Dis amper onmoontlik om kroniese klakouse te help. Jy kan hulle nooit tevrede stel nie, maar hulle wil nie hê dat jy moet ophou probeer nie. Later voel jy vasgevange. As jy eers ‘n reputasie as ‘n kroniese klakous gekry het, sal mense jou soos die plaag vermy en sal jy eensaam en ongewaardeerd voel. Die kans is goed dat jy nooit regtig sal verstaan hoekom nie! Gesindhede gebeur nie net nie – jy kies hulle. Paulus skryf: ‘Wees altyd bly omdat julle Christene is…’ (Filippense 4:4 NLV). Die Psalmdigter het geskryf: ‘Dit is die dag wat die Here gemaak het. Laat ons daaroor juig en bly wees’ (Psalm 118:24 NLV). Let op dat hy nie sê: ‘Gister was die dag wat die Here gemaak het, hoe gelukkig was ek nie toe nie,’. Of: ‘Môre sal die dag wees wat God gemaak het, ek sal uithou tot dan,’ nie. Nee, hierdie dag is ‘n gawe van God! ‘n Klaery is dikwels self-gesentreerd; dit gaan oor dit waarvan jy hou en nie hou nie. Dit is self-gefokus. Ware vreugde is ‘n keuse. Dit is die voorreg van diegene wat hulle aan iets groters as hul eie geluk toewy. Daar is besluite wat jy elke dag moet maak, soos wat jy gaan eet, wat jy gaan aantrek – en die gesindheid wat jy gaan uitstraal. Paulus was in die tronk met geen vooruitsig om vrygelaat te word nie, toe hy geskryf het: ‘Wees altyd bly omdat julle Christene is…’ Sy omstandighede het nie sy vreugde gedikteer nie, sy fokus het! Dieselfde geld vir jou. ‘Wees altyd vol blydskap. Moenie ophou bid nie. Wees in alle omstandighede dankbaar, want dit is wat God van julle as Christene verwag’ (1 Tessalonisense 5:16-18 NLV). Kies dus vandag vreugde!
Sielskos: Dan 3-4; Mark 3:20-35; Ps 7:1-9; Spr 10:16
Philippians 2:14 NLT
How often do we live our lives without feeling joyful? We can find ourselves just getting through each day, hoping that the next day will be better. We survive rather than thrive. We complain about the things we have to do and the things that happen to us. But attitudes don’t just happen – we choose them. We can choose to feel down and complain, or we can choose to be joyful. Our emotions don’t have to control us, we can change them. If we’re feeling down, we can ask God to fill us up with His joy, and we can reflect on His truth found in the Bible. Joy is something God wants us to experience. The Bible says: ‘Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus’ (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT). Sometimes we say that we’ll feel more joyful when something good happens to us. But joy isn’t dependent on circumstances. Paul said: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!’ (Philippians 4:4 NIV). Paul was in prison with no hope of release when he wrote this. His circumstances didn’t dictate his joy, his focus on Jesus did. Even when everything in our lives seems bad, we can still have joy. We might not feel happy, but joy goes beyond happiness. It’s a deep knowledge that we’ve been saved and that God has got better things to come. The psalmist writes, ‘This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it’ (Psalm 118:24 NKJV). Each day is an opportunity to be joyful because of what God has done for us. So let’s choose joy today.
Dan 3-4; Mark 3:20-35; Ps 7:1-9; Prov 10:16
2020-04-22
Galatians 1:10 NLT
People pleasing does two things: (1) It makes you neglect your own needs in order to meet other people’s. (2) It causes you to make decisions based on their approval. Either way, you can end up feeling like a doormat. Maybe you became a people pleaser early in life to get the attention you craved and couldn’t get any other way. Or maybe you never learned to trust your own judgment. The Bible says, “Fearing people is a dangerous trap” (Proverbs 29:25 NLT), because it always backfires. Not only do others get upset with you, you end up disappointed with yourself when things don’t work out. Peter struggled with people-pleasing. The night before the crucifixion when “a servant girl…said…’You were one of those with Jesus’…But Peter denied it in front of everyone. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about'” (Matthew 26:69-70 NLT). Afterwards he ended up weeping over his failure. When Samuel confronted Saul about his decision not to completely destroy the Amalekites: “Saul admitted…’I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded'” (1 Samuel 15:24 NLT). Paul, on the other hand, wrote, “I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” It’s good to be considerate, loving, and patient, but you can’t let yourself be intimidated and manipulated: “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power” (2 Timothy 1:7 NAS). When you yield to the fear of others you allow them, not God, to control your life. God doesn’t want you to serve people out of fear, but out of love for them – and Him.
Soul food: Dan 1-2; Mark 3:7-19; Ps 16; Prov 10:15
