2024-09-28
Philippians 4:13 AMPC
Paul shares with us the key to his amazing success in life: “I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].” There is a syndrome called “failure to launch.” It’s experienced by people who feel insecure about their future. They never seem to get to the place in life where they feel ready, so they miss out on opportunities.
Life says, “Ready or not, here I come.” Now, life’s inevitability doesn’t mean that preparation is trivial; it’s important. But feeling ready is very overvalued. We are called to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
When God brought the Israelites into the promised land, He told them to step into the Jordan River first; after, He parted the water. If they had waited for evidence first, they would be waiting on the banks still. Faith grows when God says go and you say yes. The truth is, you don’t realize what you can do until you do it. “Ready” happens quicker if you’re already moving. If you wait to move until you’re completely ready, you will wait until you die.
Jesus doesn’t tell us, “Go; you’re ready.” He tells us, “Go; I’ll go with you.” You will grow as you “go.” You will develop as you “do.” Here is the key: The thing that makes you “ready for anything and equal to anything” is “Him Who infuses inner strength” into you. God designed it that way because He wants you to depend on Him.
Soul food: 1 Cor 7-9; Luke 24:1-12; Ps 91; Prov 25:9-12
2024-09-27
Psalm 23:2 NLV
Wanneer jy jouself bevind waar jy sê: ‘Ek weet nie hoeveel langer ek so kan aangaan nie,’ het jy dalk nodig om sommige van jou prioriteite te verander en jou lewenstyl aan te pas.
Die Psalmdigter het gesê: ‘Ek loof U omdat U my so besonder wonderlik gemaak het…’ (Psalm 139:14 NLV). God het jou liggaam ontwerp om vir jou waarskuwings te gee wanneer jy onder te veel druk is, soos ‘n pyn hier of ‘n skeet daar. Ons ignoreer egter hierdie waarskuwings totdat ons te siek is om hulle langer te ignoreer. Omdat ons in die mees medisinale generasie in die geskiedenis leef, neem ons voorskrifte, pille en poeiers in die hoop dat dit die antwoord is. Dis egter net ‘n korttermyn kuur.
Ons kan nie God se leiding om tyd te neem om te rus ignoreer en nie ‘n prys daarvoor betaal nie. Niemand het ‘n groter doelwit of ‘n belangriker missie as Jesus en sy dissipels gehad nie. Tog het Hy hulle opdrag gegee om die tyd te neem om te rus en te ontspan (sien Markus 6:31).Pastoor, is hierdie ‘n area van dissipelskap wat jy moet beoefen en vir jou mense moet leer? Die kerk moenie mense so besig hou dat dit hulle gesondheid negatief affekteer en hulle familieverhoudings seermaak nie.
As jy vandag ‘n onvolhoubare lewe lei, hou op om die veranderinge wat jy moet maak, uit te stel. Moenie wag totdat iets soos ‘n gesondheidsprobleem of ‘n gesinsprobleem plaasvind nie. Maak nou die veranderinge om die lewe wat God wil hê jy moet leef, te lei. Wanneer jy op God se manier leef, sal jy ‘n nuwe vlak van vrede in jou lewe ontdek. ‘Hy laat my rus in groen weivelde; na water wat verfris, lei Hy my.’
Sielskos: 1 Kor 4-6; Luk 23:44-56; Ps 13; Spr 25:4-8
Psalm 23:2 AMPC
When you find yourself saying, “I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up,” you may need to change some of your priorities and adjust your lifestyle.
The psalmist said, “I am… wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14 KJV). God designed your body to give you warnings when you’re pushing too hard, like an ache here or a pain there. But we ignore these warnings until we become too sick to ignore them any longer. And because we live in the most medicated generation in history, we take prescriptions, pills, and potions hoping that’s the answer. But it’s a short-term cure.
We can’t ignore God’s direction to take time to rest and not pay a price for it. Nobody had a greater purpose or a more important mission than Jesus and His disciples. Yet He instructed them to take time out for rest and relaxation (See Mark 6:31). Pastor, is this an area of discipleship you need to practice and teach your people? The church should not keep people so busy that it negatively affects their health and hurts their family relationships.
If you are living an unsustainable life today, stop putting off making the changes you need to make. Don’t wait until something happens, like a health problem or a family problem. Make changes now to live the kind of life God wants you to live. When you live God’s way, you will discover a new level of peace in your life. “He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside still and restful waters.”
Soul food: 1 Cor 4-6; Luke 23:44-56; Ps 13; Prov 25:4-8
2024-09-26
Prediker 9:9 NLV
Dis interessant om te sien hoeveel van ons gewillig is om in ons opvoeding, loopbaan en finansiële toekoms te belê, maar nie in ons huwelik nie. Een van die hoofoorsake van egskeiding is verveling.
Een dominee verduidelik: ‘Eggenote verloor hulle fokus, dwaal af en pleeg egbreuk, raak aan pornografie verslaaf of stel ander vernietigende gedrag ten toon. Die geheim tot ‘n sterk huwelik is om aan te hou om maniere te vind om jouself te verbeter en met mekaar te deel. Dit kan so eenvoudig wees soos om ‘n boek of artikel te lees en iets interessants wat jy raakgelees het te deel, of om ‘n kursus te loop en dit wat jy geleer het by die huis aan te wend. Dit kan wees om te leer oor jou eggenoot se beroepsveld en belang te stel in dit wat hy/sy heeldag doen.
Eggenote wat wil aanhou groei as ‘n paartjie, het ook lewens van hul eie buite die huwelik nodig. Stokperdjies, belangstellings en gepaste vriendskappe buite die huwelik maak elke eggenoot meer interessant en stimulerend wanneer hulle by die huis kom. Hoe wonderlik is dit nie om saam aan die etenstafel te sit en opwindende dinge wat julle elkeen deur die dag ontdek het, met mekaar te deel nie.
Daar is egter ‘n balans wat gehandhaaf moet word wanneer jy jou eie lewe ontwikkel, sonder om die lewe wat julle saam het te ignoreer. Lank nadat fisiese aantrekkingskrag en die intensiteit van seksuele aantrekkingskrag vervaag het, nadat die kinders groot is en op hulle eie bly, sal jy en jou maat sterk verbintenisse wil hê sodat julle kan aanhou groei en die lewe saam kan geniet.’
Belê dus in jou huwelik.
Sielskos: 1 Kor 1-3; Luk 23:35-43; Ps 54; Spr 25:1-3
Ecclesiastes 9:9 NKJV
It’s amazing how many of us are willing to invest time and effort into our education, career, and financial future, but not our marriage. One of the leading causes of divorce is boredom.
One minister explains: “Partners lose their focus, stray into affairs, get addicted to porn, or exhibit other destructive behavior… The secret to a strong marriage is to continue to find ways to improve yourself and to share. It can be as simple as reading a book or article and sharing something interesting about what you read, or taking a course and using what you learned at home… It can be learning about your partner’s career field and taking an interest in what they do all day, showing you are engaged with who they are…
Partners who want to keep growing as a couple also need to have lives of their own away from the marriage as well. Pursuing hobbies, interests, and appropriate friendships outside the marriage makes each partner more interesting and stimulating when they come back home. How wonderful to sit together at the dinner table and share exciting things you each discovered during the day.
There is a balancing act in developing your own life without ignoring the life you have together. The person you marry will be around for a very long time if you do things right. Long after physical attraction and the intensity of sexual chemistry have faded, and the kids are grown and living on their own, you and your partner will want strong connections so you can continue to grow and enjoy life together.”
So, invest in your marriage.
Soul food: 1 Cor 1-3; Luke 23:35-43; Ps 54; Prov 25:1-3
