新视域的力量
出于自己的选择

经文
箴言十八15-21
15聪明人的心得知识;智慧人的耳求知识。
16人的礼物为他开路,引他到高位的人面前。
17先诉情由的,似乎有理;但邻舍来到,就察出实情。
18掣签能止息争竞,也能解散强胜的人。
19弟兄结怨,劝他和好,比取坚固城还难;这样的争竞如同坚寨的门闩。
20人口中所结的果子,必充满肚腹;他嘴所出的,必使他饱足。
21生死在舌头的权下,喜爱他的,必吃他所结的果子。
信息分享
我们看到诗人让自己不致跌倒所采取的第一个步骤是阻止自己说出想说的话。换句话说,他控制了自己的想法和冲动。
这是极其重要的一点。如果基督徒愿意留意这一点,学习勒住自己的舌头,便可以免除很多麻烦。如果我们所说的话传达了主是不公平或不仁慈的讯息,尤其是当这些话出自资深基督徒的口,就有如木厂里燃点了火星一样的危险。诗人虽然疑惑,但却看到自制的重要,这是一种有拯救作用的美德。
很多人经常说:「我不可能控制自己的言语,在我发觉自己说甚么以前那些话已经从我口中出去了。」这当然是一派胡言,因为我们所说的话是自己选择的结果。有时我们可能在言语上有失控的感觉,但那只是感觉而已。基督徒心理学家克莱布(Lawrence Crabb)博士告诉我们:「觉得没有选择并不表示真的没有选择。」正如我们常说,当你想要给别人「一句心里话」的时候,你还是有那么短短的一刹那,去选择说还是不说。我们不能以舌头不受控制为借口。我们所做的乃是出于自己的选择。诗人虽然有很多疑惑和困难,但是他选择了控制自己的舌头。这是你也可以做得到的事。
「我们所做的是出于自己的选择」
进深研究
雅三1-18,一5;路二十一15
1. 雅各有甚么关于舌头的教导?
2. 我们要向神求甚么?
祈祷
天父,求您帮助我明白自己所做和所说的是出于选择而不是被迫。我有服从或违抗的自由,求您帮助我懂得正确地使用自由的选择。奉耶稣的名祈求,阿们。
The Power of a New Perspective
We do what we choose to do

Bible reading:
Proverbs 18:15-21
15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.
16 A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.
17 In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.
18 Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart.
19 A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city; disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.
20 From the fruit of their mouth a person's stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.
21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Message
We are seeing that the first step the psalmist took to save himself from falling was stopping himself from saying what was on the tip of his tongue. In other words, he took himself in hand.
This is an extremely important issue. What a lot of heartache would be saved if Christians would take heed to this and learn to put a bridle on their tongues. Expressions which convey the idea that the Lord acts unjustly or unkindly, especially if they fall from the lips of men and women who have a long experience in the Christian life, are as dangerous as sparks in a timber factory. Despite his doubts, the psalmist recognised the importance of self-discipline, and that proved to be a saving virtue.
People sometimes claim: "It is impossible for me to control what I say. It slips out before I realise what I've said." This is non-sense, of course, for what we say is the result of what we choose to say. Sometimes we may feel as though we have no control over what we say, but that is all it is - a feeling. Dr Lawrence Crabb, a Christian psychologist, tells us: "The loss of felt choice does not mean the loss of real choice." When you give a person "a piece of your mind", as we say, there is always a moment, albeit a split second, when you can choose to speak out or stay quiet. We cannot hide behind the excuse that our tongue is not under our control. What we do is what we choose to do. The psalmist, though beset by many doubts and difficulties, chose to control his tongue - and so can you.
"We do what we choose to do"
Prayer
O Father, help me see that the things I do and say are not the result of compulsion but of choice. I am free to obey or free to disobey. Help me to use my freedom in the right way. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
Further study
James 3:1-18; 1:5
Luke 21:15
1. What does James teach about the tongue?
2. What are we to ask God for?
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