2023-11-25
Psalm 23:1 NIV
We need to know two things: (1) Our shepherd’s character. Jesus distinguished good shepherds from bad ones (See John 10:11-16). Bad shepherds look out for their own interests, not the welfare of the sheep. They’re unreliable; when a threat arises, they abandon the flock. But Jesus claimed, “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11 KJV). What makes Him good? “The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (v. 11 NKJV). Their needs and their security come before his own, and if necessary, he will die for them. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (v. 14 NIV). Jesus knows each of His sheep individually and desires an intimate relationship with them. He calls each one by name; they trust Him and follow where He leads (See John 10:3). You can rely on your shepherd to protect and guide you!
(2) The sheep’s condition is the shepherd’s business. He can’t be a good shepherd if his sheep’s needs aren’t being met. Sheep don’t know the path to the pasture, the location of the watering hole, or the strategy for their own safety. But the shepherd does. His sheep believe in him, rely on him, and follow him. But believing in and relying on His protection and provision isn’t instinctive – it’s the only decision you make; an act of your will. Regardless of your feelings or circumstances, you make up your mind to trust the shepherd to handle things and act as your security. When you turn your worries and concerns over to Him and rest in His goodness, He fulfills His promise that you will “lack nothing.”
Soul food: 2 Chron 13-17; John 11:38-44; Ps 95; Prov 27:17-19
2023-11-24
Psalm 23:1 NIV
Perhaps you memorized Psalm 23 as a child. The vivid visual images remain with us lifelong. Author Hannah Whitall Smith said, “What we all need is just to get back into the nursery again, and take up our childish verses once more, and, while reading them with the intelligence of our grown-up years, to believe them with all our old childish faith.” As adults we become jaded, losing the simple joy that stress-filled lives require. We need to remember these three things:
(1) Who our shepherd is – “The Lord.” He is the source of everything we will ever need, beginning with salvation. Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11 NKJV).
(2) What the shepherd’s job is – protector and provider for the sheep. And He knows how to handle wayward, headstrong, vulnerable sheep and care for them. Long before Jesus came as our shepherd, the Father said, “I will rescue [my flock] and no longer let them be mistreated… I will give you a shepherd from the family of my servant King David… All of you, both strong and weak, will have the same shepherd, and he will take good care of you” (Ezekiel 34:22-23 CEV).
(3) What the sheep’s job is – to trust the shepherd completely. Attempting to do His job will exhaust and defeat us. We must believe “with all our old childish faith” that Jesus is a dependable, committed, and capable shepherd – and then act like we believe it. Knowing that His goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives lifts our present worries and dispels all our future concerns.
Soul food: 2 Chron 9-12; John 11:28-37; Ps 102:18-28; Prov 27:13-16
Psalm 23:1 NLV
Miskien het jy Psalm 23 as kind gememoriseer. Die duidelike visuele beelde bly ons lewenslank by. Die skrywer Hannah Whitall Smith het gesê: ‘Wat ons almal nodig het, is om weer terug te gaan kleuterskool toe en ons kinderlike verse te onthou. Terwyl ons dit lees met die kennis wat ons as volwassenes het, moet ons dit met al ons ou kinderlike geloof glo.’ As volwassenes raak ons afgemat en verloor ons die eenvoudige vreugde wat stresgevulde lewens vereis. Ons moet die volgende drie dinge onthou.
1) Wie ons skaapwagter is – die Here. Hy is die bron van alles wat ons ooit sal nodig kry, insluitend ons redding. Jesus het gesê: ‘Ek is die Goeie Herder. ‘n Goeie herder offer sy lewe op vir die skape’ (Johannes 10:11 NLV).
2) Wat die skaapwagter se werk is – beskermer van en voorsiener vir die skape. Hy weet hoe om eiesinnige, kwesbare skape te hanteer en hulle te versorg. Lank voor Jesus as ons skaapwagter gekom het, het die Vader gesê: ‘Nou red Ek my kudde, en hulle sal nie langer geplunder word nie… En Ek stel een herder oor almal aan, my dienaar Dawid. Hy sal hulle versorg en hulle herder wees’ (Esegiël 34:22-23 NLV).
3) Wat die skaap se werk is – om die skaapwagter ten volle te vertrou. Om sy werk te probeer doen, sal ons uitput en oorwin. Ons moet met al ons ou kinderlike geloof glo dat Jesus ‘n betroubare, toegewyde en bekwame herder is – en dan daarvolgens optree. Die wete dat sy goedheid en genade ons al die dae van ons lewe sal volg, verlig ons huidige bekommernisse en verdryf al ons toekomstige bekommernisse.
Sielskos: 2 Kron 9-12; Joh 11:28-37; Ps 102:18-28; Spr 27:13-16
2023-11-23
Psalm 139:14 NLV
Ten spyte van jou skete en pyne, is jy ‘n lewende, asemhalende, lopende, pratende wonder. Die Psalmdigter het gesê: ‘U self het my diepste wese gemaak, my in die moederskoot gevorm. Ek loof U omdat U my so besonder wonderlik gemaak het…’ (verse 13-14 NLV).
Een skrywer verduidelik: ‘Die meeste van ons aanvaar ons sig as vanselfsprekend, maar selfs die eenvoudigste prosesse is geweldig kompleks. Die retina, byvoorbeeld, voer elke sekonde byna tien biljoen berekeninge uit, en dit is nog voordat ‘n beeld deur die optiese senuwee na die visuele korteks beweeg. Die menslike neus kan een miljoenste van een milligram knoffel wat in die lug sweef, opspoor en tussen tienduisend verskillende reuke onderskei. Die hare wat jou liggaam bedek, vergroot die sensasie van aanraking sodat jy ‘n duisendste van ‘n ons druk op die punt van ‘n haar kan voel. Is dit nie wonderbaarlik nie?’
Triljoene chemiese reaksies vind elke sekonde in elke sel van jou liggaam plaas. Jy asem suurstof in, metaboliseer energie, verteer voedsel, handhaaf jou ewewig, suiwer gifstowwe, vervaardig hormone, blaas koolstofdioksied uit, herstel weefsels en laat bloed sirkuleer. Terwyl jy hierdie dagstukkie lees, skiet miljoene elektriese impulse oor miljarde sinaptiese paaie en jy dink nie eers daaraan nie.
Jy moet egter daaraan dink en God loof vir die gawe van lewe en die seëninge wat jy geniet. Jy moet ook nog een uiters belangrike ding doen: Jou lewensdoel ontdek en jouself daaraan toewy om dit te verwesenlik. Daar word gesê dat die twee belangrikste dae in ‘n mens se lewe is die dag waarop jy gebore word en die dag wat jy ontdek hoekom jy gebore is. Dink daaroor!
Sielskos: 2 Kron 6-8; Joh 11:17-27; Ps 102:12-17; Spr 27:10-12
Psalm 139:14 NIV
Despite your aches and pains, you are a living, breathing, walking, talking wonder. The psalmist said, “You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (vv. 13-14 NIV).
One author explains: “Most of us take our eyesight for granted, but even the simplest of processes is divinely complex. The retina, for example, conducts close to ten billion calculations every second, and that is before an image even travels through the optic nerve to the visual cortex. The human nose can detect one-millionth of one milligram of garlic floating in the air and distinguish among ten thousand distinct odors. The hairs blanketing your body magnify the sensation of touch so that you can discern a thousandth of an ounce of pressure on the tip of a half-inch hair. Amazing, isn’t it?”
Trillions of chemical reactions are taking place in every cell of your body every second. You are inhaling oxygen, metabolizing energy, digesting food, maintaining equilibrium, purifying toxins, producing hormones, exhaling carbon dioxide, repairing tissues, and circulating blood. As you read this, millions of electrical impulses are firing across billions of synaptic pathways, and you don’t even think about it.
But you should, and you should praise God for the gift of life and the multitude of His blessings you enjoy. And you should do one more all-important thing: Discover your life’s purpose and dedicate yourself to fulfilling it. It has been said the two most important days in a person’s life are the day they’re born and the day they discover why they were born. Think about it!
Soul food: 2 Chron 6-8; John 11:17-27; Ps 102:12-17; Prov 27:10-12
