從迷惘到信靠
為甚麼將神放在首位？
經文
出埃及記二十1-17
1神吩咐這一切的話說：
2我是耶和華─你的神，曾將你從埃及地為奴之家領出來。
3除了我以外，你不可有別的神。
4不可為自己雕刻偶像，也不可作甚麼形像彷彿上天、下地，和地底下、水中的百物。
5不可跪拜那些像，也不可事奉他，因為我耶和華你的神是忌邪的神。恨我的，我必追討他的罪，自父及子，直到三四代；
6愛我、守我誡命的，我必向他們發慈愛，直到千代。
7不可妄稱耶和華你神的名；因為妄稱耶和華名的，耶和華必不以他為無罪。
8當記念安息日，守為聖日。
9六日要勞碌作你一切的工，
10但第七日是向耶和華你神當守的安息日。這一日你和你的兒女、僕婢、牲畜，並你城裡寄居的客旅，無論何工都不可作；
11因為六日之內，耶和華造天、地、海，和其中的萬物，第七日便安息，所以耶和華賜福與安息日，定為聖日。
12當孝敬父母，使你的日子在耶和華─你神所賜你的地上得以長久。
13不可殺人。
14不可姦淫。
15不可偷盜。
16不可作假見證陷害人。
17不可貪戀人的房屋；也不可貪戀人的妻子、僕婢、牛驢，並他一切所有的。
信息分享
我們說過如果懂得將自己的疑問、恐懼、疑惑都帶到神的面前，在信心的禱告中與神傾訴，那麼教會的問題會減少，同時也會削減個人輔導的需求量。
我們也說過，這並非意味輔導的事工沒有份量，正如聖經清楚表明，輔導在每間基督教會裡面都應該扮演重要的角色：「弟兄們，我自己也深信，你們是滿有良善，充足了諸般的知識，也能彼此勸戒」（羅十五14）。有的時候，雖然我們向神說出了困難和疑惑，但是我們所需要的引導和亮光不一定會直接來自神那裡，而可能是來自牧者、朋友或輔導員的話語。
我的意思是，我們必須先學會如何與神傾訴，然後才與別人對話，這是一個屬靈原則。為甚麼是這麼重要呢？因為我們屬靈的倚靠必須植根於神而不是於人。我們很容易脫離對神的倚靠，所以任何導致這種脫離的事情都是我們必須加以抗拒的。我們要知道罪的本質是甚麼？那不是顯而易見的嗎？人總是自己尋求解決困難的方法，而不是去尋求、明白神對困難的看法。當然，如果是神清楚地指示我們向祂家庭的另一個成員找尋幫助或建議的話，那當然無可厚非，只是，我們倚靠的根源必須牢牢地固定在神身上。
「找尋自己解決問題的方法，是犯罪的訊號」
進深研究
詩二十七1-14；何二6；賽八17
1. 詩人的勸誡是甚麼？
2. 你有多經常地「等候」耶和華？
祈禱
神啊，求您打開我心靈的眼睛，讓我看到以自己或以別人為中心的危險性。要從迷惘走到信靠，必須以您為中心。求您幫助我時時刻刻以您為主。阿們。
From Confusion to Confidence
Why put God first?
Bible reading:
Exodus 20:1-17
1 And God spoke all these words:
2 "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 "You shall have no other gods before[a] me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.
11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
13 "You shall not murder.
14 "You shall not commit adultery.
15 "You shall not steal.
16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
Message
We are saying that if we would learn to bring our doubts, our fears and our confusion to God and talk to Him about them in believing prayer, there would be fewer problems in the Church and less need for personal counselling.
This does not mean, as we said, that the ministry of counselling is invalid for, as Scripture clearly shows, it ought to play a vital part in every Christian congregation: "I am satisfied about you, my brethren, that you yourselves are rich in goodness, amply filled with all spiritual knowledge and competent to admonish and counsel and instruct one another also" (Rom. 15:14, Amplified Bible). There will be times when, even though we have spoken to God about our problems and our confusion, the guidance and enlightenment we need will come not directly from Him but through the lips of a minister, a friend or a counsellor.
The point I am making is that we must learn the spiritual principle of having a dialogue with God before we enter into a dialogue with anyone else. Why is this so important? Because our spiritual dependence must be rooted in God and not in anyone else. It is so easy to move away from a sense of dependence on God, and anything that contributes to that must be resisted. After all, what is the essence of sin? Is it not independence - man seeking to find his own solutions to his problems rather than discovering God's perspective on them? Of course, if God directs us to another member of His family for help and advice, then fine. The roots of our dependence, however, must be firmly fixed in Him.
"Seeking our own solutions is a sign of sinful independence"
Prayer
O God, open my eyes to see the dangers of being centred in myself or in others. If I am to move , then I must be centred in You. Help me make You the centre of my life - today and every day. Amen.
Further study
Psalm 27:1-14
Hosea 12:6
Isaiah 8:17
1. What is the admonition of the Psalmist?
2. How often do you "wait" on the Lord?
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