2023-06-30
1 Korintiërs 10:13 NLV
Die probleem is nie net dat ons sondig nie; dis dat ons nie daaroor praat nie. Ons is gemaklik met verhale van mense wat gesondig het, omdat dit ‘n gelukkige einde het. Stel jou voor jy gaan na ‘n berader en sê: ‘Ek wil net oor probleme praat wat ek gehad het. Moet my asb nie uitvra oor my huidige probleme nie. Dit sal my skaam maak. Ek is bang jy sal my verwerp.’ Hoekom sal jy na ‘n berader toe gaan en hom of haar probeer oortuig dat jy nie berading nodig het nie? Mense is gemaklik daarmee om hulle dokter van ‘n fisiese probleem of ‘n werktuigkundige van ‘n probleem met hulle kar te vertel. Moet ons dan nie ook gemaklik daarmee wees om vir mekaar te sê wanneer ons ‘n probleem het nie?
As jy wil hê dat God (of enigiemand anders) die ware jy moet liefhê, moet jy daaraan werk om eerlik te wees. Dawid was Israel se beste koning, maar hy was ‘n poligamis. Hy was ook ‘n aaklige pa. Hy het ‘n ander man se vrou begeer, met haar owerspel gepleeg, probeer om haar man om die bos te lei, hom uiteindelik laat vermoor en het sy misdade vir ‘n jaar lank toegesmeer; dus was hy inhalig, ‘n egbreker, ‘n leuenaar en ‘n moordenaar. Soos iemand geskerts het: ‘Niemand het in daardie tyd met ‘n ‘Wat sou Dawid doen?’ armband rondgeloop nie.’ Tog noem die Bybel Dawid ‘…’n man na [God] se hart…’ (1 Samuel 13:14 NLV).
Is dit moontlik vir iemand om so intens met sonde te worstel en terselfdertyd na God te smag? Ja. Dis ook hoekom die Bybel sê: ‘Daarom moet julle julle sondes teenoor mekaar bely en vir mekaar bid sodat julle gesond kan word…’ (Jakobus 5:16 NLV).
Sielskos: Jer 10-13; Matt 22:34-46; Ps 64; Spr 14:25-28
1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT
The problem isn’t just that we sin; it’s that we can’t talk about it. We’re comfortable with tales of people who used to sin, because they have happy endings. Imagine going to a counselor and saying, “I only want to discuss problems I used to have. Please don’t ask me to confess any current ones. I would be embarrassed. I’m afraid you would reject me.” Why would you go to a counselor and try to convince them that you don’t need counsel? People are okay telling a doctor about their physical problem or a mechanic about a problem with their car. Shouldn’t we be okay telling each other when we have a problem?
If you want God (or anyone else) to love the real you, you have to work at “getting real.” David was Israel’s best king, but he was a polygamist. He was also a horrible father. He coveted another man’s wife, committing adultery with her, attempting to deceive her husband, ultimately having him murdered, and covering up his crime for a year; so, he was a coveter, an adulterer, a liar, and a murderer. As somebody quipped, “Nobody in those days was walking around wearing a ‘What Would David Do?’ bracelet.” Yet the Bible calls David “a man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14 NIV).
Is it possible for someone to be struggling so intensely with sin and yearning for God at the same time? Yes. And it’s also why the Bible says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16 NLT).
Soul food: Jer 10-13; Matt 22:34-46; Ps 64; Prov 14:25-28
2023-06-29
Philippians 2:22 NIV
God will be faithful to you, come what may. Humanly speaking, who else can you count on? Paul writes: “Everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel” (vv. 21-22 NIV). Paul knew he could count on Timothy. Who can you count on? Before you answer, consider the following four questions:
(1) When something goes wrong, do you have at least one friend you can easily talk to about it? “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for… adversity” (Proverbs 17:17 NIV). There is no way to put a price on such a relationship, is there?
(2) Who in your life could accurately name your greatest fears and temptations? “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble… A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12 NLT).
(3) Do you have one or more friends with whom you meet regularly? “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him” (Malachi 3:16 KJV).
(4) Do you have a friend you know well enough to trust their confidentiality? “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret” (Proverbs 11:13 NIV).
Soul food: Jer 7-9; Matt 22:23-33; Ps 59:9-17; Prov 14:23-24
Filippense 2:22 NLV
God sal getrou wees teenoor jou, maak nie saak wat gebeur nie. Op wie kan jy egter, menslik gesproke, ook staat maak? Paulus skryf: ‘Al die ander soek net hulle eie belang en nie dit wat vir Jesus Christus saak maak nie. Julle weet egter hoe Timoteus homself bewys het. Soos ‘n seun sy pa help, het hy saam met my gewerk om die Goeie Nuus uit te dra’ (verse 21-22 NLV). Paulus het geweet dat hy op Timoteus kon staat maak. Op wie kan jy staat maak? Voor jy antwoord, oorweeg die volgende vier vrae:
1) Wanneer iets verkeerd gaan, het jy ten minste een vriend met wie jy maklik daaroor kan praat? ‘Op ‘n vriend se lojaliteit kan jy altyd reken. Jou broer is gebore om jou te help wanneer daar probleme is’ (Spreuke 17:17 NLV). Mens kan nie ‘n prys op so ‘n verhouding plaas nie.
2) Wie in jou lewe kan jou grootste vrese en versoekings korrek opnoem? ‘Twee is beter as een. Saam bereik hulle meer. As een mens val, kan sy vriend hom optel. Maar as een val wat alleen is, is daar niemand om hom op te help nie… En as iemand die een aanval, sal die twee weerstand bied. ‘n Driedubbele tou breek nie maklik nie’ (Prediker 4:9-10, 12 NLV).
3) Het jy een of meer vriende wat jy gereeld ontmoet? ‘Die mense wat die Here dien, het toe met mekaar gepraat. Die Here het na hulle geluister en gehoor wat hulle sê. Hulle het ‘n gedenkboek in sy teenwoordigheid geskryf…’ (Maleagi 3:16 NLV).
4) Het jy ‘n vriend wat jy goed genoeg ken om met jou geheime te vertrou? “‘n Geskinder lap geheime uit; betroubare mense bewaar geheime” (Spreuke 11:13 NLV).
Sielskos: Jer 7-9; Matt 22:23-33; Ps 59:9-17; Spr 14:23-24
2023-06-28
Psalm 90:14 NIV
It doesn’t help the cause of Christ when His followers go around looking miserable. You say, “But I have problems.” Everybody does. When the apostle Paul was in prison, he wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4 NIV). Expressing joy is something you do in spite of your circumstances, not because of them. The Bible says, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3 NIV). God has put a well of joy within you, but you have to draw it out and share it with others.
Joy is contagious. Happiness travels through relational networks like ripples on a pond. It’s so robust, in fact, that it can permeate three degrees of separation. That means your happiness quotient is more likely to increase when a friend of a friend of a friend becomes happy. We hunger for joy. “Satisfy us in the morning,” writes the psalmist – but not with more money or power or applause. No, “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:14 NIV).
Joyful people make us come alive. The Bible says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10 NIV). We love joy, but often we forget how powerful it is. Joy gives us the strength to resist temptation. It gives us the ability to persevere. It’s the Velcro that makes relationships stick. It gives us the energy to love. We don’t just need air, food, and water; we need joy. And the person who brings it is like an oasis in a desert land. So today, be joyful.
Soul food: Jer 4-6; Matt 22:15-22; Ps 59:1-8; Prov 14:21-22
