2021-07-20
Revelation 12:10 NIV
The Bible says: ‘The accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down’ (v.10 NIV). Satan is the ‘accuser’ of God’s children, but sometimes we can fall into the trap of thinking badly of someone or accusing someone before we know all the facts. Having emotional and spiritual maturity means that we first seek to understand, rather than making a snap judgment and a hasty accusation.
Let’s look at the example God gave us in the garden of Eden. He could easily have said, ‘Adam and Eve, you unappreciative sinners, I should never have trusted you in my garden!’ God’s non-accusatory style in confronting Adam and Eve about their sin gives a powerful example to those of us who tend to speak before we have all the relevant information. The Bible says: ‘The LORD God called to Adam…”Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”‘ (Genesis 3:9-11 NKJV). God already knew the answers to all three questions He asked, but He gave Adam an opportunity to explain his side of the story. And in Adam’s case, he couldn’t.
But the principle still stands: asking a clarifying question and listening carefully to the response are key steps in overcoming any tendency to criticise or accuse quickly or unfairly. We need to learn to ask, and listen.
Acts 18-19; Luke 8:26-39; Ps 146; Prov 16:4-5
2021-07-19
1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV
One of the most prevalent themes in the Bible is perseverance. The apostle Paul writes: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Again he writes: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9 NIV). And James adds: “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12 NIV). The dividing line between winning and losing isn’t talent; it’s tenacity.
Being tenacious means this: (1) Giving it everything you have, not more than you have. Some people inaccurately believe that being tenacious demands more than they have to offer. As a result, they get discouraged and stop pushing themselves. But being tenacious means giving 100 percent – not more, and certainly not less.
(2) Working with determination instead of waiting on destiny. Persistent people don’t rely on luck, fate, or destiny for their success. They recognize that trying times aren’t the times to quit trying.
(3) Quitting when the job is finished, not when you’re tired. To succeed, you often have to push beyond what you think you can do. Remember, victory isn’t determined until the last step in the race has been run. So draw on God’s grace, refuse to give up, and keep going until you cross the finish line and win the prize.
Soul food: Acts 16-17; Luke 8:16-25; Ps 140; Prov 16:3
1 Korintiërs 15:58 NLV
Een van die algemeenste temas in die Bybel is volharding. Die apostel Paulus skryf: ‘Dus, my geliefde broers en susters, staan baie vas, onbeweeglik. Gee altyd julle allerbeste vir die Here se werk, want julle weet voor die Here is alles wat julle doen die moeite werd.’ Weer skryf hy: ‘Moet dus nie moeg word om goed te doen nie, want as ons nie tou opgooi nie, sal ons op die regte tyd oes’ (Galasiërs 6:9 NLV). Ook Jakobus voeg by: ‘Gelukkig is die mens wat in beproewing volhard! As die toets sy geloof as eg bewys, sal hy die lewe as oorwinningskroon ontvang…’ (Jakobus 1:12 NLV).
Die verskil tussen wen en verloor is nie talent nie; dis hardnekkigheid. Om hardnekkig te wees beteken die volgende: 1) Om alles te gee wat jy het. Sommige mense glo verkeerdelik dat hardnekkigheid meer van hulle eis as wat hulle het om te gee. Gevolglik word hulle ontmoedig en hou hulle op om hulself te druk. Om hardnekkig te wees beteken egter dat jy 100 persent gee – nie meer nie en verseker nie minder nie.
2) Om met vasberadenheid te werk, eerder as om op jou lot te wag. Volhardende mense vertrou nie op geluk om sukses te behaal nie. Hulle besef dat wanneer dit moeilik gaan, dit nie die tyd is om op te hou probeer nie.
3) Om op te hou wanneer die werk klaar is, nie wanneer jy moeg is nie. Om sukses te behaal, moet jy dikwels verby dit wat jy dink jy kan doen, druk. Onthou, oorwinning word nie bepaal totdat die laaste stap van die wedren voltooi is nie.
Put dus krag uit God se genade uit, weier om tou op te gooi en volhard totdat jy die wenstreep oorgesteek het en die prys gewen het.
Sielskos: Hand 16-17; Luk 8:16-25; Ps 140; Spr 16:3
1 Corinthians 15:58 NIVUK
One of the recurring themes in the Bible is perseverance. The apostle Paul wrote: ‘Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.’ He also wrote: ‘Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up’ (Galatians 6:9 NIV). And James wrote: ‘Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him’ (James 1:12 NIV). In 2 Timothy 4:7, Paul compares his life to a race. The dividing line between winning our race isn’t talent; it’s tenacity.
Being tenacious means this: 1) Giving it everything you have, not more than you have. Some people wrongly believe that being tenacious means giving more than they have to offer, so they get discouraged and stop pushing themselves. But being tenacious means giving 100 per cent – not more, and certainly not less.
2) Working with determination instead of waiting on destiny. Persistent people don’t rely on luck, fate, or destiny for their success. They recognise that trying times aren’t the times to stop trying.
3) Stopping when the job is finished, not when you’re tired. To succeed in what God’s tasked us with, we often have to push beyond what we think we can do. Victory isn’t declared until the last step in the race has been run. So let’s draw on God’s grace, refuse to give up, and keep going until we cross the finish line.
Acts 16-17; Luke 8:16-25; Ps 140; Prov 16:3
2021-07-18
Philippians 1:3 NIV
The ability to bring out the best in others is important for two reasons. First, we usually see in people what we expect to see. If we’re looking for things to criticise in someone, we’ll usually find them, but if we’re focusing on reasons to praise and encourage, we’ll find them instead. We need to try and see others as God sees them, look for the good in them, and then make this a habit whenever we meet people. We should apply the words of Philippians 4:8: ‘Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise’ (NLT).
Second, they generally rise to our level of expectation. Imagine how the Philippian believers felt when Paul said, ‘I thank my God every time I remember you.’ When we have faith in someone, we give them an incredible gift, maybe the best gift we can give another person. There’s an often-repeated saying: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. We can apply a similar idea to the gift of believing in someone: Give them money, and they may soon have spent it. Give them resources, and they may not use them to the best advantage. Give them help, and they may become too reliant on others or refuse to learn for themselves and end up back where they started. But demonstrate faith in them, and they can become confident, invigorated, self-reliant, and motivated to obtain the skills they need to grow.
1 Sam 21:1-6; Hosea 6:4-6; Matt 12:1-14
