2020-12-20
Romans 15:13 NCV
God has promised that we can have a sense of peace and joy in every circumstance we face. Jesus said, ‘I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete’ (John 15:11 NIV). So how can we hold on to joy and peace and not lose them?
Paul tells us, ‘I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace while you trust in him. Then your hope will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit’.
The word ‘trust’ in that verse can also be translated as ‘believe’. So the key to keeping hold of our joy and peace, even through tough times, is to keep trusting God and believing He’ll come through for us. It’s okay for us to have questions, and to wonder how or when God’s going to move, but if we start doubting His love and goodness, or thinking He can’t or won’t help us, we’ll also start to lose our hope.
One thing to remember during these times is that we don’t necessarily need massive amounts of faith to see God move. Jesus said: ‘If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you’ (Matthew 17:20 NIV). God can take our tiny bit of faith and turn it into something that breaks through the biggest obstacles.
When we feel ourselves slipping into a place of doubt, let’s move back into a place of trust, joy and peace by thinking of all the things He’s done for us through our mustard seed-sized faith.
Jonah 2; Luke 11:29-32
2020-12-19
Matteus 14:22 NLV
Het Jesus geweet dat daar ‘n storm aan die broei was toe Hy die dissipels gedwing het om weer in die skuit te klim? Ja. Hoekom het Hy hulle dus in die middel daarvan uitgestuur? Om te leer, te groei en hulle geloof te strek.
Die Bybel sê vir ons: “Kort voor dagbreek het Jesus op die see na hulle toe aangeloop gekom. Toe die dissipels Hom so op die see sien loop… [het] hulle gedink dis ‘n spook. Maar Jesus het dadelik vir hulle gesê: ‘Toemaar, moet julle nie ontstel nie. Dit is Ek'” (verse 25-27 NLV).
Daar is drie belangrike lesse hieruit te leer: 1) Om die Here te dien, stel jou nie van die lewe se storms vry nie, maar dit beskerm jou wanneer jy daarin is. Jesus het belowe: ‘…In die wêreld sal julle swaarkry beleef, maar skep moed. Ek het die wêreld reeds oorwin’ (Johannes 16:33 NLV).
2) Wat jy as ‘n probleem sien wat na jou kant toe kom, mag dalk die Here wees wat na jou toe op pad is. Die dissipels het gedink dat Jesus ‘n spook is, terwyl Hy inderwaarheid hulle Redder was.
3) Jesus mag dalk nie opdaag wanneer jy wil hê Hy moet nie, maar Hy sal altyd betyds opdaag. Die dissipels was vir ure in die storm voor Jesus te voorskyn gekom het. Toe Hy daar kom, het Hy gesê: ‘…Toemaar, moet julle nie ontstel nie. Dit is Ek.’ Let op dat Jesus hulle eers innerlik gekalmeer het, voor Hy die uiterlike storm laat bedaar het.
Dis hoe Hy werk. Eers verander Hy ons – dan verander Hy ons omstandighede. Gevolglik groei ons in geloof en word ons toegerus om die volgende storm in ons lewens, te hanteer.
Sielskos: Miga 5-7; Joh 21:1-14; Ps 12; Spr 31:1-5
Matthew 14:22 NIV
When “Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side,” did He know there was a storm brewing? Yes. So why did He send them into the middle of it? To learn, to grow, and to stretch their faith.
The Bible tells us: “Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him…they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost’ they said…But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid!'” (vv. 25-27 NIV).
There are three important lessons here: (1) Serving the Lord doesn’t exempt you from life’s storms, but it protects you when you’re in them. Jesus promised, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NIV).
(2) What you perceive as another problem heading your way, may be the Lord coming your way. The disciples thought Jesus was a ghost, when in reality He was their deliverer.
(3) Jesus may not show up when you want Him to, but He will always show up on time. The disciples had been in the storm for hours before Jesus appeared. And when He appeared, He said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
Notice that before Jesus dealt with what was troubling them on the outside, He calmed them down on the inside. That’s how He works. First He changes us – then He changes our circumstances. As a result, we grow in faith and end up better equipped to handle the next storm that blows into our lives.
Soul food: Micah 5-7; John 21:1-14; Ps 12; Prov 31:1-5
Matthew 14:22 NIV
When ‘Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side’, He knew there was a storm brewing, but He sent them into the middle of it because He wanted them to learn, grow, and stretch their faith.
The Bible tells us: ‘Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him…they were terrified. “It’s a ghost” they said…But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid!”‘ (vv. 25-27 NIV). There are three important lessons for us in this story:
1) Serving God doesn’t mean we’ll avoid life’s storms, but it protects us when we’re in them. Jesus promised, ‘In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33 NIV).
2) What we see as another problem heading our way might actually be the Lord coming towards us. The disciples thought Jesus was a ghost, when in reality He was their deliverer.
3) Jesus might not show up when we want Him to, but He’ll always show up on time. The disciples had been in the storm for hours before Jesus appeared. And when He appeared, He said, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ Before Jesus dealt with what was troubling them on the outside, He calmed them down on the inside. That’s how He works.
First He changes us, then He changes our circumstances. This helps us to grow in faith, so we’re better equipped to handle the next storm that blows into our lives.
Micah 5-7; John 21:1-14; Ps 12; Prov 31:1-5
2020-12-18
James 1:19 NIV
Good listening helps us to build relationships, but becoming a good listener requires some effort on our part. Here are a few suggestions to help us improve our listening:
1) Listen without interrupting. We need to resist the temptation to jump in and finish a sentence, or to turn the conversation around to make it about ourselves and our feelings and experiences.
2) Listen to understand. As someone is speaking, we should try to understand their point of view, feelings, needs, and way of thinking. Good listening is hearing what they actually think, mean or feel, not what we imagine they do. If we’re not sure that we’re understanding correctly, rather than guessing, we should ask, ‘Do you mean…? Are you feeling…?’ We mustn’t assume things, and we shouldn’t be afraid of asking someone to clarify or repeat what they’ve said to us.
3) Listen without judging. We need to avoid jumping to conclusions. If someone says something that doesn’t quite add up, we need to keep listening. Proverbs 18:13 says: ‘To answer before listening – that is folly and shame’ (Proverbs 18:13 NKJV). When we hear more details, it might make sense.
4) Listen without correcting, arguing or devaluing. Jumping in and saying things like, ‘That’s not what happened,’ or, ‘If you hadn’t…’ or, ‘You’re just being too sensitive,’ can put people on their guard and stop real communication.
5) Validate the speaker. We should make an effort to accept their perceptions and feelings as the valid expressions of a valued person. They may have misunderstood a situation, but that doesn’t mean they’re wrong to feel the way they do. If we try to understand their perspective, we’ll gain insight into why they feel that way.
Micah 1-4; John 20:19-31; Ps 67; Prov 30:29-33
