2023-08-17
Proverbs 5:19 NKJV
When you first met your husband or wife and fell in love, you thought about them day and night. You couldn’t wait to be together; you hung on every word they spoke. The relationship was stimulating and exciting because you engaged each other’s minds, excited each other’s emotions, and ignited each other’s imagination on a wide range of life’s topics.
But numerous marriages don’t survive because they die of boredom. One partner gets involved in an affair, or the other becomes addicted to porn or some other deviant behaviour because they’re bored in the relationship. That’s not an excuse for wrongdoing, but boredom functions like low-grade poison; it takes an unavoidable toll on each of you.
The secret to a good marriage lies in finding ways to keep improving yourself, then bringing that to the table of your relationship. Learn something new about your husband’s career field. Care about the details of your wife’s day. Have a shared dream you’re working toward and talk about it. When you’re engaged in another person’s life, you fortify their desire to share more about their day and themselves.
And here is something else to keep in mind: It’s important for you to have a life outside of the person you’re interested in. Partners who want to grow together realize they must encourage each other to nurture friendships, hobbies, and interests independently. Exciting people excite each other! They understand how to develop their own lives without disregarding the shared life they have together. That’s what the Bible means when it says, “Always be enraptured with her [or his] love.”
Soul food: Obadiah; Mark 6:1-13; Ps 119:73-80; Prov 17:27-28
2023-08-16
Spreuke 20:7 NLV
Wanneer die Bybel van integriteit praat, beteken dit om ‘n goeie karakter te hê. ‘n Goeie karakter stel grense. Dit mag dalk nie altyd bepaal wat jy sal doen nie, maar dit bepaal altyd wat jy nie sal doen nie. Karakter laat jou besef hoeveel jy gewillig is om te betaal om te kry wat jy wil hê. Die Bybel sê: ‘Hy wat opreg en eerlik leef, se kinders is baie gelukkig.’
Karakter hoef nie in die kollig te wees en oormatig in beheer te wees nie. Dit wend hom ook nie na intimidasie of skande om sy eie sin te kry nie. Die persoon wat dink dat hy of sy deur te jok, te kul of te manipuleer kan kry wat hulle wil hê, is ongelukkig verkeerd. Verstaan die volgende: Maak nie saak waar jy gaan nie, die ware jy sal uiteindelik daar opdaag!
As jy nie aan jou karakter werk nie, sal jy nie in staat wees om gesonde verhoudings te bou nie. Opregte verhoudings verg integriteit; iemand wat konsekwente karakter in alle omstandighede aan die dag lê; iemand wat by die reëls hou en op wie mens kan staat maak; iemand wat krediet gee waar dit verskuldig is; iemand wat volgens geloof leef; iemand wat God vertrou om hom in staat te stel om alles waarvoor hy of sy geskep is en geroep is om te doen, te bereik.
Die Bybel sê vir ons dat die goddeloses vir ‘n seisoen voorspoedig mag wees, maar dat hulle dit nie sal kan volhou nie. Hulle sal ook uiteindelik beslis nie seëvier nie (sien Spreuke 11:21). Die Bybel sê: ‘Die opregtheid van eerlike mense wys vir hulle die koers. Die valsheid van onbetroubare mense bring hulle ondergang’ (Spreuke 11:3 NLV). Die woord vir jou vandag is dus – werk aan jou karakter.
Sielskos: 1 Pet 3-5; Mark 5:31-43; Ps 119:65-72; Spr 17:23-26
Proverbs 20:7 NKJV
When the Bible speaks of integrity, it means having a good character. And good character sets boundaries. It may not always determine what you will do, but it always determines what you won’t do. Character lets you realize how much you’re willing to pay to get what you want. When someone in a relationship has no character, they’re dangerous. The writer of Proverbs says, “The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him.”
Character doesn’t have to be in the spotlight, excessively running the show. And it doesn’t resort to intimidation or shaming to get its own way. The person who thinks he or she can get what they want by lying, cheating, or manipulating is sadly mistaken. Understand this: No matter where you go, the real you will eventually show up!
And if you don’t work on your character, you won’t be able to build healthy relationships. Genuine relationships require integrity; someone who shows consistent character in all circumstances; someone who plays by the rules and can be relied upon; someone who offers credit where credit is due; someone who lives by faith; someone who trusts God to enable them to accomplish all that he or she was created and called to do.
The Bible tells us the wicked may prosper for a season, but they will not endure. And ultimately, they will most certainly not triumph (See Proverbs 11:21). The psalmist says, “The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them” (Proverbs 11:3 NKJV). So, the word for you today is – work on your character.
Soul food: 1 Pet 3-5; Mark 5:31-43; Ps 119:65-72; Prov 17:23-26
2023-08-15
1 Thessalonians 4:13 TLB
Do you remember the first time death forced you to say the final goodbye to a loved one? At the funeral you heard words like departed, passed on, gone ahead. These were unfamiliar terms. You wondered, “Departed to where? Passed on to what? Gone ahead for how long?” When someone dies after a full life, you can accept that. But what if they die as a result of violence? Or after a long battle with illness? Now your dreams are buried as they lower the casket into the ground.
Paul writes: “I want you to know what happens to a Christian when he dies so that when it happens, you will not be full of sorrow, as those are who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and then came back to life again, we can also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him all the Christians who have died” (vv.13-14 TLB).
Those words turn our hopeless sorrow into hope-filled sorrow. How? By assuring us that we will see our loved ones again. Isn’t that what we desire to believe? We long to know our loved ones are safe in death. We yearn for the reassurance that the soul goes instantly to be with God.
But do we dare to believe it? According to the Scriptures, yes! At death a Christian immediately enters the presence of God and delights in conscious fellowship with the Father and with others who have gone before. These words on a believer’s tombstone say it all: “The parting is for a moment, but the meeting will be for eternity.”
Soul food: 1 Pet 1-2; Mark 5:21-30; Ps 119:57-64; Prov 17:22
1 Tessalonisense 4:13 ABA
Onthou jy die eerste keer wat die dood jou geforseer het om finaal van ‘n geliefde afskeid te neem? By die begrafnis het jy woorde soos vertrek, aanbeweeg, vooruitgegaan, gehoor. ‘Vertrek waarheen? Aanbeweeg waarnatoe? Vooruitgegaan vir hoe lank?’ Wanneer iemand na ‘n vol lewe sterf, kan mens dit aanvaar. Maar wat as hulle as gevolg van geweld sterf? Of na ‘n lang siekbed? Jou drome word saam met die kis wat hulle in die grond laat sak, begrawe.
Paulus skryf: ‘Vriende, ons wil graag hê dat julle moet weet wat sal gebeur met die gelowiges wat gesterf het. As julle dit weet, dan sal julle nie huil en treur soos die heidene wat niks het wat hulle kan hoop nie. Ons glo dat Jesus gesterf het en weer begin lewe het. Ons moet ook glo dat God die gelowiges wat gesterf het, na Jesus toe sal bring’ (verse 13-14 ABA).
Hierdie woorde verander ons hopelose verdriet in hoopvolle verdriet. Hoe? Deur ons te verseker dat ons weer ons geliefdes gaan sien. Is dit nie wat ons graag wil glo nie? Ons verlang daarna om te weet dat ons geliefdes veilig in die dood is. Ons smag na die versekering dat die siel oombliklik gaan om by God te wees. Waag ons dit egter om dit te glo? Volgens die Skrif, ja! By hulle afsterwe gaan ‘n Christen onmiddellik in die teenwoordigheid van God in en verlustig hulle in die bewuste gemeenskap met die Vader en met ander wat hulle vooraf gegaan het. Hierdie woorde op ‘n gelowige se grafsteen sê dit alles: ‘Die afskeid is vir ‘n oomblik, maar die ontmoeting sal vir ewig wees.’
Sielskos: 1 Pet 1-2; Mark 5:21-30; Ps 119:57-64; Spr 17:22
