2022-02-27
Efesiërs 5:16 NLV
Die lewe van John Wesley is ‘n goeie voorbeeld van die Skriftuurlike beginsel om elke geleentheid te benut. Hy het gemiddeld drie preke per dag vir vier-en-vyftig jaar gepreek, ‘n totaal van meer as 44,000 preke in sy leeftyd. Om dit te kon regkry, het hy met ‘n perdekar meer as 200,000 myle gereis – omtrent 5,000 myl per jaar. Selfs vir ‘n baie produktiewe mens sal dit soos ‘n voltydse werk lyk.
Tog het Wesley ook tyd gemaak om te skryf en te redigeer. Sy gepubliseerde werke sluit vier volumes Bybelse kommentaar, vyf volumes oor natuurlike filosofie, vier volumes oor kerkgeskiedenis en ‘n woordeboek vir die Engelse taal, in. Hy het ook geskiedenisboeke oor Engeland en Rome, taalkundige boeke oor Hebreeus, Latyn, Grieks, Frans en die Engelse tale; drie werke oor die mediese veld; ses volumes kerkmusiek; en sewe volumes preke geskryf; en hy het ‘n biblioteek van vyftig volumes wat as die ‘Christelike Biblioteek’ bekend gestaan het, geredigeer. Hy het elke oggend vieruur opgestaan en eers tienuur die aand gaan slaap, en homself net kort tye vir maaltye gegun. Tog het hy verklaar: ‘Ek het meer ure van ontspanning as enige ander man in Engeland.’
Ons dae is soos identiese tasse – almal dieselfde grootte. Sommige mense pak egter meer in hulle as ander. Hierdie is die doelgedrewe mense – anders as die man wie se grafsteen gelees het: ‘Toe dit by afsterwe kom, het ek ontdek dat ek nie gelewe het nie.’ Luister dus na hierdie Skrifgedeelte: ‘Wees baie versigtig hoe julle lewe. Moenie soos ‘n dwaas leef nie, leef wys! Benut elke geleentheid…’ (verse 15-16 NLV).
Sielskos: Rut 1:3-18; Joh 6:41-69
2022-02-26
Jeremiah 31:18 KJV
The Bible tells us: ‘Isaac’s servants dug…a well…But the herdsmen of Gerar quarrelled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So…they dug another well, and they quarrelled over that one also….And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called it…Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land”‘ (Genesis 26:19-22 NKJV). It’s a great example of forgiveness in action. During a drought, Isaac dug wells and his enemies moved in and claimed them. It wasn’t fair, but instead of retaliating, he moved on and dug new wells, and God blessed him greatly.
When we refuse to forgive those who’ve hurt us, we’re left feeling incomplete and empty. But when we choose forgiveness, God fills the emptiness we feel. As long as we share this planet with other imperfect human beings, we won’t avoid being hurt. There’s no way to avoid it. When the hurt goes deep, it can be really hard to forgive. That doesn’t mean we should go around pretending that nothing’s wrong and denying how we really feel.
The first step towards healing is acknowledging our feelings. And Jesus gives us the second step: ‘Pray for those who mistreat you’ (Luke 6:28 NIV). When we do that, something unexpected happens. Our hearts soften and we start to see the other person through God’s eyes instead of through the (often misleading) lens of our own raw emotions. But what if we don’t actually want to forgive them? Then here’s step three. We need to acknowledge our unwillingness to forgive and ask God to make us willing. Pray, ‘Turn thou me, and I shall be turned.’
Exo 4-6; Luke 12:1-12; Ps 58; Pro 6:12-15
Jeremiah 31:18 KJV
The Bible tells us: “Isaac’s servants dug…a well…But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, ‘The water is ours.’ So…they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also….And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called it…Rehoboth, because he said, ‘For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land'” (Genesis 26:19-22 NKJV).
What a great example of practicing forgiveness. During a drought, Isaac dug wells and his enemies moved in and claimed them. It wasn’t fair, but instead of retaliating, he moved on and dug new wells – and God blessed him greatly. The truth is this: God will fill the emptiness in your life when you forgive those who have hurt you.
Let’s face it; as long as we share this planet with other imperfect human beings, they will hurt us. There is no way to avoid it. And when the hurt goes deep, it can be hard to forgive. Does that mean you should go around pretending that nothing is wrong, and denying how you feel? No, the first step toward healing is acknowledging your feelings. And Jesus gives us the second step: “Pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:28 NIV).
When you do that, something unexpected happens. Your heart softens and you start to see the offender through God’s eyes instead of your own raw emotions. “But I don’t want to forgive them!” you say. Then here is step three. Acknowledge your unwillingness to forgive and ask God to make you willing. Pray, “Turn thou me, and I shall be turned.”
Soul food: Exo 4-6; Luke 12:1-12; Ps 58; Pro 6:12-15
Jeremia 31:18 NLV
Die Bybel sê vir ons: “[Isak] het die putte wat sy pa gegrawe het… weer oopgegrawe… Maar die plaaslike skaapwagters het die fontein vir hulleself toegeëien. ‘Dis ons water,’ het hulle gesê… Hy het weer verskuif en nog ‘n put gegrawe. Hierdie keer het die plaaslike mense hom met rus gelaat. Hy noem toe die put Rehobot, ‘want,’ het hy gesê, ‘uiteindelik het die Here vir ons ruimte gemaak. Hier sal ons nou voorspoedig wees'” (Genesis 26:18-22 NLV).
Wat ‘n wonderlike voorbeeld van vergifnis wat beoefen word. Gedurende ‘n droogte het Isak putte grawe, maar sy vyande het inbeweeg en die putte vir hulself toegeëien. Dit was nie regverdig nie, maar in plaas daarvan om te baklei, het Isak aanbeweeg en nuwe putte gegrawe – en God het hom ryklik geseën.
Die waarheid is dat God die leegheid in jou lewe sal vul wanneer jy diegene wat jou seergemaak het, vergewe. So lank as wat ons hierdie planeet met ander onvolmaakte mense deel, sal hulle ons seermaak. Ons kan dit nie vermy nie. Wanneer die wond diep sny, kan dit moeilik wees om te vergewe.
Beteken dit dat jy moet rondgaan en maak asof niks verkeerd is nie en jou gevoelens moet ontken? Nee, die eerste stap na genesing is om jou gevoelens te erken. Jesus het vir ons die tweede stap gegee: ‘…Bid vir hulle wat jou seermaak’ (Lukas 6:28 NLV). Wanneer jy dit doen, gebeur daar iets onverwags. Jou hart begin sag word en jy begin om die oortreder deur God se oë, in plaas van jou eie rou emosies, te sien. ‘Maar ek wil hulle nie vergewe nie!’ sê jy. Dan is daar stap drie. Erken jou onwilligheid om te vergewe en vra God om jou gewillig te maak. Bid: ‘…Bring ons terug en herstel ons…’
Sielskos: Eks 4-6; Luk 12:1-12; Ps 58; Spr 6:12-15
2022-02-25
Romans 12:19 NLT
Long after we think we’ve forgiven someone, we can still be harbouring hard feelings. Some indicators that we still have work to do are these: 1) We keep thinking about the people who’ve hurt us and become resentful. 2) We avoid them. 3) We rehearse the incident mentally, replaying it in our minds, and bring it up in conversation. 4) We take every opportunity to remind the people who’ve hurt us of what they did. What we’re actually doing is trying to justify our unforgiving attitude.
There are two things God won’t share. 1) The praise that’s due to Him. ‘I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise’ (Isaiah 42:8 NLT). 2) The right to ‘settle the score’. Paul wrote: ‘Never take revenge…The Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads. Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good’ (Romans 12:19-21 NLT). So forgive, hand the situation over to God, and trust Him to work it out.
When ‘people insulted Christ…he did not insult them in return…He let God…who judges rightly, take care of him’ (1 Peter 2:23 NCV). Resentment chains us, and we end up as a hostage to unforgiveness. Dwelling on something that someone did to us, or how someone took credit for our work, or what someone has said about us, makes us – not them – miserable. We walk around angry, and they don’t even know we’re upset. Let’s resolve not to allow anyone to have that kind of control over us. Instead, forgive, leave the situation with God, and move on.
Exo 1-3; Luke 11:45-54; Ps 53; Pro 6:9-11
