Intimiteit as afbeelding van verhouding met God.

Ek glo die hartseerste sonde van die kerk is die houding teenoor ander van “Don’t know, don’t care”.   As liefde omgee en sorg is, dan is om nie om te gee of daaroor om te gee nie die mees liefdeloosste daad.  As sonde optrede buite die verhouding met God is, impliseer verhouding met Hom omgee, sorg, belangstelling en dus liefde. 

My ouma het altyd gesê: “Love begets love”.  God is liefde en sy opdrag aan ons is om ander so lief te hê soos wat ons onsself het. Ek ervaar dat God vir my die allerbeste keuse en diepste verlange is.  As Hy dan vir my die allerbeste is en sy hart is dat almal dit kan ken en ervaar, dan moet ons omgee of ander dit ook ken en ervaar.  Ons word dus opgeroep om in verhouding met ander om te gee of hulle ook in verhouding met God staan.

Verhoudings het ‘’n wedersydse dinamika.  God gee, maar ons moet genoeg in verhouding omgee om te ontvang wat ons nie by magte is om self terug te gee nie.  God ken ons goed genoeg om te weet ons kan nie terug gee in dieselfde mate nie.  Hy vra wel dat die hart in dankbaarheid ontvang en van daar leef na ander.  In oop verhouding kan ons vrymoedig tot God nader om die liefde ontvang wat ons bring tot bekering van die ou mens na die nuwe lewende mens.  Omdat God deur mense werk, ongeag waar, wie en wanneer, moet ons dus genoeg liefde in verhouding hê om Jesus in ander te soek.  Wat meer is, ons moet omgee of hulle ook na Hom soek en smag.

Oop verhouding deur ander lief te hê, skep geleentheid om intimiteit te ontdek.  Dit bowenal met broer en susters.  In intimiteit lê die sleutel tot dissipelskap, want daar is liefde deur die Gees se bindende werking die afbeelding van verhouding met Jesus. Inderdaad verhouding met God.

Host and guest of honour at the same time

Growing in intentional personal relationship with God got new meaning in a quest of evaluation of my intentions for spending time with God and studying the Scriptures.  In Rev 3:20 God reveals something mysterious and wonderful about the joy of intentionally spending time with Him.  There is something about the Kingdom to be found in being the host of God when searching for His life-giving light in our lives.  The metaphor of sharing in a festive meal with Jesus where you get to converse and have fellowship with God becomes a life changing event. 

Eating together is never only about being filled, but also exchanging words and sharing lives. In any conversation or time spent with anyone there comes a point when the relationship deepens as the parties present open their hearts to be shaped by each other.  In Matthews Jesus calls to open our ears. In John the call emphasizes putting the taken Word into action. 1 Peter reminds us that this hunger to come to the festival with God can have no compromises and should fill our lives with a desperate searching therefor.  

Reminded by the refuge we have in Him, we have the privilege to not only pour out our hearts before Him, but to truly trust in Him.  This points us to an address for our hearts, whatever the burden.  It seems that God yearns for us to want to have fellowship with Him.  As though He waits for the time when we open our hearts to be hosts in the festival with Him, where He becomes the Host in treating us like His guests of honour when He opens His heart to us. 

As relationship forms with openness, intimacy develops.  In studying the Bible for informational purposes we may just be missing the intimate relationship derived from knowing God.  Time spent with God is much more important than what you do while you are with Him. Getting to know Him is much more important than getting to know about Him.

Koninkryk gevind in woorde van eenvoud

Donovan
A photo by I AM Pretoria

“Jy kan nie vir jouself bid nie”. 

Donovan, ‘’n boemelaar broer, het vandag Koninkryk woorde gespreek met hierdie stelling.  Soos gebruiklikerwys op ‘’n Sondag oggend het ons vandag na Cafe Riché op Kerkplein gegaan om as OMNI groep bymekaar te kom.  Hier kom ons saam om te deel oor wat God in ons lewens bewerk, hoe ons kerk uitleef en waar ons vir Jesus raakgeloop het.  Die groep het wel vandag net bestaan uit myself en ‘’n kosbare man na aan God se hart. Later het ons boemelaar broer, Donovan, ook met ons kom deel.

In ons gesprek oor hoe God aan die gang is in die wêreld en hoe ons meer diensbaar vir Hom kan wees, resoneer die liefde van gemeenskap en lewe in ons broer soos hy ons dophou nie vêr weg nie.  Soos ons ‘’n gedeelte lees uit die Woord en stop om Rom 1:14 te bepeins, kom hy met eenvoudige woorde van waarheid en roep ons op tot gebede wat nie onderskeid tref tussen mense nie.  Vanuit sy geskiedenis is daar min wat die lewe moeiliker as hy beleef.  Tog is sy onselfsugtige gebede gerig op die wat in tronke, hospitale en op straat is.  Miskien is dit omdat hy self sulke omstandighede beleef het en daarom weet hoe moeilik dit is. Ongeag die rede, sy hart brand warm van omgee vir mense en veral broers en susters in sulke omstandighede.

Hoe baie vorme van gevangenis, siekte en verwerping is daar nie in die lewe buite die realiteit van die Koninkryk van Christus nie.  Donovan leef in afhanklikheid van God en soos Paulus dra hy en ons die verantwoordelikheid om teenoor almal, ongeag agtergrond of opvoeding, die Goeie Nuus van Christus se verlossing en Koningsheerskappy nou reeds in hierdie lewe te ken en daarvoor te leef!

Longing to go home interrupted by life – a change of heart

My life seems to be filled with constant interruptions with my time spent longing to be with Christ.  Like Paul in his letter to the Philippines, I too long to depart. Yet, it is also he who calls me to the challenge of evaluating my heart on its motives for my chosen lifestyle.  He also gives the answer in his letter to the Ephesians when he calls to set up our lives in accordance to the calling that God gave us and this within the relationship with Christ. 

For the past week I have been privileged to join a precious group of brothers and sisters in going out to Swaziland and just serve and support a mission there.  Laying down my own selfish desires of self-righteousness God softly opened my eyes to the misdirection my life was in by revealing my heart. He did this the moment I decided to actually be transformed by His presence in and through me.  I so often avoided the chances to be changed by Him as I thought I may be losing out by letting go of the illusion of wealth in life.  A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush is a common misconception in our lives when it comes to what we believe are important and of worth.  Just as the transition from worm to moth, we too need to be transformed to become what He intended us to be.  Dying as a worm seems to be a loss to the worm, but gaining a new identity as a butterfly, the butterfly would never look back on that which it left behind. 

Because of Christ, and Him in our lives we are graciously unable to go back to being worms. In revealing our new identities, He calls us to fly higher, live deeper, and long harder for proclaiming His glorious Kingdom. Whilst still on earth, we have the joyful calling to help others to grow and experience the joy of their faith (Phil 1:20 NLT).  Let this be the direction your heart takes when being interrupted by life while you long to go home.