2021-03-30
Job 23:10 NIV
Job lost his family and his fortune in a single day. Yet, looking back he wrote, “When he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” It takes much more heat to produce gold than it does to produce tin. So which of the two do you want to be? To enjoy the blessing God has in mind for you, you’ve got to pass life’s tests.
In the early days of television programming, schedules were routinely interrupted by a thirty-second test of “The Emergency Broadcast System.” And those tests are a lot like the ones that come into our lives – unscheduled…unwelcome…and they always seem to come at the worst possible time. But unlike television test patterns, life’s tests don’t last for thirty seconds then go away. No, they can last for weeks, years, and in some cases, for a lifetime. And the reason why may never be completely clear to you.
However, there’s an aspect of the test you can control – how you respond to it. The truth is, tests are an invaluable, integral, and indispensable part of your spiritual growth. Without them you’ll never grow and mature as much as you need to. And it’s how you handle your “tests” that decides your “testimony.”
Paul writes: “Every detail works to your advantage and to God’s glory: more and more grace…more and more praise! So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside…not a day goes by without his unfolding grace” (2 Corinthians 4:15-16 MSG). Bottom line: you’re “graced” for this test.
Soul food: Est 5-10; Matt 26:1-17; Ps 18:1-29; Prov 26:24-27
2021-03-29
Johannes 15:3 NLV
Jou nuwe natuur is geprogrammeer om God te wil gehoorsaam, op dieselfde manier soos ‘n sakrekenaar geprogrammeer is om syfers te bereken. Wanneer jy die regte informasie insit, kry jy die regte antwoord. Wanneer jy jou nuwe natuur met God se Woord voed, is dit ontwerp om jou die regte antwoord te gee. Dis hoekom Satan jou so besig met ander dinge probeer hou, dat jy nie tyd bestee om jou Bybel te lees nie. Paulus skryf: ‘Ons almal weerspieël die heerlikheid van die Here… Ons word al meer verander om soos die Here te lyk…’ (2 Korintiërs 3:18 NLV).
‘n Spieël is net ‘n reflekteerder. Hoe meer tyd jy met God se Woord deurbring, hoe meer begin jy sy beeld reflekteer. Dit sal egter nie gebeur deur hier en daar ‘n vers te gryp of om deur ‘n hoofstuk te blaai nie. Nee, jy moet jou gedagtes elke dag met God se Woord vernuwe, tot so ‘n mate dat die Heilige Gees met jou gees konnekteer en ‘n Christelike lewenstyl produseer.
Jesus het gesê: ‘Julle is reeds skoon gesnoei deur die boodskap wat Ek met julle gedeel het. Julle moet aan My verbonde bly soos Ek aan julle. ‘n Loot kan nie uit sy eie vrugte dra as dit nie aan die druiwestok verbind bly nie, en só julle ook nie as julle nie voluit aan My verbonde bly nie’ (Johannes 15:3-4 NLV).
Wanneer kos op ‘n bord uitdroog, moet die bord eers in warm seepwater geweek word voor al die gemors daarop verwyder kan word. Dis hoekom jy jou gedagtes in God se Woord moet week. Dit verwyder nie net al die aaklige sonde nie, maar ook geharde, hardnekkige houdings wat jou daarvan weerhou om in genade te groei.
Sielskos: Est 1-4; Matt 25:41-46; Ps 69:19-36; Spr 8:30-31
John 15:3 NKJV
When we accept Jesus as our Saviour, our new natures are programmed to want to obey God in the same way a calculator is programmed to compute numbers. When you put in the right information, you get the right response. And when we feed our new natures with God’s Word, they’re designed to give us the right response. That’s why Satan tries to keep us so busy doing other things we don’t spend time reading the Bible. His goal is to keep us weak and ineffective.
Paul wrote, ‘We all…beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image’ (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV). A mirror is simply a reflector. And the more time we spend in God’s Word, the more we begin to reflect His likeness. But it won’t happen by just grabbing a verse here and there or skimming through a passage. It calls for renewing our minds every day with God’s Word, to the extent that the Holy Spirit connects with our spirits and produces a Christlike lifestyle.
Jesus said: ‘You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me’ (John 15:3-4 NKJV). When food dries on a plate, that plate needs to ‘abide’ in some hot, soapy water so that all the mess can be removed. That’s why we need to soak our minds in God’s Word. It removes not only sin, but hardened, stubborn attitudes that prevent us growing in grace.
Est 1-4; Matt 25:41-46; Ps 69:19-36; Prov 8:30-31
John 15:3 KJV
Your new nature is programmed to want to obey God in much the same way a calculator is programmed to compute numbers. When you put in the right information, you get the right response. And when you feed your new nature with God’s Word, it’s designed to give you the right response. That’s why Satan tries to keep you so busy doing other things that you don’t spend time reading your Bible. His goal is to keep you weak and ineffective.
Paul writes, “We all…beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV). A mirror is simply a reflector. And the more time you spend in God’s Word, the more you begin to reflect His likeness. But it won’t happen by just grabbing a verse here and there or skimming through a passage. No, it calls for renewing your mind every day with God’s Word, to the extent that the Holy Spirit connects with your spirit and produces a Christlike lifestyle.
Jesus said: “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me” (John 15:3-4). When food dries on a plate, that plate needs to “abide” in some hot, soapy water so that all the junk can be removed. That’s why you need to soak your mind in God’s Word. It removes not only gross sin, but hardened, baked-on, stubborn attitudes that keep you from growing in grace.
Soul food: Est 1-4; Matt 25:41-46; Ps 69:19-36; Prov 8:30-31
2021-03-28
James 1:22 NCV
James wrote: ‘Do what God’s teaching says; when you only listen and do nothing, you are fooling yourselves. Those who hear God’s teaching and do nothing are like people who look at themselves in a mirror. They see their faces and then go away and quickly forget what they looked like. But the truly happy people are those who carefully study God’s perfect law that makes people free, and they continue to study it. They do not forget what they heard, but they obey what God’s teaching says. Those who do this will be made happy’ (James 1:22-25 NCV).
If we really want to follow God’s will and enjoy the blessings and plans he has for us, we can’t just be passive listeners or readers of God’s Word, forgetting what we’ve learned as soon as our Bibles are closed. We need to let God’s Word into our hearts and allow it to change us. It’s the difference between spending a few hurried moments in the Scripture before rushing into the day, instead of meditating on it until it renews our minds and shapes our characters into the likeness of Jesus.
As we read the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit holds a mirror up in front of us so that we can see the truth and make whatever adjustments are necessary. Pay attention to the words, ‘truly happy people are those who carefully study God’s perfect law…and they continue to study it.’
To really walk in God’s blessing, we need to keep going back to God Word, keep digging into it, and keep allowing it to change us from within, then He’ll take care of the ‘blessing’ part.
Ps 118:19-29; Matt 21:1-16
