新視域的力量
上到這個層次來

經文
彌迦書四6-13
6耶和華說:到那日,我必聚集瘸腿的,招聚被趕出的和我所懲治的。
7我必使瘸腿的為餘剩之民,使趕到遠方的為強盛之民。耶和華要在錫安山作王治理他們,從今直到永遠。
8你這羊群的高臺、錫安城(原文是女子)的山哪,從前的權柄─就是耶路撒冷民(原文是女子)的國權─必歸與你。
9現在你為何大聲哭號呢?疼痛抓住你彷彿產難的婦人,是因你中間沒有君王嗎?你的謀士滅亡了嗎?
10錫安的民(原文是女子)哪,你要疼痛劬勞,彷彿產難的婦人;因為你必從城裡出來,住在田野,到巴比倫去。在那裡要蒙解救;在那裡耶和華必救贖你脫離仇敵的手。
11現在有許多國的民聚集攻擊你,說:願錫安被玷污!願我們親眼見他遭報!
12他們卻不知道耶和華的意念,也不明白他的籌劃。他聚集他們,好像把禾捆聚到禾場一樣。
13錫安的民(原文作女子)哪,起來踹穀吧!我必使你的角成為鐵,使你的蹄成為銅。你必打碎多國的民,將他們的財獻與耶和華,將他們的貨獻與普天下的主。
信息分享
昨天我們結束時說:「生命的問題和困難基本上全都是屬靈的。」這究竟是甚麼意思?讓我們再次來思想詩篇七十三篇詩人的問題。他對自己說:「為甚麼神容許不敬虔的人興盛,敬虔的人卻要經歷重大考驗和艱辛?」他嘗試去了解神的方法,但是感到相當困難。
這個問題只有一個答案,就是在以賽亞書五十五章8節:「耶和華說,我的意念非同你們的意念;我的道路非同你們的道路。」無論我們怎麼理解神的道路,這些經文給我們最終的答案是:全能者的行動是高過並且超過我們所能理解的。這就彷彿神在對我們說:「你們不能以自然的眼光來看待我的道路,否則便會感到迷惘失措。我的行動高過自然的層次,你們若想明白我,就必須也上到這個層次來。」
不過,哪怕是一些資深的基督徒,都往往會堅持以自然的方式來面對生命的境況。自然思想和屬靈思想的分別是天和地之間的區別。當我們對生命的處境感到迷惘時,第一件要做的事情是問自己:「我是以自然的還是屬靈的角度來看這件事呢?我有沒有不自覺地回到自然的思想方式去?」我們越學會以屬靈的角度來思考生命的問題,就越不會感到困惑。
「我的意念非同你們的意念」
進深研究
羅八1-6;箴十二5;腓四8
1. 由聖靈控制的思想帶來甚麼?
2. 我們應當思想甚麼事情?
祈禱
天父,我需要採納和實踐很多屬靈的方法,但沒有一樣比配合您的思想和目的更重要。求您幫助我能夠上到您思想的層次去。奉耶穌的名求,阿們。
The Power of a New Perspective
"Come up on this level too"

Bible reading:
Micah 4:6-13
6 "In that day," declares the Lord, "I will gather the lame; I will assemble the exiles and those I have brought to grief.
7 I will make the lame my remnant, those driven away a strong nation. The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion from that day and forever.
8 As for you, watchtower of the flock, stronghold[a] of Daughter Zion, the former dominion will be restored to you; kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem."
9 Why do you now cry aloud—have you no king[b]? Has your ruler[c] perished, that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?
10 Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you must leave the city to camp in the open field. You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued. There the Lord will redeem you out of the hand of your enemies.
11 But now many nations are gathered against you. They say, "Let her be defiled, let our eyes gloat over Zion!"
12 But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 "Rise and thresh, Daughter Zion, for I will give you horns of iron; I will give you hooves of bronze, and you will break to pieces many nations." You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
Message
Yesterday we ended with the statement: "Ultimately, the problems and difficulties of life are all spiritual." What exactly does this mean? Reflect again on the psalmist's problem. He says to himself: "Why does God allow the ungodly to prosper and the godly to go through great trials and tribulations?" He has trouble as he tries to understand God's ways.
Now there is really only one answer to this problem, and it is found in Isaiah 55:8: " 'My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord." Whatever we might think about the ways of God, these words give us the ultimate answer - the Almighty acts in ways that are above and beyond our comprehension. It is as if God is saying: "When you look at My ways you must not approach them on a natural level, because if you do you will be baffled and overwhelmed. I act on a higher level than the natural, and if you want to understand Me, then you must come up on this level too."
How often, however, we persist in thinking naturally about life's situations - even those of us who have been in the Christian life for many years. The difference between natural thinking and spiritual thinking is the difference between heaven and earth. The very first thing we must do when we are baffled by some circumstance in our lives, is say to ourselves: "Am I approaching this on a natural level or a spiritual level? Have I reverted unconsciously to my natural way of thinking about these things." The more we learn to think spiritually about life's problems, the less perplexed we will be.
"My thoughts are not your thoughts"
Prayer
Father, I need to adopt and practise many spiritual methods, but none is as important as that which aligns me to Your thoughts and purposes. Help me come up higher - to Your level of thinking. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Further study
Romans 8:1-6
Proverbs 12:5
Philippians 4:8
1. What does a mind controlled by the Spirit bring?
2. What things are we to think about?
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