Die Onse Vader Gebed

Ons Vader wat in die hemel is
laat U naam geheilig word;
laat U koninkryk kom;
laat U wil ook op die aarde geskied,
net soos in die hemel
gee ons vandag ons daaglikse brood
en vergeef ons oortredings
soos ons die vergewe wat teen ons oortree
en laat ons nie in die versoeking kom nie
maar verlos ons van die Bose

Hierdie bostaande gebed sal dié van julle wat bekend is met die inhoud van die Bybel – die Heilige Geskrif van die Christelike geloof as die “Onse Vader” gebed.

Vandag, op pad na Wayne (My installasie assistent) se huis in Elsiesrivier, dink ek toevallig aan die reël in die gebed, “Gee ons vandag ons daaglikse brood” en ek besef toe by myself dat hiérdié gebed soveel keer deur my en ander mede-gelowiges rympie-agtig geuiter is, sonder nadenking van wat ons sopas gebid het. Dis hoekom ek in hiérdié skryfstuk my interpretasie te gee oor wat ek verstaan met die woorde wat Jesus gebruik het, asook die implikasie daarvan in ons hedendaagse lewe.

“Ons Vader wat in die hemel is”

In die eerste reël word daar word ’n identiteit gekoppel aan die Persoon wat aangespreek word, asook waar die Persoon Hom bevind , naamlik “Ons Vader wat in die hemel is.”

Dit herinner my nogal sterk aan die samestelling van ’n e-pos adres soos tian@broadbandexpress.co.za. Die eerste gedeelte van die e-pos adres voor die aapstert (@ - simbool) identifiseer wie die persoon is wat op die ou end die e-pos gaan ontvang. Die tweede gedeelte van die e-pos adres, na die aapstert (@ - simbool) dui waar die spesifieke persoon hom/haar bevind. In dié adres wat ek as voorbeeld gebruik het, is die aangespreekte deel van ’n Suid Afrikaanse Maatskappy met die naam van Broadband Express (Die .co in ’n e-pos adres, dui teoreties op ’n maatskappy, met die za, wat dui op die ligging van die Maatskappy – za wat natuurlik dui op Zuid Afrika)

Maar terug by die kerngedagte van dié skryfstuk. Soos reeds gesê, help die eerste reël van die gebed wat Jesus sy dissipels leer bid het, ons om te identifiseer wie aangespreek word. Ook wat interessant is in hierdie opsig, is dat Jesus bid “Ons Vader”, wat ’n sterk aanduiding is dat God as die Vader-figuur nie net in verhouding wil wees met Sy Seun nie, maar dat God se hartsverlange is dat ons as gelowiges, as Sy bruid, in verhouding met Hom moet leef.

Dit was nooit God se bedoeling dat ons as sy skepping, van Hom moes geskei gewees het nie, maar deur die mense se keuse om ’n selfgesentreerde lewe te lei, is ons van God se teenwoordigheid verwyder. Ons strewe om te leef vir die “eie-ek”, het verrykende gevolge soos armoede, vreemdeling-haat, vernietiging van God se skepping, asook die skepping van wanhoop by meeste mense.

Nog iets wat opvallend is wanneer ons God aanspreek as ’n vader-figuur, is dat ons karaker-eienskappe van ’n vader in Hom raaksien, soos ons ook in ons aardse pa’s so raaksien. In die eerste instansie word die manlike ouer-figuur – vader, gesien as die oorsprong van toekomstige nageslagte. So was dit ook, Adam, die eerste mens, is uit God se inisiatief geskep, en uit Adam as die volgende patriarg, het sy nageslag ontstaan.

Ook kan gesê word dat ’n vader ook die rol van ’n (nederige) regter moet volstaan. Hy moet na al die belange van sy huishouding omsien en onpartydige, regverdige besluite te kan neem vir die belange van sy huisgesin, voordat hy aan homself aandag gee.

Die benaming “Vader” kan ook gesien word as ’n verwysing na gesagsfiguur soos die hoof van ’n land, wat met die nodige respek en eer aangespreek moet word – iets wat in die volgende gedeelte meer uitgelig gaan word.

“Laat U Naam geheilig word”

Wat beteken dit om iets heilig te maak? Om iets te heilig beteken om iets toe te wy vir ’n spesifieke doel, maar ook respek en aansien te betoon. Dit is wat God van ons vra. Wanneer ons bid “Laat U Naam geheilig word”, bid ons eintlik “mag dit so gebeur dat ons as U skepping onsself daartoe toewy om U met die nodige respek en aansien te eer.”

Met dat ons in die moderne tyd al meer kere gejaagde lewens leef, vergeet ons van die Een, wat ons die nodige krag en daaglikse brood voorsien, en dat ons verplig om Hom die eer te gee wat Hy verdien. In Die Bybel staan daar ons is “vir God en deur God geskep is.”(Kolossense 1:16). Met ander woorde, God het ons gemaak, sodat ons saam met die res van die uitspansel, wat Hy geskep het, Hom as Skepper-God kan eer en verheerlik.

In die voorafgaande paragrawe het ek redelik gefokus wat die woordjie “ heilig “ beteken in al sy vorme, maar dit is ook belangrik om ook na die onderwerp van heiliging van nader te bekyk, naamlik die Vader se Naam.

Wat is in ’n naam? In die tye van die geskiedenis waarteen die gebeure in die Bybel hom afspeel, was die betekenis van die naam wat die kind by geboorte gekry het, ’n sterk weerspieëling van hoe die kind gaan uitdraai as volwassene. Baie kinders van daardie tyd het juis, as hulle geweet het wat hulle naam beteken, so hul lewens geleef. Jabes was amper een van hulle. (Sy naam beteken “Hy is in smart in die lewe gebring”)

Voor Jesus se geboorte, het die hemelse boodskapper aan Josef verskyn, en aan hom gesê dat die Seun wat Maria verwag, Immanuël genoem moet word, want Hy gaan God met ons wees. (Die el aan die einde van Immanuël dui daarop, want in Hebreeus van daardie tyd het dit altyd deel gevorm van die name wat die verbondsvolk gebruik het om hul Skepper-God, אלהים (uitgespreek el – o –heem ).) En Jesus het met Sy lewe hier op aarde die verpersoonliking van dié naam – Immanuël, uitgeleef. Jesus was volkome mens gewees, maar was ook volkome God.

Selfs tot in hierdie tyd, waarin ons leef, word daar nog steeds waarde aan jou naam gekoppel. Aan ’n naam is ook ’n reputasie gekoppel, en daardeur kry ’n individu identiteit. Deurdat God verskillende name vir aanspreking het – name wat ons moet heilig – gerespekteerde toewyding moet gee, is dit moontlik dat ons God se Goddelike karakter, deur Jesus Christus, kan verstaan, en deurdat ons God beter verstaan, kan ons ook nou Sy wil hier op aarde leer, maar ook doen.

“Laat U koninkryk kom”

Wanneer ons hierdie woorde, “Laat U Koninkryk kom” bid, erken en bely ons dat ons Hemelse Vader, Koning is.

Ons moet ook in gedagte hou, soos ’n aarde koning in verhouding met sy onderdane staan, moet ons, as deel van God se skepping, ook in ’n een - tot - een verhouding met Hom staan. Ek dink diep binne-in onsself, al van ons eerste dag hier op aarde, het ons as mens die hunkering om in die nabyheid van sy Skepper te lewe, net soos die oergeslagte van ter vore. En Jesus, deur Sy kruisdood, maak hierdie Skepper- skepsel verhouding moontlik, deurdat hy in die midde getree het as tussenganger.

Die tydperk waarin ons onsself nou bevind, net na Pinkster tot en met die Adventstyd, volgens die Kerklike kalender, staan bekend as die Koninkryktyd. In hierdie tydperk word nie net op daarop gefokus op die vestiging van God se koninkryk hier op aarde nie, maar daar word ook op verskillende vlakke gefokus op die verhoudinge waarin ons as Christene binne én buite die liggaam van Christus (die kerk), staan.

“Laat u wil ook op die aarde geskied, net soos in die hemele”

Die bogenoemde reël uit die “Onse Vader”- gebed sluit direk aan, by wat ek oor die vorige gedeelte, “Laat U Koninkryk kom”, gesê het. Iets was al reeds in God se hemel - woning plaasgevind het, is bestem, om ook op die aarde te gebeur.

Maar een faktor bied daarteen weerstand. Die mens. God het ons ook ons eie wil gegee – die vryheid om keuses te maak. Dit was nooit God se plan om ’n spul robotte te skep, toe hy die mens geskep het nie. Hy het juis die mens geseën met die gawe om keuses uit te oefen.

Maar ongelukkig, met die sondeval, is die mens nie net van God geskei nie, maar dit was ook die beginpunt van gereelde botsings tussen hulle wil en God se wil vir hulle.

Die mens se wil word gekenmerk deur die volgende houding gekenmerk:
“Elke man vir homself, en te hel met die res.”
“Alles in hierdie lewe gaan net oor my!”
“Alles moet gebeur soos ek dit wil hê”
”Ek is die main peanut in die pakkie”,
“God het mý geroep om die wêreld te suiwer van ongewenste elemente.’ ”

Die ironie is, as ’n mens na die wil van die “eie-ek” kyk, is dit in direkte konflik met God se wil. Ek wonder, of u die leser, die verwysing na Hitler, in die laaste reël van die vorige paragraaf herken het (of was dit nou Verwoerd, Botha of selfs Mugabe?)

God se wil soos reeds genoem, is heeltemal ’n teenpool van ons eie wil. Die hartklop van God se wil, die kern tot God se wil is die liefde, want soos die Bybel genoegsaam sê dat God is liefde. Dus is daar ’n afwesigheid van selfsug, haat, afguns en, wél, alles wat ander mense rondom ons seermaak, in God se wil.

Sedert die sondeval, was God konstant besig om deur mense, sy wil en koninkryk hier op aarde te hervestig. Die kruis sou die element wees wat God en die mens weer nader aanmekaar sou bring, sodat ons as mens ’n beter begrip kan hê van wat God se wil is vir ons lewens en vir die voortbestaan van Sy skepping, veral met die drastiese veranderinge in die klimaat, weerkundig gesproke, maar ook sosiaal en ekonomies.

Een persoon in die geskiedenis van die mensdom, wat ongelukkig nie meer met ons is nie, maar duidelik genoeg verstaan het wat die wil van God was in die tydgleuf wat hy geleef het, is William Wilberforce

Hy was die dryfveer agter die wetgewing wat slawehandel in die ganse Britse ryk sou afskaf, asook die vrystelling van slawe. Op ’n dag, het Wilbeforce met sy beste vriend(wat later die Britse eerste minister sou word) gedeel, dat hy met ’n wroeging in sy hart sit :Om ’n verskil te maak, of om God se wil te doen. Sy vriend se raad, “Doen albei”

Dit is wat so wonderlik is...God se wil vir ons is om te besef ons is Sy kroonskepping en ons is geskep deur Hom, vir Hom. Reeds van die begin af, was dit Sy bedoeling dat Sy hele skepping hom moet verheerlik, nie net die hemelwesens om Sy troon, wat hom heeldag lofgesange en aanbidding toesing nie, maar alles wat Hy hier op aarde is geskep, is gemaak slegs vir daardie doel alleen. Kolossense 1:16 sê die volgende “Alle dinge is deur Hom en tot Hom Geskape.” (Ou Vertaling)

Jesus Christus, in Sy persoon, maak dit weer moontlik dat die skeiding tussen God (die hemel) en ons (die aarde), volkome oorbrug word, sodat God se wil en koninkryk ook op die aarde kan geskied, soos dit in die hemele is.

“Gee ons vandag ons daaglikse brood”

So twee weke terug(relatief gesproke toe ek besig was om hierdie paragraaf te skryf in my aanvanklike notas tot hierdie skryfstuk), het ek met Tannie Elmarie(ons gemeente se hoof-leraar se vrou), juis gesels oor die implikasie van die woorde “Gee ons vandag ons daaglikse brood.” Soos ek aanvanklik besef het, en so het ek Tannie Elmarie meegedeel,is dat eerstens wil die gedeelte vir ons sê, eerder herinner dat ons afhanklik is van God om ons van ons daaglikse brood te verskaf. My indrukke toe ek kleiner was, was dat God ons letterlik sal voorsien van brood, soos Hy gemaak het met die volk in die woestyn, maar daar is ’n definitiewe figuurlike aspek daaraan verbonde.

Figuurlik gesproke is dit ’n direkte verwysing na God wat voorsien in ons daaglikse behoeftes en dat ’n pleidooi en erkentenis van ons kant af is, dat ons God nodig het as deel van ons lewenswandel en dat ons afhanlik is van Sy genade alleen.

Met Jesus se leringe, wat beter bekend staan as die bergrede of die Bergpredikasie, sê-vra Jesus vir die skare, dat hoeveel ter meer sal God vir die mens nie sorg, om dat die mens meer as twee mossies werd is in God se oë, en selfs vir daardie twee mossies sorg God voor in Sy almag. (Matteus 10:29-31)

Later het Jesus vir dié wat hom in daardie stadium gevolg het geleer, dat die mens al sy bekommernisse op Hom moet werp(Matteus 11:28), want ons sal nie ’n dag bekom as ons onsself bekommer oor die dag van môre nie. (Matteus 6:28 – 34)

Geloof speel hier ’n belangrike rol, want jy het nodig om God blindelings te vertrou in Sy voorsiening. Dit is vir ons moeilik as mens om dié tree van geloof te vat, want ons is gemaklik met alles wat sigbaar en meetbaar is, ten opsigte van voorsiening van ons daaglikse brood. Hoeveel groter is die beloning nie, as ons net bloot in alle aspekte van ons lewens in afhanklikheid van God lewe. Dan sal ons werklik verstaan waaroor God se wil en koninkryk handel.

“En vergeef ons oortredinge, net soos ons die vergewe wat teen ons oortree.”

Oor vergifnis kan ’n mens ’n hele boek skryf (aanloklik), en ja, daar is toevallig alreeds ook al ’n Boek daaroor geskryf(en ook die liefde, wyshede, lofgesange, die skepping ... )

Op ’n onlangse kamp waarop ek was, het die spreker in een van sy sessies die vraag aangeraak wat nodig is in ’n verhouding en dinge wat nie behoort te wees in ’n verhouding nie. In die groepe was deugde soos liefde,vreedsaamheid,wedersydse respek,geduld en vertroue genoem, maar in die afwesigheid van deugde soos dié bogenoemde, kan ’n verhouding skeefloop. Die spreker het verder gegaan en die kerngedagte wat die spreker wou oorbring tot ons almal, was dat “vergifnis is die gom wat enige verhouding saambind.”

Om te vergewe beteken nie net om jou oortreding teenoor ’n ander persoon te bely nie, maar ook dat wat vergifnis geverg het, heeltemal vergete moet bly en nooit weer opgegrawe word nie. Met ander woorde, wees Jesus vir daardie persoon.

Jesus se voorbeeld van hoe Hy vergifnis hanteer word duidelik beklemtoon aan die woorde van Psalm 103:

“Barmhartig en genadig is die Here, lankmoedig en vol liefde. Hy sal ons ons sonde nie bly toereken nie en nie verewig toornig (kwaad) bly nie” (vers 8 en 9)
“So ver as wat die ooste van die weste af is, so verwyder Hy ons oortredings vanaf ons af” (Vers 12)

Nou die interessante ding oor vers twaalf is dat in die tydperk toe hierdie Psalm geskryf is, het die mensdom nog die denkwyse gehad dat die aarde plat is en dat as ’n mens te ver oor die rant sou gaan, dat jy sou afval – dus het hulle tot die slotsom gekom dat God die sondes van ons af wegvat so ver die westelike rant van die aarde vanaf die oostelike rant van die aarde af is.

Die teorie dat die aarde plat is, was tog nie so waterdig nie. In die tyd van die Renaissance het astronome en wetenskaplikes(en kunstenaars), soos Galileo, Kepler, Copernicus, Da Vinci, bepaal dat die aarde ’n sfeer is, wat effens afgeplat is by die pole. (en baie van hulle moes hul teorie ontken voor die kommissies en hofsake wat deur die Roomse Kerk, of wel as ketters uitgejou word en die nodige straf ontvang – gewoonlik baie menslik (brandstapels,tronkstraf ensovoorts), want God se kerk maak mos nie seer nie(?!))

Om weer terug te kom by vers 12 van Psalm 103. As ’n mens dus dié vers sou plaas in die konteks dat die aarde rond is(fisies bewys deur die ruimte - reise van die twintigste eeu), dan is dit onmoontlik om die ware verste moontlike punte van oos en wes te bepaal,(ons het lyne oor die aarde begin trek, maar dis maar ook net denkbeeldig) dan kom dit daarop neer dat God se vergifnis en genade soveel groter is as wat ons ooit onsself kan indink.

Om terug te kom by “vergewe ons soos ons dié vergewe wat teen ons oortree.” My eerste indruk as ek die bogenoemde aanhaling lees, is dat God ons sal vergewe soos ons ander vergewe. Vrymaking maak deel uit van die proses van vergifnis. Dus die manier hoe ons ander deur vergifnis vrymaak, sal God ook vrymaking in ons eie lewens bewerkstellig, om ons volkome te bevry van die kettings (skuldgevoelens, ensovoorts) wat ons weerhou om te lewe soos wat God ons bestem het om te lewe.

“Laat ons nie in die versoeking kom nie, maar verlos ons van die Bose”

Ek gaan hierdie gedeelte, wat in meeste manuskripte as die afsluiting van die “Onse Vader” gesien word,in twee gedeeltes deel, naamlik “Laat ons nie in die versoeking kom nie...” en “...maar verlos ons van die Bose.”.

As ’n mens die na gedeelte “Laat ons nie in die versoeking kom nie” van nader bekyk, herinner dit mens sterk aan die gedeelte in Jabes se gebed(1 Kronieke 4:10), naamlik “Weerhou hou my van die Bose.” Plaas ’n mens die twee gebede parallel aan mekaar, is daar nog gedagtes wat redelik met mekaar ooreenstem. Byvoorbeeld, in Jabes se gebed, spreek Jabes die volgende woorde: “Vergroot my grondgebied.” Dis amper soos die versoek, “laat U wil geskied”.

Laat ek verduidelik: As gevolg van God se wil wat in albei gebedsversoeke geskied ten opsigte van uitbreiding van grondgebied (die “Onse Vader” se “Laat U Koninkryk kom” en “Vergroot my grondgebied” van Jabes se gebed), kom dit in direkte konflik met die grondgebied wat die duiwel vir homself opgeëis het, na die sondeval. Sodra ons(en God) meer en meer in die duiwel se plekke van houvas binnedring en meer en meer kettings gebreek word, deur Jesus se bloed, hoe meer probeer die slang van ouds dit teenstaan.

Dus die rede vir die woorde “neem my onder U beskerm” (Jabes se gebed) en “En laat ons nie in die versoeking kom nie.” (Die “Onse Vader” – gebed), is ’n versoek van ons af aan God om ons te versterk teen enige vorm van aanvalle van die duiwel se kant af, sodat die duiwel nie ’n houvas in ons lewens kan verkry nie.

“Maar verlos ons van die Bose.” Die versoek is eerder ’n pleidooi van die kinders van God, dat as dit God se wil behaag, dat Hy hulle uit die wurggreep van die bose se magte en heerskappy oor hul lewens sal gryp. God se wil behaag dit wel, en gouer as wat die volgelinge van Jesus kon begryp...

In minder as drie jaar, nadat Jesus Sy volgelinge hierdie woorde leer bid het, hang Hy aan ’n kruis, en uiter ’n versoek aan Sy Vader in die Hemel, ’n pleidooi van vergifnis. Hy spreek die woorde “Vader vergewe hulle, want hulle weet nie wat hulle doen nie “ en dit vir ons elkeen se siel. Einde ten laaste, voordat Hy Sy laaste asem uitblaas, voltrek Hy die verlossingsplan van God met die woorde, “Dit is Volbring.”

God verhoor elke woord wat Jesus op daardie dag gespreek het en daar kom toe volkome verlossing vir die wêreld van die een wat hulle Satan of die duiwel noem. Op Golgotá word die beslissende prys van vrymaking van die hele mensdom betaal – vanuit die eeue oue verlede tot die voleinding van die wêreld. Die mens word op daardie oomblik volkome vry van sy sonde-kettings.

Mag ons, met Christus se wederkoms, saam met skare engele om Sy troon saam die volgende woorde besing:

“ Want aan U behoort die Koninkryk, die Krag en die Heerlikheid, tot in Ewigheid. Amen ”

Only time will tell

"Why are we so impatient when waiting in queue?".

This thought occurred to me this morning, while standing in a queue in a bank this morning.

I came to the conclusion, that even though we really think about it, our soul acknowledge the fact that time here on earth is so limited and death a real thing, each of us have a certain extend of uncertainty towards death itself.

While searching the net, i found the artwork on the right called "Carpe Diem"by the artist called Nanoo G. And in this image as you can see is a hand with sand running though its fingers. My interpretation of this artwork is that God is holding our life in His hand(the sand) and every moment more and more of the sand falls away - time that passes by. It is up to us to decide how we would live our life's, before it becomes dust and fades away.

So in a way, our soul is telling us - not by an audible voice, that we must seize every moment of every day!!!


Carpe Diem

Unmasking the Truth

Clowns. Somebody that might be hurting in the inside, whilst he is making the rest of world burst out in laughter. Have you ever thought that underneath all that facial masking, might be a different person, from the one we're seeing falling over her oversized shoes and that the face paint is just something superficial?

If I look a church (gathering) of Christian (followers of Christ), I see a lot of smiles and contentment amongst them, although there might be something lurking behind the sea of happy faces.

Like it or not, all of us sometimes put on a happy, my life-is great face, just to say to the rest of society everything is fine, and there is nothing missing in my life, that will make my life incomplete, even though my life might coming crashing down like the World Trade Centre over and over again!

I think the main reason why people put on these types of masks is that the rest of the world may see that Jack and Sarah are still in control of their different lives.

When you apply face paint, like people that is clowns, after a while, especially when it is hot outside and your facial skin starts excreting perspiration, the face paint starts to flake, causing the skin to itch, so much so much that you need to remove the facial mask of paint.

In real live, however, we as humans are stubborn beings. We want to wear the mask as long as possible, because we don’t want to let others see the flaws in our own life, because we are scared, to death even, that others might see our imperfect “face” and turn their backs on ourselves, just because the don’t like the real you.

“Incomparable, unchangeable, You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same …”

But the ironic part in it all is if you look at the previous quote from the song “Indescribable” by Chris Tomlin, is that God loves you with an everlasting love, and He knows the depths of your heart – so He sees through the “mask” you are trying to hide behind.

In Scripture, the psalm-writer says the following in Psalm 139:

“Oh Lord You have searched me and You know me. (Verse 1b)

“You are familiar with my ways.” (Verse 3b)

“For You created my inmost being” (Verse 13a)

Just reading the few verses from Psalm 139, as quoted above, myself and maybe you also, might be frightened, knowing that God knows your deepest fears, pains and sin – stuff you don’t want the rest of the world to know about. But knowing that God knows everything of you as a human can also bring freedom. You will be able to live a life, without worrying to keep your deepest secret a secret, because He knows it all.

In Psalm 139, there is also a plea from the psalm writer to God.

“Search me, O God and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way Everlasting.” (Verse 23-24)

In the last two verses of psalm the psalm writer sees himself in a mirror, and he is pleading to God to search him throughout, so that he with God’s help can know the way of Everlasting life.

And God did show the way. His Son, Jesus Christ became man, living amongst God’s creation, sacrificing himself, taking all the sin in the world – past, present and future on Himself, paying the wages of sin, thought His death on a cross. He rose from the grave three days later, overcoming sin and death forever.

Shortly before His death, Jesus spoke amongst other words these two quotes below:

“I am the Resurrection and the Truth” and “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”.

The significance to these two quotes is the two words in each of them “I AM”. It is told in the Old Testament, that when God met Moses at the burning bush, Moses asked God what he must tell the Israelites, if they asked him who has sent him. And God answered Moses “Tell the people that ‘I AM’ have sent you.”

Now Jesus calls Himself “I AM” in the two quotes mentioned earlier, publicly declaring that He is God.

My prayer this Easter (I’m writing this piece in the days before the commemoration of Jesus’ death and resurrection) is that you would let go of your masks and give all to Jesus, because He wants to set you free. His intention is to set you free from eternal death, by giving you the choice to choose Eternal Life.

In the Beginning God created human beings as the splendour of creation, giving humans the ability to make choices in life. God knew that bad choices (sin) will bring a great divide between humans and him.

The effect for our sin is eternal damnation to hell. But because he created the human race in His image, he had to put a plan in place, to save the human race from eternal death, even before satan came and tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. Satan tried various times to prevent God’s plan from succeeding. But not in his wildest dreams satan could comprehend that God will go so far as to send His Son on the ultimate rescue mission.

My friend, Jesus stepped down from His thrown in heaven, been born into a normal Jewish family. Being completely sinless, He made the choice to take the entire world’s sin – past, present and future on Himself, fully paying the wages of sin – death.

The final step in His rescue mission is that to overcome all the power of the authorities of hell, Jesus had to step down into the depths of hell, spending three days in hell, but getting the victory over all authority of hell and death through his resurrection, three days after He died.

May you fully understand the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection this Easter. May you make the choice to accept God’s free gift of Eternal Life by just believing in His Son, Jesus. May you grow closer in your relationship with God through Jesus as your Brother, Friend and ultimately as the Lord and Saviour over your life.

My Woorde

Woorde. Sommige kere so subtiel soos 'n sjokolade-truffel wat jy aan jou geliefde voer en dan stadig in haar mond wegsmelt. Maar woorde kan ook 'n storm in 'n koppie laat losbars, met Katrina se proporsies.

Allterasie en Assonansie - maniere hoe woorde kan vervleg word in 'n taaldans: Ritmies. Lewendig. Polsend.

Sommige mense sal van mening wees dat my skryfstukke effens ongestruktueerd is, meet geen kans dat dit voldoen aan die taalstruktuur van Standaard-Afrikaans( of Engels) nie!

My skryfstukke kan in dieselfde lig gesien word as 'n vrye vers. Per definisie is 'n vrye vers nie soseer gekoppel aan 'n vaste digstrukteer nie.

In daardie lig wissel my skryfstukke ook: paragrawe is nie ewe lank nie of sommige kere begin my sinne verkeerd, byvoorbeeld op 'want' en 'maar'.

Wat ek hiermee regkry, is om my woorde neer te pen, soos dit rondval in my gedagtes: ru en teer.

So, as julle nie hou van die manier hoe ek my tweetaligheid 'verkrag' nie, maak soos Kerkorrel sing in die laat 80's en vroeë 90's "SIT DIT AF, SIT DIT AF!"

Welcome to the planet ME

Why is it always that we tend to criticize the faults and the shortcomings of other people, and yet we do not attend to the "bad spots in our own life's?

In the Gospel according to Matthew, Matthew documents one of the teachings Jesus taught as part of the Sermon on the Mount.(I think it is called the Sermon on the mount, because of the location where Jesus taught the people - either a hillside or on top of a mountain.)In this teaching, Jesus says that we must attend to the beam in our own eye, before taking out the small splint in another person's eye.

You might have realized by now, that the the above-mentioned analogy Jesus has used in his day is something we are guilty of, even until this very day and age.

We tend to judge and compare people by looking by their outward appearances an comparing it again to the "good characteristics" of our selfs. So "I" became the measure of success, love life, social standing, fashion, etc.The world started to revolve around the planet called "I", and everything is being monopolized by "I".

We live in culture that celebrates self-centeredness, with self-gratification as the only need, it seems, to be satisfied every minute of every day.

I must admit, I am also guilty of being self-centered and selfish, and I know that through my selfish, self-centered actions, I have caused hurt to people surrounding me, I acted in a manner that God would see as sin and in the process, I hurt God as well.

As you might have noticed, love played a pertinent role in my previous posted blog-entries, especially a love for your neighbour. I think that is what Paul meant in the letter he wrote to the church in Philippi, where he urged them to put the needs and issues of other people in front of your own needs and desires.

How would the world look if we were not worried about 'me', but thinking of the person, that might be stuck in rush-hour traffic in the car next to you, that might be in the need of neighborly love, without your judgmental attitude towards them?

I want to leave you with a challenge: To love other people, with the love love you give to another,will reflect the following words of Scripture:

Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13:4 - 7, NIV

The human touch

The biggest killer on earth is not a disease like cancer, but the inability to be inspired by another human being.

If humans were not inspired by another human being, then life would be a living hell. Because any form of inspiration, causes a human to react in a way that could impact people surrounding them in a positive manner.

Words are the main medium of inspiration. It can be written or spoken. Also words can be unwritten or unspoken. The “unwritten” or “unspoken” I am referring to is the things you could do to inspire a person. I try to inspire other people surrounding me using both written and spoken word, but also deeds that might inspire them to make a difference in the world.

Did you know that just because of one person’s action, generation after generation has been saved because of his unselfish love for the human-kind? The same person was labeled peculiar by his own people! The person I am talking about is not just human, but also fully God.

His deeds did not just change parts of the Middle East and Turkey, but is still changing the world as we know it today, and will do the same into the future, until He comes back for a long visit, one or another time.

So, be ready to give up your “house”, because when He moves in, He will never leave! “Never” is a absolute never, not the type you will get at some marriage vows, just to find “never” being over before you can even say “happy 5^th anniversary!”.

But what is it about Him that inspired writers, artists, and for that matter, everyday people, to life their lives in a way that is totally different, than what the society would consider as normal. I know that He is the one whose example I want to live by.

I think the reason that I want to live my life in the same way as He did, have to do with the way He treated humans around Him. His compassionate eyes caused Him to weep, due to the suffering in this world, and unlike most of us, that struggle to do something about the suffering in the world, He did something.

With limited resources (2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread), He was able to feed over 5 000 adult men. (The amount of woman and children present at the specific occasion has not even been mentioned)

If you have not figured it out by now, the Person I am talking about is no one else than Jesus Christ. By many He has been seen as a religious nut of some sort, or even a fictional character in a mythical or cultural story-telling.

I believe that He is the King of kings and Lord of lords, and I have seen Him at work in my own life on several occasions, and that He manifested Himself to me in different ways.

During my life so far, I have been involved with three different motor-vehicle accidents, every time just walking away, with a bruise here and a scratch there. There has also been a incident during the course of last year, when a 18-wheeler, try and ran my bakkie (Pickup truck) off the road.

This is not really the point I am trying to make here, but it might be that you are starting to realize that there is a God and He is real. And that Jesus came to this earth to set me and you free.

The point I am trying to make, is that through my words and my actions, I want the world to know that He loves us with an Everlasting love.

Jesus said, just before He ascended into heaven on the clouds, that we must go to all the corners of the earth and make the people that we meet and interact with, His followers, teaching them also the things He taught when He walked the earth.

This includes the sermons on being humble, caring for one another, loving each other with a sacrificial love, a willingness to put another person’s life(and all aspects of that person’s life), before your own. And this does not mean to give another the permission to trample your life into the mud.

A certain aspect of putting another person’s life, before your own, is to stop looking down at other, thinking that certain character-traits of them are inferior to you, and also not to judge them, according to your standards. When Jesus walked the dusty roads of Judea, he treated the Pharisee and the Tax Collector the same, dying for them both on the cross.

I just realized that while I typing the couple paragraphs, before this one that everything Jesus did on this earth was never for Himself, but always, for the people he loved so much. And that through His human touch a lot people has been inspired to live their life’s differently and inspiring others to do the same. In the original Greek, inspiration means literary, “to be breathed upon”. And I believe that through my human touch, God will also breathe upon your heart today.

The Greatest Commandment

I have come to the conclusion that God still uses everyday people to answer life’s greatest conundrums and let His will be known for the world through these ‘everyday people’. (By everyday people, I mean the people that you would interact with everyday, like your family, friends, colleagues and other people that might cross your path.)

My story starts a week or so back, when I was in a battle with myself. Will I make a choice, based on the accepted norm of society within the teaching and morals of the church, or will I follow my heart’s desire.

I have to come out of the closet about something, not many of you might know: Two of my friends are lesbians. One of my lesbian friends I knew from the time that I was in my last year of school. Thus we have a friendship of over five years and it is still continuing. It was only when I was almost finish with my High School finals, that I suspected that she might be a lesbian.( I would soon enough find out that she was actually a lesbian)

The other friend I got to know through the friend I mentioned in the previous paragraph. I did, however saw her a lot of times before I was actually introduced to her, seeing that on several accounts, she was the waitress of my table in my favorite coffee shop. She and my other friend have been engaged since July of last year.

If you have not realized it by now, the battle I found myself in surrounds my two friends. Will I, like the most of the churchgoers take in the stand of rejection towards my two friends, because they are lesbians, and according to the Bible, homosexuality is an appalling sin, or will I hate the sin of homosexuality, but I will love the sinner.

Did Jesus, Himself go and gather with the people which the religious leaders of that time, rejected as ‘sinners’.

To come back to my story, I ask God to give a clear answer, what I must do. I pray to God for an answer, but God was silent to my request, or so I thought …

The next morning, my friend Chris, gave his departing sermon in church, before leaving for Port Shepstone, where he has been called to minister in the local Dutch Reformed Church.

His sermon was on the whole story surrounding the Pharisee and the tax-collector in the temple and how that the Pharisee prayed and thanked God that he is not like the tax-collector, whilst the tax-collector had a more simple request, that God will have mercy on him.

The point Chris wanted to bring across, is that all of us is sinners and fall short of God’s glory and that we can be only saved by God’s grace alone. And he left us with a straight-forward challenge: To accept God’s Saving Grace through Jesus Christ, and loving other people in the same way Jesus loved both the “sinners” and the “sinless”(Pharisees) of that time.

I also gained something from that sermon, God answer my question; I have struggled with during the previous 24 hours. I made the decision to accept my lesbian friends for who they are, and not throw away a friendship, because of the opinion o the church. I will love Lelanie and Haylee with the same compassion and love, Jesus had for the sinner of that day, and still have till this very day, and even beyond this moment in time.

After saying al of this, I decided to get out of the closet and declare that some of my friends are gay or lesbian, and I will not reject them, even if the church does not think likewise. I will love them as Jesus instructed me to do. Jesus gave the command “LOVE ONE ANOTHER!”