八福
溫柔不是甚麼？
經文
彼得前書三1-12
1你們作妻子的要順服自己的丈夫；這樣，若有不信從道理的丈夫，他們雖然不聽道，也可以因妻子的品行被感化過來；
2這正是因看見你們有貞潔的品行和敬畏的心。
3你們不要以外面的辮頭髮，戴金飾，穿美衣為妝飾，
4只要以裡面存著長久溫柔，安靜的心為妝飾；這在神面前是極寶貴的。
5因為古時仰賴神的聖潔婦人正是以此為妝飾，順服自己的丈夫，
6就如撒拉聽從亞伯拉罕，稱他為主。你們若行善，不因恐嚇而害怕，便是撒拉的女兒了。
7你們作丈夫的，也要按情理（原文是知識）和妻子同住；因他比你軟弱，（比你軟弱：原文作是軟弱的器皿）與你一同承受生命之恩的，所以要敬重他。這樣，便叫你們的禱告沒有阻礙。
8總而言之，你們都要同心，彼此體恤，相愛如弟兄，存慈憐謙卑的心。
9不以惡報惡，以辱罵還辱罵，倒要祝福；因你們是為此蒙召，好叫你們承受福氣。
10因為經上說：人若愛生命，願享美福，須要禁止舌頭不出惡言，嘴唇不說詭詐的話；
11也要離惡行善；尋求和睦，一心追趕。
12因為，主的眼看顧義人；主的耳聽他們的祈禱。惟有行惡的人，主向他們變臉。
信息分享
我們看到溫柔不是與生俱來的素質，它是屬靈的素質，因此所有基督徒都應該具有溫柔的品德。在過去幾天，我們討論了溫柔的重要性，看到它的一些本質；今天我們將繼續從另一個角度思想溫柔──溫柔不是甚麼？
首先，溫柔（或謙卑）不是懶惰。有些人似乎在屬靈上溫柔，但實際上完全不是這樣，而是他們很懶惰。再者，溫柔不是隨便的態度，就是在那些隨遇而安的人身上所看到的態度，那不是溫柔，而是軟弱。有些基督徒有一種隨意的表現，這很容易令人誤以為它就是耶穌在八福中提到的素質。
另外一種不應該和溫柔混淆的東西是友善。有些人天生友善。鍾馬田博士（Martyn Lloyd-Jones）這樣描述這類人：「天生友善是生物上的事情，是你在動物身上找到的東西。一隻狗比另一隻狗友善，一隻貓比另一隻貓友善。」還有，溫柔不是被動，或者渴望不惜一切代價去換取和平。那些認為凡事和平共處總比意見分歧好的人，往往被視為溫柔，其實這種被動的態度不能帶來精神和屬靈的健康。歷代以來最受神重用的男女都是溫柔但不軟弱的，他們是堅強但溫柔的人。他們有足夠的溫柔來領受神的豐盛。
「他們有足夠的溫柔來領受神的豐盛。」
進深研究
提後四1-16；詩三十七11，一四九4；賽二十九19
1. 保羅怎樣顯出溫柔？
2. 溫柔增加甚麼？
祈禱
天父，我知道我對溫柔需要有清晰和正確的認識。求您在我每天的思想上光照我。奉耶穌的名祈求，阿們。
The Beatitudes
What meekness is not
Bible reading:
1 Peter 3:1-12
1 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives,
2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.
3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.
4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands,
6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.
9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
10 For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.
11 They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."[a]
Message
We are seeing that meekness is not a natural quality, but a spiritual one, and by reason of this all Christians should possess it. Over the past couple of days we have examined the importance of meekness and seen something of its nature; today, we examine what meekness is not.
First, meekness (or humility) is not indolence. There are people who appear to be spiritually meek, but really they are not so at all - they are indolent. Again, meekness is not an easy-going type of attitude - the attitude seen in those who just take life as it comes. That is not meekness; that is flabbiness. There are some Christians who have such a casual air about them that one can easily mistake this for the quality which Jesus is referring to in .
Another thing that meekness ought not to be confused with is niceness. There are people who are nice by nature. Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones said of such people: "Natural niceness is something biological, the kind of thing you get in animals. One dog is nicer than another, one cat nicer than another." Finally, meekness is not passivity, or a desire to obtain peace at any price. How often is the person regarded as meek who adopts the attitude that anything is better than a disagreement. This is the kind of passivity which does not make for good mental or spiritual health. The most greatly used men and women of God down the ages have been people who were meek without being weak - strong men and women, yet meek men and women. They were meek enough to absorb the resources of God.
"They were meek enough to absorb God's resources"
Prayer
O Father, I see that so much depends on my understanding of what meekness really is. I pray yet again for Your continuing light to be shed around me as I pursue these thoughts day by day. I ask this in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Further study
2 Timothy 4:1-16
Psalm 37:11; 149:4
Isaiah 29:19
1. How did Paul display meekness?
2. What does meekness increase?
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