October 2019 - The Word for Today
One morning, a businessman saw a fisherman lounging on his boat drinking coffee. “You’re back early,” he shouted. The sailor replied, “I’ve caught enough. I’m through for the day.” The businessman said, “Why not go out again? If you keep going out you can catch more fish and increase your income, buy a second boat, hire a crew, and become rich like me.” The man replied, “Why should I do that?” The businessman said, “So you’ll be free to do what you want and enjoy life.” Grinning, the fisherman said, “But that’s exactly what I’m doing right now!” The Bible says, “Be satisfied with what you have,” yet many of us base our self-worth on what we own or achieve. We only feel good about ourselves when we’re involved in certain relationships or live in certain neighbourhoods or reach certain goals. We tell ourselves, “When I earn more money, or make company president, or lose fifty pounds, etc., I’ll be okay.” So, what’s the basis of your self-worth today? If you’re not sure, ask yourself, “What can I not live without?” Is there somebody you’re afraid will leave you? A job you’re too involved in? Is there something you need to accomplish before you feel complete? It is both scriptural and wise to have goals for your life, but don’t undermine yourself by believing that you’re “less than” because you’ve achieved or acquired less than someone else. The Scriptures teach that when you make God’s purposes your number one priority, “He will…give you all you need…For it gives your Father great happiness to give you [the benefits of] the Kingdom” (Luke 12:31-32 TLB).
Ever found yourself thinking ‘When I ________, I’ll be good enough.’? We might fill that blank with things like getting good exam results or a degree, getting married, having children, getting fit and healthy, getting promoted, making more money, or spending more time with God. But the Bible says, ‘Be satisfied with what you have’. Many of us base our self-worth on what we own or achieve. We only feel good about ourselves when we are involved in certain relationships or live in certain areas or reach certain goals. It is both scriptural and wise to have goals for our lives, but we shouldn’t undermine ourselves by believing that we are ‘less than’ because we have achieved or acquired less than someone else. The Scriptures teach that when we make God’s purposes our number one priority, ‘all your other needs will be met as well…your Father wants to give you the kingdom’ (Luke 12:31-32 NCV). Our self-worth should be founded in God. He is the One who loves us, accepts us, and values us – no matter what. We don’t have to earn His love. We don’t have to reach a certain standard for Him to accept us as His children. In fact, in Romans we are told: ‘God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us’ (5:8 NIV). Even though we make mistakes, God loves us enough to die for us. He didn’t die when humans were good enough to have eternal life – He died because we could never reach that standard. So we need to stop trying to earn His love, and the love of others, and live from a place of accepting what He has done for us.
Wat is die basis van jou self-waarde?
Hebreërs 13:5 NLV
Een oggend het ‘n besigheidsman ‘n visserman op sy boot sien sit en koffie drink. ‘Jy’s vroeg terug,’ het hy geroep. Die visserman het geantwoord: ‘Ja, ek het genoeg gevang. Ek is klaar vir die dag.’ Die besigheidsman het gesê: ‘Hoekom gaan jy nie weer uit nie? As jy aanhou uitgaan sal jy meer vis kan vang, ‘n tweede boot kan koop, bemanningslede aanstel en ryk word soos ek.’ Die man het geantwoord: ‘Hoekom sal ek dit wil doen?’ Die besigheidsman het gesê: ‘Sodat jy vry kan wees om te doen wat jy wil en die lewe kan geniet.’ Met ‘n glimlag het die visserman geantwoord: ‘Maar dis presies wat ek op die oomblik doen!’ Die Bybel sê: ‘…Laat wat julle het, vir julle genoeg wees…’ en tog baseer so baie van ons self-waarde op dit wat ons besit of bereik. Ons voel net goed oor onsself wanneer ons in sekere verhoudings is of in sekere woonbuurte woon of sekere doelwitte bereik. Ons sê vir onsself: ‘Wanneer ek genoeg geld maak, of die president van die maatskappy word, of 10 kilogram verloor, ensovoorts, sal ek okay wees.’ Wat is vandag die basis van jou self-waarde? As jy nie seker is nie, vra jouself af: ‘Waar sonder kan ek nie lewe nie?’ Is daar iemand wat jy bang is jou sal los? ‘n Werk waarby jy te betrokke is? Dit is beide Skriftuurlik en wys om lewensdoelwitte te hê, maar moenie jouself ondermyn deur te glo dat jy ‘minder’ is omdat jy minder as iemand anders bereik of verkry het nie. Die Skrif leer ons dat wanneer jy God se doelwitte jou eerste prioriteit maak, ‘…sal [Hy} daagliks vir julle alles gee wat julle nodig het… Want dit maak julle Vader baie gelukkig om die koninkryk aan julle te gee’ (Lukas 12:31-32 NLV).
Dis hoe God dit beplan het
Matteus 19:5 NLV
Ouers, lees hierdie brief: ‘Liewe Pa: Dankie vir al die kere wat ek op jou skoot kon sit sodat ek die rugbywedstryd kon sien en vir al die kere wat Pa vir my worsbroodjies gekoop het. Ek sal altyd die dag onthou wat Pa my deur die sneeu gedra het omdat ek so koud gekry het. Pa was ‘n wonderlike Pa vir my en ek sal Pa nooit vergeet nie. Ek en Susan het nou die dag gesels en gewonder hoe dit met Pa gaan. Vandat ons weggetrek het sien ons mekaar nie baie nie. Een van die dae gaan ons egter kom en Pa verras. Pas Pa op. Ek is lief vir Pa. Liefde, jou seun.’ Mooi brief, nè? Mooi, indien jy jouself voorberei het vir die tyd wanneer jou kinders jou nie meer so baie gaan nodig hê nie. Indien nie, kan jy gegrief voel teenoor diegene vir wie jy so baie opgeoffer het wanneer jy voel dat jy nie meer belangrik vir hulle is nie. God het jou kinders, met ‘n vervaldatum, vir jou geleen. Die digter Kahlil Gibran het gesê: ‘They come through you but not from you… You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth’ (sien Psalm 127:4). Ouerskap gaan nie oor eienaarskap nie, maar oor rentmeesterskap. Jou eerste opdrag is om liefde te voorsien wat hulle sekuriteit gee, wette te voorsien wat hulle wys maak, lig om in te wandel en ‘n lewenstyl wat hulle kan volg. Jou volgende opdrag is om hulle voor te berei om in die wêreld uit te gaan en die dinge wat jy hulle geleer het uit te oefen. Laat hulle dus vandag gaan, vier die belegging wat jy gemaak het, bid vir hulle en vra vir God: ‘Wat is volgende?’ Dis hoe God dit beplan het.
Sielskos: 1 Kro 3-5; Joh 8:1-20; Ps 6; Spr 25:1-7
We can often get caught up in thinking about God’s plan when we have got important decisions to make. Is it in God’s plan to go to this university? Is this job in God’s plan? Is marrying this person part of God’s plan? Knowing God’s in control should help us feel at peace, but often we find ourselves stressing and desperately seeking God’s will for our lives. We wonder why He isn’t telling us what we should do. We wonder if we are making a decision that’s going to ruin God’s plan for our whole lives. Often the fear of getting it wrong can lead us to do nothing. But this definitely isn’t what God’s got in store for us. In fact, ‘God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.’ When we are not sure what God wants us to do, let’s make sure we are doing good for others. In Micah it says: ‘What does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God’ (Micah 6:8 NIV). These things are what God wants us to be doing in our lives. Perhaps we need to spend less time worrying about our decisions, and more time making sure our hearts are focused on the right things, wherever we are, whoever we are with, and whatever we are doing. Our heart is so important. If we are trying to seek God and know His will for us, we are making decisions with God at the centre. But if we are just doing whatever we want, without consulting God, and without living in a godly way, we need to stop and refocus our hearts on God and His plans for us.
1 Chr 3-5; John 8:1-20; Ps 6; Prov 25:1-7