We can all thank God for His mercies. Let’s thank Him that we aren’t in
hell right now and that He did not “give us up” to our sinfulness and our stubbornness (Rom. 1–2). Let’s thank Him that we are still alive and for the thousands of other mercies that God has granted to us along the way. The Bible says, “The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22– 23). Because of His mercies, you should gratefully and gladly present your entire body to the Lord. Present your eyes and what you look at to Him: “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes” (Ps. 101:3). Don’t look at “worthless things” on TV, in movies, in books and magazines, or in pornography. Present your ears and what you hear through music, radio and video. Present your mouth and your words: “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth” (Eph 4:29). Present your mind and what you think about: “Meditate on the Word of God day and night” (Josh. 1:8). Present your feet as to where you go. Present your hands as to what you do: “Do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31). “I stir up your sincere minds by way of reminder” (2 Pet. 3:1). Be a living sacrifice. God is not asking you to die for Him, but to live for Him. Live holy. He says, “Be holy, for I am holy” (Lev. 11:44). Isaiah 6:3 says, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.” Let your whole life be filled with His glory. Be a sacrifice that is acceptable to God. The word acceptable in Greek means “well pleasing,” as it is translated in Philippians 4:18 and Colossians 3:20. Enoch “pleased God,” and oh, how much more should we! Oh, dear people, dedicate your life to the Lord. Present your body—all of it-- to Him. Prayer: Father, you have been so merciful to each of us. We are grateful. Teach us what it means to present our bodies and our lives to You as living sacrifices. Help us to live in a holy manner. We want to be well- pleasing to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Quote for the Day: “Among the attributes of God, although they are all equal, mercy shines with even more brilliancy than justice.” —Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Anxious? Take Vitamin A.
All things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) Blue? Take Vitamin B. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. (Psalm 103:1) Crushed? Take Vitamin C. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7) Depressed? Take Vitamin D. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. (James 4:8) Empty? Take Vitamin E. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. (Psalm 100:4) Fearful? Take Vitamin F. Fear not, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God. (Isaiah 41:10) Greedy? Take Vitamin G. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running ! over, will be put unto your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back. (Luke 6:38) Hesitant? Take Vitamin H. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, Your "God reigns." (Isaiah 52:7) Insecure? Take Vitamin I. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) Jittery? Take Vitamin J. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) Know nothing? Take Vitamin K. Know this that the Lord is God, it is He that made us and not we ourselves. (Psalm 100:3) Lonely? Take Vitamin L. Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20) Mortgaged? Take Vitamin M. My grace is sufficient! for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12 :9) Nervous? Take Vitamin N. Never, no never will I leave you nor forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5) Overwhelmed? Take Vitamin O. Overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21) Perplexed or puzzled? Take Vitamin P. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. (John 14:27) Quitting? Take Vitamin Q. Quit you like men and women, be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13) Restless? Take Vitamin R. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him. (Psalm 37:7) Scared? Take Vitamin S. Stay with me, and do not be afraid; for the one who seeks my life seeks your life; you will be safe with me. (1 Samuel 22:23) Tired? Take Vitamin T. Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31) Be strong in the Lord in the power of His might (Eph 6:10) put on the armor of God for your victory (Eph6:11-18) Uncertain? Take Vitamin U. Understand that I am (the Lord). Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. (Isaiah 43:10) Vain? Take Vitamin V. Vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one. (Acts 5:16) Wondering what to do? Take Vitamin W. What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8) Exhausted? Take Vitamin X. Exercise thyself rather unto godliness. (1 Timothy 4:7) Yearning for hope? Take Vitamin Y. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you art with me; your rod and your staff – they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4) Zapped? Take Vitamin Z. Zealous for good deeds. (Titus 2:14) Jeremiah 29:13 Then you will seek Me inquire for and require Me (as a vital necessity) and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. This text is saying that the wonderful life Jesus died for depends on us and our personal relationship with God. We need Him as we need food and water and air to breath
LEES: Matt. 5:13-16: "Julle is die sout vir die aarde" (vs. 13).
Jesus sê vir jou dat jy die sout vir die aarde is. Jy verskaf met ander woorde die geur aan jou wêreld met jou bepaalde lewenstyl as gelowige in Christus. Is dit waar van jou lewe as gelowige? Is dit waar van gelowige lewens in die algemeen? Ek is bevrees die antwoord is 'nee'! Die wêreld gaan voort sonder die sensitiewe aard van die Christendom. Tog sê meer as 75% van die mense in Suid-Afrika dat hulle die sout vir die aarde is omdat hulle hulleself as Christene beskou. Ons hoef nooit verslane sout te wees nie. Maar dan moet elkeen by homself begin en die liefde van die Here Jesus in sy wêreld proklameer en dit uitleef. Begin by die huis sodat elkeen wat dáár leef en werk die andersheid, die liefde en vriendelikheid van die gelowige by jou opmerk. Dit sal aansteeklik werk en jou wêreld sal só uitstaan dat die mense ernstig na die oorsaak van jou andersheid sal begin soek. Dan gebeur daar 'n wonderwerk. Hulle sal Jesus in jou lewe ontdek! Hulle sal uitvind dat jy eintlik nie meer lewe nie, maar dat Jesus in jou leef. Is jy bang dat jy nie lyk en leef soos die sout van die aarde nie? Besluit vandag nog om sout te wees soos Jesus, want dan word jou wêreld anders - vol liefde en vrede, met nog 'n bietjie onvolmaaktheid wat jy deur die krag van die Heilige Gees kan hanteer. GEBED: O Here, help my om vir die wêreld waarin ek leef die sout te wees. (Uit: NOOIT WEER DIESELFDE NIE. ERIC STANDER. BOODSKAPPERREEKS. AKTUAPERS.) “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”
(Psalm 90:12, NIV) Sometimes, our days can be so full and busy that we forget how precious and fragile our time on earth really is. It can be so easy to allow little things to creep in and steal our peace and joy. Maybe something didn’t go your way, or someone said something upsetting. Even traffic can cause us to get our focus off if we let it. But, we have to remember that each day is a gift. If we choose to focus on what’s wrong, we’ll miss out on the beauty that each day has to offer. I encourage you today; don’t let the precious moments of life pass you by. Don’t wait for holidays and birthdays to show people that you care. Remember, each day is unique and irreplaceable, a gift from heaven above. You have been given time that can be invested or wasted; hours that can be used or misused. That’s why the psalmist prayed to God, “Teach us to number our days.” He was saying, “Teach us to value every moment we’ve been given so we can live a life pleasing to You.” Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of today. I choose to focus on the blessing of each moment instead of allowing the little things to steal my joy. Keep me close to You always as I submit every area of my heart and mind to You in Jesus’ name. Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen I wish to speak today of eagles. May I begin by relating the parable of the eagle as told by James Aggrey of West Africa? A certain man went through a forest seeking any bird of interest he might find. He caught a young eagle, brought it home and put it among his fowls and ducks and turkeys, and gave it chicken's food to eat even though it was an eagle, the king of birds.
Five years later, a naturalist came to see him and, after passing through his garden said: "That bird is an eagle, not a chicken.' Yes,' said the owner, `but I have trained it to be a chicken. It is no longer an eagle, it is a chicken, even though it measures fifteen feet from tip to tip of its wings.' `No,' said the naturalist, `it is an eagle still; it has the heart of an eagle, and I will make it soar high up to the heavens.'`No,' said the owner, `it is a chicken, and it will never fly.' They agreed to test it. The naturalist picked up the eagle, held it up and said with great intensity: `Eagle, Thou art an eagle; thou dost belong to the sky and not to this earth; stretch forth thy wings and fly.' The eagle turned this way and that, and then looking down, saw the chickens eating their food, and down he jumped. The owner said: `I told you it was a chicken.' `No,' said the naturalist, `it is an eagle. Give it another chance tomorrow.' So the next day, he took it to the top of the house and said: `Eagle, thou art an eagle; stretch forth thy wings and fly.' But again the eagle, seeing the chickens feeding, jumped down and fed with them. Then the owner said: `I told you it was a chicken.' `No,' asserted the naturalist, `it is an eagle, and it has the heart of an eagle; only give it one more chance, and I will make it fly tomorrow.' The next morning he rose early and took the eagle outside the city away from the house, to the foot of a high mountain. The sun was just rising, gilding the top of the mountain with gold, and every crag was glistening in the joy of the beautiful morning. He picked up the eagle and said to it: `Eagle, thou art an eagle; thou dost belong to the sky and not to the earth; stretch forth thy wings and fly.' The eagle looked around and trembled as if new life were coming to it. Yet it did not fly. The naturalist then made it look straight at the sun. Suddenly it stretched out its wings and, with the screech of an eagle, it mounted higher and higher and never returned. It was an eagle, though it had been kept and tamed as a chicken. We have been created in the image of God, but men have made us think that we are chickens, and so we think we are. However, we are eagles, stretch forth your wings and fly. Don't be content with food of chickens! James Aggrey's words could be applied to all of us. Many of us have been content to feed with the chickens and have forgotten that God has called us to be eagles. Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing
Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them? And in the end, its not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. I never had a policy; I have just tried to do my very best each and every day. Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure. Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed. He who molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or decisions possible or impossible to execute. The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time. Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves. What is conservatism? Is it not the adherence to the old and tried against the new and untried? You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was. A house painter was at work atop a tall ladder that leaned against the second-story gable of a house. A small boy playing about the yard discovered the ladder, and as is natural for small boys, he began to climb it. His mother, checking on her child, was shocked to find that he was more than half way to the top of the ladder.
As the woman stifled a scream of panic, the man at the top looked down, saw the child, and instantly perceived the danger. Signaling the mother to be silent, he calmly said to the child, "Look up, sonny, look up here to me, and keep climbing." Rung by rung, he coaxed the child ever higher: "Come on now, keep looking up, keep coming." At last, the child safe in his arms, the painter carried him safely to the ground. Well, each of us is somewhere on a ladder. If we look down, we may be terrified. God is saying, "Look up to me; keep looking up, and you will never be dismayed or undone by whatever is down there." So let's look up, up to where our safety lies; let's look up, and take heart, and keep climbing. |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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