八福
我們為甚麼會憤怒？
經文
哥林多前書九15-27
15但這權柄我全沒有用過。我寫這話，並非要你們這樣待我，因為我寧可死也不叫人使我所誇的落了空。
16我傳福音原沒有可誇的，因為我是不得已的。若不傳福音，我便有禍了。
17我若甘心作這事，就有賞賜；若不甘心，責任卻已經託付我了。
18既是這樣，我的賞賜是甚麼呢？就是我傳福音的時候叫人不花錢得福音，免得用盡我傳福音的權柄。
19我雖是自由的，無人轄管；然而我甘心作了眾人的僕人，為要多得人。
20向猶太人，我就作猶太人，為要得猶太人；向律法以下的人，我雖不在律法以下，還是作律法以下的人，為要得律法以下的人。
21向沒有律法的人，我就作沒有律法的人，為要得沒有律法的人；其實我在神面前，不是沒有律法；在基督面前，正在律法之下。
22向軟弱的人，我就作軟弱的人，為要得軟弱的人。向甚麼樣的人，我就作甚麼樣的人。無論如何，總要救些人。
23凡我所行的，都是為福音的緣故，為要與人同得這福音的好處。
24豈不知在場上賽跑的都跑，但得獎賞的只有一人？你們也當這樣跑，好叫你們得著獎賞。
25凡較力爭勝的，諸事都有節制，他們不過是要得能壞的冠冕；我們卻是要得不能壞的冠冕。
26所以，我奔跑不像無定向的；我鬥拳不像打空氣的。
27我是攻克己身，叫身服我，恐怕我傳福音給別人，自己反被棄絕了。
信息分享
我們要接著昨天的討論，繼續思考「我們所做的一切都有目標」的這個觀念。事實上，我們在生命中所經歷的大部分挫折，都是來自錯誤的目標，以及目標的障礙。讓我解釋一下，回想你上次感到憤怒的時候，你只要能夠找出你當時的目標，以及是甚麼阻擋你達到目標，你就可以找到導致你憤怒和沮喪的線索。
有人曾經問我能否解釋一下，是甚麼東西導致他的怒氣那麼激烈。我很快便清楚指出他的憤怒是因為目標受到阻擋。他生命中的目標是賺錢。他爭辯說：「如果我可以賺到很多錢，那麼大家都會視我為一個成功和重要的人物。」當他這個目標遇上障礙時──例如他太太堅持要他減少花在處理業務上的時間──他便會大發脾氣。
我告訴他處理憤怒的方法，是建立一個沒有人能夠阻礙的目標。但那是甚麼目標？那就是討主喜悅的目標。最初他很抗拒這個說法，但當他明白自己生命中的目標並不合乎聖經，而他的憤怒是源自別人攔阻了他那不合乎聖經的目標之後，他重新向神委身，找到了喜樂和釋放。從那時開始，他的目標不再是賺錢，而是如何討神喜悅。我必須重申，想賺錢並沒有甚麼不對，因為那是人類普遍的渴望，不過它只能是渴望，永遠都不能成為你真正的目標。
「以討神喜悅作為你生命的目標」
進深研究
雅一9-20；詩三十七8；箴十四17，十六32
1. 沒有耐性的人做些甚麼？
2. 誰會「得到城池」？
祈禱
慈愛的天父啊，求您幫助我永遠不將人類普遍的渴望變成生命的目標。救我脫離追求不合乎聖經的目標，引導我朝向唯一能夠釋放我的真理走去。奉耶穌的名祈求，阿們。
The Beatitudes
Why we get angry
Bible reading:
1 Corinthians 9:15-27
15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast.
16 For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.
18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.
19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.
21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law.
22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.
23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.
27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Message
We continue meditating on the idea that everything we do represents a goal. In fact, most of the frustration we experience in life comes from wrong goals and blocks to those goals. Let me illustrate. Cast your mind back to the last time you were angry. If you can identify your goal and what blocked your goal, then you have the clue to what produced your anger and frustration.
A man once asked me if I could explain what caused his deep-seated anger. It soon became apparent that his anger was due to a blocked goal. His goal in life was to make money. He reasoned: "If I can make plenty of money, then everyone will see that I am a successful and important person. When he encountered blocks to this goal, such as his wife's insistence that he cut down on the amount of time he was spending in his business, he would erupt in anger.
I pointed out that the way to deal with the anger was to establish a goal that no-one could block. And what was that? To please the Lord. He resisted that idea at first, but when he came to realise that his goal in life was unbiblical and that his anger resulted from others blocking his unbiblical goal, he made a new commitment to God and found happiness and release. From then on his goal was not to make money, but to please the Lord. I hasten to point out that there is nothing wrong with wanting to make money - it is a legitimate human desire - but it must remain a desire and never become a goal.
"Make it your life goal to please the Lord"
Prayer
O God my gracious Father, help me never to turn what can be a legitimate human desire into a life goal. Save me from pursuing unbiblical objectives, and guide me toward the truth which alone can make me free. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Further study
James 1:9-20
Psalm 37:8
Proverbs 14:17; 16:32
1. What does an impatient man do?
2. Who will "take the city"?
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