2021-09-29
Spreuke 19:17 NLV
Hier is vier maniere hoe jy goedhartigheid en vrygewigheid aan ander mense kan demonstreer.
1) Gee jou tyd. Deur ‘n paar ure van jou tyd aan iemand te gee, veral as jy ‘n besige persoon is, kan die wêreld vir iemand wat seer het, beteken.
2) Gee jou talent. Organisasies soos Habitat For Humanity en Dokters Sonder Grense gebruik die talente van begaafde mense om skuiling aan diegene in nood te verskaf en die lyding van mense te verlig. Dis Skriftuurlik! (sien Matteus 25:34-46).
3) Gee jou skatte. ‘Om na ‘n arm mens om te sien, is ‘n lening aan die Here. Hy sal jou daarvoor vergoed.’ Kan jy jou die rente wat God betaal, indink?
4) Gee jou geaardheid. Elkeen wat jy ontmoet, worstel met angs en veg oorloë waaroor hulle nie gewoonlik praat nie. Jou glimlag en woord van bemoediging kan dus vir hulle ‘n lewensboei wees wat hulle daardie dag help om kop bo water te hou.
Selfsug is so ingebore in elkeen van ons dat dit soos asemhaal is; ons doen dit sonder om daaraan te dink. Om dus te verander, moet ons ons prioriteite herrangskik, ons gedagtes herprogrammeer en besluit: ‘Ek sal nie hierdie dag laat verbygaan sonder om iets te doen of te sê wat iemand anders kan help, seën of bemoedig nie. God het vir Abraham gesê: ‘…Ek sal jou seën sodat jy geëerd sal wees, en vir ander tot ‘n seën sal wees’ (Genesis 12:2 NLV).
Bid vandag: ‘Vader, ek dank U vir elke hulpbron en voordeel wat U vir my gegee het. Help my asseblief om altyd te onthou dat daardie seëning van U af kom en dat ek hulle met ander, tot verheerliking van U, moet deel. In Jesus se naam bid ek dit, amen.’
Sielskos: 1 Sam 14-15; Luk 23:44-56; Ps 91; Spr 21:28-31
2021-09-28
1 John 3:17 NKJV
On a scale of one to ten, how often do you think about the needs of others and try to meet them? Before you answer, read this: “Whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?”
Selfishness is defined as “the state of being overly concerned with one’s self.” Now God is not asking you to sacrifice for others to the point where you jeopardise your own health and mental well-being, then end up resentful for doing so. Nor does He expect you to meet every need that comes your way. He’s challenging the “what’s in it for me?” attitude of our age in which self-gratification, self-improvement, self-enlightenment, and self-indulgence is increasingly being promoted. Selfishness dies hard, but it’s a stronghold you must break in order to experience the peace and joy that give life meaning.
B.C. Forbes, founder of Forbes magazine, said: “I’ve never known any human being, high or humble, who regretted when nearing life’s end, having done kindly deeds. But I have known more than one who became haunted by the realization that they had led selfish lives.” James writes: “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, it is dead” (James 2:15-17 NKJV). So, think more about others.
Soul food: 1 Sam 11-13; Luke 23:35-43; Ps 13; Prov 21:22-27
1 John 3:17 NLT
The Bible says: ‘If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion – how can God’s love be in that person?’ It’s a hard-hitting reminder for all of us, and we’ve probably all fallen short somewhere in our thinking of the needs of others and helping to meet those needs.
Selflessness doesn’t mean that God is asking us to help others to the point where we neglect and sacrifice our own health and mental wellbeing. This can end up leading to resentment. He also doesn’t expect us to meet every single need that comes our way. But He is challenging the ‘what’s in it for me?’ attitude that we can fall into.
Selfishness is a stronghold that must be broken down in order to experience true peace and joy, the sort that gives life meaning. James wrote: ‘My brothers and sisters, if people say they have faith, but do nothing, their faith is worth nothing. Can faith like that save them? A brother or sister in Christ might need clothes or food. If you say to that person “God be with you! I hope you stay warm and get plenty to eat,” but you do not give what that person needs, your words are worth nothing. In the same way, faith by itself – that does nothing – is dead.’ (James 2:15-17 NCV).
God loves us so much, but it’s a love that we should also be willing to pour out onto others by being sensitive to their needs and meeting them where we can.
1 Sam 11-13; Luke 23:35-43; Ps 13; Prov 21:22-27
1 Johannes 3:17 NLV
Op ‘n skaal van een tot tien, hoe dikwels dink jy aan die behoeftes van ander en probeer om daaraan te voldoen? Voor jy antwoord, lees eers die volgende: ‘Iemand wat ryk is aan aardse lewensmiddele en sy broers en susters sien gebrek ly, maar weier om ‘n helpende hand uit te steek – hoe is dit moontlik dat die liefde van God in daardie persoon woon?’
God vra nie van jou om vir ander mense op te offer tot by die punt waar jy jou eie gesondheid en geestelike welstand in gevaar stel en dan wrokkig daaroor voel nie. Hy verwag ook nie van jou om aan elke behoefte wat oor jou pad kom te voldoen nie. Hy daag egter die: ‘Wat kry ek daaruit?’ mentaliteit van ons samelewing uit, waar selfbevrediging, selfverbetering en selfverligting toenemend bemark word.
B.C. Forbes, die stigter van die Forbes tydskrif, het gesê: ‘Ek het nog nooit iemand, hoogmoedig of nederig, geken wat aan die einde van sy lewe spyt was omdat hy goedhartige dade gedoen het nie. Ek het wel meer as een geken waar die besef dat hulle selfsugtige lewens gelei het, by hulle gespook het.’ Jakobus skryf: ‘Sê nou jy sien ‘n Christenbroer of suster wat kos en klere nodig het, en jy sê: ‘Ek hoop dit gaan goed met jou; sorg dat jy warm aantrek en genoeg eet,’ maar jy gee nie vir daardie persoon kos of klere nie. Wat help dit dan? Dis duidelik: Om net te sê wat jy glo, is nie genoeg nie. Geloof wat nie dade word nie, is eintlik glad nie geloof nie – sulke geloof is dood en help niks’ (Jakobus 2:15-17 NLV).
Dink dus meer aan ander.
Sielskos: 1 Sam 11-13; Luk 23:35-43; Ps 13; Spr 21:22-27
2021-09-27
1 Corinthians 9:22 NKJV
Paul wouldn’t yield an inch on Bible truth, but when it came to customs, traditions, and people’s preferences, he refused to fight about them. For example, some of the Corinthian Christians thought because certain meats were offered in worship to idols it was sinful to eat them. So did Paul handle it by standing up and declaring, “I’m not going to allow you to impose your unscriptural convictions on me”?
No. He wrote: “Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as…real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated. It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do. But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble” (1 Corinthians 8:7-9 NLT). Then he bottom-lines it by saying, “I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22 NLT).
God didn’t call us to win theological arguments; He called us to win people to Christ. So be gracious toward those who don’t think like you, dress like you, or care about some of the things you care about. Be gracious toward those whose worship style and fine points of theology differ from yours. “Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3 NLT).
Soul food: 1 Sam 8-10; Luke 23:26-34; Ps 54; Prov 21:18-21
