Have you been acting as if God is totally unaware of your faults?
The truth is, God know your faults and failures, but he still loves you unconditionally. In fact, God knows your feelings and frustrations, and he sees your hurt more than anyone else can. God knows your future, so he can tell what you need to know. God knows your fears, and he wants you to hand your worries over to him. God knows your faithfulness, because he sees every good thing you do. The fact that God knows everything means nothing I face will hinder his ability to help me; nothing that is to come will catch him by surprise; nothing I fear will be too big for God’s strength; and nothing I do in his name is ever done in vain. God says, “I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out — plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” (Jeremiah 29:11, MSG) Asaf, die skrywer van Psalm 73, se geloof was op ‘n dag papierdun. Hoor net wat sê hy: “Ekself het verniet gedoen wat God sê. My gebede het niks gehelp nie. Dit was ‘n mors van tyd, want elke nuwe dag het ‘n vrag vol nuwe probleme op my gewag. Ek is elke dag soos ‘n vloerlap behandel.” (vers 13-14, DIE BOODSKAP)
Maar toe onthou Asaf skielik om sy pelgrimsklere aan te trek en na God se heiligdom toe te emigreer. As hy daar instap, ontdek hy ‘n ander prentjie: God is nog altyd op sy pos. ‘n Nuwe visie verander skielik sy hooplose lewe: God het nie sy hand gelos toe hy met sy eie stukkie opstand teen Hom besig was nie. Nee, dit was maar net hyself wat hom uit God se hand probeer loswurm het. Al wat nodig was, was die regte soort kyk. Om God te hoor, moet mens jou kyk verander! Asaf moes naamlik leer om die Onsienlike te sien. En om die Onhoorbare te hoor! Dis presies wat enige pelgrim op God se pad vandag nog in millennium drie moet doen. Gelowiges wat aanhou luister totdat hulle God in die geloof raakluister, hoor by Hom woorde van nuwe lewe. Hulle oë gaan dan oop vir hoop! Groete Stephan Joubert Colossians 3:12
'As God's chosen people, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.' - How often we can get impatient and then deal harshly with others. - As His people we should be different. - We should act with compassion, kindness, humility and patience. - We then can look forward to reaping what we have sown. PRAYER: Lord, help me to be like You. Fill me with Your compassion and enable me to be a person of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Amen. In 1883 was die digter Ella Wheeler Wilcox per trein op pad na 'n openingsbal toe sy 'n vrou sien huil. Wilcox het haar vir die res van die reis getroos, en toe sy by haar bestemming kom, was sy nie lus vir die partytjie nie. Later het sy die aanvangsreëls van haar gedig Solitude geskryf: "Lag, en die wêreld lag saam met jou; treur, en jy treur alleen." Holly Vicente Robaina sê: "As hul vriende seergekry het, sê Christene hulle sal vir hulle bid. Sommige kere genees God... maar soms is daar geen wonderwerk nie... net hartseer." CS Lewis het die volgende oor die verlies van sy vrou geskryf: "Waar is God? Gaan na Hom toe as jy hom desperaat nodig het en wat kry jy? 'n Deur wat in jou gesig toegeslaan word en die klank van die grendel en 'n dubbele grendel aan die binnekant." Lewis sou nie getroos gewees het deur "God is lief vir jou... ek sal vir jou bid" nie. Ons moet ons woorde weeg voor ons praat. Gebruik ons "bemoediging" om iemand se pyn te ignoreer omdat ons dit nie wil hanteer nie? Bedoel ons wat ons sê, of resiteer ons net hoflike cliches? As ons belowe om vir iemand te bid, gaan kyk ons later hoe dit met hulle gaan? Wonder jy ooit hoekom Jesus by Lasarus se graf gehuil het? Hy kon net vir die roubeklaers gesê het: "Alles is reg, vriende. God is lief vir jou" en Lasarus laat opstaan het. In plaas daarvan het hy sy liefde gewys deur saam met hulle te huil.
Sielskos: 1 Kor. 12-14; Joh. 4:39-54; Ps 87; Spr. 24:1-4 “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.” 1 John 1:8 NLT
Many of us wear masks of some sort. We don’t want anyone to see the real us; we don’t want anyone to see our faults. Often, we try to cover up our faults and mistakes in one of two ways:
Don’t use the word but at the end of the confession. Don’t say, “It’s not a big deal.” Don’t try to tell people it’s really a strength. Just admit it, and be free. God does not have to anoint anything He does not tell us to do. It is true that Jesus is the finisher and Author of our faith Heb 12:2 but He does not finish what He did not start!
Jesus will however give us the ability to perform the assignments He has given us and we will be able to endure and stand in difficult circumstances if it is required. Job 22:21 Aquaint now yourself with Him [agree with God and show yourself to be conformed to His Will] and be at peace by that [you shall prosper] and great good shall come to you. Receive I pray you the law and instruction from His mouth and lay up His Words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty [and submit and humble yourself before Him] you will be built up if you put away unrightiousness far from your tents.
Have you ever known what it is to have a breaking heart? Have you ever let go and let the tears fall without regard for what others might think? Luke tells us about a woman who did just that. He tells us about a woman whose heart was breaking in two.
Now, we might not have too much sympathy for this woman. After all, she was "a woman of the city . . . a sinner." You could tell it by the way she dressed, by the way she made herself up, perhaps by her mannerisms. She was not fit company for decent folks. Her place was on the streets, not in the house of a Pharisee. Yet here she was kneeling at the feet of Jesus, weeping, and watering his feet with her tears and using her long hair to wipe them dry. Kissing his feet and anointing them with ointment. Altogether it was quite a pathetic display of emotion. Good people don't get carried away like that, do they? If Jesus really were a prophet, thought the Pharisee who was playing host to him that day, he would realize what kind of woman this was, and he wouldn't even allow her to come near him much less let her kiss his feet. But Jesus made no effort to stop the woman--even though he knew his host disapproved. What's going on here? Why is Jesus allowing this? Perhaps it is because only Jesus could see this woman's heart. Only he knew what she was really feeling. Only he knew what had brought her to this place. Do we allow our heart to be truly seen by God? Yes, God does know everything about us, but we are called to present ourselves openly to God. We are called to confess our broken heartedness and pain. |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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