2021-11-24
Psalm 37:34 TLB
When God gives you a promise or a vision for your life, it’s like a seed; it needs time to germinate and grow before it can even begin to bear fruit. It doesn’t happen instantly; there’s a lot of preparation that needs to take place beforehand. First the seed is put in the ground. Then the seed sends out a tiny root. Then a tiny seed leaf or two pushes through the surface. As the seedling gets stronger, it gets its first true leaves and grows taller. And eventually, as the plant gets bigger and more robust, it begins to produce buds, then flowers, and then fruit. If any part of the process is rushed or forced, the plant will be weaker and less fruitful than it should be. And that’s like us. We might think we’re ready to take on the vision God’s given us, but God knows when we’re really ready, so we need to be patient and listen to Him.
Even though David had already been anointed king, he had to wait seven years until God removed Saul from the throne. But those years weren’t wasted; he learned some valuable lessons during them. Here’s one: ‘Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep travelling steadily along his pathway and in due season he will honour you with every blessing’ (v.34 TLB).
We mustn’t try to get ahead of God. If you’re feeling impatient with God at the moment, and eager to jump into the vision He’s given you, He might be saying to you: ‘It is not yet time for the message to come true, but that time is coming soon; the message will come true. It may seem like a long time, but be patient and wait for it, because it will come; it will not be delayed’ (Habakkuk 2:3 NCV).
2 Chr 32-34; John 13:1-17; Ps 95; Prov 27:17-19
2021-11-23
Matteus 13:28 NLV
Jesus het gesê: “God se koningsheerskappy kan vergelyk word met ‘n man wat goeie saad op sy land saai. Maar een nag, terwyl die mense slaap, het sy vyand gekom en onkruid tussen die koring gesaai en verdwyn. Toe die groen koring opskiet en in die aar begin kom, verskyn terselfdertyd ook die onkruid. Die slawe van die boer kom toe en sê vir hom: ‘Meneer, u het tog goeie saad op u land gesaai. Waar kom die onkruid dan vandaan?’ ‘Dis ‘n vyand se werk!’ het hy uitgeroep. ‘Moet ons die onkruid gaan uittrek?’ vra sy slawe hom. Maar hy antwoord: ‘Nee, dalk trek julle die koring saam uit… Laat albei saam groei tot oestyd. Dan sal ek vir die mense wat oes, sê: ‘Maak eers die onkruid bymekaar. Bind dit dan in bondels vas om verbrand te word…'” (verse 24-30 NLV).
Daar is twee belangrike lesse hieruit te leer: 1) Jy moet God se Woord so goed ken dat leuens, maak nie saak hoe oortuigend dit voorgehou word nie, jou nie kan mislei nie. Paulus het die leiers van die kerk in Efese gewaarsku: ‘Selfs uit julle eie geledere sal daar mense na vore kom wat, deur verdraaide dinge te verkondig, die gelowiges sal probeer verlei om hulle te volg. Daarom: Wakkerloop!..’ (Handelinge 20:30-31 NLV).
2) Jy moet geestelik wakker en op jou hoede wees. Let op dat die sade wat daardie aand gesaai is, eers baie later as onkruid opgekom het. As jy, geestelik gesproke, vir lank genoeg op die verkeerde baan bly, sal jy ver van waar God jou wil hê opeindig en sal jy besef: ‘Dis ‘n vyand se werk!’ Wat is dus die antwoord? ‘Hulle het hulle volledig gewy aan die leer van die apostels, aan die versorging van mekaar, aan die gemeenskaplike maaltye, en aan gebede’ (Handelinge 2:42 NLV).
Sielskos: 2 Kro 29-31; Joh 12:37-50; Ps 102:18-28; Spr 27:13-16
Matthew 13:28 NLT
‘Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. The farmer’s workers went to him and said, “Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds!”…”An enemy has done this!” the farmer exclaimed. “Should we pull out the weeds?” they asked. “No,” he replied, “you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds”‘ (vv. 24-30 NLT).
There are two important lessons for us here. 1) We must get to know God’s Word so well that any mistakes (accidental or deliberate), however convincing they are, can’t mislead us. Paul warned the leaders of the church at Ephesus: ‘Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard!’ (Acts 20:30-31 NIV).
2) We must stay spiritually awake and alert. The seeds that were sown that night didn’t produce a harvest of weeds until later, and by that time they couldn’t be uprooted. We might think that one little slip-up doesn’t make much difference. One degree off course seems harmless – but if we stay on that trajectory long enough, we’ll end up far from where God wants us to be. So we need to deal with every mistake and failing, no matter how tiny. The Bible gives us this advice: ‘They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…to fellowship…the breaking of bread and…prayer’ (Acts 2:42 NIV). Let’s choose to do that too.
2 Chr 29-31; John 12:37-50; Ps 102:18-28; Prov 27:13-16
Matthew 13:28 NLT
“Here is another story Jesus told: ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds!’…’An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. ‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked. ‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds'” (vv. 24-30 NLT). There are two important lessons here.
(1) You must know God’s Word so well that error, regardless of how convincingly it’s presented, can’t mislead you. Paul warned the leaders of the church at Ephesus: “Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard!” (Acts 20:30-31 NIV).
(2) You must stay spiritually awake and alert. Notice, the seeds that were sown that night didn’t produce a harvest of weeds until later. And at that point they could not be uprooted. Perhaps you think this is no big deal. Think again! One degree off course may seem harmless enough. But if you stay on that trajectory long enough, spiritually speaking, you will end up far from where God wants you to be and realize “an enemy has done this!” So what is the answer? “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…to fellowship…the breaking of bread and…prayer” (Acts 2:42 NIV).
Soul food: 2 Chr 29-31; John 12:37-50; Ps 102:18-28; Prov 27:13-16
2021-11-22
2 Konings 12:15 NLV
Ons lees in die Ou Testament dat toe koning Joas die tempel herstel het, is: ‘Die geld wat na die tempel toe gebring is… aan die werksmense betaal om die tempel te herstel. Daar is nie boekgehou van die geld wat aan die toesighouers van die bouery gegee is nie, want hulle was eerlik en getrou’ (verse 13-15 NLV). Omdat integriteit beoefen was, was Israel voorspoedig.
James Madison, een van die ondertekenaars van die Amerikaanse Grondwet, het geskryf: ‘Die doel van elke politieke grondwet behoort te wees om wyse mense met groot deug te identifiseer om die gemeenskaplike welsyn van die samelewing na te streef; en om in die tweede plek die mees effektiewe maatreëls te tref om hulle deugsaamheid aan te moedig, terwyl hulle openbare vertroue bou.’
Deesdae wys die meeste opnames dat ons vertroue in ons politieke en besigheidsleiers die laagste ooit is. Ons glo dat hulle net twee dinge in gedagte het: om ryk te word en aan bewind te bly. Ongelukkig word goeie leiers ook oor dieselfde kam geskeer. Wat moet jy dus doen?
1) Bid vir diegene in gesag. Gebed is die kanaal waardeur God se mag op aarde geopenbaar word. As jy dit glo, sal jy bid.
2) Stem vir godvrugtige leierskap. Die Bybel sê: ‘Regverdigheid maak ‘n volk sterk. Sonde bring skande oor ‘n volk’ (Spreuke 14:34 NLV). As jy nie stem nie, gee jy jou reg prys om kritiek te lewer.
3) Raak persoonlik betrokke. Edmund Burke het glo gesê: ‘Al wat nodig is vir die bose om te triomfeer, is dat goeie mense niks doen nie.’ Een persoon, plus God, kan dinge verander. Strewe dus daarna om daardie persoon te wees!
Sielskos: 2 Kro 25-28; Joh 12:20-36; Ps 102:12-17; Spr 27:10-12
