2022-02-23
2 Corinthians 4:15 MSG
If you’re going through a difficult time right now, let Paul’s words encourage you. “Surrounded and battered by troubles…we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows…we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken” (vv. 8-9 MSG). Who was Paul talking to? Followers of Christ who were having a rough time.
Here is what he told them: “For all [these] things are [taking place] for your sake…Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man is [progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day after day…For…(this slight distress of the passing hour) is…producing…an everlasting weight of glory” (vv. 15-17 AMPC).
When you’re under pressure, your faith grows – and God knows exactly how much pressure to apply! He will let you get to (1) a place where you’re out of answers and your resources seem depleted, (2) a place where you’re tired of Satan stealing what you know God promised you, and (3) a place where you’re no longer willing to let other people’s opinions control you. (Remember, with God there are no hopeless situations, just people who have grown hopeless about them.)
It’s when there is nothing more you can do that you start trusting God to do the impossible. As Paul says, “This slight distress of the passing hour” (v. 17 AMPC). The crisis you’re experiencing may be a blessing in disguise; an opportunity to experience God’s “unfolding grace” and a greater degree of His power at work in your life.
Soul food: Isa 63-66; Luke 11:14-28; Ps 40:1-8; Pro 6:1-5
2 Korintiërs 4:15 DB
As jy tans deur ‘n moeilike tyd gaan, laat Paulus se woorde jou bemoedig. ‘Ek kry dikwels swaar, maar ek is nooit mismoedig nie. Ek weet nie elke dag presies wat ek moet doen nie. Tog is ek nooit radeloos nie… Ek word onderstebo geloop, maar ek staan elke keer weer op’ (2 Korintiërs 4:8-9 DB). Met wie het Paulus hier gepraat? Met die volgelinge van Christus wat deur ‘n moeilike tyd gaan.
Hy het vir hulle gesê: ‘Daarom preek ek en daarom ly ek al hierdie dinge ter wille van julle. Op hierdie manier kan God se goedheid by nog meer mense uitkom. Dan is daar nog meer mense om Hom te dank. So word God se Naam grootgemaak. Ons gee nooit moed op nie, ook nie wanneer ons rondgestamp en mishandel word nie. Nee, dan byt ons eers vas, want God is die hele tyd by ons… Ons bietjie swaarkry hier en nou weeg nie op teen al die goeie dinge wat op ons wag in God se nuwe wêreld nie. Ek het nie genoeg woorde om vir julle te beskryf hoe wonderlik dit sal wees nie…’ (verse 15-17 DB).
Wanneer jy onder druk verkeer, groei jou geloof – en God weet hoeveel druk om toe te pas! Hy sal jou toelaat om by ‘n plek te kom waar jy: 1) uit antwoorde is en jou hulpbronne uitgeput is, 2) moeg is vir Satan wat alles steel wat God aan jou beloof het, en 3) waar jy nie meer gewillig is dat ander mense se opinies jou beheer nie. Dis wanneer jy niks meer kan doen nie, wat jy God begin vertrou om die onmoontlike te doen. Die krisis wat jy tans ervaar mag dalk ‘n bedekte seën wees; ‘n geleentheid om God se genade en krag in jou lewe te ervaar.
Sielskos: Jes 63-66; Luk 11:14-28; Ps 40:1-8; Spr 6:1-5
2 Corinthians 4:15 MSG
If you’re going through a difficult time right now, let Paul’s words encourage you. ‘Surrounded and battered by troubles…we’re not demoralised; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows…we’ve been spiritually terrorised, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken’ (v.8-9 MSG). Paul was talking to followers of Christ who were having a rough time.
Here’s what he told them: ‘For all [these] things are for your sake…Therefore we do not become discouraged [spiritless, disappointed, or afraid]. Though our outer self is [progressively] wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day by day. For our momentary, light distress [this passing trouble] is producing for us an eternal weight of glory’ (v.15-17 AMPC).
When we’re under pressure, our faith has an opportunity to grow. God knows exactly how much pressure to apply in order to help us grow. Sometimes He’ll let us get to 1) a place where we’re out of answers and our resources seem to be depleted, 2) a place where we’re tired of Satan stealing what we know God has promised, and 3) a place where we’re no longer willing to let other people’s opinions control us. (Remember, with God there are no hopeless situations, just people who have grown hopeless about them.)
It’s when there’s nothing more we can do that we start trusting God to do the impossible. As Paul says in verse 17, compared to the eternity and our everlasting reward in heaven, our trouble is fleeting. The challenges we’re experiencing now might actually be blessings in disguise – an opportunity to experience God’s ‘unfolding grace’ and power at work.
Isa 63-66; Luke 11:14-28; Ps 40:1-8; Pro 6:1-5
2022-02-22
2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV
The philosopher Seneca the Younger said, ‘Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.’ As we read in Scripture about the people God used to accomplish great things, we’ll discover that a lot of their time was spent preparing for what seems like a relatively brief assignment. The ego in each of us craves two things – limelight and lastingness! But with God only one thing matters: doing His will.
When we can say like Paul, ‘I have finished the race,’ we’ll know we’ve lived successfully. Whether we’re called to business, art, education, politics, medicine, or ministry, this principle is constant: opportunity comes to those who are prepared. God uses people who are willing to put in the preparation and take time to learn and grow. That means every experience we have in life has potential value.
But it’s not enough to just get prepared and ready; we must stay ready. Solomon writes, ‘Hold on to instruction…guard it well, for it is your life’ (Proverbs 4:13 NIV). To put it in a practical context, knowledge in most fields doubles about every five years. That means unless we’re prepared to keep growing and learning, we’ll end up with outdated skills that don’t match the challenges of the world we’re living in.
Think of the technology we had just a few years ago compared to what we have now. It’s constantly changing, and that means we have to constantly adapt and be open to new experiences and ways of doing things; otherwise, we’ll get left behind and struggle to pick up where we left off. So let’s look out for new opportunities and be prepared for God to tell us to move.
Isa 58-62; Luke 11:1-13; Ps 36; Pro 5:21-23
2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV
Seneca the Younger said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” As you read in Scripture about the people God used to accomplish great things, you discover that much of their time was spent preparing for what seems like a relatively brief assignment. The ego in each of us craves two things – limelight and longevity! But with God only one thing matters: doing His will. When you can say like Paul, “I have finished the race,” you have lived successfully.
So, who does God use? Those who are prepared! Whether you’re called to business, art, education, politics, medicine, or ministry, this principle is immutable: Opportunity comes to the prepared. That means every experience in life has potential value. Disraeli said, “One secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his time when it comes.”
And it’s not enough to simply get prepared; you must stay prepared. Solomon writes, “Hold on to instruction…guard it well, for it is your life” (Proverbs 4:13 NIV). Knowledge in most fields doubles about every five years, and unless you keep growing, you will end up with outdated skills that don’t match the challenges of the world you live in.
And here is another thing: Preparation doesn’t start with what you do; it starts with what you believe. When you believe that tomorrow’s success depends on today’s preparation, you see today differently. Queen Elizabeth I reputedly offered the royal physicians up to half her estate if they could extend her lifespan. But of course, they couldn’t. That’s why the Bible says it’s important to recognize “how short our lives really are so that we may be wise” (Psalm 90:12 NCV).
Soul food: Isa 58-62; Luke 11:1-13; Ps 36; Pro 5:21-23
