2020-08-28
Luke 18:40 NLT
We live such busy lives that it can be difficult to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. Jesus had the biggest mission in all of history, but still held His schedule loosely enough that He graciously accepted interruptions to reach out to others and show God’s love. Chuck Swindoll writes: ‘The One who said, “Be still, and know that I am God” must hurt when He witnesses our frantic, compulsive, agitated motions. In place of a quiet, responsive spirit, we offer Him an inner washing machine – churning with anxiety…activity…resentment and impatience. But you can change. Here’s how. Admit it. Acknowledge that you’re too busy and something must be done… Stop it. Starting today, refuse every activity that isn’t absolutely necessary. Sound ruthless? So is the clock. So is your health… Quit feeling so important. They’ll find somebody else to sit on the committee…or they’ll wise up and adopt a better plan. Maintain it. It is easy to start fast and fade quickly. Paul told the Galatians, “You were running…well. Who…held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn’t God…he is the one who called you to freedom” (Galatians 5:7-8 NLT). Share it. Once you start gleaning the benefits from reordering your priorities…tell other “activity-addicts.” They’d love to stop – if they only knew how.’ For a lot of us, that honest acknowledgement that we can allow busyness to affect our openness to God can be hard. Especially when it’s often good things that fill our schedules. But it’s vital to remember that building our relationship with God comes before anything else, even ahead of our work for Him out in the world. Use this as a chance to check your priorities. Put Jesus before good works. Allow the Holy Spirit to fill you up before you try to pour out.
Lam 1:1-3:39; Luke 18:18-30; Ps 119:169-176; Prov 19:9-10
Luke 18:40 NLT
Is there room in your schedule for interruptions? One author writes: “Jesus stopped when people needed help. He saw interruptions as opportunities to show God’s love. Woe to those who are so busy saving the world that they ignore the perceived interruptions of those in need. Like the Good Samaritan, we should be ready to stop for someone who’s hurting. ‘Whoever…sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart…how does the love of God abide in him?’ (1 John 3:17 NKJV). When Jesus acted out of love, people recognized ‘God…at work among them’ (Luke 7:16 MSG).” Chuck Swindoll writes: “The One who said, ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10) must hurt when He witnesses our frantic, compulsive, agitated motions. In place of a quiet, responsive spirit, we offer Him an inner washing machine – churning with anxiety…activity…resentment and impatience. But you can change. Here’s how. Admit it. Acknowledge that you’re too busy and something must be done – NOW. I did that recently, and through tears my family and I cleared some bridges the thorns had overgrown. Stop it. Starting today, refuse every activity that isn’t absolutely necessary. Sound ruthless? So is the clock. So is your health…Quit feeling so important. They’ll find somebody else to sit on the committee…or they’ll wise up and adopt a better plan. Maintain it. It is easy to start fast and fade quickly. Paul told the Galatians, ‘You were running…well. Who…held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn’t God…he is the one who called you to freedom’ (Galatians 5:7-8 NLT). Share it. Once you start gleaning the benefits from reordering your priorities…tell other ‘activity-addicts.’ They’d love to stop – if they only knew how.”
Soul food: Lam 1:1-3:39; Luke 18:18-30; Ps 119:169-176; Prov 19:9-10
2020-08-27
Jakobus 4:3 NLV
Wanneer jy vir ‘n geliefde se verlossing bid, hoef jy nooit te wonder of dit in God se wil is nie. Sy wil word duidelik in die Skrif uitgespel: ‘want Hy wil dat almal gered word en die waarheid verstaan’ (1 Timoteus 2:4 NLV). Wanneer dit egter by dinge kom wat nie duidelik in die Skrif beloof word nie, moet jy sê: ‘As dit u wil is.’ Hoekom? Omdat die Bybel sê: ‘En selfs wanneer julle vra, kry julle dit nie omdat julle motiewe verkeerd is…’ Soms sukkel ons om hierdie waarheid te aanvaar, omdat ons oortuig is dat ons versoeke geregverdig is. Indien jou hart egter nie suiwer teenoor God is en jou wil in lyn met syne is nie, word jou motiewe deur selfbelang verkleur. Johannes sê: ‘Dit is die vrymoedigheid wat ons voor God het, dat wat ons ook al volgens sy wil vra, Hy na ons luister. As ons dan met die wete leef dat Hy na ons luister, na wat ons ook al vra, weet ons ook dat Hy die versoek wat ons gevra het, toestaan’ (1 Johannes 5:14-15 NLV). Wanneer jy vir iets bid wat jy nie seker is in lyn met God se doelstellings is nie, moet jy bid: ‘As dit u wil is.’ Dit beteken nie dat jou geloof swak is wanneer jy sê: ‘Here, ek wil hierdie ding hê – as dit u wil is, by u planne inpas, u beste vir my is en volgens u tyd plaasvind.’ Paulus sê: ‘…nou maak ons maar stuk-stuk uit van God en alles wat Hy vir ons doen en beteken…’ (1 Korintiërs 13:12 DB). Ons sien net ‘n gedeeltelike prentjie, maar God het volkome kennis van die situasie, van begin tot einde. Bid dus in geloof en vertrou God vir die regte resultate.
Sielskos: Gal 4-6; Luk 18:1-17; Ps 119:161-168; Spr 19:3-8
James 4:3 NIV
When you pray for the salvation of a loved one, you never have to wonder if it’s God’s will. His will is clearly spelled out in Scripture: “God…wants all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4 NIV). However, when it comes to praying for things that aren’t clearly promised in Scripture, you should say, “If it be Thy will.” Why? Because the Bible says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives.” Sometimes we have a hard time accepting this truth because we’re convinced our petitions are justified. But unless your heart is pure toward God and your will is lined up with His, your motives for asking can be tainted by self-interest. John says: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears – whatever we ask – we know…we have what we ask of him” (1 John 5:14-15 NIV). When you pray for something you’re not sure is in keeping with the mind of God, you should pray, “If it be Thy will.” This doesn’t mean you’re weak in faith when you say, “Lord, I want this thing – if it’s Your will, fits in with Your plan, is Your best for me, and it’s in Your timing.” Paul says, “We can see and understand only a little about God now” (1 Corinthians 13:12 TLB). We see only a partial picture, but God has complete knowledge of the situation from beginning to end. So pray in faith, and trust God for the right results.
Soul food: Gal 4-6; Luke 18:1-17; Ps 119:161-168; Prov 19:3-8
James 4:3 NIV
When we’re praying for things that aren’t specifically promised in the Bible, we should say, ‘If it’s Your will.’ The Bible says, ‘When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives.’ Sometimes we can find it difficult to accept this truth because we’re sure we know what’s best and our requests are justified. But we can’t see the bigger picture, so we might be praying for things that actually wouldn’t turn out to be good for us or for God’s kingdom. The Message says: ‘We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist’ (1 Corinthians 13:12 MSG). Only God understands the complete picture. So we need to pray with hearts that are full of God and with our will fully in line with His. John said: ‘This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears – whatever we ask – we know…we have what we asked of him’ (1 John 5:14-15 NIV). When we’re not sure if the thing we’re praying for is aligned with God’s will, we should pray, ‘If it’s Your will,’ and then accept that God might not give us exactly what we want. This doesn’t mean our faith is weak. Instead, it shows that we love and trust God enough to say, ‘Lord, I want this thing, but only if it’s Your will, fits in with Your plan, is Your best for me, and it’s in Your timing.’ So let’s pray in faith, and trust God for the right results.
Gal 4-6; Luke 18:1-17; Ps 119:161-168; Prov 19:3-8
