2022-04-09
Esegiël 36:26 ABA
Wanneer jy seerkry, is dit maklik om verskansings op te rig. Wees egter versigtig – ‘n beskermende muur kan in ‘n ‘klip-hart’ verander: wederstrewig, ondeurdringbaar en onontvanklik; selfs vir God.
Een Christenskrywer merk op: ‘Die enigste ding wat pynliker, met ernstiger gevolge, as ‘n gebroke hart is, is ‘n verharde hart. Paulus waarsku ons daarteen om toe te laat dat ons harte verhard: ‘…hulle is ver van God en hulle het nie die ware lewe nie omdat hulle niks van God wil weet nie. Hulle harte is so hard soos klip’ (Efesiërs 4:18 ABA).
‘n Sagte hart is nie swak of naïef nie. Inteendeel, wysheid, ervaring en geloof versterk ‘n hart wat deur deernis verweer en deur barmhartigheid besaai is. Na ‘n week wat soos een pynlike toets op die volgende gevoel het, het ek my beste vriendin in trane gebel. ‘Hoekom eindig dit nie? Hoe sterk wil God hê ek moet wees? Ek kan dit nie langer vat nie!’ Sy het uit haar Godgegewe wysheid geantwoord: ‘Miskien is dit andersom. Jy was nou vir lank sterk genoeg. God wil hê dat jou hart sag en oop moet wees.’
Ek het nie so daaraan gedink nie. Dis maklik om ‘n klip-hart in reaksie op hartseer, verraad of skande te ontwikkel. Ons dink dat dit ons van nog pyn sal beskerm. Die probleem met klip is egter dat dit niks voel nie – nie pyn nie, maar ook nie liefde nie. Dit is ‘n strik wat soos selfbehoud voel, maar inderwaarheid selfvernietigend is. God wil vir jou ‘n hart van vleis gee. Met sy liefde kan jy aan die einde van ‘n pynlike seisoen van verlies met ‘n hart wat toegewyd en gereed is vir die gawes wat Hy vir jou wil gee, na vore kom.’
Sielskos: Lev 15-17; Luk 22:54-62; Ps 25:1-7; Spr 10:1
2022-04-08
John 9:4 NKJV
Like the rest of us, Jesus sometimes got tired (see John 4:6). But He was never stressed out by the job He had to do. He was led, but never driven. He knew what needed to be done and the amount of time needed to do it, and He picked a team to help accomplish it. Three of them – Peter, James, and John – were in His inner circle. It wasn’t that He showed favouritism; He just recognised the particular gifts of the people He worked with and what He needed from each of them to get the job done.
An important step towards accomplishing something big is knowing the kinds of people we’ll need around us. In other words, we need to know who should be on our team. Jesus spent three-and-a-half years training His disciples before delegating responsibility to them. Was He afraid they would make mistakes, outshine Him, or make Him look bad? No; He told them, ‘He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father’ (John 14:12 NKJV).
Jesus was a team player who got things done through others. But even when we break a task down, strategically plan it, and recruit brilliant people, we need one more component to succeed: teamwork! Teamwork is the glue that brings people together – and keeps them together. There are more than a billion Christians in the world today. And it all started two thousand years ago with one man who had a vision, a man who recruited and trained a team to fulfil that vision. Let’s approach our work according to His work philosophy and see the difference it can make.
Lev 13:38-14:57; Luke 22:39-53; Ps 4; Pro 9:13-18
John 9:4 NKJV
Like the rest of us, Jesus sometimes got tired (See John 4:6). But He was never stressed out by the job. He was led, but never driven. He knew what needed to be done and the amount of time required to do it, and He picked a team to accomplish it. Three of them – Peter, James, and John – were in His inner circle. It wasn’t that He showed favouritism; He just recognized the particular gifts of the people He worked with and what He needed from each of them to get the job done.
An important step toward accomplishing something big is knowing the kinds of people you will need. In other words, you need to know who should be on your team. Jesus spent three-and-a-half years training His disciples before delegating responsibility to them. Was He afraid they would make mistakes, outshine Him, or make Him look bad? No, He told them, “He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12 NKJV).
Jesus was a team player who got things done through others. But even when you break a task down, strategically plan it, and recruit terrific people, you need one more component to succeed: teamwork! Teamwork is the glue that brings people together – and keeps them together. There are more than a billion Christians in the world today. And it all started two thousand years ago with one man who had a vision, a man who recruited and trained a team to fulfill that vision. If you’re wise, you will study His work philosophy.
Soul food: Lev 13:38-14:57; Luke 22:39-53; Ps 4; Pro 9:13-18
Johannes 9:4 NLV
Net soos die res van ons, het Jesus ook soms moeg geword (sien Johannes 4:6). Hy was egter nooit oor sy werk bekommerd nie. Hy het geweet wat gedoen moet word en die tyd wat dit sou verg en het ‘n span uitgekies om dit te bewerkstellig. Drie van sy span – Petrus, Jakobus en Johannes – was in sy binneste kring. Dis nie dat Hy hulle voorgetrek het nie; Hy het net die spesifieke gawes van die mense met wie Hy gewerk het geken en geweet wat Hy van elkeen nodig gehad het om die werk gedoen te kry.
‘n Belangrike stap om iets groots te bereik, is om te weet watter tipes mense jy gaan nodig kry. Met ander woorde, jy moet weet wie in jou span moet wees. Jesus het drie-en-‘n-half jaar bestee om sy dissipels op te lei voordat Hy verantwoordelikheid aan hulle gedelegeer het. Was Hy bang dat hulle foute sou maak, Hom in die skadu sou stel of Hom sleg sou laat lyk? Nee, Hy het vir hulle gesê: ‘Ek verseker julle, wie aanhou om in My te glo, sal ook die werke doen wat Ek doen; hy sal selfs nog groter dinge as dit doen omdat Ek na die Vader toe op pad is’ (Johannes 14:12 NLV).
Jesus was ‘n spanspeler wat dinge deur ander mense gedoen gekry het. Selfs wanneer jy egter ‘n taak opdeel, dit strategies beplan en uitstekende mense daarvoor werf, het jy nog een komponent nodig om sukses te behaal: spanwerk! Spanwerk is die gom wat mense bymekaar bring en hulle bymekaar hou. Daar is vandag meer as ‘n biljoen Christene in die wêreld. Dit alles het tweeduisend jaar terug by ‘n Man wat ‘n visie gehad het begin, ‘n Man wat ‘n span gewerf en opgelei het om daardie visie te vervul. As jy wys is, sal jy sy werksfilosofie bestudeer.
Sielskos: Lev 13:38-14:57; Luk 22:39-53; Ps 4; Spr 9:13-18
2022-04-07
John 4:34 CEV
Over the next couple of days, let’s take a look at Jesus’ work philosophy – His attitude, values, and beliefs – on how to get things done. The principles He lived by call for these: 1) Being clear about our assignments. Jesus said, ‘I must finish the work that he gave me to do.’ He understood that being focused really helps us maximise our skills and recognise opportunities. If we’re talented, energetic, and active, but we’re still not seeing definite results, it’s worth considering if we’re lacking focus. When Nehemiah was rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls, his enemies said, ‘Come, let us meet together’ (Nehemiah 6:2 NKJV). That’s when Nehemiah sent back this message: ‘I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down’ (v.3 NKJV).
2) Prioritising tasks in the order of their importance. When we don’t do what has to be done according to its importance, jobs start to arrange themselves according to their urgency. And when that happens, we can miss some great opportunities. The Bible says Jesus ‘needed to go through Samaria’ (John 4:4 NKJV). To the disciples, this probably looked like a diversion because it wasn’t the shortest route to where they wanted to go. But there was a woman in Samaria Jesus wanted to redeem; a vessel through which He reached the entire city with the gospel. Jesus was clear about His priorities, and we need to be too.
3) Creating a definite timetable. In other words, set deadlines and stick with them. Jesus knew He had only three-and-a-half years to get the job done, so He made every day count. One of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is, ‘I’ll get to it later.’ Instead, let’s allow Jesus’ work philosophy to become our master plan.
Lev 11:1-13:37; Luke 22:24-38; Ps 50:16-23; Pro 9:12
