2020-06-06
Spreuke 9:9 NLV
Kom ons kyk na vertraagde intellektuele ontwikkeling. Soms gebruik ons verse soos: ‘Daar is dinge wat dom lyk vir die mense van die wêreld, maar God het daardie dinge gekies om die slim mense te laat verstaan dat hulle niks weet nie…’ (1 Korintiërs 1:27 ABA), as verskoning om nie ons gedagtes te ontwikkel en intellektueel te groei nie. God het gesê: ‘My volk gaan te gronde weens gebrek aan kennis…’ (Hosea 4:6 AFR53). Jou sin van vervulling gaan met intellektuele groei gepaard – iets wat jy nie op ‘n ander manier kan kry nie. Wanneer jy weet dat jy in kennis en begrip groei, word jy minder ontvanklik vir kritiek, verwaarlosing en afjakke. Jou sin van waarde hang nie meer van ander mense se goedkeuring af nie, omdat jy jouself aan jou persoonlike groei meet. Die Bybel sê: “‘n Mens met insig kry steeds meer kennis. Wyse mense hou altyd hulle ore oop vir nog meer kennis” (Spreuke 18:15 NLV). ‘Die oor wat wel hoor, die oog wat reg sien – die Here het al twee gemaak’ (Spreuke 20:12 NLV). Let wel, jy leer deur te luister en te observeer! Ons praat nou nie hier van ure voor die televisie spandeeer wat jou brein dof maak en jou die kuns van gesprekvoering afleer nie. Die Bybel sê: ‘Yster slyp yster en so vorm vriende mekaar’ (Spreuke 27:17 NLV). Om te groei en skerp te word, het jy vriende in jou lewe nodig wat jou sal opskerp. Daar is drie sleutelaktiwiteite wat jou toekoms bepaal: a) die tyd wat jy met God bestee; b) die verhoudings wat jy aanknoop; en c) die boeke wat jy lees. Die boek waaraan jy die meeste tyd moet bestee, is die Bybel. Nog ‘n gedagte: Enige tyd wanneer jy lees en ‘n goeie gedagte kry of ‘n ‘aha!’ oomblik ervaar, skryf dit neer – anders sal jy dit verloor.
Sielskos: Op 1-4; Mark 14:43-52; Ps 1; Spr 13:1
2020-06-05
Job 11:16 NLT
Let’s talk about arrested emotional development. When you don’t get help for your past emotional hurts, you’ll find yourself “acting out,” treating others like you were treated, and repeating your past in your present. Indeed, you may end up hurting the most important people in your life, maybe even destroying those relationships without knowing why. You’ll blame the failure of the relationship on your partner’s habits, looks, attitudes, and way of going about things. And in so doing, you will remain emotionally stuck, trapped by the unhealed, unrecognized sources of your dysfunction. What you’re dealing with here is “emotional junk”: regrets over past mistakes, grudges over being wronged, and all the other hurts you hide under clouds of anger, cynicism, and reclusiveness. You will never know what you have, or what you truly need, until you get rid of your emotional junk. How do you do that? The answer can be found in God’s Word and God’s presence: “Prepare your heart and lift up your hands to him in prayer! Get rid of your sins, and leave all iniquity behind you. Then your face will brighten with innocence. You will be strong and free of fear. You will forget your misery; it will be like water flowing away. Your life will be brighter than the noonday. Even darkness will be as bright as morning. Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety…and many will look to you for help” (vv. 13-19 NLT).
Soul food: 1 Kings 21-22; Mark 14:27-42; Ps 129; Prov 12:27-28
Job 11:16 NLV
Kom ons gesels oor vertraagde emosionele ontwikkeling. Wanneer jy nie hulp vir emosionele seer in die verlede kry nie, kan jy jouself bevind waar jy ander mense behandel soos jy behandel is en jou verlede in die hede herhaal. Jy mag dalk die belangrikste mense in jou lewe seermaak en dalk selfs die verhoudings vernietig, sonder dat jy weet hoekom jy so optree. Jy sal die mislukking van die verhouding op jou maat se gewoontes, voorkoms, houding en manier van dinge doen, blameer. Wanneer jy dit doen, sal jy emosioneel vasgevang bly, ‘n gevangene van die seer oorsake van jou wanfunksie. Jy het met ’emosionele gemors’ te doen: verwyte oor foute in die verlede, wrokke oor verkeerde dinge wat aan jou gedoen is en al die ander seerkry wat jy onder ‘n wolk van woede, sinisme en teruggetrokkenheid wegsteek. Jy sal nooit weet wat jy het, of wat jy waarlik nodig het, totdat jy van jou emosionele gemors ontslae raak nie. Hoe doen jy dit? Die antwoord kan in God se Woord en God se teenwoordigheid gevind word: ‘As jy net jou hart aan Hom wil wy en jou hande na Hom oplig in gebed! Raak ontslae van jou sondes. Los alle ongeregtigheid agter jou. Dan sal jou gesig verhelder in onskuld. Jy sal sterk wees en vry van angs. Jy sal jou swaarkry vergeet. Dit sal weg wees soos water onderdeur ‘n brug. Jou lewe sal helder wees soos in die middel van die dag, alle donkerte so helder soos die oggendlig. Jy sal vol moed wees omdat jy hoop sal hê. Jy sal beskerm wees en rus in veiligheid. Jy sal sonder vrees gaan slaap, en baie sal na jou kyk vir hulp’ (verse 13-19 NLV).
Sielskos: 1 Kon 21-22; Mark 14:27-42; Ps 129; Spr 12:27-28
Job 11:16 NCV
We also need to develop emotionally. When we don’t get help for our past emotional hurts, we can find ourselves acting out of character. We might treat others like we were treated, and hurt the most important people in our lives. Our relationships might even end up falling apart. Being stuck in the past is not what God wants for us. He has new things He wants to do in and through us. Isaiah 43 says: ‘Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don’t you see it?’ (vv.18-19 NCV). If we’re still emotionally tied to our past, we’ll struggle to step into the new things ahead of us. Regret, bitterness, resentment, anger, and hurt keep us trapped. But it’s often easier said than done to let go of them and move on. In the Bible, Job faced a lot of trouble and heartache. When he was struggling, one of his friends gave him this advice: ‘You must give your whole heart to [God] and hold out your hands to him for help…You will forget your trouble and remember it only as water gone by’ (Job 11:13-16 NCV). We need to hand everything over to God and ask Him to help us work through these situations and emotions. We can’t simply forget about them or pretend that we’re not bothered by them anymore. That will just make things harder in the long run. Instead, we need to go through the process of dealing with them so we can ultimately find healing and freedom. It’s possible for us to move on and develop emotionally, we just need to be open to the process God wants to take us through.
1 Kings 21-22; Mark 14:27-42; Ps 129; Prov 12:27-28
2020-06-04
Hebrews 5:12 NKJV
Addressing the early church, Paul said: “I have a lot more to say…but it is hard to get it across to you since you’ve picked up the bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one – baby’s milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago!” (vv. 11-14 MSG). It’s known as “arrested development,” and it can happen to any of us. Among the first evidence that a child is healthy and growing is that they no longer need to be fed from a bottle, or have their food cut up and put into their mouth. They may still prefer candy to carrots, but hopefully they’re closer to understanding why they need carrots. If the only time you’re fed spiritually is in church on Sunday morning, why would you be surprised that you don’t have the faith to believe God for answered prayer, the strength to overcome temptation, or a sense of God’s guidance in your life? How long do you think you’d last if you only ate once a week? Job said, “I…treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12 NKJV). David said, “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103 NKJV). Jeremiah wrote, “Your words were found, and I ate them…Your word was…the joy and rejoicing of my heart” (Jeremiah 15:16 NKJV). To grow spiritually, you need the “strong meat” of God’s Word (See Hebrews 5:14).
Soul food: 1 Kings 18:16-20:43; Mark 14:12-26; Ps 124; Prov 12:26
