2023-04-20
Proverbs 30:1 NLT
Dr. Richard Swenson says, “You can go into the woods, select a ten-foot sapling, bend it over, and when you release it, it will return to its normal height. But if you keep bending it further and further, it will stay down. With stress, first you bend, and then you recover. With burnout, first you bend, and then you break – and you stay broken.
When the writer of Proverbs says, ‘I am weary and worn out,’ he is not referring to a figment of his imagination or a sensationalized diagnosis by psychologists. Exhaustion is real and it’s common and it’s dangerous; it leads to irritability, anger, paranoia, headaches, ulcers, depression, and suicide. Burnout causes something inside you to break; you don’t care who sees or hears, you just want out.
The good news is you can recover your passion, enthusiasm, productivity, and excellence, but it takes time and the healing is mostly by scar formation. Burnout is common among the spiritually minded who are sensitive… They see pain and internalize it. They want to help the wounded… they don’t realize they were never designed to carry the world on their backs.”
So what’s the remedy? “Rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1 NLT). But to receive Psalm 91’s benefits, you need to meet its conditions by making God your dwelling place, abiding in Him, and submitting to His authority. “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress… in him will I trust” (v. 2). Note the word “say.” What you say can mean life or death (See Proverbs 18:21). It can put you over the top or put you under. So today, read God’s Word, internalize and personalize and verbalize it, and your life will take an upward swing.
Soul food: 1 Cor 10-11; Matt 2:13-18; Ps 130; Prov 10:12
2023-04-19
Handelinge 9:11 NLV
Het almal jou Saulus afgeskryf? ‘Hy het te ver gegaan.’ ‘Sy is te hard… te verslaaf… te oud… te koud.’ Josef het geglo dat hy eendag met sy broers, wat hom verraai het, herenig sou word en dit het toe wel gebeur. Die profeet Hosea se vrou het hom verlaat en ‘n prostituut geword. Tog het hy die deur oopgehou en sy het huis toe gekom. God het in Saulus geglo. Hy het juis deur Ananias in Saulus geglo: ‘…Broer Saul, die Here het my gestuur, Jesus wat aan jou verskyn het op pad hierheen. Hy het my gestuur sodat jy weer kan sien en met die Heilige Gees vervul kan word’ (vers 17 NLV).
Max Lucado skryf: My gunsteling Ananias-tipe storie behels twee kamermaats op universiteit. Die Ananias van die twee was ‘n verdraagsame siel. Hy het sy vriend se laatnag dronkenskap, middernagtelike opgooie en hele dag se slaap verdra. Hy het nie gekla wanneer sy vriend vir die hele naweek verdwyn of sigarette in die kar rook nie. Hy kon vir ‘n kamermaat wat kerk toe gaan, minder vloek en wat oor iets anders as meisies besorg was, gevra het. Hy het egter met sy persoonlike Saulus uitgehou, in die hoop dat iets goeds kan gebeur as die kamermaat net sy lewe bymekaar kon kry. Hy het dus aangehou om die gemors skoon te maak, om sy kamermaat kerk toe te nooi en na hom om te sien. Ek kan nie ‘n helder lig of ‘n harde stem onthou nie. Ek het nog nooit op pad na Damaskus gereis nie. Ek onthou egter duidelik dat Jesus my van my troontjie afgestamp het en die lig aangeskakel het. Dit het vier semesters geneem, maar Steve se voorbeeld en Jesus se boodskap het uiteindelik tot my deurgedring.’
Maak dus nie saak wat nie, moenie op jou Saulus opgee nie!
Sielskos: 1 Kor 7-9; Matt 2:1-12; Ps 127; Spr 10:11
Acts 9:11 NIV
Has everyone else written off your Saul? “He is too far gone.” “She is too hard… too addicted… too old… too cold.” Joseph believed one day he would be reunited with the brothers who betrayed him, and it happened. The prophet Hosea’s wife deserted him and became a prostitute. Yet, he kept the door open, and she came home. God believed in Saul. And he believed in Saul through Ananias: “Brother Saul, the Lord – Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here – has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit” (v. 17 NIV).
Max Lucado writes: “My favourite Ananias-type story involves a couple of college roommates. The Ananias of the pair was a tolerant soul. He tolerated his friend’s late-night drunkenness, midnight throw-ups, and all-day sleep-ins. He didn’t complain when his friend disappeared for the weekend or smoked cigarettes in the car. He could have requested a roommate who went to church more or cursed less or cared about something other than impressing girls. But he hung with his personal Saul, seeming to think that something good could happen if the guy could pull his life together. So he kept cleaning up the mess, inviting his roommate to church, and covering his back. I don’t remember a bright light or a loud voice. I’ve never traveled a desert road to Damascus. But I distinctly remember Jesus knocking me off my perch and flipping on the light. It took four semesters, but Steve’s example and Jesus’ message finally got through.”
So, no matter what, don’t give up on your Saul!
Soul food: 1 Cor 7-9; Matt 2:1-12; Ps 127; Prov 10:11
2023-04-18
Psalm 41:2 NLV
Driekwart van die wêreld se inkomste eindig in die sakke van 20 persent van sy populasie op. Dink so daaraan: tien suiwelboere besit tussen hulle tien koeie. Die koeie is egter nie eweredig verdeel nie. Dit is meer soos volg: Twee boere besit agt koeie, terwyl die ander agt boere twee koeie deel. Klink dit reg? Die twee boere wat agt koeie besit, mag dalk maklik sê: ‘Ek het vir my koeie gewerk.’
Die vraag is egter: watter verantwoordelikheid plaas God op diegene wat ‘het’ teenoor diegene wat nie ‘het’ nie? Eerstens, dat jy jouself moet toelaat om besorgdheid en medelye te voel. Tweedens, dat jy uit jou gemaksone beweeg en iets daaraan doen. ‘Geseënd is die mens wat omgee vir die armes. In tye van nood sal die Here hom red. Die Here sal hom beskerm en hom die lewe laat behou. Hy gee aan hom voorspoed in die land en lewer hom nie oor in die mag van sy vyande nie. Die Here sorg vir hom as hy siek is en laat hom opstaan uit sy siekbed’ (verse 2-4 NLV).
Wanneer jy die armes seën, seën God jou. Dus, soos een leier geskryf het, moet jy die volgende jou gebed maak: ‘Here, U het beloof dat ons altyd die armes in ons midde sal hê. Help my om seker te maak dat die teenoorgestelde ook waar is: Dat ek altyd te midde van die armes is – besig om te help, te bemoedig en hand by te sit waar ek kan. Stel my in staat om die onsigbare God lief te hê deur die baie sigbare armes in my hoek van die wêreld te dien. Help my om kreatief te wees sonder om neerhalend te wees, bemoedigend te wees sonder om egotisties te wees en vreesloos te wees sonder om dwaas te wees. Amen.’
Sielskos: 1 Kor 4-6; Matt 1:18-25; Ps 43; Spr 10:10
Psalm 41:1 NIV
Three-quarters of the world’s income ends up in the pockets of 20 percent of its population. Think of it this way: Ten dairy farmers live in the same valley, and among them they own ten cows. But the cows aren’t evenly distributed, one cow to one farmer. It’s more like this: Two farmers own eight cows, while the other eight farmers share two cows. Does that seem right? The two farmers who own eight cows might easily say, “I worked for my cows.” But the question is, what responsibility does God place on the “haves” with regard to the “have-nots”?
First, that you allow yourself to feel concern and compassion. Second, that you get out of your comfort zone and do something about it. “Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble. The Lord protects and preserves them – they are… blessed in the land – he does not give them over to the desire of their foes. The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them” (vv. 1-3 NIV).
When you bless the poor, God blesses you. So, as one leader wrote, make this your prayer: “Lord, you promised we would always have the poor among us. Help me to make sure that the reverse is also true: that I’m always among the poor – helping, encouraging, and lending a hand wherever I can. Enable me to love the invisible God by serving the very visible poor in my corner of the world. Help me to be creative without being condescending, encouraging without being egotistic, and fearless without being foolish. May the poor bless You because of me… amen.”
Soul food: 1 Cor 4-6; Matt 1:18-25; Ps 43; Prov 10:10
