There’s a time for extravagant gestures. A time to pour out your affections on the one you love. And when the time comes—seize it. Don’t dismiss it!
“Someday,” we say, “I’ll take her on the cruise.” “Someday”, we say, “I’ll have time to call and chat.” “Someday, the children will understand why I was so busy.” But you know the truth, don’t you? You could say it better than I. Some days never come. And the price of practicality is sometimes higher than extravagance. So, go to the effort…today. Invest the time, today. Make the apology. Take the trip. Purchase the gift. Do it! The seized opportunity renders joy. The neglected brings regret. From And The Angels Were Silent "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you." 1 Corinthians 16:33
Paul normally closed his letters by saying, "Grace be with you." Now it's interesting that Paul used that particular phrase because he had been a most unlikely candidate for accepting the grace of God. Paul spent his "first" career terrorizing first century Christians. He literally persecuted the church and killed Christians. That was his mission. But Christ appeared to him, saved him, and forgave him. And Paul, perhaps more than anyone who has ever lived, was focused on the grace of Christ because he knows he didn't deserve to be chosen to be a child of God. And you know what? None of us do! None of us deserve to have the God of the universe go to a cross and pay that awful penalty for us, so that we might be forgiven and have eternal life. Paul's salutation reminds us that a thriving church will focus on the grace of God that's found in what Jesus did for us on the cross. A healthy church will emphasize the grace of God, remembering the price Jesus paid in giving us something no one deserves—forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. Grace be with you all! Amy Simpson skryf: "Toe ons kinders vier en ses was, het ek uitgevind dat ek swanger is. Twee weke later het ek 'n miskraam gehad. Terwyl ek herstel het, het my man dit goed hanteer, maar toe ek fisies gesond was, het die verlies hom getref. Hy was teruggetrokke en wou nie familielede besoek nie - terwyl ek wou vergeet, aanbeweeg, tussen mense wees. As 'n paartjie iets deurmaak wat hulle op verskillende maniere affekteer, hoe laat 'n mens dit werk?
Sielskos: Hand 22-23; Matt 10:32-42; Ps 65; Spr 16: 8-9 Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do super-abundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams] EPHESIANS 3 : 20
BECOME AN ETERNAL OPTIMIST !! The Messiah, Jesus Christ knowing that the time of His sacrifice was drawing near retreated to the sanctuary of The Garden of Gethsemane to spend time with His Father in prayer. Prayer time as you know it is an inspiring, refreshing, peaceful, calming time. For Jesus however this prayer experience was anything but that. As Jesus threw Himself on the ground on His face to pray, he showed signs of grief, distress of mind and He was deeply depressed, as He wrestled with the reality of going to the cross .. Jesus Himself unashamedly admitted .. My soul is very sad and deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow. The prayer that Jesus was praying was to ask God, His Father, if it was at all possible to have the cup of His crucifixion removed from Himself .. Jesus prayed this prayer so earnestly and intently in fact that His sweat became like great clots of blood dropping down upon the ground .. And Yet .. Although Jesus so reverently prayed this prayer, He did however dedicate Himself to always follow the will of His Father rather than His own. And So It Happened .. Betrayed by a friend, Jesus was given into the hands of the enemy. As Jesus was arrested and led away, He offered up no fight and no resistance .. Jesus unselfishly understood and graciously accepted the sacrifice that awaited Him. Jesus did indeed lay down His life as a sacrifice, however it was a sacrifice that came at an insurmountable price to both Jesus and His Father .. Understand that Jesus’ enemies had a point to prove and they were steadfastly determined to expose Jesus to as much brutality and humiliation as they could muster up. Amidst the loud cheering and chanting of the on-looking crowd, Jesus was dragged into a palace courtyard where He was chained up to a concrete block, which stood solemnly in the centre. All around Him the soldiers busied themselves with gathering up their whips of choice .. Whips of various lengths, each with a strong, sturdy handle and each equipped with metal claws on the end. With their whips in hand each soldier boastfully stepped forward to take up his place, ready to begin their savage attack. And Savage It Was .. In what must have seemed like an endless onslaught, the metal claws were repeatedly plunged into Jesus’ back only to be gouged right back out again, each time shredding His skin wide open and tearing the flesh off His bones. As if this wasn’t enough, Jesus had to endure being stripped of His clothes, being beaten over the head with a reed staff, having the hair ripped off His cheeks, being rebuked and abusively spoken to, being taunted and jeered at and being spat on. Still not satisfied and without the slightest morsel of regret, the soldiers carried out their final act of brutality by piercing a crown of thorns deep into the already disfigured head of Jesus. Thereafter they were content enough to lead the naked, butchered, bloodied, disfigured Jesus away to be crucified. Filled with integrity and dignity, upon His mutilated back Jesus carried His heavy, splintering cross with the help of a Cyrene man named Simon, as He journeyed to His final destination of Calvary. Into a body that had already been tortured beyond recognition, the soldiers added three more holes as they drove the massive steel nails that would hang Jesus from the cross by His hands and feet. After all was said and done .. After having endured all that He was able .. In a moment of deep isolation, Jesus cried out with a loud voice .. My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me [leaving Me helpless, forsaking and failing Me in My need] A desperate cry from a Son to His Father .. A desperate plea from Jesus that evoked absolutely no response from God. Through all the suffering and torment, God turned His back on Jesus .. God removed His focus and took His eyes off Jesus .. And He did this so that He could look at YOU !! God drew YOU into His sight and when He was totally focused on YOU, He knew without a shadow of a doubt, that if it was to save YOU, that the sacrifice of His beloved Jesus was well worth it !! After being reminded of God’s insatiable love for you .. How can you possibly believe that after enduring all that they did, that God would now be capable of walking away from you, leaving you high and dry ? God Will Never Leave You !! .. God Will Never Forsake You !! You need to set your attitude upon eagle's wings and allow it to rise to unbeatable heights !! Change Your Attitude !! .. Change Your Expectations !! .. Change Your Life !! You have to stop living your life as the person who is just so petrified of receiving bad news that you just never think to pray for good news !! As He has very clearly demonstrated, you have a Father Who absolutely adores you .. And .. If you are eager to be a beneficiary of hearing His gentle voice and experiencing the magnitude of His great power being released into your life .. Then .. You need to be willing to live with an attitude that is pleasing to God !! If there is one thing that God is Not a big fan of, it is Negativity !! .. It is an atmosphere that is so far removed from Who God is, that it is impossible for Him to flow and operate there. A positive attitude on the other hand, one that carries with it positive expectations is the perfect environment for God to show Himself mighty and strong !! So .. Your basic, best and most rewarding approach towards life needs to be full of faith, hope and great expectations !! Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us .. Romans 5 : 5 God Is Love !! .. Not a trace of negativity in any shape or form exists in His DNA !! There is absolutely nothing within Him or in His actions that will ever disappoint you .. There is no capacity for that !! Everything that God does, He does Only for His good .. And .. This is precisely what you need to Expect as you pray !! When you pray, do not speak to God and then spend your days and nights wondering if He will actually do anything at all. When you pray, you communicate with your Father and then you boldly and confidently Expect God to do even more than what you ask. God Say’s .. I can do super-abundantly, far over and above all that you would ever dare to ask or even think to ask .. And .. I can bless you infinitely beyond your highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams !! Now, that does not sound like the kind of decleration that should leave you wondering and concerned about anything .. On The Contrary !! .. God’s decleration to you is more than sufficient to fill you with all the confidence you need to pray with Great Expectations !! Ponder On This For A Little While !! Wouldn’t you rather pray big prayers with great expectations and receive half of what you prayed for .. Instead Of .. Praying frail, weak prayers without any faith and get it all !! Clothe yourself in positivity !! .. Dress-up with an attitude of faith and hope .. And .. You Expect Big Things From God !! .. And remember: God looks at you with loving, caring eyes because of what Jesus did for you on the cross !! Amen (so let it be) !! UNTIL GOD OPENS THE DOOR .. PRAISE HIM IN THE HALLWAY In 1 Korintiërs 11:1 skryf Paulus: “Volg my voorbeeld, soos ek die voorbeeld van Christus volg.” Paulus het verstaan dat geen woorde so kragtig is as sy voorbeeld nie – en dat juis om hierdie rede het hy dit sy doel gemaak om Jesus se voorbeeld uit te leef.
Kom ons keer terug na wat eintlik belangrik is deur dit ons doelwit te maak om Jesus te lééf vir die mense om ons. Dít bly immers die kragtigste preek wat jy ooit sal afsteek. Sterkte. Vader God, baie dankie dat ek U mag ken. Help my asseblief om in elke situasie in woord en daad Jesus se voorbeeld uit te leef. Ek vra dit in die Naam van Jesus Christus. Amen. The heavens tell the glory of God. Psalm 19:1
How vital that we pray, armed with the knowledge that God is in heaven. Pray with any lesser conviction and your prayers are timid, shallow, and hollow. But spend some time walking in the workshop of the heavens, seeing what God has done, and watch how your prayers are energized… Behold the sun! Every square yard of the sun is constantly emitting 130,000 horse power, or the equivalent of 450 eight-cylinder automobile engines. And yet our sun, as powerful as it is, is but one minor star in the 100 billion orbs which make up our Milky Way Galaxy. Hold a dime in your fingers and extend it arm's length toward the sky, allowing it to eclipse your vision, and you will block out fifteen million stars from your view… By showing us the heavens, Jesus is showing us his Father's workshop… He taps us on the shoulder and says, "Your Father can handle that for you." The Great House of God (Max Lucado) MATTHEW 8:3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.”…
Do you know that it is God’s will for you to be healed? In fact, Jesus always healed the sick who came to Him. The blind, lame, maimed, mute, deaf and demon-possessed—He healed them all! (Matthew8:16) The Bible says that he who has seen Jesus has seen the Father. (John 14:9) You want to see what God is like? Look at Jesus! He never gave sickness to anybody. You never find Jesus looking at a person, a fine specimen of a man, and saying, “Come here. You are too healthy. Receive some leprosy!” In fact, when a leper came to Him for healing, Jesus, full of compassion, told the leper, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Unfortunately, there are some Christians who say, “It is God’s will for me to be sick. God has some purpose, some mysterious purpose for my situation. It is all part of His divine plan and we shall all know in the sweet by and by, the reason why!” But these same people go to their doctors to get well. They take their medication and rest. Why do they do that if they really believe that God wants them sick? Doesn’t make sense, does it? Come on, what makes perfect sense is this: God wants you well. He wants you whole. His will is for you to be healed! In fact, He is so willing that He took all your sicknesses and diseases upon His own body, so that you don’t have to suffer them today! He allowed Himself to be beaten and scourged, so that by His scourging—by His stripes—you are healed! (Isaiah 53:5) Since He has already suffered the sickness on your behalf, why should you suffer it today? So my friend, if you are sick, know that God did not give you the disease. Read every healing miracle that Jesus did in the Gospels and see how Jesus is the Lord who heals you. (Exodus 15:26) Hear His gracious words, “I am willing, be healed,” and know that they are as much for you today as they were for the leper! Gebed - Koos du Plessis.Laat my nooit die grond verlaat nie.Laat my in U skadu
bly.Gee dat elke aardse vreugde en vrees,eindelik nietig word vir my.Elke afdraai paadjie ken ek.Elke keer het ek verdwaal.Elke keer het u my iewers kom haal.Maak dit Heer, die laaste maal.Elke dag is n gedagte.Elke kamer net gehuur.Elke aardse droom van rykdom en roem,net n skadu teen die muur.Wat ek is, is net genade.Wat ek het, is net geleen.Eintlik smag ek na U waters van rus.Lei my Heer vanaand daarheen. Psalm 65:9
'The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so You have ordained it.' - You can have confidence that God will provide for you. - He is your God and He is your provider. - Believe Him for the provision you need this year. - He is able to provide and He knows your every need. PRAYER: Lord, thank You that You are my provider. I present my needs and necessities to You and I place my confidence in Your unfailing love. Amen. Efesiërs 1: 15 – 23 “Wanneer ek in my gebede aan julle dink, bid ek dat die God van ons Here Jesus Christus…deur sy Gees…julle geestesoë so verhelder dat julle kan weet…watter rykdom…Hy vir die gelowiges bestem het, en hoe geweldig groot Sy krag is wat Hy uitoefen in ons wat glo”
In Leslie B. Flynn se boek, 19 Gifts of the Spirit, vertel hy, die groot prediker, C. H. Spurgeon, besoek ’n bejaarde vrou in ’n sogenaamde, tehuis vir armlastiges. ’n Geraamde, handgeskrewe dokument, met handtekening en al, teen die muur, trek sy aandag. Hy vra daarna. Sy vertel hom sy het ’n bejaarde man versorg en net voor sy dood het hy die brief van waardering vir haar gegee. Kort daarna is hy dood. Dit was vir haar kosbaar en sy het dit geraam en teen die kamermuur opgehang. Na baie oorreding laat sy Spurgeon toe om haar kosbare kleinnood vir ’n paar dae te leen. Spurgeon neem dit bank toe en dit veroorsaak ’n hele opskudding. Die bankbestuurder kom na hom toe en roep uit: ”Dankie! Ons kon net nie uitvind aan wie die ou heer al sy skatte bemaak het nie!” Die vrou in die armetuiste was skatryk, maar omdat sy haar dokument nie gelees en verstaan het nie, leef sy in armoede. Ons het ook ’n geskrewe dokument wat ons rykdom aan ons beskryf. Ons is erfgename van ’n groot, ewige erfenis, met baie huidige voordele, maar ons leef in die armoede van spanning en vrees en neerslagtigheid, omdat ons ons dokument nie deeglik bestudeer en van ons voordele gebruik maak nie en ons in ons komende erfporsie verbly nie. Ons dokument word "Die Bybel" genoem. God se gawe aan sondaars in Christus Jesus se verlossing word ryklik daarin beskryf. In die Ou Testament staan dit in beeldende en profetiese taal. In die Nuwe Testament word dit duidelik, op die man af, beskryf: “…die Skrif kan jou die kennis bybring wat tot verlossing lei deur die geloof in Christus Jesus. Die hele Skrif is deur God geïnspireer en het groot waarde om in die waarheid te onderrig…” (2 Tim. 3: 15 en 16). |
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