Skrifoordenking vir oujaarsdag/nuwejaarsdag: Waar is ek môre-oggend ? (Efesiërs 5:17-21)

WAAR IS EK MôRE OGGEND ?

17 Daarom moet julle nie onverstandig wees nie, maar verstaan wat die wil van die Here is. 18 Moenie dronk word van wyn nie—daarin is losbandigheid; maar word met die Gees vervul. 19 Spreek onder mekaar met psalms en lofsange en geestelike liedere; en sing en psalmsing in julle hart tot eer van die Here, 20 terwyl julle God die Vader altyd vir alles dank in die Naam van onse Here Jesus Christus, 21 en aan mekaar onderdanig is in die vrees van God. – Efesiërs 5

Wat ek vandag/vanaand op oujaarsdag doen, openbaar iets van my geloof …. of ongeloof … of dat ek God en Mammon, dus twee here probeer dien (Matt.6:24).  En dit sal iets openbaar vir die jaar wat voorlê, op wie Ek my vertroue, geluk en hoop stel, in die woorde van Ps.121:1, van wie/wat ek glo my hulp vandaan gaan kom in die nuwejaar.

Gaan ek in dronkenskap en losbandigheid verkeer, dus my eie redder en koning wees, want die lewe is ‘fun’ en ek het so hard gewerk deur die jaar, ek ‘verdien’ so bietjie om ‘kop uit te hak’, al is dit net vir een aand, ons moet nou nie te wetties wees nie, of hoe?

Wel, dan openbaar ek daardeur dat ek ongelukkig nie deur die Gees van God nie, maar deur ‘n ander gees, die gees van die wêreld gelei en mislei word, dat ek my geluk en hoop soek in dit wat eintlik my ware god is (dinge van hierdie wêreld), want die Here se Woord sê tog duidelik:

“Moenie dronk word van wyn nie—daarin is losbandigheid; maar word met die Gees vervul.” – Efesiërs 5:18

Ek word nié met die Gees van God vervul as ek myself oorgee aan die dinge van die wêreld nie, maar word met die Gees vervul deur gebed, die Woord te lees, die eredienste by te woon, ens.

(Lees ook: Are you too drunk to pray ?)

Ander meen weer, ek hoef nie môre op te trek na die huis van die Here nie, ek is mos tussen familie en vriende, en dit is mos ‘n goeie ding, die ‘Here sal verstaan’ dat ek sy huis nie besoek op die dag wat Hy bepaal het nie.

Maar daardeur openbaar ek dalk wie my eintlike god is, nie die Here Jesus self nie, maar my man of vrou of kinders of famlie of vriende, en dat ek ‘n Jesus geskep het wat moet inpas by my en my gesin en vriende se lewenswyse, anders moet Hy buite bly. Hy kan my Verlosser wees, maar nie my Koning nie !

Daarteenoor sê Jesus:

“Wie vader of moeder bo My liefhet, is My nie waardig nie; en wie seun of dogter bo My liefhet, is My nie waardig nie.” – Matteus 10:37

En:

“En wat noem julle My: Here, Here! en doen nie wat Ek sê nie? Elkeen wat na My toe kom en na my woorde luister en dit doen Ek sal julle wys soos wie hy is.  Hy is soos ‘n man wat ‘n huis bou, wat gegrawe en diep ingegaan en die fondament op die rots gelê het; en toe die vloedwater kom en die stroom teen daardie huis losbreek, kon hy dit nie beweeg nie, omdat sy fondament op die rots was.

Maar wie dit hoor en dit nie doen nie, is soos ‘n man wat ‘n huis sonder fondament op die grond bou, en die stroom het daarteen losgebreek en dit het dadelik geval, en die instorting van daardie huis was groot.” – Lukas 6:46-49

Een skrywer stel dit as volg oor wie ons eerste moet liefhê:

“The fact that these other things have not been added to us, the fact that we live in fatherless times, reveals our attitudes toward God the Father. Father hunger is one of the chief symptoms of our idolatry. It is the basis for our political follies, our cultural follies, our technological follies, and so on. But the solution is not to schedule numerous family retreats.

The solution is to announce, preach, and declare that the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of God, and of His Christ. Another way of saying this is that men must seek to be Christians first. If they love Jesus Christ more than mother or father, or wife, or sons, or daughters, then they will be in fellowship with the source of all love. If they make an idol out of any one of their family members, then they are out of fellowship with the source of all love — meaning that the “idol” is short-changed.

A man’s wife receives far more love when she is number 2 after God than she would if she were number 1. A man’s children will be fathered diligently when they are loved in the context of a much greater love.”

Ware liefde teenoor ons gesinne en familie is dat hul altyd tweede moet kom in ons lewens, anders het ons die Here én hulle nie waarlik lief nie:

“Maar Ek het teen jou dat jy jou eerste liefde verlaat het. Onthou dan waarvandaan jy uitgeval het, en bekeer jou en doen die eerste werke. Anders kom Ek gou na jou toe en sal jou kandelaar van sy plek verwyder as jy jou nie bekeer nie.” – Openbaring 2:4,5

Maar, dit is nie genoeg om ons nie oor te gee aan drank of enige ander ding in die skepping om ons te red of beter te laat voel nie, nie vandag of in die jaar 2017 nie.

Na die waarskuwing en oproep van Ef.5:18 volg wat ons moet doen:

19 Spreek onder mekaar met psalms en lofsange en geestelike liedere; en sing en psalmsing in julle hart tot eer van die Here, 20 terwyl julle God die Vader altyd vir alles dank in die Naam van onse Here Jesus Christus, 21 en aan mekaar onderdanig is in die vrees van God.

Die gelowige en sy gesin en sy familie soek saam die gemeenskap van die heiliges op, om ook daardeur vervul te word met die Gees. Hulle soek die huis van die Here op, hulle trek saam op na die huis van die Here, om daar:

• tot lof en eer van die Here te sing, dus te aanbid (v.19), die wese van ons bestaan (as ek dus Sondag oggend nog in my bed is, of te kopseer het om kerk toe te gaan, dan wys dit wie of wat ek waarlik aanbid?)
• om dankbaar te wees vir God as ons Vader wat vir alles gesorg het in 2016 en nog sal sorg in die nuwejaar (v.20a),
• om opnuut ons te verbind tot ons Here Jesus Christus, wat ons verlos en gekoop het met sy kosbare bloed (v.20a), en dit bepaal nie net ons lewe in die hiernamaals nie, maar hier en nou, en
• saam onderdanig te wees aan die Here, dus volgens sy Woord deur die Gees te lewe (v.21, sien v.18), ook in al ons verhoudinge en die verskillende gesagsinstellings wat die Here daargestel het (lees Ef.5:23-6:9).

So, hoe eindig jy hierdie jaar, en hoe begin jy hierdie jaar ?

Kyk laastens na die vers net voor Ef.5:18 (lees dit asb.)

Wees daarom vandag en vanaand en môre-oggend ‘verstandig’ en soek die wil van die Here, ter wille van jou en jou gesin !

Mag ons almal, saam ons gesinne en families môre waarlik bly wees, nie die valse hopelose ligsinnige blydskap van die wêreld wat vergaan nie, maar die ewigdurende vredevolle blydskap van redding, liefde, hoop en vrede in Jesus Christus, en laat ons dit wys (openbaar) deur wat ons vandag en môre oggend gaan doen:

“Ek was bly toe hulle vir my gesê het: Laat ons na die huis van die HERE gaan!” (Ps.122:1)

En onthou vandag en môre en elke dag:

“En die wêreld gaan verby en sy begeerlikheid, maar hy wat die wil van God doen, bly vir ewig.” – 1 Johannes 2:17

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In aansluiting by hierdie oordenkings, plaas ek ook die volgende gedeelte uit Daily Readings from The Christian in Complete Armour (April 30 en May 1)

USE EARTHLY GOODS FOR HEAVEN

If you are a prominent member of your community, how do you use your influence— for good or for evil?

For selfish or selfless ends?

A true saint will be zealous in his daily affairs, but all his energies will be tuned to heaven. While his hands are busy at his tasks, his heart and head will be taken up with higher matters— how to please God, grow in grace, enjoy more intimate fellowship with Christ.

The carnal man, in contrast, spends long, hard hours in his shop and then goes home and spends half the night plotting how to get ahead in business. He sweats in the shop, but grows cold in the prayer closet. No weather is bad enough to keep him from market, but if the road to church is a little slippery or there is a chill in the air, he begs his leave from the services. No inconvenience is too great if it fattens his pocket, but let the preacher keep him a minute or two past the hour, and he complains.

In short, at work he keeps his eyes on the till; at church, he keeps them on his watch. If anything I have said speaks to you, go quickly to God and petition for a thorough change of heart.

Perhaps you have a heavenly spirit in getting earthly things. But do you have the same spirit when you use them? The good wrestler uses his earthly estate for heavenly ends. What do you do with the fruits of your labor? Do you bestow them on your own overstuffed paunch— or do you share them with the poor? If you are a prominent member of your community, how do you use your influence— for good or for evil? For selfish or selfless ends?

To pray for “things” without a heavenly end in mind is close to idolatry. Use your material wealth with a holy fear, dear saint, lest earth should rob heaven, and your temporal enjoyments endanger your heavenly interests. As Job sanctified his children by offering a sacrifice out of fear that they might have sinned, so the Christian must continually sanctify his earthly enjoyments by prayer. In this way He will be delivered from the snare of them.

INDIFFERENCE TO EARTHLY THINGS

You cannot labor for heavenly possessions if your hands and heart are loaded down with earthly pursuits. The Christian must practice the same indifference in keeping his earthly possessions as he did in getting them. God never signs the title of anything over to us, but merely gives us things to keep in trust. All will be left behind when He calls us home.

If He sees fit to let us keep them until then, we bless and thank Him for His generosity; and if He takes them away sooner, we bless Him still. God never intended, by His providence in bringing Moses to Pharaohs’ court, to leave him there in worldly pomp and grandeur. A carnal heart would have reasoned that Moses could best help his people— slaves under Pharaoh— by using his position and power to influence the king, or perhaps even by aspiring to the throne.

But when Moses renounced his place of privilege, his faith and self-denial were made more eminently conspicuous. It is for this obedient faith that Moses is given such honorable mention in the New Testament (Hebrews 11: 24– 25).

Sometimes God lavishes us with things, not so we can hang on to them, but so we will have something to let go of to show our love for Him. Was there anything better in the whole world Mary could have done with her precious oil than to anoint her Lord? What enterprise will pay more lasting dividends than to invest what you possess in the cause of Christ? Christian, keep a loose grip on the material possessions you value most highly.

Be ready at a moment’s notice to throw them overboard, rather than risk the shipwreck of your faith. You cannot labor for heavenly possessions if your hands and heart are loaded down with earthly pursuits. In the end, if you can save anything, it will be your soul, your interest in Christ and heaven.

If you should lose all your worldly goods, you should still be able to say with Jacob, “I have enough [all things]” (Genesis 33: 11).