Peterson translates it this way, "Anyone who intends to come with Me has to let Me lead." Are you willing to let Jesus lead? Are you willing to do what He says? Jesus asked, "Why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord' but do not do the things which I say?” Leadership is not a title, not a position, not a posture — it is an activity. Leadership is both defined and demonstrated by the activity of leading. Leaders lead — because they know the way and possess the courage and capabilities of carrying those who will follow them. However, the followers must indeed follow. Jesus concluded his discourse by saying, "If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I'm leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you will be even a greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when He arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of holy angels." (vs.38). Fickle and unfocused friends. This is apt description of anyone who would in any way cause you to compromise your commitment to follow Jesus Christ. And, should you do so, then it will become an apt description of you! Yikes!! Don't be fickle and unfocused; follow the Leader! His name is Jesus Christ! A Pastor entered his donkey in a race and it won. The Pastor was so pleased with the donkey that he entered it in the race again, and it won again. The local paper read: PASTOR'S ASS OUT FRONT. The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the Pastor not to enter the donkey in another race.. The next day, the local paper headline read: BISHOP SCRATCHES PASTOR'S ASS. This was too much for the Bishop, so he ordered the Pastor to get rid of the donkey.. The Pastor decided to give it to a Nun in a nearby Convent.. The local paper, hearing of the news, posted the following headline the next day: NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN. The Bishop fainted! He informed the Nun that she would have to get rid of the donkey, so she sold it to a farmer for $10. The next day the papers read: NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10. This was too much for the Bishop, so he ordered the nun to buy back the donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run wild. The next day the headlines read: NUN ANNOUNCES HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE. The Bishop was buried the next day. The moral of the story is .... Being concerned about public opinion can bring you much grief and misery. It can even shorten your life... ..So be yourself and enjoy life to the fullest. Stop worrying about everyone else's ass and you'll be a lot happier and live longer! Ons ken Humpty Dumpty as ‘n groot eier in daardie bekende kinderrympie wat toe van ‘n muur afgeval het. Tog was die oorspronklike Humpty Dumpty ‘n reuse kanon wat in die dorp Colchester op ‘n kerkmuur gestaan het tydens die Engelse Burgeroorlog van 1642-1649. Uiteindelik het die opponente die muur onder Humpty Dumpty stukkend geskiet wat dit laat neerstort het. Die soldate en hulle perde kon die groot kanon toe nie weer op die muur terugkry nie.
Humpty Dumpty vertel nog altyd die storie van ‘n goeie begin met ‘n slegte uiteinde — soos met vele mense se lewens. Baie begin die wedloop op die Here se pad met groot ywer. Hulle spring weg met groot spoed, net om langs die pad uit te sak as die sorge van die lewe en teenstand hulle inhaal. Daarom dat Hebreërs 12 ons oproep om ons oog op Christus te hou, die Begin en Voltooier van ons geloof. Vir die Here gaan dit nie net oor ‘n goeie wegspring in sy Naam nie. Dit gaan oor hoe ons die resies van die lewe enduit voltooi. Daarom dat dit ons grootste uitdaging is om elke dag gehoorsaam op God se pad te volhard. Mense is gode-makers – afgode-makers, bedoel ek. Jeremia 10 en Jesaja 44 vertel presies hoe hulle dit doen. Daar lees ons naamlik hoe mense vir hulleself afgode uit hout of klip kap en dan voor hulle eie handewerke neerbuig en smeek dat dié hulle moet red. Ook in ons dag is die afgod-bedryf so gewild as wat kan kom. Baie mense se idee van hoe God werk en wat Hy doen of sê berus glad nie op sy eie bekendmaking van Homself in die Woord nie, maar op subjektiewe idees of hoorsê. C. S. Lewis sê baie mense se idee van God is ‘n oupa-figuur in die hemel wat in ons diens is om lekker dinge vir ons te gee en dan uit ons pad te staan.
Die enigste manier om uit ons gode-fabriek te ontsnap, is om in God se Boek self te gaan ronddelf. Ons moet die Here daar op sy eie terme ontmoet. Nee, ek bedoel nie ‘n Bybelteks hier, of ‘n paar verse daar nie; ons moet die Bybel behoorlik oordink en ondersoek. Dan hoor ons al hoe duideliker wie God is en wat Hy doen. Nog beter, dan vind God vir ons op sy genadeterme. An Angel says, 'Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.'
1. Pray 2. Go to bed on time. 3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed. 4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health. 5. Delegate tasks to capable others. 6. Simplify and unclutter your life. 7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.) 8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places. 9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together. 10. Take one day at a time. 11. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety . If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it. 12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases. 13.. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc. 14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble. 15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday. 16. Carry a Book with you to read while waiting in line. 17. Get enough rest. 18. Eat right. 19 Get organized so everything has its place. 20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life. 21. Write down thoughts and inspirations. 22. Every day, find time to be alone. 23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.. 24. Make friends with Godly people. 25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand. 26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good 'Thank you my Almighty God' 27. Laugh. 28. Laugh some more! 29 Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all. 30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can). 31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most). 32. Sit on your ego. 33 Talk less; listen more. 34. Slow down. 35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe. 36 Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU. 'If God is for us, who can be against us?' Sometimes we must be hurt in order to grow,
Sometimes we must fail in order to know, Sometimes we must lose in order to gain, Because some lessons in life are best learned through pain.... Begin your day with a light heart ....!! let all your worries be set aside ....!! Smile a moment and thank God for this new day .....!! Ek stap vandag deur my hart se tuin
En wat sou ek daarin vind? Die “laggies” kol-op-kol het omgeval en die “ek-gee-om” is weggewaai deur die wind “Bekommernis” staan geil en vol in blom Die “glimlaggies” het skoon verdwyn Die “kommerplooie” staan welig teenmekaar Om te keer dat die son nie op die “lief-vir-jou” moet skyn My hart se tuin is erg verweer En sal dringend moet aandag kry Ek val op my knieë en smeek die Tuinier Om my tuin weer in orde te kry Lewende Water skenk Hy dan om dit nat te lei En Saad-van- Liefde om oral te plant Die glimlaggies en laggies kol-op-kol almal steek hul koppe uit Die kommerplooie het totaal verwelk En stiltetyd wat oral rank kom groet my met ‘n rankende hand Die beddings geloof, hoop, liefde, vrede en vreugde Staan nou geil hier in my hart se tuin Genade is die mees prominente een Wat Jesus se Lig permanent op my tuintjie laat skyn. A little boy went to a telephone booth which was at the cash counter of a store and dialed a number.
The store-owner observed and listened to the conversation: Boy : "Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn? Woman : (at the other end of the phone line) "I already have someone to cut my lawn." Boy : "Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price than the person who cuts your lawn now." Woman : I'm very satisfied with the person who is presently cutting my lawn Boy : (with more perseverance) "Lady, I'll even sweep the floor and the stairs of your house for free. Woman: No, thank you. With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the receiver. The store-owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy. Store Owner : "Son... I like your attitude; I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job." Boy : "No thanks, Store Owner : But you were really pleading for one. Boy : No Sir, I was just checking my performance at the job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady I was talking to!" This is called: "SELF APPRAISAL" The great British automaker Rolls Royce takes great pride in the reliability of their handcrafted automobiles. An obviously wealthy owner of a Rolls took it to Europe on an extended trip. While traveling in France the car had some mechanical problem. He called the Rolls Royce factory and asked that they send out a mechanic immediately to fix the problem.
The company responded in royal fashion. They put a mechanic on a private jet with all of the necessary tools and flew him over to France to make the repairs. The owner was so wealthy that he wasn't at all concerned about the cost, and he would not spare any expense to assure that his beloved Rolls Royce was properly repaired. However, after several months he realized he had not recieved a bill for the repair. He directed his secretary to contact the Rolls Royce factory to inquire about the charges. He received a prompt reply from the Rolls Royce company. With typical British aplomb, it said simply, "We have no recollection or record of any Rolls Royce having ever had a breakdown or being in need of repair anywhere in France." When we repent and ask God to fix things that have resulted from sin in our lives, like Rolls Royce, he fixes it and doesn't have any recollection of the problem, and he NEVER sends a bill. "For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." Jeremiah 31:34 The LORD said, "I will certainly rescue you for a good reason. I will certainly make your enemies plead with you in times of disaster and in times of distress. Jer 15:11 During a heavy air raid on London during the Second World War, while bombs were falling all around them, a mother threw her arms around her terrified and frightened children and said, “Don not be afraid, I have asked Jesus to protect us!” And He did. Jeremiah was the target of his enemies who hated and scorned his political standpoint. They were also in danger of being overpowered by foreign armies. Most of them also perished when the armies finally defeated Judah. But Jeremiah was spared and exiled to Egypt. When Jeremiah, in his torment, poured out his heart to God, God did not sort out his problems. But He did promise to protect him. Not all disasters can be avoided but each one of us can seek the protection of our Heavenly Father. You worship a God who has promised to protect you. God promises you His care and protection. You might be in danger from terrorist activity, from economic uncertainty, from political upheaval, from emotional trauma, from deadly dangers on the road, from threats to your health and from natural disasters. Do not become a neurotic worrywart about these things. Place yourself peacefully in God’s care and walk with Jesus every moment of your day. It will not make you immune to danger, but in the long run God is your only protector – because of His grace! |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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