2022-03-25
1 John 1:9 NIV
The story of David and Bathsheba is the stuff movies are made of – lust, adultery, premarital pregnancy, murder, and cover-up. And it looked like David was home free, except for one important detail: “The thing that David had done displeased the Lord” (2 Samuel 11:27 NKJV).
In the Bible, God refers to David as “a man after his own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14 NLT), but the same Bible says, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 KJV). So God sent the prophet Nathan to tell David, “I made you king… So why have you treated the word of God with… contempt?” (2 Samuel 12:7, 9 MSG). Then God passed sentence: “Because you despised me… I am going to bring calamity on you… before all Israel” (2 Samuel 12:10-12 NIV). From that day on, tragedy and turmoil plagued David’s family.
On many levels, “the way of transgressors is hard” (Proverbs 13:15 KJV), not the least of which is that sometimes God takes away your peace so that you will acknowledge your sin. It took an unplanned pregnancy, the murder of an innocent man, a child’s death, a prophet’s persuasion, and the conviction of the Holy Spirit before David’s heart softened and he admitted, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13 NIV). And when he prayed those words, God treated David’s sin the same way He treats ours: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 KJV).
As long as you keep excusing, defending, and rationalizing your sin, God can do nothing for you. But the minute you confess it to Him, He will forgive you. Isn’t that wonderful?
Soul food: Job 24-28; Luke 19:41-48; Ps 38:1-12; Pro 8:22-23
2022-03-24
2 Corinthians 9:11 CEV
Think how ridiculous it would be for an electric company to generate power and then hoard it. Their customers would be in the dark, and the company would be out of business in short order! The same principle applies to our finances. “God loves people who love to give. God can bless you with everything you need, and you will always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others… You will be blessed in every way, and you will be able to keep on being generous” (vv. 7-8, 11 CEV).
Some people refuse to give because they’re greedy, but in most instances, that’s not so. The truth is, we’re concerned that if we don’t look out for our own interests, they might not get looked out for at all. But that kind of thinking doesn’t make sense. That’s like a farmer refusing to plant his next harvest because he is afraid to let go of his seeds.
God says the first tenth of our income belongs to Him (See Malachi 3:10). Is that because He is poor and He needs it? No! He wants us to sow into His kingdom so that (1) His work and His will can be done on the earth, and (2) you will have a harvest when you need it. Jesus said when you “put God’s work first and do what he wants… the other things will be yours as well” (Matthew 6:33 CEV).
When you become a conduit for God’s kingdom, “you will be blessed in every way.” In fact, when you consider your finances from a biblical perspective, the thing to fear isn’t giving away too much – it’s sowing too little!
Soul food: Job 21-23; Luke 19:28-40; Ps 55:12-23; Pro 8:19-21
2 Korintiërs 9:11 NLV
Die Bybel sê: ‘…God het die blymoedige gewer lief. En God is in staat om aan julle elke gawe in oorvloed te gee sodat julle in elke opsig altyd van alles genoeg kan hê én ook nog oorvloedig kan wees in elke goeie werk… In elke opsig sal julle ryk gemaak word om ook by elke geleentheid vrygewig te kan wees…’ (verse 8-9, 11 NLV).
Sommige mense weier om te gee omdat hulle gierig is, maar in die meeste gevalle is dit nie so nie. Die waarheid is dat ons bang is dat indien ons nie na ons eie belange omsien nie, mag daar dalk glad nie na hulle omgesien word nie. Hierdie tipe denkwyse maak egter nie sin nie. Dis soos die boer wat bang is om sy volgende oes te plant, omdat hy bang is om sy sade te laat gaan.
God sê dat die eerste tiende van ons inkomste aan Hom behoort (sien Maleagi 3:10). Is dit omdat Hy arm is en dit nodig het? Nee! Hy wil hê dat jy in sy koninkryk moet saai sodat: 1) Sy werk en sy wil hier op aarde gedoen kan word, en 2) jy ‘n oes sal hê wanneer jy dit nodig het. Jesus het gesê: ‘…maak die koningsheerskappy van God en dit wat voor Hom reg is, julle heel eerste prioriteit; dan sal God vir julle al hierdie ander dinge as ‘n bonus byvoeg’ (Matteus 6:33 NLV). Jy sal ‘In elke opsig… ryk gemaak word…’ wanneer jy ‘n kanaal vir God se koninkryk word. Wanneer jy jou finansies vanuit ‘n Bybelse perspektief beskou, moet jy nie bevrees wees dat jy te veel weggee nie, maar dat jy te min saai!
Sielskos: Job 21-23; Luk 19:28-40; Ps 55:12-23; Spr 8:19-21
Isaiah 30:21 NIV
Ever felt something inside you urging you to do a certain thing, but instead you allowed your head to overrule the voice in your spirit? That inner voice is our spiritual intuition, the part of us God speaks to. The Bible says, ‘Your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”‘ John the apostle put it this way: ‘You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things’ (1 John 2:20 NKJV). We need to learn to trust that ‘anointing’ because it will tell us what we need to do, when we need to act, what direction we need to take, and what changes we need to make.
Often we don’t act on our spiritual intuition because we feel like we need to think it through, to analyse whether it’s really the right thing to do. Thinking about it is definitely wise, as is checking whether it lines up with what the Bible says.
But the trouble comes when we procrastinate and never act on it, until we become paralysed and afraid to do anything. We have to learn to recognise and trust our spiritual intuition. It’s our connection to the greatest source of wisdom in the universe – God’s wisdom. Our spiritual intuition can be summed up by these words in the Bible: ‘For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose’ (Philippians 2:13 NIVUK).
So the next time our spiritual intuition tells us something and it lines up with Scripture, let’s do our best to act on it.
Job 21-23; Luke 19:28-40; Ps 55:12-23; Pro 8:19-21
2022-03-23
Filippense 1:6 NLV
Paulus skryf: ‘Ek is oortuig dat God die goeie werk wat Hy in julle begin het, sal voortsit totdat Hy dit voltooi…’ (vers 6 NLV). Jy sal opmerk dat Jesus gereeld tyd uit sy besige skedule geneem het om te bid. Hy sê ook vir ons hoekom Hy dit gedoen het: ‘…die Seun kan niks uit sy eie doen nie. Hy doen slegs wat Hy die Vader sien doen. Wat die Vader ook al doen, dit doen die Seun net so. Die Vader het die Seun lief en wys Hom alles wat Hy self doen…’ (Johannes 5:19-20 NLV).
Onder die gewig van ons sonde, het Hy aan die kruis uitgeroep: ‘…My God, my God, waarom het U my verlaat?’ (Matteus 27:46 NLV). Sy woorde leer ons drie belangrike dinge: 1) Ons kan God se plan volg en steeds by tye oorweldig en alleen voel. 2) Wanneer God nie antwoord nie, moet ons oefen om op die beloftes wat Hy in sy Woord vir ons gee, te staan. 3) Die pyn wat ons voel, sal uiteindelik in die vreugde wat aan die ander kant daarvan wag, verander.
Hou dus by God se plan; solank as wat jy dit doen, is daar niks wat die Vyand kan doen om jou te vernietig nie. Die Bybel sê: ‘Maar geen wapen wat teen jou gemik word, sal iets teen jou kan uitrig nie… Dit is die erflating van die dienaars van die Here…’ (Jesaja 54:17 NLV). Wanneer jy voel of jy nie verder kan gaan nie, doen wat Jesus gedoen het en bid: ‘…Vader, in u hande gee Ek my gees oor!..’ (Lukas 23:46 NLV). Met ander woorde, gee dit alles aan God oor. Vertrou Hom om te doen wat jy nie kan nie en jou deur dit alles tot oorwinning te bring.
Sielskos: Job 18-20; Luk 19:11-27; Ps 55:1-11; Spr 8:17-18
