Ewald Schmidt

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV)

Paul teaches us that to follow Christ is a whole new life. The old foundations are not relevant any more. In Christ, every believer becomes a new person: God’s child. Forgiven – and free. But how does it change our lives? Paul teaches us about two simultaneous processes in our lives. In Ephesians 4:17, he calls it putting off our old self and putting on the new self.

The first signal of change in this new life is a process of releasing what is behind us. I am released from the sin of my past. Everybody has a history: every one of us has made mistakes along the path of life. When we are in Christ, we have already been forgiven, Romans 5:1 teaches us. Jesus came to heal broken people. He helps us to heal from the hurt of our past, with his mercy, we are being restored. He helps us to loosen the bonds of sin that have captured us – Hebrews 12:1-3 expounds on this. We are set free from our old way of thinking – of negative thoughts about ourselves and others.

But the new life in Christ is not only about all that we must stop doing. It gives us a new destination, a new goal in life. Paul uses an image from athletics. We are busy running the race of life, and we are heading towards the goal line. We are reaching out towards growth, towards life, and towards healing relationships. We are reaching out towards a life where we use our gifts, our time and our opportunities to the glory of God. We strive to finish well in the race of life.

The new life in Christ requires us to forget everything holding us back to live to his glory. It is to give your all – reaching the goal – to run a good race. It is celebrating victory over our failures, leaving mistakes behind. It is living with fresh grace every morning. It is a life of adventure in the Spirit, living and growing with Christ.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that you came to set us free from our past. Thank you for the grace of forgiven sins, of our hurts being healed and relationship being restored. Help us to forget things in our lives that do not glorify you, and to reach out to everything worthy of your glory. Help me to run a good race in life, to persevere until I reach the goal you set for me. Amen

 

 

Ewald Schmidt

“Broers, ek verbeel my nie dat ek dit alles al het nie. Maar een ding doen ek: ek maak my los van wat agter is en strek my uit na wat voor is. Ek span my in om by die wenstreep te kom, sodat ek die hemelse prys kan behaal waartoe God my geroep het in Christus Jesus.” Filippense 3: 13-14

Om Jesus as Here te ken, is 'n totaal nuwe lewe, sê Paulus. Die ou fondamente werk nie meer nie, die ou prestasies bevredig nie meer nie. In Christus is elke gelowige 'n nuwe mens. God se kind. Vrygespreek. Hoe raak dit ons lewens om Jesus te volg? Paulus verwys na twee gelyklopende prosesse in elke kind van die Here se lewe. In Efesiërs 4:17-24 noem hy dit die die afsterwe van die ou mens, en die opstanding van die nuwe mens.

Paulus sê: ek maak my los van wat agter is. Dis 'n bevrydende gedagte. Ek maak my los van die foute van my verlede. Elke mens het mos maar 'n geskiedenis agter ons, elkeen het foute langs die lewenspad gemaak. Ons is reeds vrygespreek, ons kan dit agter laat. Ons Here Jesus maak stukkende mense heel. Ons kan ook ons seer oorwin, met sy genade weer heel word. Ons maak los van die sonde wat ons verstrik het, soos die mooi beeld in Hebreërs 12:1-3 die lewenspad beskrywe. Ons maak los van ons ou manier van dink, ons negatiewe gedagtes oor onsself en ander.

Die nuwe lewe gaan egter nie net oor dit wat ons agter laat nie. In die plek daarvan kom die lewensreis saam met Jesus. Paulus gebruik die atletiekbeeld: ons is besig met 'n lewenswedloop, en ons reik uit na die wenstreep. Ons reik na groei, na nuwe, herstelde verhoudings. Ons reik uit na geloof, en hoop en liefde. Ons reik daarna om met ons lewe, ons gawes en geleenthede, God te vereer in alles wat ons doen. Ons strewe daarna om hierdie lewenswedloop so goed as moontlik te voltooi.

Die nuwe lewe in Christus is om los te maak van alles wat jou terughou om voluit te lewe. Dis om jou alles in te sit om die wenstreep te bereik, om 'n goeie wedloop te hardloop. Ons sit ons mislukkings agter ons. Ons lewe met vars genade. Die pad voor ons is 'n avontuur van lewe en groei saam met Jesus.

Gebed: Dankie Here, dat ons met u hulp al ons foute, al ons mislukkings, en al ons seer in die verlede kan agter laat. Dankie dat ons in U 'n nuwe mens is, wat elke dag met vars genade oorwinnend kan lewe. Help ons dan om met geloof en hoop die lewenspad voor ons saam met U aan te pak. Help ons om 'n goeie lewenswedloop te hardloop, tot u eer. Amen.

Ewald Schmidt

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Philippians 3:10-12 (NIV)

What is your deepest desire in life? What do you want to accomplish with the time you have been given on earth? Paul started this discussion by listing everything that was important to him in life. His nation, his tribe, his culture, his spirituality. His zeal to persecute the church of Christ. But none of those things had given him the sense that he was firmly grounded in life.

Everything in his life had changed the day he met Christ on the road to Damascus. When Jesus was busy with his ministry on earth, Paul was his enemy. He tried his best to eradicate the church from this world. He, like all Pharisees, would have known when Jesus had been executed on the cross. He would have rejoiced. What a shock it must have been to meet the risen Lord Jesus on that day, on the road to Damascus. It had shaken his life, it had smashed all the foundations Paul had been building his life on. It had changed his whole life. That is why he can testify: all I long for in life is to know Christ … It is the most important foundation of my being: to live in a relationship with the living Lord. He has given me hope, the power of the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is also working in me. It is worth sacrificing everything else, even to face persecution and death to follow Jesus.

Paul had found that Christ Jesus had taken hold of him. He gave Paul a new life. Paul now felt the need to change, to become the man that God has intended him to be. He wanted to grab hold of the new life in Christ, and live it to the full, to glorify God. May we, like Paul have that yearning and desire to proclaim, “I want to know Christ!”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I have the same desire as Paul has shared today. I want to know you! I want to experience the power of the Spirit, the power that raised you from the dead. I want to live a life that glorifies you, in all that I am, and all that I do. Thank you for giving me life! Amen

Ewald Schmidt

“Al wat ek wens, is om Christus te ken, die krag van sy opstanding te ondervind en deel te hê aan sy lyding deur aan Hom gelyk te word in sy dood, in die verwagting dat ek self deel sal hê aan die opstanding uit die dood.Ek sê nie dat ek dit alles al het of die doel al bereik het nie, maar ek span my in om dit alles myne te maak omdat Christus Jesus my reeds Syne gemaak het.” Filippense 3:10-12

Dit bly seker die diepste vraag van ons bestaan: wat is jou grootste behoefte in die lewe? Wat wil jy die heel graagste bereik met die tyd wat jou gegun word? Paulus het hierdie gedeelte begin deur alles te noem wat voorheen vir hom belangrik was. Sy volk, sy kultuur, sy opleiding en prestasies. En die weergawe van geloof wat hy eers probeer het, om deur wetsonderhouding vrede met God te probeer vind. Nie een van hierdie dinge het hom gebring by die antwoord waarom hy bestaan nie.

Alles het verander dié dag toe hy die lewende Here Jesus ontmoet het op die pad na Damaskus. Tydens Jesus se aardse bediening was Paulus sy vyand, hy het probeer om die vroeë kerk uit te roei. Paulus het geweet dat Jesus gekruisig is, die hele Israel, en veral die Fariseërs sou deeglik bewus wees daarvan. Om Jesus na sy dood as lewende Here persoonlik te ontmoet, het Paulus se ou fondamente onder hom uitgeruk. Dit het sy hele lewe verander. Daarom kan hy sê: Al wat ek wens, is om Christus te ken. Dit is die belangrikste ding in my bestaan: om in 'n verhouding met die lewende Here te lewe. Hy gee my hoop, die krag wat Hom uit die dood opgewek het, werk ook in my. EK wil die pad saam met Hom stap, al vra dit lyding in hierdie wêreld.

Paulus het ontdek Jesus het hom vrygemaak. Jesus het hom syne gemaak. Daarom wil hy word wat hy in Christus reeds is – God se kind. Hy span hom in om dit te bereik, om te verander, en nuut te word. Nie om gered te word nie, uit dankbaarheid vir die redding wat hy by Jesus gekry het. Dit bly die heel belangrikste fondament in elke gelowige se lewe: om Jesus te ken, en Hom te volg.

Gebed: Here Jesus, mag elke mens U as die lewende Here ontmoet. Mag ons beleef dat die Gees wat U uit die dood opgewek het, ook in ons werk om aan ons die ware lewe te bied. Mag ons soos Paulus uitkom by ons diepste begeerte, dat ons grootste wens in die lewe mag wees om U te ken, U te volg en U te dien. Daarin lê die ware lewe. Amen

Go to top