LEES: Filippense 4 :10 - 20. Ek is tot alles in staat deur Hom wat my krag gee. (v. 13)
Voel jy vandag moedeloos? Is jy nie eintlik meer lus vir die lewe nie? Het alles dalk net vir jou te veel geword? Hoor dan die woorde van Paulus: “Ek is tot alles in staat deur Hom wat my krag gee.” Ja, die groot waarheid is dat Iemand anders by jou betrokke is. Die gelowige in C h r is t us is nooit alleen in die wêreld nie. As dit só was, sou jy nie vandag hierdie gedeelte gelees het nie! Jesus Christus self is jou Metgesel op jou tog deur die wêreld. G o d wat louter liefde is, omarm jou - soos net ‘n Vader kan. Daar waar jy self nie meer verder kan loop nie, dra Hy jou - deur siekte, vrees, krisisse, rousmart en lewenschaos. Jesus is die Een wat die groot verskil maak. Hy het immers die volle prys vir jou betaal. Daarom hoef jy nie vandag in sak en as te bly sit nie. Veel eerder moet jy ‘n jubellied sing omdat jy aan Hom behoort. Jy is nie alleen in die wêreld nie. Geen probleem hoef jy ooit alleen aan te pak nie. Hy wat saam met jou loop, kan verder as jy sien. Jou seer en onsekerheid ken Hy. Daarom bied Hy homself vir jou aan as jou groot Sekerheid. Neem jou verhouding met Hom ernstig op en die lewenslas word lewenslus. Jou geloof sal vir jou weer nuwe betekenis kry en die wêreld om jou sal weer nuut word. In elke mens sal jy weer iets goeds ontdek. Daarom sal jy ook ‘n jubellied kan sing wat sê: “Ek is tot alles in staat deur Hom wat my krag gee.” Sonder Christus is jy niks nie. Met Hom ervaar jy die lewe in sy volheid! GEBED. Dierbare Here, Ek was moedeloos toe ek vanmôre wakker word. Die lewe het soos ‘n nagmerrie voor my uitgestrek. Toe lees ek hierdie woorde van Paulus. Nou weet ek dat my omstandighede nie hagliker is as wat syne was nie. Des te meer kan ek nou sê: “Ek is tot alles in staat deur Hom wat my krag gee.” Amen. (Word Stil en Luister. Eric Stander. Aktua Pers.) "The people who walk in darkness will see a great light" Isaiah 9:2
There are times in our travels of faith when the lights go out. Despite the unfailing glow of God's word in our hearts, all about us is nevertheless covered with a thick darkness that hides even His presence from our perceptions. He promised never to leave us, but what are we to do in such seasons of silence and apparent absence? Isaiah asked, "Who among you fears the LORD and obeys His servant? If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the LORD and rely on your God." That's the answer — we are to continue trusting, for He is faithful and will never fail us. Even though He may seem distant and detached, He is all the more nearer in those trying moments. After encouraging us to stay the course, the prophet Isaiah then adds this sobering warning, "But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. This is the reward you will receive from Me: You will soon fall down in great torment." (Isaiah 50:10-11). The temptation to light things up on our own is never greater than in those times when the Lord seems far away. It is then that we are most susceptible to try and make something happen on our own. This is what gives rise to much of the hype and hullabaloo that passes itself off as anointing and power in many religious circles today. But the end of that path is trouble in every way. You may be in one of those dark seasons right now — so take heart. The Lord is closer than you realize. Keep walking by faith and in due time you will again see a great light. And in that light you will discover the many treasures the Lord has brought forth for you while you were passing through the muttering tunnel. Remember David's words? "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff comfort me." Be comforted, my dear friend; their is light aplenty just up ahead! There are things about him that people cannot see… But since the beginning of the world those things have been made easy to understand by what God has made. Rom 1:20
God's judgment is based upon humanity's response to the message received. He will never hold us accountable for what he doesn't tell us. At the same time, he will never let us die without telling us something. Even those who never heard of Christ are given a message about the character of God. "The heavens declare the glory of God" (Psa 19:1 NIV)… Nature is God's first missionary. Where there is no Bible, there are sparkling stars. Where there are no preachers, there are springtimes… If a person has nothing but nature, then nature is enough to reveal something about God. As Paul says … : 's law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within that echoes God's yes and no, right and wrong. Their response to God's yes and no will become public knowledge on the day God makes his final decision about every man and woman" (Rom 2:15-16 MSG). When Christ Comes (Max Lucado) How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood???? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly one can get back their focus on what's important.
David J. Pollay explains his story in this way.... Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches! The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean...he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck." "Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did."I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do it anymore."Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe that everything happens for a reason. Never let the garbage truck run over you... The apostle Jude writes, 'But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.' Jude places the responsibility of building yourself up spiritually and strengthening your faith where it belongs - squarely on you. There are two kinds of faith: mechanical faith and intentional faith. Each time you flip on a light switch you're exercising mechanical faith. But when you face the unknown, the untried and the undone, you need intentional faith - faith that believes God to do '...exceedingly abundantly above all that [you] ask or think...' (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV). If you're proactive, your faith will grow. If you're passive, it won't. Like the rush of water against a riverbank, there's an erosion of faith that comes simply from living every day. If you don't do anything to secure and strengthen your faith it begins to deteriorate. Christ told the church at Ephesus to remember the heights from which they had fallen (Revelation 2:5). What a strange thing to say! If you fell from a significant height, don't you think you'd remember it? Not if the fall was so gradual that you didn't notice it. So ask yourself: 'Have those who know me best begun to notice that the gleam has gone out of my eye, the joy out of my step, the peace out of my spirit and the Word of God out of my conversation?' Faith is like a muscle; if you don't exercise it consistently it will atrophy and become powerless. So the word for you today is: '...Strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die...' (Revelation 3:2 NKJV). This word 'building' is an architectural term that means to renovate. It implies tearing down what's not working for you and building up what will. When you don't understand that, you are left to believe that whatever life has handed you is just the way it is, and you have to take it. You'd be surprised at the number of people who go to church every week just to get a word to help them survive. They sing about faith and talk about it. But when you ask them, 'How are you doing?' they say, 'I'm just hanging on. I'm just hoping I can make it through.' Yes, there are times when that will truly be the case. But that should be the exception, not the rule. The Bible says, '...We are more than conquerors...' (Romans 8:37 NKJV). To be a conqueror means to fight a battle and win it. But to be more than a conqueror means to win a battle - without even having to fight it. Jesus has already fought and won the battle for you. And today He is saying, '...I give...you power...over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you' (Luke 10:19). You say, 'How do I get this power?' Jude says we can access this power for living by '...praying in the Holy Spirit' (v. 20). And you can do it anywhere: in your car on the way to work, on your treadmill, or even in your bathroom. You just need a place where you can be alone with God, praying and reading His Word, building up your faith.
Soul food: Rev 19-22; Matt 25:1-13; Ps 55:1-11; Pr 8:17-18; Rev 15-18; Matt 24:36-51; Ps 13; Pr 8:14-16 The song "IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL" was written by a successful Christian lawyer.
He had a wife and two girls, and the family planned a summer trip to go overseas. Since he had a lot of work to do, he sent his family and decided to follow them later. He heard the news while on the following ship that another ship had capsized and he knew that his family had been on it since they mentioned the name of the ship. On his return home, his law firm burned down and the insurance refused to pay. They said "ITS AN ACT OF GOD". He had no money to pay for his house and no work, so he also lost his house. Then while sitting and thinking what's happening to him, being a spiritual person, he wrote a song - whatever my Lord, you have taught me to say - IT IS WELL, IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL. My dear friend, a good attitude will determine your altitude. When you look at your life, career, job or family life, what do you say? Do you praise God? Do you blame the devil? A good attitude towards God makes Him move on your behalf. Just sit down and say, Today God , it is well with my soul, I am thankful I had a peaceful sleep, I am thankful I am alive with possibilities, I am thankful I have a roof over me, I am thankful I have a job, I am also thankful that I have Family and Friends. Above All, I AM thankful that I have JESUS on my side. Be blessed. And please don’t be envious or shocked when others are prospering, because you don’t know what they have been through to get there (test, trials and tribulation) so thank God for what you have. "Little is much when God is in its” IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL AND YOU? “But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “ ‘Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well’ ”
(Luke 8:50, NKJV) In Scripture a man came to Jesus and said, “My little daughter is very sick. She is close to death. Will You come to my home and pray for her?” Jesus agreed. But along the way He kept getting stopped, one interruption after another. Finally, word came back to Him saying, “No need to come. You’ve waited too late. The little girl has died.” The people were upset and very distraught. But Jesus said to them in Luke 8:50 “Don’t be afraid. If you will only believe, the little girl will be well.” Notice the phrase, “Only believe.” Jesus went to the home, laid hands on the little girl, and she came back to life. Are you facing a situation that seems impossible? In the natural, you don’t see how you can get well, or how you can overcome the addiction, or how your family can ever be restored? God is saying to you what He said to them, “If you will only believe, I will turn the situation around. If you only believe, breakthroughs are headed your way!” Father, thank You for Your hand of victory upon my life. Thank You for making a way even when there seems to be no way. I choose to stand in faith. I choose to believe, knowing that You are ready, willing and able to cause me to overcome in this life in Jesus’ name. Amen. A little boy was visiting his grandparents on their farm.
He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods; but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back home for dinner. As he was walking back when he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head and killed it. He was shocked and grieved! In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, Only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch the next day Grandma said, 'Sally, let's wash the dishes.' But Sally said, 'Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen.' Then she whispered to him, 'Remember the duck?' So Johnny did the dishes. Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing, and Grandma said, 'I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper.' Sally just smiled and said, 'Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help.' She whispered again, 'Remember the duck?' So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help. After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's, he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, 'Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.' Thought for the day and every day Hereafter . . . Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done .And the devil keeps throwing it up in your face . . . (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.) . . . Whatever it is, you need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing. He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil Make a slave of you. The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He not only forgives you, but He forgets. It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved. Go ahead and make the difference in someone's life today. Share this with a friend, and always remember: God is at the window! When Jesus died on the cross; he was thinking of you God het jou lewe beplan voordat jy gebore is. Dis immers waarom Hy jou in die wêreld gebring het. Om jou bloot net 'besig' te hou, was nie Sy oogmerk nie. Hy wil sien dat jy die werk doen waarvoor Hy jou 'vooraf voorberei het om te doen.' Om 'n goeie saak te dien en hard te werk, is prysenswaardig. Maar jy kan dalk net onvanpas wees en jou tyd en kragte mors sonder om die doelgemaakte 'jy' te wees wat God vir jou in gedagte gehad het. Hy wil jou doel-gedrewe hê, nie werk-gedrewe nie! So: 1) Vra Hom om Sy wil aan jou bekend te maak. 'want dit is God wat julle gewillig en bekwaam maak om sy wil uit te voer' (Filippense 2:13 NV). God sal inderdaad begeertes in jou plant om jou te lei na die volvoering van Sy doel. Dis nie toevalligheid of super-geestelikheid nie, maar God aan die stuur wat jou skip op koers hou. 2) Verwag om meer te doen as waartoe jy in staat is. Selfgerigte aktiwiteit is self-beperkende aktiwiteit. Godgerigte aktiwiteit is onbeperkte aktiwiteit. God roep ons nooit op om dit te doen wat ons kan nie; Hy roep ons om te doen wat Hy kan! 'Aan Hom wat deur sy krag wat in ons werk, magtig is om oneindig meer te doen as wat ons bid of dink' (Efesiërs 3:20 NV). Luister, reageer op Sy vermanings, en alles sal vir jou moontlik word. 3) As die werk veeleisend raak, maak staat op Sy innerlike krag. Paulus sê: 'Daarvoor span ek my ook in en beywer ek my met die krag wat Hy gee en wat kragtig in my werk.' Hoeveel heilige krag het jy vir jou taak nodig? 'Al Sy krag.' Ontsagwekkend! En dit is vandag tot jou beskikking. Sielskos: Rut 1-4; Mark 13:24-37; Ps 117; Spr. 12:20-22 |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
All
Archives
June 2015
|