2021-05-28
Matthew 22:39 NIVUK
Two of the most famous ‘marriage advice’ type of verses can shed some real light on how all relationships, not just the relationship between husband and wife, can work better: ‘be considerate’ (1 Peter 3:7 NIV) and ‘be worthy of respect’ (1 Timothy 3:11 NIV). In any kind of relationship, it’s about growing an environment where the relationship works to help both people become better people, and draw closer to God. And to build that kind of environment means giving a lot of encouragement and support. Not only when we feel like it, but also when we don’t feel like it.
Jesus’ commandment to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ sums it up perfectly. It means asking God to soften our sharp edges, and provide us with the strength, patience, and opportunities to show His love to those around us. Want to work out a difficult relationship, make long-lasting friendships or even just feel loved? Make the first move.
When we’re prayerfully proactive in a relationship, and willing to drop our own petty disagreements or dislikes for the sake of blessing someone, God will add to it. That doesn’t mean we should let ourselves be walked over by someone who isn’t willing to show love back. Sometimes, there’s reason to find the way out of a relationship (and if you do feel as though you need to get out, then listen to yourself, you know your situation best), but a few steps before that, it’s worth considering if you can bless the other person in some way.
1 Ki 16:1-18:15; Mark 12:13-27; Ps 108; Prov 12:14
1 Korintiërs 7:33-34 NLV
Dr James Dobson skryf: ‘Watter een van die volgende paartjies is meer geneig om die grootste fisiese aantrekkingskrag in die huwelik te geniet? Die paartjie wat elke uur saam deurbring en omtrent eksklusief net op mekaar fokus, of die man en vrou wat ander belangstellings het en na tye van onafhanklikheid weer bymekaar kom? Verrassend genoeg is dit die paartjie wat mekaar spasie gun.
Volgens gedragsnavorsers, is die gesondste huwelike met die hoogste seksuele spanning die huwelike wat asemhaal – verhoudings wat wissel tussen tye van nabyheid en teerheid en tye wat meer onafhanklik is, wat dan weer bymekaar kom vir nog ‘n reünie soos die siklus vorder. Dit is hoekom dit nie altyd voordelig is vir ‘n man en vrou om saam te werk nie, of eksklusief op mekaar in die afwesigheid van vriende en kollegas buite die familie, te konsentreer nie.
Daar is iets aan die diversiteit van belangstellings en aktiwiteite van elke eggenoot wat die paartjie daarvan weerhou om mekaar te verteer en die verhouding uiteindelik uit te laat brand. Die huwelik is ‘n marathon en nie ‘n naelloop nie. Mans en vrouens moet ‘n sisteem uitwerk wat hulle liefde vir ‘n leeftyd sal lewendig hou. Om ‘n gesonde belangstelling in baie dinge te kweek, is ‘n groot stap in daardie rigting.’
Hoe doen mens dit? 1) Deur te deel sonder om te versmoor. 2) Deur so veilig in julle liefde te voel dat julle mekaar vertrou. 3) Deur te begryp dat jou maat se persoonlike groei sekere elemente benodig wat jy nie kan voorsien nie en dit heeltemal so te aanvaar.
Sielskos: 1 Kon 16:1-18:15; Mark 12:13-27; Ps 108; Spr 12:14
2021-05-27
1 Corinthians 15:10 NIV
Have you heard the story about the woman who had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital? On the operating table she had a near-death experience during which she saw God and asked Him if her life was over. “No,” God replied, “You have another forty-three years, two months, and eights days left to live.”
The woman was so thrilled she decided to stay in the hospital and have a face-lift, liposuction, a tummy tuck – the whole works. She even had a stylist come in and change her hair color, figuring since she had so much time left, she should make the most of it. After being discharged from the hospital, however, she was crossing the road when she was killed by a speeding ambulance. Arriving back in God’s presence, she fumed, “I thought you said I had forty-plus years left.” Whereupon God replied, “I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you.”
Seriously, God will help you to be the best you can be, but He won’t help you become something He never intended you to be. So accept yourself, love yourself, and enjoy being the best version of yourself.
English theologian Julius Hare said, “Be what you are. This is the first step toward becoming better than you are.” When you think about it, the opposite of courage isn’t fear, it’s conformity. And nothing is more exhausting and frustrating than trying to live your life as someone you’re not. So today be who God made you to be! Rise up and declare this with the apostle Paul: “By the grace of God I am what I am.”
Soul food: 1 Ki 14-15; Mark 12:1-12; Ps 101; Prov 12:12-13
Luke 4:18 NCV
Michelangelo’s masterpiece David is in a gallery in Florence, Italy. Thousands of tourists wait for hours every day to get a glimpse. But many of them never notice the series of unfinished sculptures that line the corridor on the way to David. Their forms are identifiable – a hand here, a torso there. The statues were intended to adorn the tomb of Pope Julius ll, but they were never finished. It’s almost as if these sculptures are trying to break free and become what they were intended to be, but they are stuck in stone. Michelangelo called them captives.
We can sometimes go through times of feeling like captives. We can’t seem to break free from habitual sins that hold us back. We know who we want to be, what we want to do, and where we want to go, but we can’t seem to make any progress in getting there. But no matter how long we’ve been stuck, God wants to finish what He started in our lives.
Jesus said His mission was to set captives free (see Luke 4:18). We often tend to think of that statement in legalistic terms, as if salvation is a ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card. But it’s much more than that. Maybe we should start to think of that statement in artistic terms. Salvation also comes to release the person we were destined to be before sin distorted the image of God in us. We’re held captive by our imperfections and insecurities, our guilt and anxieties. But Jesus died to set us free from all of that. And He doesn’t just set us free from who we were, He sets us free to become who we were meant to be.
1 Ki 14-15; Mark 12:1-12; Ps 101; Prov 12:12-13
1 Korintiërs 15:10 NLV
Het jy die verhaal gehoor van die vrou wat ‘n hartaanval gehad het en dringend hospitaal toe is? Op die operasietafel het haar hart gaan staan, waartydens sy God gesien het en Hom gevra het of haar lewe verby was. ‘Nee,’ het God geantwoord. ‘Jy het nog drie-en-veertig jaar, twee maande en agt dae oor om te leef.’ Die vrou was so in haar skik dat sy besluit het om in die hospitaal te bly en plastiese chirurgie op haar gesig en lyf te kry. Sy het selfs ‘n stilis laat kom om haar haarkleur te verander, met die gedagte dat omdat sy soveel tyd oor het, sy die meeste daarvan moet maak. Nadat sy uit die hospitaal ontslaan is, is sy egter deur ‘n ambulans omgery toe sy oor die pad stap. Terug in God se teenwoordigheid, het sy woedend gevra: ‘Ek dog U sê ek het nog meer as veertig jaar oor om te lewe!’ God het geantwoord: ‘Jammer, ek het jou nie herken nie.’
Op ‘n ernstiger noot, sal God jou help om die beste te wees wat jy kan wees, maar Hy sal jou nie help om iets te word wat Hy nooit vir jou bedoel het om te wees nie. Aanvaar dus jouself, wees lief vir jouself en geniet dit om die beste weergawe van jouself te wees. Die Engelse teoloog Julius Hare het gesê: ‘Wees wie jy is. Dis die eerste stap om beter te word as wat jy is.’
Daar is niks meer uitputtend en frustrerend as om jou lewe as iemand wat jy nie is nie, te probeer lei. Wees dus vandag wie God jou gemaak het om te wees! Staan op en verklaar die volgende saam met die apostel Paulus: ‘Maar deur God se onverdiende goedheid is ek wat ek vandag is.’
Sielskos: 1 Kon 14-15; Mark 12:1-12; Ps 101; Spr 12:12-13
