2021-01-15
Matteus 6:34 NLV
Daar is ‘n verhaal van ‘n horlosie wat baie tyd daaraan toegewy het om hom oor sy toekoms te bekommer. Hy het tot die slotsom gekom dat hy twee keer elke sekonde moet tik. ‘Hoeveel keer sal ek dus moet tik?’ het die horlosie gewonder. Dus het hy uitgewerk dat hy 120 keer elke minuut moet tik, wat 7,200 keer ‘n uur is. Dit beteken dat hy in vier-en-twintig uur 172,800 keer sal moet tik en 63,072,000 keer in ‘n jaar. Teen hierdie tyd het die horlosie oorweldig begin voel en al hoe meer begin sweet. Uiteindelik het hy uitgewerk dat hy oor ‘n periode van tien jaar 630,720,000 keer sal moet tik – en op daardie punt het die horlosie ‘n senu-ineenstorting beleef.
Sielkundiges reken dat omtrent 95 persent van dit waaroor ons ons bekommer, nooit gebeur nie. Wat van die ander 5 persent? Vier uit die vyf kere draai dinge beter uit as wat ons verwag het, insluitend ‘n hele klomp seëninge! Op die einde van die dag gebeur net 1 persent van al die slegte goed waaroor ons ons bekommer en dis selde so erg soos ons gevrees het. Dis hoekom Jesus gesê het: ‘Moet julle daarom nie oor môre bekommer nie. Môre sal sy eie bekommernisse bring. Vandag se moeilikhede is vir een dag heeltemal genoeg.’
Die apostel Paulus gee ons die regte perspektief om volgens te lewe: ‘Neem al die dinge waaroor julle julle bekommer of wat julle omkrap na God toe, want Hy self is die Een wat vir julle sorg’ (1 Petrus 5:7 DB). Die woord vir jou vandag is dus – moenie oor die toekoms obsessief raak nie.
Sielskos: Eks 33-35; Matt 7:15-29; Ps 79; Spr 2:9-10
Matthew 6:34 TLB
The story’s told of a clock that spent a great deal of time worrying about its future, reasoning that it had to tick twice each second. “How much ticking might that be?” the clock thought. So it began to calculate that it would tick 120 times each minute, which is 7,200 times each hour. That meant in a twenty-four-hour day it would have to tick 172,800 times, and 63,072,000 times every year. By this time the clock began to get overwhelmed and sweat profusely. Finally, it calculated that in a ten-year period it would have to tick 630,720,000 times – and at that point the clock collapsed with a nervous breakdown.
Psychologists reckon that about 95 percent of all we worry about never happens. What about the other 5 percent? Four out of five times things turn out better than we anticipated, including a lot of outright blessings! In the end, only 1 percent of all the bad we think might happen actually does, and of this it’s rarely as bad as we feared. That’s why Jesus said, “Don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.”
The apostle Peter gives us the right perspective to live by in these words: “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully” (1 Peter 5:7 AMPC). So the word for you today is – don’t obsess over the future.
Soul food: Exo 33-35; Matt 7:15-29; Ps 79; Prov 2:9-10
2021-01-14
Psalm 100:4 NIV
Whether you go to a big church, a small one, or an online one, Jesus, the head of the church, said, ‘Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them (Matthew 18:20 NIV). When we go to church, we need to recognise His presence, worship Him, and make Him our central focus. We all have the occasional off-day when we don’t really feel like going or we find it difficult to focus, but if that’s becoming a regular thing, it’s a good idea to talk to God about it and ask Him to help us regain our enthusiasm for church.
We also need to be aware of the reasons we’re going to church. If we find that things like the style of music, the people, or even the refreshments are a bigger draw than God’s presence, we need to readjust our focus. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong to enjoy these things, but they should help direct our focus on to God rather than being the focus themselves.
It can help to imagine seeing Jesus walk into our church. Would our attention be on the worship team, or on Jesus? Would we ignore Him to go and have a catch up with friends, or hang on His every word? Would we walk past Him to get a cup of coffee, or kneel before Him in praise and thanksgiving? The psalmist gives us a good guide for the attitude we should have when attending church: ‘Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations’ (Psalm 100:4-5 NIV).
Exo 30-32; Matt 7:1-14; Ps 74:12-23; Prov 2:7-8
Psalm 100:4 NKJV
One Sunday a plainly dressed, scholarly-looking man went to a church in the Netherlands and took a seat near the pulpit. A few minutes later, a lady approached the pew. Seeing a stranger sitting in it, she curtly advised him that this was “her seat.” He graciously apologized, and moved to one of the pews in the back of the church reserved for the poor. There, he joined in the service and left afterward without further incident.
When the service was over, one of the woman’s friends asked her if she knew who it was she had ordered out of her pew. “No,” the woman replied casually, “only some stranger, I suppose.” She was shocked to learn from her friend that the stranger was King Oscar of Sweden, who was in the country visiting their queen.
There’s a lesson here for you. Whether you go to a big church or a small one, Jesus the head of the church, said, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew18:20 NKJV). That means, Jesus, the King of Kings, will be present. You must recognize His presence, worship Him, and make Him your central focus. Otherwise, you might as well join a social club or just stay home.
The psalmist gives us the protocol for church: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations” (Psalm 100:4-5 NKJV).
Soul food: Exo 30-32; Matt 7:1-14; Ps 74:12-23; Prov 2:7-8
Psalm 100:4 NLV
Een Sondag het ‘n man met eenvoudige klere aan ‘n kerk in Nederland besoek en ‘n sitplek naby die preekstoel ingeneem. ‘n Paar minute later het ‘n vrou die kerkbank genader. Toe sy die vreemdeling in die kerkbank sien sit, het sy hom kortaf ingelig dat hy op haar sitplek sit. Die man het op ‘n aangename manier verskoning gevra en na een van die kerkbanke aan die agterkant, wat vir die armes uitgehou is, beweeg en daar gaan sit. Daar het hy na die diens geluister en na die tyd sonder enige verdere insidente die kerk verlaat.
Toe die diens verby was, het een van die vrou se vriende haar gevra of sy weet wie die persoon is wat sy uit haar kerkbank geskop het. ‘Nee,’ het sy ewe geantwoord, ‘seker maar net een of ander vreemdeling.’ Sy was geskok om by haar vriend te hoor dat die vreemdeling koning Oscar van Swede was, wat in hulle land op besoek aan die Nederlandse koningin was.
Of jy nou na ‘n groot of klein kerk toe gaan, Jesus, die Hoof van die kerk, het gesê: ‘Waar twee of drie bymekaarkom omdat hulle my mense is, is Ek immers ook saam met hulle daar’ (Matteus 18:20 NLV). Dit beteken dat Jesus, die Koning van Konings, by jou kerk teenwoordig sal wees. Jy moet sy teenwoordigheid herken, Hom aanbid en Hom jou sentrale fokus maak. Andersins kan jy net sowel by ‘n sosiale klub aansluit of by die huis bly.
Die Psalmdigter gee vir ons die protokol vir kerk: ‘Gaan sy poorte in met dankliedere, sy hofsaal met lofgesange. Dank Hom en prys sy Naam. Want die Here is goed. Sy troue liefde hou aan vir altyd, sy trou is van geslag tot geslag’ (Psalm 100:4-5 NLV).
Sielskos: Eks 30-32; Matt 7:1-14; Ps 74:12-23; Spr 2:7-8
