Gaan na God toe vir 'n plan. God weet wat jy in die toekoms gaan benodig, maar nie jy nie. Hy het Noag 'n honderd jaar voor die vloed al begin voorberei daarvoor. Hy het Josef sewe jaar voor die hongersnood in Egipte voorberei om mense daardie tyd te voed. Sonder God se leiding gaan jy net ramings, raaiskote en vooruitskattings hê waarmee jy kan werk. "Die magtige teenwoordigheid van die Here het vir die Israeliete gelyk soos 'n gloeiende vuur op die berg. Moses het toe die wolk ingegaan en nog verder boontoe uitgeklim. Hy het veertig dae en nagte daar gebly." (Eks 24:17-18 NV). Moses het langer as 'n maand in God se teenwoordigheid vir Sy leiding gewag. Hoekom? Dit wat hy gebou het moes vir generasies aan die behoeftes van God se mense voldoen. Gaan na die plek van gebed. Sê vir die mense om jou dat jy nie terug sal wees voordat jy nie God se plan gekry het nie. Wanneer God iets bestel, betaal Hy daarvoor. Maar as Hy nie iets bestel nie en jy doen dit wel, is jy op jou eie. Hoekom? Jy sal nie die vrymoedigheid hê om na Hom toe te gaan as jy Hom nodig het nie. As jy nie reg begin nie, sal jy ook nie reg eindig nie. Jy mag dalk dink: "Ek is niemand spesiaal nie. Hoekom sal God met my praat?" As God jou geroep het, is jy spesiaal. Hy het belowe: "As een van julle wysheid kortkom, moet hy dit van God bid, en Hy sal dit aan hom gee..." (Jak 1:5 NV).
Sielekos: Heb 11:23-28; Eks 3:1-22; Eks 33:7-23; Eks 34:29-35 Deel (2) Doen die moeite om mense te leer ken. Geen predikant het al ooit so baie moeilikheid met 'n gemeente gehad soos wat Moses met die Israeliete in die woestyn gehad het nie. By die Rooi See was Moses so bly oor hulle oorwinning dat hy 'n lied daaroor geskryf het. Maar later het hy vir God gesê hy wou doodgaan oor die volk se klagtes. Een predikant het vir 'n ander gevra: "Hoeveel aktiewe lede het jy in jou gemeente?" Die ander predikant antwoord: "Ek het 500. Die helfte werk aktief vir my en die ander helfte werk aktief teen my." Liewe predikant, verskillende mense in 'n gemeente speel verskillende rolle in God se plan. Jy gaan van party van die mense hou en nie van ander nie. Predikante is geroep om hulle almal te lei, en hulle moet hul gemeentelede leer ken. Op sy sterfbed het Jakob oor elkeen van sy 12 seuns geprofeteer. Hy het gesê dat Ruben oproerig is, dat Simeon en Levi geneig is tot woede, dat Juda 'n goeie leier sal wees, dat Sebulon sy grense sal uitbrei, dat Issaskar bereid is om 'n swaar las te dra, dat Dan goed met mense kan werk, dat Gad 'n vegter is wat nooit sal onttrek nie, dat Aser 'n liefde vir kosmaak het, dat Naftali 'n liefde vir kinders grootmaak het, dat Josef seergemaak sal word maar dat hy sterker as ooit sal terugkom, en dat Benjamin 'n uitstekende entrepreneur is (Genesis 49). Om mense te kan lei, moet jy hulle ken. Bid: "As U my dan goedgesind is, maak my U wil bekend..." (Eks 33:13 NV). Sielekos: Neh 5-7; Ps 78:32-39; Spr 23:29-35 Deel (3) Luister na God se leiding. Wanneer jy belangrike besluite moet neem wat die toekoms gaan beïnvloed, moet jy na God luister en terugvoer verwelkom. Hoekom? As jy nie wil leer nie, kan jy nie gebruik word nie. Jy sê dalk: "Maar is meervoudige leierskap wys?" Ja, selfs die beste leiers het blinde kolle. "Daar het mense van Judea af gekom en die gelowiges wysgemaak: 'As julle nie die gebruik van Moses nakom deur julle te laat besny nie, kan julle nie gered word nie.'" (Hand. 15:1 NV). Wat was die resultaat? "Toe Paulus en Barnabas hulle daarteen verset... het, is daar besluit dat hulle en nog 'n paar ander van die gemeente na die apostels en ouderlinge in Jerusalem moet gaan in verband met hierdie vraagstuk." (Hand 15:2 NV). Hoe het die apostels dit hanteer? Hulle het gesê: "En God, wat die harte ken, het dit bevestig deur die Heilige Gees aan hulle te gee net soos aan ons. Hy het geen onderskeid tussen ons en hulle gemaak nie: Hy het ook hulle harte deur geloof gereinig." (Hand 15:8-9 NV). Nadat hulle daaroor gebid en 'n besluit geneem het, het die apostels 'n brief vir die kerk geskryf wat sê: "Die Heilige Gees en ons het besluit om geen verdere las op julle te lê as net hierdie noodsaaklike dinge nie..." (Hand 15:28 NV). Wat het gebeur? "Die gelowiges het dit gelees en was baie bly oor die bemoedigende boodskap." (Hand 15:31 NV). Sielekos: Neh 8-10; Luk 22:1-13; Ps 78:40-55; Spr 24:1-4 Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. Luke 9:24
Deception is nothing new. Jesus described Satan as one who “does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him . . . for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44). The enemy of our souls tells us, “Live only for the present,” when he knows it will result in our eternal loss. Jesus, on the other hand, did not offer His disciples a life of prosperity and ease but called them to self-sacrifice and identification with Him. After telling them that He would be killed and raised from the dead, Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24). There are two voices telling us where to invest our lives. It’s risky business to follow the wrong one. If we hold on to God’s truth, we won’t be trapped by Satan’s lies. "You may be sure that your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)
Coming home from work, a woman stopped at the corner deli to buy a chicken for supper. The butcher reached into a barrel grabbed the last chicken he had, flung it on the scales behind the counter, and told the woman its weight. She thought for a moment. "I really need a bit more chicken than that," she said. "Do you have any larger ones?" Without a word, the butcher put the chicken back into the barrel, groped around as though finding another, pulled the same chicken out, and placed it on the scales. "This chicken weighs one pound more," he announced. The woman pondered her options and then said, "Okay. I'll take them both." Don't you just love it? Honesty is still the best policy - and we can be sure of this, our sins/lies will find us out - even if it is eventually! Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to always be honest with myself, with you and with others in all of my dealings. Please forgive me where I have sinned and, wherever possible, help me to put right any wrongs that I have done to others. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen." Dick Innes “We live by encouragement and die without it—slowly, sadly, angrily.”
(Celeste Holm) “The lack of encouragement is almost epidemic today. It’s the reason people dread going to work in the morning. It’s why kids can’t wait to get out of school — and why some people can’t wait to get out of a marriage. What is it that enables us to give our mates this crucial encouragement? Grace—it’s the lubricant that lessens the friction in marriage and keeps the gears of the relationship running smoothly.” (Dr Charles Swindoll) Cindy and I (Steve) firmly believe that what Chuck Swindoll says about encouragement being “the oil that lubricates our soul” is so true and necessary to apply in marriage. One of my (Steve’s) prominent spiritual gifts is being an encourager. Because encouraging others comes easy for me, it’s hard to imagine that there are so many spouses (maybe even you) who never hear an encouraging word from their mate. But where does the ability to encourage come from? Pastor, author, and speaker, Chuck Swindoll, believes it is linked to grace (showing favor to someone even if they don’t deserve it). And Chuck’s premise is that if we understand our Biblical roles as husbands and wives, we will begin to see that through the grace of God we all have the power to be an encourager in our marriages. The problem we have, is that the “roles” that husband and wives play in marriage have been blurred in recent times. Although that can be a bad thing — when the new “role” that is being lived out is in conflict with what God’s Word says. But it can be a good thing when one partner has dominated over the other in an un-Biblical way but now is backing away from that approach. This Marriage Message is not going to give you a list of roles for Godly husbands and Godly wives. Rather we’re going to touch upon a few points where you might give grace (unmerited favor) and encouragement to your spouse. One point we’d like to touch upon is where the Bible tells the man he is responsible for is the spiritual leadership of the home. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” (Ephesians 5:25-27) When you wash your wife with the water of the Word, just make sure you don’t drown her with it by pushing her face into it to such an extent that instead of being drawn to it she runs away from it because you overwhelm her with your power. Give her grace and encourage her by letting her see you living the water of the Word out in your life to such an extent that she wants to drink of it also — much as what the woman at the well experienced by the way Jesus approached her. And wives: give your husband grace in learning how to be the spiritual leader. “I think a wife needs to understand that it may take years for a man to grow spiritually so that he can lead his wife in this area. I would guess that most men did not have a good model of spiritual leadership in their homes as they grew up. Barbara and I have prayed regularly as a couple for our entire marriage. But it has only been in the last few years that we have had morning devotions with the kids before they headed off to school. In the past, we would have devotions, but with a young family and an incredible diversity of age span and needs, it was sporadic. And it was a challenge!” (Dennis Rainey, from the article posted on the Family Life Web site Familylife.com, titled, “A Husband’s Spiritual Leadership”) One thing that could help with this could be the list of “25 Ways to Spiritually Lead Your Wife” which is posted on the Family Life Today web site at Familylife.com. Three of the 25 — which we will add comments to with [brackets] around them are: 1. Pray daily with her. [A good thing would be to pray WITH her and FOR her.] 2. Discover her top 3 needs and over the next 12 months go all out to meet them. 3. Protect your family from evil [and that includes any evil that you might say to them if you abuse them with unkind and unwholesome words]. And then there is the part of the Bible that tells women: “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.” (Proverbs 31:10-12) Wives: are you acting as a wife of noble character bringing your husband good and not nagging him so much that he can’t hear the Lord speaking to his heart? The Bible tells the wife to “submit to the husband as unto the Lord.” This doesn’t mean she is to be a weak, un-opinionated woman. But read what Cynthia Heald says about it. She said, “Submission is ducking low enough to let God fix your husband.” Can you do that? If so, you’re fulfilling a distinct role as a Godly wife. God is your husband’s Holy Spirit—not you. “Ephesians 5:33 commands, “The wife must respect her husband.” There are times when that is a hard job; you may not feel that your husband is worthy of respect. However, you are still commanded to respect him. Even if there are many things that he has done wrong, you can find something to respect. Try to remember what you respected about him when you were dating. Does he work hard to financially support the family? Does he play ball with your child? He may not be doing all that you wish he were doing, but you have to focus positively on the things that he is doing. Verbalize to him your appreciation. When you affirm him and let him know that you value his work, it will be easier for him to continue to lead lovingly.” (Barbara Rainey, from the article, “A Wife’s Job Description” posted on the Familylife.com web site) And husbands: are you listening to your wife as the help-mate God assigned her to be for you in marriage? When you do that, she doesn’t feel as desperate to “nag.” Read what author Gary Thomas said about his wife (which hopefully may inspire you to do the same. He wrote: “I refer to my wife as my “God thermometer.” If I wake up and discover that I am not moved by the miracle of her life and love for me; if I am not cherishing her and honoring her, I look up and do a heart check with God. The fact is, God knows my wife far better than I do, and He cherishes her. The closer I grow to Him and the more time I spend communing with Him, the more He will share with me His heart for my wife. I’ve come to learn that the state of my marriage has as much to say about my relationship with God as it does about my relationship with my wife. (From the article, The Transforming Miracle of Marriage, as posted on ncfliving.org) This week we exhort you to begin to encourage your spouse. Don’t wait for him or her to do it first. You start… even if he or she doesn’t “deserve” to be encouraged! By doing so you are exercising what God’s word tells us to do. Steve and Cindy Wright Do you judge others? Is it easy for you to find fault with those around
you? Then beware: Your spiritual life is in danger. A critical attitude can hinder your walk with God and distract you from God's purposes for your life. Why We Judge We judge because of our own selfish interests. For example, we sometimes become critical when comparing ourselves to those around us. We try to find fault in others to prove that we are smarter, better looking, happier or wealthier. But these are selfish reasons. We simply want to feel better about ourselves. We also get critical when others fail to do what we ask, or do not do what we think is right. Often, it is a family member, friend or co-worker who fails to meet our expectations. Our expectations lead to a judgmental attitude. Even our own frustrations can lead to a critical attitude. If life is not turning out the way we desire, we hide our own frustrations by finding fault with others. Judge Not... Finding fault and being critical are some of the easiest things to do. They seem to come naturally to us. But Jesus told us not to judge "lest you be judged" (Matt. 7:1, NASB). We should obey His command. Jesus then explained why a judgmental attitude is so dangerous: "God will be as hard on you as you are on others! He will treat you exactly as you treat them" (v.2). When we judge, we invite judgment upon ourselves. The Bible says that "judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy" (James 2:13). By judging others, we hide our own hypocrisy. For example, when the religious leaders brought a woman to Jesus who had been caught in sexual sin, they wanted to kill her. But Jesus responded, "If any of you have never sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone at her" (John 8:7). Nobody threw one. God alone reserves the right to judge each person (Romans 14:4). As the Apostle Paul said, "Dear friends, don't try to get even. Let God take revenge. In the Scriptures the Lord says, `I am the one to take revenge and pay them back'" (Romans 12:19). The Cure for Criticism Judgment is very important. The Bible says that "God is a righteous judge" (Psalm 7:11, NASB). The cure for criticism is found in understanding the nature of God's judgment. The Bible says that every person is a sinner. This sin drives a wedge between God and man, and deserves judgment (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Regardless of how "good" we think we are, "all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment" (Isaiah 64:6, NASB). We cannot make up for all the bad things we have done. Left alone, we still deserve God's judgment: death and eternal torment in a place the Bible describes as a "lake of burning sulfur" (Rev. 19:20). Only God could satisfy the judgment against us for our sins. So God sent His Son into the world to pay the price for our sins. Jesus Christ took our judgment on Himself and died in our place. In return, God offers to each person all His blessings -- including eternal life, forgiveness, peace, joy and hope -- provided we acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior. If we truly understood the judgment that we each deserve from God, we would be less inclined to judge others. Giving Grace Instead Have you learned to receive God's grace and mercy? This is the first step to overcoming a critical spirit. If you have never thanked Jesus for paying the penalty you deserve, do so now. Simply repent of your sins and turn your life over to Him (Acts 3:19; Romans 10:9,10). If you know Jesus as your Savior, thank Him for His grace and mercy. Thank Him for forgiving you of your sins. Thank Him for giving you a second chance at life. Now, offer grace and mercy to others, Jesus said, "Freely you received, freely give" (Matt. 10:8, NASB). Instead of judgment, extend God's love to those around you, beginning with your family, your friends and your co-workers. Often those closest to us feel the harshest effects of our judgmental attitudes. From now on when you feel the temptation to become critical, follow Jesus' clear instruction to take a close look at your own life first (Matt. 7). Ask God to forgive you for your sins. You may even discover why you are so critical of others. Remember, it's easy to be critical. The faults of others are often very obvious to us. During these times we need to make sure we give grace instead. Thank God for those people and ask the Lord to bless them and reveal His will to them. It's really quite simple: God has granted you mercy. He has paid the debt for your sins. Now, the only debt you owe is to offer His love and mercy to others, for "mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13; NASB). Finally, be sure to spend time with God in prayer and study the Bible. As you read the Scriptures, ask God to help you to be patient with those around you. In time, you will change from a fault-finder to a grace-giver as you learn to live like Jesus lived. As You Pray If you are a fault-finder, turn to the Lord right now and ask Him to set you free. "Dear Lord Jesus, I'm so sorry for the times when I have allowed judgmental attitudes to rule me. Please forgive me. Help me to remember Your mercy toward me so that I can extend Your mercy to others. Thank You so much for loving me. In Jesus' name. Amen." God's Word on Criticism "Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other. Try your best to let God's Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living in peace" Eph. 4:2,3. Scriptures for Study John 8:7 -- No one qualified to judge Matthew 7:1-2 -- Effects of judging James 2:1-13 -- Pitfalls of judging 1 Peter 2:1-3 -- Antidote for judging Philippians 4:4-8 -- Learning to put up with others' faults Ek onthou my ouma het altyd ‘n waslagie bo-op die konfyt geplaas wat sy gekook het. “Dis om die konfyt te preserveer,” het sy verduidelik. Lyk my, as party mense deesdae bid: “Bewaar my Heer,” dan bedoel hulle ook iets soos: “Preserveer my.” Om kos te preserveer, is om dit veilig en vars te hou tot by die vervaldatum. Sommiges wil hê die Here moet dieselfde met hulle doen. Hy moet hulle ongebruik en ongetoets deur die lewe laat gaan. Hulle moet ongeskonde by Hom aankom as hulle aardse rakleeftyd verstryk het.
Paulus wou nooit hê God moet hom preserveer nie. Vat maar daardie keer toe die profeet Agabus in Handelinge 21 kom vertel dat hy in Jerusalem gevang sou word. Paulus se helpers het dadelik besluit dis nie God se wil dat hy soontoe gaan nie. Toe verduidelik Paulus vir hulle dat hy nie net bereid is om Jerusalem toe te gaan nie, maar om ook daar vir die Here te sterf, as dit moet. Hy was ernstig daaroor dat die Here hom kon opgebruik hier op aarde. Dit het nooit gegaan oor sy eie preservering of selfbehoud nie. Paulus was op aarde om deur die Here en ander opgebruik te word. Terloops, jy en ek ook! Groete Stephan Joubert The king said, "Go home, and I'll take care of this for you." (2 Samuel 14:8). Once your petition has been set before the King, and He has given you His assurance that it will be handled by Him personally, and in your best interest — well, to linger any longer in earnest angst would be most insulting to His majesty. Yet we do it all the time! "Lord, when? Lord, why? Lord, how long?" These, and many other hassling questions too often constitute the bulk of our prayer life. Our hearts flood with dark thoughts which spill from our lips in mournful pleas, as we seek His reply to our unanswerable questions. Our hearts have perhaps been broken by the hammer of relentless disappointments, our minds bewildered by unfulfilled hopes, our eyes blurred by tears that never cease — and we hasten to the Lord with our woeful complaints. And He says, "Go home, and I'll take care of this for you." But we linger in our lamentations, stating our case once again in pitiful details, rehearsing the matter over and over, as though He had not yet heard it. It seems in such moments that we are more in awe of our sorrows than we are of our Savior. "Go home," the Lord says, "and I'll take care of this for you." There is a faith, noble and true, that leaves the prayer chamber and enters into the day in utter confidence that the Lord will take care of things in a perfect way — if we would only let Him do it. As children bring their broken toys with tears, for us to mend; I brought my broken dreams to God, because He is my friend. But then, instead of leaving Him in peace to work alone; I hung around and tried to help in ways that were my own. He didn't do at all the things I thought that He should do; He didn't mend my broken dreams; He didn't make them new. In fact He seemed quite nonchalant, as though He didn't care. So, I increased with holy zeal my intercessory prayer. Watching, waiting for His hand to do what I had prayed; but nothing I could say or do helped Him on His way! At last I snatched them back and cried, "How can you be so slow?" "My child," He lovingly replied, "you never did let go!" Oh, hear the Lord's word to you today — "Go home," the Lord says, "and I'll take care of this for you." Her hair up in a pony tail,
her favorite dress tied with a bow. Today was Daddy's Day at school, and she couldn't wait to go. But her mommy tried to tell her, that she probably should stay home. Why the kids might not understand, if she went to school alone. But she was not afraid; she knew just what to say. What to tell her classmates, on the Daddy's Day. But still her mommy worried, for her to face this day alone. And that was why once again, she tried to keep her daughter home. But the little girl went to school, eager to tell them all. About a dad she never sees, a dad who never calls. There were daddies along the wall in back, for everyone to meet. Children squirming impatiently, anxious in their seats. One by one the teacher called, a student from the class, to introduce their daddy, as seconds slowly passed. At last the teacher called her name, every child turned to stare. Each of them were searching, for a man who wasn't there. "Where's her daddy at?" she heard a boy call out. "She probably doesn't have one," another student dared to shout. And from somewhere near the back, she heard a daddy say. "Looks like another deadbeat dad, too busy to waste his day." The words did not offend her, as she smiled at her friends. And looked back at her teacher, who told her to begin. And with hands behind her back, slowly she began to speak. And out from the mouth of a child, came words incredibly unique. "My Daddy couldn't be here, because he lives so far away. But I know he wishes he could, be with me on this day." "And though you cannot meet him, I wanted you to know. All about my Daddy, And how much he loves me so." "He loved to tell me stories, he taught me to ride my bike. He surprised me with pink roses, and taught me to fly a kite." "We used to share fudge sundaes, and ice cream in a cone. and though you cannot see him, I'm not standing here alone." "Cause my Daddy's always with me, even though we are far apart. I know because he told me, he'll forever be here in my heart." With that her little hand reached up, and lay across her chest. Feeling her own heartbeat, beneath her favorite dress. And from some where in the crowd of dads, her mother stood in tears. Proudly watching her daughter, who was wise beyond her years For she stood up for the love, of a man not in her life. Doing what was best for her, doing what was right. And when she dropped her hand back down, staring straight into the crowd. She finished with a voice so soft but its message clear and loud. "I love my Daddy very much, he's my shining star, and if he could he'd be here but heavens much to far." "But sometimes when I close my eyes, it's like he never went away." And then she closed her eyes, and she saw him there that day. And to her mother's amazement, she witnessed with surprise. A room full of Daddies and Children, all starting to close their eyes. Who knows what they saw before them, who knows what they felt inside. Perhaps for merely a second, they saw him at her side. "I know you're with me Daddy," to the silence she called out. And what happened next made believers, of those once filled with doubt. Not one in that room could explain it, for each of their eyes had been closed. but there placed on her desk, was a beautiful pink rose. And a child was blessed, if only a moment, by the love her shining bright star. And given the gift of believing that, Heaven is never to far. When I was a kid, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite! When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burned biscuits."
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!" You know, life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults - and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship. And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal-breaker! We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband- wife or parent-child or friendship! "Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket - keep it in your own."God Bless You..... Now, and Always... So Please pass me a biscuit, and yes, the burnt one will do just fine! |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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