八福
邁向成熟
經文
詩篇一三九1-24
1（大衛的詩，交與伶長。）耶和華啊，你已經鑒察我，認識我。
2我坐下，我起來，你都曉得；你從遠處知道我的意念。
3我行路，我躺臥，你都細察；你也深知我一切所行的。
4耶和華啊，我舌頭上的話，你沒有一句不知道的。
5你在我前後環繞我，按手在我身上。
6這樣的知識奇妙，是我不能測的，至高，是我不能及的。
7我往哪裡去躲避你的靈？我往哪裡逃、躲避你的面？
8我若升到天上，你在那裡；我若在陰間下榻，你也在那裡。
9我若展開清晨的翅膀，飛到海極居住，
10就是在那裡，你的手必引導我；你的右手也必扶持我。
11我若說：黑暗必定遮蔽我，我周圍的亮光必成為黑夜；
12黑暗也不能遮蔽我，使你不見，黑夜卻如白晝發亮。黑暗和光明，在你看都是一樣。
13我的肺腑是你所造的；我在母腹中，你已覆庇我。
14我要稱謝你，因我受造，奇妙可畏；你的作為奇妙，這是我心深知道的。
15我在暗中受造，在地的深處被聯絡；那時，我的形體並不向你隱藏。
16我未成形的體質，你的眼早已看見了；你所定的日子，我尚未度一日（或譯：我被造的肢體尚未有其一），你都寫在你的冊上了。
17神啊，你的意念向我何等寶貴！其數何等眾多！
18我若數點，比海沙更多；我睡醒的時候，仍和你同在。
19神啊，你必要殺戮惡人；所以，你們好流人血的，離開我去吧！
20因為他們說惡言頂撞你；你的仇敵也妄稱你的名。
21耶和華啊，恨惡你的，我豈不恨惡他們嗎？攻擊你的，我豈不憎嫌他們嗎？
22我切切地恨惡他們，以他們為仇敵。
23神啊，求你鑒察我，知道我的心思，試煉我，知道我的意念，
24看在我裡面有甚麼惡行沒有，引導我走永生的道路。
信息分享
好了，現在讓我們繼續思考處理負面情緒的正確方法。昨天我們說處理受傷害情緒的兩種錯誤方法──否認和表達。否認是將情緒積壓在自己內心深處，而表達是將它們拋給別人或其他事物。我認為兩者都不是符合聖經所教導處理負面情緒的方法。事實上，一些心理學家近年的研究顯示，不受控制地表達負面情緒可能加重而不是清除個人情緒上的困難。
我認為正確，以及合乎聖經的處理負面情緒的方式，是在神面前完全承認、並讓祂分擔我們的感受。請清楚理解我所說的話，因為很多人以為這意味著，當我們在受到傷害或哀傷時，便要來到神面前說：「主啊，我感到受傷，求您赦免。」我不是這意思。有一位基督徒心理學家提出一個很重要的原則，他說：「受到傷害的時候不要假裝痛悔。」
當我們的胃因為哀傷、傷痛或傷害而攪動時，我們必須來到那看到和明白一切的神面前，這樣禱告：「主啊，現在我受到傷害，比我認為自己能夠忍受的更甚。我想呼喊，逃走或打人。我不願意有這樣的感覺，親愛的主，但我確實有這股衝動。感謝您按我的本相愛我。求您幫助我以榮耀您、以及尊重您名字的方式來處理我的感受。」當我們作這樣的禱告，並且是真心誠意地禱告的時候，我們就是在邁向成熟。
「來到那知道一切的神面前」
進深研究
詩五十一1-19，六十九1-36，四十六1-11
1. 大衛怎樣處理自己的感受？
2. 寫一首短詩表達你此刻內心的真實感受。
祈禱
天父，求您幫助我不是單單聽到今天的訊息而不實踐，而是能夠在日常的基督徒生活中真實的行出來。奉主耶穌寶貴的名字和榮耀祈求，阿們。
The Beatitudes
Moving toward maturity
Bible reading:
Psalm 139:1-24
1 You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.
19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Message
We continue meditating on the right way to handle our negative feelings. We said yesterday that the two wrong ways to handle hurting emotions are to deny them or express them. Denial pushes them down inside us, while expression dumps them on to other people or things. Neither of these, in my view, is a Biblical way of dealing with negative emotions. In fact, recent research by some psychologists shows that the uncontrolled expression of negative feelings can compound, rather than clear up, one's emotional difficulties.
In my judgement, the correct and Biblical way to handle negative emotions is to acknowledge them fully before God and share with Him how we feel. Now understand clearly what I am saying, for at this point many have responded to this advice by coming to God when they are hurt or sorrowful and saying: "Lord, please for- give me for feeling hurt." That misses the point entirely. A Christian psychologist puts the issue most effectively when he says: "We are not to pretend that we feel penitent when we feel hurt."
When our stomachs are churning with grief, sorrow or hurt, we must come before the One who sees and knows everything, and pray a prayer something like this: "Lord, right now I am hurting more than I think I can endure. I feel like screaming, running away or hitting somebody. I don't want to feel like this, dear Lord - but I do. Thank You for loving me as I am. Help me now to handle my feelings in a way that glorifies You and honours Your Name." When we pray a prayer like that - and mean it - we are on the way to maturity.
"Come before the One who knows everything"
Prayer
O Father, help me not just to receive this concept into my mind and do nothing about it, but enable me to put it to work in my daily Christian living. I ask this for the honour and glory of Your peerless and precious Name. Amen.
Further study
Psalm 51:1-19; 69:1-36; 46:1-11
1. How did David deal with his feelings?
2. Write a short Psalm expressing your true feelings.
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