害怕死去的麥子
假定與信心
經文
詩篇三十七1-26
1（大衛的詩。）不要為作惡的心懷不平，也不要向那行不義的生出嫉妒。
2因為他們如草快被割下，又如青菜快要枯乾。
3你當倚靠耶和華而行善，住在地上，以他的信實為糧；
4又要以耶和華為樂，他就將你心裡所求的賜給你。
5當將你的事交託耶和華，並倚靠他，他就必成全。
6他要使你的公義如光發出，使你的公平明如正午。
7你當默然倚靠耶和華，耐性等候他；不要因那道路通達的和那惡謀成就的心懷不平。
8當止住怒氣，離棄忿怒；不要心懷不平，以致作惡。
9因為作惡的必被剪除；惟有等候耶和華的必承受地土。
10還有片時，惡人要歸於無有；你就是細察他的住處也要歸於無有。
11但謙卑人必承受地土，以豐盛的平安為樂。
12惡人設謀害義人，又向他咬牙。
13主要笑他，因見他受罰的日子將要來到。
14惡人已經弓上弦，刀出鞘，要打倒困苦窮乏的人，要殺害行動正直的人。
15他們的刀必刺入自己的心；他們的弓必被折斷。
16一個義人所有的雖少，強過許多惡人的富餘。
17因為惡人的膀臂必被折斷；但耶和華是扶持義人。
18耶和華知道完全人的日子；他們的產業要存到永遠。
19他們在急難的時候不致羞愧，在饑荒的日子必得飽足。
20惡人卻要滅亡。耶和華的仇敵要像羊羔的脂油（或譯：像草地的華美）；他們要消滅，要如煙消滅。
21惡人借貸而不償還；義人卻恩待人，並且施捨。
22蒙耶和華賜福的必承受地土；被他咒詛的必被剪除。
23義人的腳步被耶和華立定；他的道路，耶和華也喜愛。
24他雖失腳也不至全身仆倒，因為耶和華用手攙扶他（或譯：攙扶他的手）。
25我從前年幼，現在年老，卻未見過義人被棄，也未見過他的後裔討飯。
26他終日恩待人，借給人；他的後裔也蒙福！
信息分享
今天我們會思想神設置在金錢上的第二個目的，就是肯定祂在我們生命中那充滿愛的引導。神要使用金錢，不論是足夠或缺乏，來確認祂在我們生命中所作出的許多決定裡、都有祂的指示和引導。我經常會遇到一些基督徒，他們告訴我，在屬靈生命的進程裡，最大的功課是在神賜予或不賜予金錢時，懂得如何學習辨別神的引導。
好些年前，一位牧者與我談及他怎樣求神在執行某個計劃中引導他，可是他的禱告是：「主啊，請給我這項事工所需的金錢，否則的話事情沒有辦法完成。」結果因為沒錢，那位牧者只好向人借錢來執行那個計劃。但是幾個星期以後，計劃出現了嚴重的困難，他被迫宣告破產。
我對他說：「你知道是甚麼令你在神沒有提供金錢的情況下仍然繼續往前走嗎？」他停了幾分鐘後含著眼淚回答：「我沒有掌握好假定和信心之間的分別。」我問：「那分別是甚麼呢？」他回答說：「信心是相信神透過我們來實現祂的計劃；假定是我們自己決定想要實現甚麼，並認為那是神的心意，要神在這事上幫助我們。」
我們總是很輕易地宣稱基督是我們生命的主，但正如有人這麼說：「我們惟有完全順服基督在我們日常生活的決定上所作的推動或限制，這樣才是真正的尊祂為主。」
「金錢的賞賜與否，其中都有神的引導」
進深研究
詩四十六1-11，四十1；賽二十六8
1. 我們可以怎樣認識神？
2. 你今天會花多少時間等候神？
祈禱
我的主、我的神，您知道每當我以為您沒有馬上行動的時候，我就會「催促」您。求您幫助我對於聖靈的工作有敏銳的判斷力，也理解您在我生命中所設置的限制。奉主耶穌的名祈求。阿們。
The Corn of Wheat Afraid to Die
Presumption versus faith
Bible reading:
Psalm 37:1-26
1 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
16 Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The blameless spend their days under the Lord's care, and their inheritance will endure forever.
19 In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20 But the wicked will perish: Though the Lord's enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;
22 those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed.
23 The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.[b]
Message
We look now at God's second purpose for money: to confirm His loving direction in our lives. God will use the supply of money or the lack of it to confirm His direction and guidance for many of the decisions we make in our lives. I constantly meet Christians who tell me that one of the biggest lessons they have learned in the Christian life is that of discerning God's guidance through His giving or His withholding of money.
Some years ago, a minister shared with me how he had asked God to guide him over a certain project, and part of his prayer, he said, went like this: "Lord, give me the money to do this, or else it just cannot be done." The money didn't come, so the minister went ahead and borrowed money for the project. A few weeks later, the project got into difficulties and he was declared bankrupt.
I said to him: "Do you know what made you go ahead even though God did not provide the money?" He paused for a few minutes, and said with tears in his eyes: "I had not then learned the difference between presumption and faith." "What is the difference?" I asked. He replied: "Faith is trusting God to achieve His purposes through us, presumption is deciding what we want to accomplish and trying to get God to do it for us." It is so easy to claim that Christ is Lord of our lives, but, as someone put it: "His Lordship is only confirmed when we are obedient to the promptings and limitations which He places on our daily decisions."
"God gives or withholds money to guide us"
Prayer
My Lord and my God, You know my proneness to "nudge" You when I don't think You are working things out right. Make me sensitive to the promptings of Your Spirit and the limitations that You set upon my life. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
Further study
Psalm 46:1-11; 40:1
Isaiah 26:8
1.How can we know God?
2. How much time will you spend waiting on Him today?
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