害怕死去的麥子
先見見喬太太
經文
約翰福音四27-42
27當下門徒回來，就希奇耶穌和一個婦人說話；只是沒有人說：你是要甚麼？或說：你為甚麼和他說話？
28那婦人就留下水罐子，往城裡去，對眾人說：
29你們來看！有一個人將我素來所行的一切事都給我說出來了，莫非這就是基督嗎？
30眾人就出城，往耶穌那裡去。
31這其間，門徒對耶穌說：拉比，請吃。
32耶穌說：我有食物吃，是你們不知道的。
33門徒就彼此對問說：莫非有人拿甚麼給他吃嗎？
34耶穌說：我的食物就是遵行差我來者的旨意，作成他的工。
35你們豈不說到收割的時候還有四個月嗎？我告訴你們，舉目向田觀看，莊稼已經熟了（原文是發白），可以收割了。
36收割的人得工價，積蓄五穀到永生，叫撒種的和收割的一同快樂。
37俗語說：那人撒種，這人收割，這話可見是真的。
38我差你們去收你們所沒有勞苦的；別人勞苦，你們享受他們所勞苦的。
39那城裡有好些撒瑪利亞人信了耶穌，因為那婦人作見證說：他將我素來所行的一切事都給我說出來了。
40於是撒瑪利亞人來見耶穌，求他在他們那裡住下，他便在那裡住了兩天。
41因耶穌的話，信的人就更多了，
42便對婦人說：現在我們信，不是因為你的話，是我們親自聽見了，知道這真是救世主。
信息分享
讓我們繼續來默想關於孤單的真理──生命中最大的孤單就是「一粒麥子害怕死去」的那種孤單。
有一個來自中國的故事，講述一位年輕女士喬太太有一天到山上去禱告。沒多久主開始讓她看到，主在她生命中的計劃和她自己的方向不同。她於是納悶的呼喊：「主啊，您為甚麼總要按您的意思做呢？何不改變一下也聽聽我的吧！」主溫柔地對她的內心細說：「孩子，並非你的意思不對，不過我的意思是最好的。」她於是降服於神的旨意底下，當她離開時耳邊響起這麼一句話：「你是屬於那些失望和心碎的人，他們要在鐵路的轉彎處結束自己的生命。」
這個信息令她感到非常困惑，她於是四處查詢，最後發現她所居住的城外，在一條鐵路的轉彎處，確實經常有人在那兒自殺，他們從懸崖跳到下面的溝谷裡去。於是，她在那裡豎起了一塊木板，上面寫著：「不要這樣做，先去見見喬太太吧。神愛你！」她並且把自己的地址也寫在上面。那塊木板豎起的第一天，就有幾個人因為看到木板上的信息而來敲她的門。她92歲的時候「被接到榮耀中」，那時她已挽救了五千個打算自殺的人。她向自己的慾望死去，走上了神的道路──做一粒落在地裡的麥子死了，於是便結出百倍的子粒來。這是不變的真理。
「神的道路帶來百倍的收成」
進深研究
腓三1-21；箴二十三26；羅十二1
1. 保羅的態度怎麼樣？
2. 他如何實行出來？
祈禱
天父，求您幫助我不要固執於自己的計劃，以致被困於自我之中。我想與您同工，但不是單靠自己。我知道唯有與您同行我才能夠做您想要我做的事情。求您幫助我，奉耶穌的名祈求，阿們。
The Corn of Wheat Afraid to Die
"See Mrs Noby Jo first"
Bible reading:
John 4:27-42
27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?"
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,
29 "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?"
30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something."
32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about."
33 Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?"
34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
35 Don't you have a saying, 'It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.
36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.
37 Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true.
38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did."
40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.
41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."
Message
We continue meditating on the thought that the greatest loneliness is that of a "corn of wheat afraid to die".
A story from China tells how a young woman, Mrs Noby Jo, went out into the hills to pray. Soon the Lord began to show her that His plans for her life led in a different direction to her own. Petulantly she cried: "Lord, why do You always have to have Your way, what about my way for a change?" Gently the Lord whispered into her heart: "My child, it is not that your way is wrong; it is rather that My way is best." She surrendered her will to His, and came away with these words ringing in her ears: "You belong to the discouraged and broken people who commit suicide at the bend of the railway track."
Confused by this message, she made enquiries and discovered that outside the town where she lived was a notorious spot at the bend of the railway track where people intent on committing suicide would throw themselves over a cliff into the deep ravine below. She arranged to put up a sign near the spot that read: "Don't: see Mrs Noby Jo first. God loves you." She added her address and the very first day the sign was put up, several people knocked on her door and said they had come in response to the notice. She was "promoted to glory" at the age of 92, having saved 5,000 people from suicide. When she died to her own desires and took God's way, the grain of wheat that had fallen into the ground and died brought forth fruit a hundredfold. It always does.
"God's way brings forth fruit a hundredfold"
Prayer
Father, help me not to get so caught up in my own plans that I become entangled in myself. I want to start with You, not with myself. It is then, and only then, that I will be able to do what You want me to do. Help me - in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Further study
Philippians 3:1-21
Proverbs 23:26
Romans 12:1
1. What was Paul's attitude?
2. How did he work it out?
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