2020-06-17
Hebreërs 11:32 NLV
Simson het wonderlike potensiaal gehad, maar dit alles weggegooi. Hoekom? Om verskeie redes. Hy het nie sy drange beheer nie. Hy was fisies sterk, maar moreel swak. Hy het God se beginsels opsetlik geïgnoreer en sy lewe het ‘n patetiese siklus van mislukkings geword. Hy het nooit uit sy foute geleer nie; hy het dieselfde foute oor en oor gemaak. Dit was vir hom ‘n speletjie: ‘Hoe naby kan ek aan die vuur kom sonder om te brand?’ Delila, ‘n Filistynse prostituut, het hom aanhoudend oor die bron van sy krag gepols en elke keer het sy bietjie nader aan die waarheid gekom. Simson het met versoeking gespeel deur haar aan ‘n lyntjie te hou en uiteindelik het hy gebrand. Ons doen dieselfde wanneer ons dinge sê soos: ‘Dit kan nie seermaak nie… net hierdie een keer.’ Die waarheid is dat niemand van ons beplan om ‘n mislukking te wees nie. Dit kom natuurlik – en geleidelik. Dis ‘n stap-vir-stap proses, wat ons bietjie-vir-bietjie verswak. Ons lewens val nie in een dag uitmekaar uit nie. Probleme bou oor ‘n tydperk op, omdat ons weier om uit ons foute te leer. Miskien dink jy: ‘Maar hierdie is ‘n area van my lewe waaroor ek geen beheer het nie. Dis maar net hoe ek is.’ Dis die verkeerde antwoord. Hier is die regte een: ‘Hy gee krag aan dié wat moeg is. Hy maak die magteloses sterk’ (Jesaja 40:29 NLV). Toe Simson uiteindelik die waarheid oor sy situasie aanvaar het, het God sy siklus van mislukking verbreek en hom die krag gegee om te doen wat hy moet doen – en hy het oorwinning behaal. God sal dieselfde vir jou doen wanneer jy na Hom toe draai!
Sielskos: 2 Kon 13-15; Luk 1:26-38; Ps 139:1-6; Spr 13:21-23
Judges 16:17 NIV
Samson had incredible potential, but he threw it away. Why? Over the next few days we’ll look at some of the reasons. Firstly, he failed to control his impulses. He deliberately ignored God’s principles, and his life became a cycle of failures. He never learned; he kept making the same mistakes over and over again. Samson put his desire for spending time with a woman called Delilah above what he knew was right. Delilah kept asking him about the source of his strength, and each time she got a little closer to the truth. In the end, she had asked so many times that Samson gave in and revealed his secret: ‘With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it. So he told her everything’ (Judges 16:16-17 NIV). Sometimes we say things like ‘It can’t hurt…just this once.’ We don’t plan to fail, but little by little, we head down the wrong path, and we don’t always learn from our mistakes. We might feel like we’re weak and that we can’t ever break free of our temptations, but the Bible teaches us that God ‘gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak’ (Isaiah 40:29 NIV). We can feel controlled by our desires and temptations, but actually we have a choice. We can choose to live God’s way. The Bible teaches that God ‘will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear…he will…provide a way out so that you can endure it’ (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV). When Samson finally faced the truth, God broke his cycle of failure, gave him the power to do what he should do, and made him victorious. And God will do the same for us when we turn to Him.
2 Kings 13-15; Luke 1:26-38; Ps 139:1-6; Prov 13:21-23
2020-06-16
Matthew 25:45 NKJV
The Bible teaches that one day God will evaluate and reward each of us according to how we treat those around us who are hurting and needy. And that’s why you need to get serious about helping them. Thomas Barnardo believed that, and he became one of the great Christian heroes of the 1800s. During his work among the poor and homeless in London’s East End, he built a home for destitute children that housed four hundred boys and girls. He turned the Edinburgh Castle Gin Palace and Music Hall into the Coffee Palace, a center for evangelistic and Christian activities. He built a village for girls that served more than nine thousand of them during his lifetime. In all, more than sixty thousand children benefited from the vocational training centers and homes he built. In extreme cases where he found children in the hands of cruel people, he would “abduct” them – a policy which, where parents were involved, was against the law. But he felt bound by a higher law – God’s law. This made him vulnerable to criminal charges and bitter custody battles, but eventually the law of the land was changed, not Barnardo. His successful “graduates” included lawyers, doctors, musicians, naval commanders, businessmen, and colonial ministers of state, all of whom had once been destitute and were rescued. How do you change the world? Starting today, you can do it one life at a time.
Soul food: 2 Kings 10-12; Luke 1:11-25; Ps 73:17-28; Prov 13:20
Matteus 25:45 NLV
Die Bybel leer ons dat God ons eendag sal evalueer en beloon volgens hoe ons die mense rondom ons wat seer het en behoeftig is, behandel het. Dis hoekom jy ernstig daaroor moet raak om hulle te help. Thomas Barnardo het dit geglo en een van die grootste Christelike helde van die 1800’s geword. Gedurende sy werk onder die armes en haweloses in die ooste van London, het hy ‘n huis vir hawelose kinders gebou wat vierhonderd seuns en dogters gehuisves het. Hy het die Edinburgh Castle Gin Palace and Music Hall in die Coffee Palace, ‘n sentrum vir evangelistiese en Christelike aktiwiteite, omskep. Hy het ‘n dorpie vir dogters gebou wat meer as negeduisend meisies gedurende sy leeftyd bedien het. Altesaam het meer as sestigduisend kinders baat by die beroepsopleidingsentrums en huise wat hy gebou het, gevind. In uiterste gevalle waar hy kinders in die hande van wrede mense gevind het, het hy hulle ‘ontvoer’ – ‘n beleid wat onwettig was wanneer daar ouers by betrokke was. Hy was egter aan ‘n hoër wet gebonde – God se wet. Dit het hom weerloos teenoor kriminele aanklagte en bitter onderhoudsgevegte gemaak, maar uiteindelik is die landswette verander, nie Barnardo nie. Sy suksesverhale het prokureurs, dokters, musikante, vlootoffisiere, besigheidsmanne en koloniale staatsministers ingesluit, wat almal eens op ‘n tyd haweloos was en gered is. Hoe kan jy die wêreld verander? Begin vandag, een lewe op ‘n slag.
Sielskos: 2 Kon 10-12; Luk 1:11-25; Ps 73:17-28; Spr 13:20
Matthew 25:45 NIV
Throughout the Bible, we see God’s heart for the poor and needy. The Bible says: ‘When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the LORD, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them’ (Isaiah 41:17 NLT). And God doesn’t want us to abandon them either. He calls us to provide for those who don’t have enough. It’s important for us to pray for those in need, but it’s also important for us to provide for them practically. James said: ‘Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?’ (James 2:15-16 NIV). By providing for people in a practical way, we can show God’s love to them. The Bible says: ‘If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?’ (1 John 3:17 NIV). It’s not always possible for us to provide for people, but if we can do something practical to help them then we should. Jesus teaches that when we help others, we’re actually helping Him. He said: ‘Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ So if we choose to ignore the needs of others and refuse to provide for them, then we’re refusing to provide for Jesus. Whenever we see someone in need, we should be asking God to show us what we can do to help them.
2 Kings 10-12; Luke 1:11-25; Ps 73:17-28; Prov 13:20
