对人的态度
罗马书十二章9至21节
9爱人不可虚假;恶要厌恶,善要亲近。
10爱弟兄,要彼此亲热;恭敬人,要彼此推让。
11殷勤不可懒惰。要心里火热,常常服事主。
12在指望中要喜乐,在患难中要忍耐;祷告要恒切。
13圣徒缺乏要帮补,客要一味地款待。
14逼迫你们的,要给他们祝福;只要祝福,不可咒诅。
15与喜乐的人要同乐;与哀哭的人要同哭。
16要彼此同心,不要志气高大,倒要俯就卑微的人(注:“人”或作“事”)。不要自以为聪明。
17不要以恶报恶。众人以为美的事,要留心去做。
18若是能行,总要尽力与众人和睦。
19亲爱的弟兄,不要自己伸冤,宁可让步,听凭主怒(注:或作“让人发怒”)。因为经上记着:“主说:‘伸冤在我,我必报应。’”
20所以,“你的仇敌若饿了,就给他吃;若渴了,就给他喝。因为你这样行,就是把炭火堆在他的头上。”
21你不可为恶所胜,反要以善胜恶。
信息分享
「恩慈」和「良善」的意思相近,可以解作对人关心体贴。恩慈往往与慷慨施赠有关。良善的行动包括对人体贴、亲切与怜悯,给予别人谅解与支持。
我们的主在世的时候,经常以恩慈待人。连小孩子也感受到祂的亲切,从不惧怕亲近祂,或坐在祂的膝头上。祂甚至在十字架上,还记挂着母亲。一个恩慈的人总是想着别人的需要。
恩慈、良善的相反就是对人苛刻、喜欢批评、缺乏爱心、咄咄逼人,当他人失败或与自己意见不合时更是尖酸刻薄。这些态度当然不能在我们身上反照出基督的形象。箴言十五章4节说:「恩慈的话带来生命;残忍的话使人心碎。」(GNB中译)
请细读罗马书这段教训,当中包含了许多待人之道,差不多有三十处。今天就求神帮助你在神话语的光照下检视自己,有哪些地方需要改正?有哪些地方需要改进?阅读神话语的目的正在于此──让真理改变我们的生命。求神让我们照着经文的教导而行。
OUR CONDUCT TOWARD OTHERS
Romans 12:9-21
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
20 Therefore
“ If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Message
Kindness and goodness are words with similar meanings. They could be translated as thoughtfulness. Kindness is often linked with generosity. Thoughtfulness is goodness in action, tenderness, and compassion. It is sympathetic and supportive of others.
Our Lord showed kindness to many while He was here on earth. Even children recognised this and were never afraid to approach Him or sit on His knee. He was thoughtful of His mother even while hanging on the cross. A kind person is thoughtful of the needs of others.
The opposite of these words could be harshness, criticism, lack of love, aggression, being hard on those who fail or do not agree with us. Surely none of those attitudes could ever reveal Christ in our lives. Proverbs 14:4 in the GNB says, “Kind words bring life, but cruel words crush the spirit.”
Take time to look again at the phrases or commands written here in this chapter of Romans. They cover so much of our behaviour toward others. There are almost 30 direct statements, depending on how you count them. Ask God today to help you look at your own life in the light of this passage. Are there areas which need to be changed? Are there those which need to be developed? One of our purposes in reading the Word of God is right here, that our lives might be transformed by the truth. Pray that it may be so.

