2026-04-30
Matthew 18:21 NIV
There is a saying in baseball: “Three strikes and you’re out.” We tend to play life the same way. We give people two or three chances, but no more. But God never gives up on us. It’s not in His nature. When Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother, Jesus set the gold standard. Peter answered his own question by saying, “Seven times.” But Jesus ups the ante to seventy times seven (see v. 22 NLT).
Then He ups the ante even more with a story of a master who forgave his servant a ten-thousand-talent debt. Let’s do a currency exchange. One talent totaled 180 months’ wages – that’s fifteen years! And that’s just one talent. So a 10,000-talent debt totaled 150,000 years of wages. Using today’s average life expectancy, it would have taken his servant 2,232 lifetimes to pay off the debt. Of course, the average life expectancy in the first century was less than half of what it is now, so it would have taken twice as many lifetimes to pay off the debt.
But instead of years, let’s put this debt into dollars. Using a minimum wage of $7.25, let’s take a nine-to-five job, Monday through Friday. That’s an annual income of $15,080. That might not seem like much, but when you multiply it by 150,000 years, it totals $2,262,000,000. (Three commas means billions.)
Now here’s the thing: by virtue of what Christ accomplished on the cross, your sin debt – past, present, and future – is paid in full. That’s a truth you can be confident in and stand on.
Soul food: Deut 1-2; Matt 5:38-48; Ps 2; Prov 11:22-23
Matteus 18:21 ABA
Daar is ‘n gesegde in bofbal wat lui: ‘Three strikes and you’re out!’ Ons is geneig om die lewe op dieselfde manier te speel. Ons gee mense twee of drie kanse, maar niks meer nie. God gee egter nooit moed op met ons nie. Dit is nie in sy aard nie. Toe Petrus vir Jesus gevra het hoeveel keer hy sy medegelowiges moes vergewe, het Jesus die goue standaard gestel. ‘…Ek sê vir jou: Jy moet hom nie net sewe maal vergewe nie, maar sewentig maal sewe maal’ (vers 22 ABA).
Jesus vertel dan die gelykenis van ‘n koning wat sy dienaar se skuld van tienduisend talente kwytgeskeld het. Een talent het altesaam 180 maande se lone beloop – dis vyftien jaar se lone! En dis net vir een talent. ‘n Skuld van 10 000 talente sou dus altesaam 150 000 jaar se lone beloop. Met vandag se gemiddelde lewensverwagting sou dit sy dienaar 2 232 leeftye geneem het om die skuld af te betaal. Natuurlik was die gemiddelde lewensverwagting in die eerste eeu minder as die helfte van wat dit nou is, so dit sou twee keer soveel leeftye geneem het om die skuld af te betaal.
Kom ons sit nou hierdie skuld in rande om. Deur ‘n minimumloon van R28.79 te gebruik, kan ons aanneem dat ‘n gemiddelde persoon Maandag tot Vrydag, van nege tot vyf werk. Dis ‘n jaarlikse inkomste van R67 638.60. Dit lyk dalk nie na veel nie, maar as jy dit met 150,000 jaar vermenigvuldig, is dit altesaam R10,105,290,000 (drie kommas beteken miljarde).
Die wonderlike waarheid is dat op grond van wat Christus aan die kruis bereik het, is jou sondeskuld – verlede, hede en toekoms – ten volle betaal. Dis ‘n waarheid waarin jy vertroue kan hê en waarop jy kan staan.
Sielskos: Deut 1-2; Matt 5:38-48; Ps 2; Spr 11:22-23
2026-04-29
2 Corinthians 1:9 NLT
Several men went on a mission trip to Haiti where they met a nineteen-year-old young man who loved Christ deeply. So they invited him to visit them in America and paid for his trip. The young Haitian felt as if he were in another world. He’d never slept between sheets, had three meals a day, used indoor plumbing, or tasted a hamburger. When it was time to return to Haiti, they asked him for his impressions of what he’d experienced, and he replied: “I have really enjoyed my time here with you. But I am also very glad to be going home. You have so much in America that I’m beginning to lose my grip on my day-to-day dependency on Christ.”
Paul spoke of a time of trouble in Asia in which he was “crushed and overwhelmed” (2 Corinthians 1:8 NLT). Then he wrote: “As a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God” (v. 9 NLT). And God wants to bring you to that place also. Yes, He wants you to use the gifts and resources He has provided, but His desire is that you rely completely on Him. Only then can He provide everything He desires to give you, because then you will be open, ready, and mature enough to receive it.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear [reverence, respect, obey] the Lord” (Proverbs 3:5-7 NLT).
Soul food: Acts 27-28; Matt 5:27-37; Ps 35; Prov 11:19-21
2 Korintiërs 1:9 ABA
‘n Groep mans het op ‘n sendingreis na Haïti gegaan waar hulle ‘n negentienjarige jongman ontmoet het wat Christus diep liefgehad het. Hulle het hom genooi om hulle in Amerika te besoek en vir sy reis betaal. Die jong Haïtiaan het gevoel asof hy in ‘n ander wêreld beland het. Hy het nog nooit tussen lakens geslaap, drie maaltye per dag gehad, binnenshuise loodgieterswerk gebruik of ‘n hamburger geproe nie. Toe dit tyd was om na Haïti terug te keer, het hulle hom oor sy indrukke en alles wat hy ervaar het, uitgevra. Hy het geantwoord: ‘Ek het my tyd hier saam met julle baie geniet. Maar ek is ook baie bly om huis toe te gaan. Julle het soveel luukshede in Amerika dat ek my greep op my daaglikse afhanklikheid van Christus begin verloor het.’
Paulus vertel van ‘n tyd van swaarkry in die provinsie Asië waarin hy begin moed verloor en oorweldig gevoel het (sien 2 Korintiërs 1:8). Hy skryf egter verder: ‘…Ons kon onsself nie meer help nie. Ons kon net vertrou op God…’ (vers 9 ABA). God wil jou ook op daardie plek bring. Ja, Hy wil hê dat jy die gawes en hulpbronne wat Hy voorsien het moet gebruik, maar sy begeerte is dat jy ten volle op Hom sal staatmaak. Slegs dan kan Hy alles voorsien wat Hy begeer om vir jou te gee, want dan sal jy ontvanklik, gereed en volwasse genoeg wees om dit te ontvang.
‘Vertrou op die Here met alles wat jy het. Moenie staatmaak op jou eie insigte nie. Vra na die wil van God in alles wat jy doen. Hy sal die regte pad vir jou wys. Moenie jouself oorskat nie. Hou eerder die Here voor oë en vermy wat sleg is’ (Spreuke 3:5-7 NLV).
Sielskos: Hand 27-28; Matt 5:27-37; Ps 35; Spr 11:19-21
2026-04-28
Proverbs 27:4 KJV
Unlike jealousy, which is the fear of being displaced, envy is ill-will toward those who possess something you want. Jealousy says, “I’m afraid you are going to take what I have.” Envy says, “I want what you have, and I resent you for having it!” Envy is one of the most frequently concealed emotions. You may be more likely to admit to an uncontrollable temper, a phobia, or any other negative emotion than to acknowledge that you are envious.
Envy inevitably leads to resenting and criticizing the person you envy. And once you allow envy and resentment to enter your heart, they act like free radicals producing an emotional cancer. Eventually they will manifest themselves in some destructive way, whether it is in the form of taking mood-altering substances, overeating, shopping excessively, lashing out, being sarcastic, or physically harming others.
If you harbor envy toward someone, it’s time to deal with it. David wrote: “You desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:6-7 NIV). If you covet what someone else has, ask yourself, “Am I willing to pay the price they paid to obtain it?”
The world has a saying: “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” Everything – except salvation – has a price tag. So, whether you want to be thin, rich, educated, or whatever, stop envying the success of others, and ask God to help you succeed in the assignment He has given you for your life.
Soul food: Acts 24-26; Matt 5:21-26; Ps 94:12-23; Prov 11:16-18
