害怕死去的麥子
神對金錢的四個目的
經文
提摩太前書六6-19
6然而，敬虔加上知足的心便是大利了；
7因為我們沒有帶甚麼到世上來，也不能帶甚麼去。
8只要有衣有食，就當知足。
9但那些想要發財的人，就陷在迷惑、落在網羅和許多無知有害的私慾裡，叫人沉在敗壞和滅亡中。
10貪財是萬惡之根。有人貪戀錢財，就被引誘離了真道，用許多愁苦把自己刺透了。
11但你這屬神的人要逃避這些事，追求公義、敬虔、信心、愛心、忍耐、溫柔。
12你要為真道打那美好的仗，持定永生。你為此被召，也在許多見證人面前，已經作了那美好的見證。
13我在叫萬物生活的神面前，並在向本丟彼拉多作過那美好見證的基督耶穌面前囑咐你：
14要守這命令，毫不玷污，無可指責，直到我們的主耶穌基督顯現。
15到了日期，那可稱頌、獨有權能的萬王之王、萬主之主，
16就是那獨一不死、住在人不能靠近的光裡，是人未曾看見、也是不能看見的，要將他顯明出來。但願尊貴和永遠的權能都歸給他。阿們！
17你要囑咐那些今世富足的人，不要自高，也不要倚靠無定的錢財；只要倚靠那厚賜百物給我們享受的神。
18又要囑咐他們行善，在好事上富足，甘心施捨，樂意供給（或作：體貼）人，
19為自己積成美好的根基，預備將來，叫他們持定那真正的生命。
信息分享
要能明白神為甚麼讓我們遇到經濟上的困難，以及祂要在我們的生命中實現甚麼，我們首先必須明白主對金錢的看法。很多基督徒以為金錢是為了提供保障、獨立，或創造權力和影響，但這是相當世俗的看法。聖經讓我們看到神要透過金錢來實現四個基本目的，如果我們想成為多結果子、富生產力的基督徒，那麼我們必須清楚明白這些重要的目的。
金錢的第一個目的是為了提供生活上的基本需要。要滿足生活的基本要求，其實所需的金錢少得令人驚訝。我們可以用衣、食、住幾個字來概括這些需要。神向我們保證祂會幫助我們得到這些基本的必需品，藉以顯示祂慈受的關懷：「何必為衣裳憂慮呢？你想野地裡的百合花怎麼長起來，它也不勞苦，也不紡線……你們這小信的人哪！野地裡的草今天還在，明天就丟在爐裡，神還給它這樣的妝飾，何況你們呢！」（太六28-30）。
人類從一開始就想要離開神，獨立自主。我們墮落的本性裡面存在了自給、自足和依靠自己的傾向。我們會禱告說：「請您給我們這個月的工資」而不是「我們日用的飲食，今日賜給我們。」為甚麼呢？因為我們骨子裡希望不用每天倚靠主。所以，主在給門徒的禱告典範中包含這句話是多麼的明智，祂知道當我們懂得只看一天的需要的時候，我們就懂得每一天都仰望、倚靠我們的神。
「每天的需要使我們每天倚靠神」
進深研究
太六19-34，十29-31；彼前五7
1. 我們應當先求甚麼？
2. 然後會有甚麼？
祈禱
天父，求您的聖靈完全的掌管我，使我不僅是年復年、月復月、週復週的倚靠你，而是日復日堅定的追隨。奉耶穌的名祈求，阿們。
The Corn of Wheat Afraid to Die
God's four purposes for money
Bible reading:
1 Timothy 6:6-19
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you
14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
Message
Before we can understand what God may be trying to achieve in our lives by putting us into tight financial circumstances, we must know something of our Lord's purpose for money. Many Christians think that the purpose of money is to provide security, establish independence, or create power and influence, but this is a very worldly view of the subject. The Bible shows us that God has four basic purposes which He wants to achieve through money - and understanding these purposes is crucial if we are to be fruitful and productive Christians.
The first purpose of money is to provide basic needs. It's surprising how little money we need in order to sustain the basic needs of life. These needs can be summed up in the words food, clothing and shelter. And God demonstrates His loving care by assuring us of His help in obtaining these basic essentials: "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin...will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Matt. 6:28-30).
Since the dawn on time, humankind has tried to become independent of God. There are tendencies in our fallen nature to be self-sufficient and self-supporting We would much rather pray, "Give us this month our monthly pay cheque" than "Give us this day our daily bread." And why? Because it doesn't bring us face to face with our need to be daily dependent on the Lord. How wise was our Lord in including that phrase in the model prayer He gave His disciples. He knew the recognition of daily needs would help to produce daily dependence.
"Daily needs produce daily dependence"
Prayer
Father, I pray that You will bring me under the complete sway of Your Spirit so that my spiritual dependence will not be year by year, month by month or week by week - but day by day. This I ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Further study
Matthew 6:19-34; 10:29-31
1 Peter 5:7
1.What are we to seek first?
2. What will follow?
本文英文版權屬 CWR 所有，承蒙允准刊載。
背景音樂版權屬 讚美之泉音樂事工 所有，承蒙允准使用。