八福
生活的重要原则
经文
歌罗西书一1-14
1奉神旨意，作基督耶稣使徒的保罗和兄弟提摩太,
2写信给歌罗西的圣徒，在基督里有忠心的弟兄。愿恩惠、平安从神我们的父归与你们！
3我们感谢神、我们主耶稣基督的父，常常为你们祷告；
4因听见你们在基督耶稣里的信心，并向众圣徒的爱心，
5是为那给你们存在天上的盼望；这盼望就是你们从前在福音真理的道上所听见的。
6这福音传到你们那里，也传到普天之下，并且结果，增长，如同在你们中间，自从你们听见福音，真知道神恩惠的日子一样。
7正如你们从我们所亲爱、一同作仆人的以巴弗所学的。他为我们（有古卷：你们）作了基督忠心的执事，
8也把你们因圣灵所存的爱心告诉了我们。
9因此，我们自从听见的日子，也就为你们不住的祷告祈求，愿你们在一切属灵的智慧悟性上，满心知道神的旨意；
10好叫你们行事为人对得起主，凡事蒙他喜悦，在一切善事上结果子，渐渐的多知道神；
11照他荣耀的权能，得以在各样的力上加力，好叫你们凡事欢欢喜喜的忍耐宽容；
12又感谢父，叫我们能与众圣徒在光明中同得基业。
13他救了我们脱离黑暗的权势，把我们迁到他爱子的国里；
14我们在爱子里得蒙救赎，罪过得以赦免。
信息分享
昨天我们看到，我们若以渴求快乐为目标的话，我们将会一无所得；但是当我们以渴求公义为目标的时候，我们的道路就会亨通。
当耶稣透过这些话教导我们当专注于正确的目标时，他亦教了我们得到心理健康的另一个途径。研究人类行为的人告诉我们，我们所做的一切都有目标。一位心理学家说：「我们不是条件反射的动物，所以不会按照预设的反应做出自动化和不经思考的行动。我们也不是被内在力量驱动的受害者，被推向我们不想去的地方。」有时我们可能感到自己在做不想做的事情，但事实上我们所做的一切，都表示我们为要达到某个目标而努力，有些目标虽然在无意识的层面，但对我们来说还是具有某种意思。事实上，要能够清楚自己为甚么会做某些事情，其中一个方法是问自己：我的目标是甚么？
我曾经辅导过一位女士，她当时感到十分沮丧，因为她丈夫不肯改变自己来满足她的要求。那位女士对我说：「我丈夫是那么顽固和固执，我看不到我们在一起还有甚么将来。」我告诉她我们所做的一切都有目标的这个观念，并要求她说出她对婚姻所厘定的目标是甚么。她毫不犹疑地回答：「改变我丈夫。」她每天的祷告是：「主啊，请您爱我的丈夫，我要改变他。」我提议她将目标改为：「主啊，请您改变我的丈夫，因为我爱他。」她照做，立刻找到了新的自由，她的婚姻也有了新的快乐。
「我们所做的一切都有目标」
进深研究
弗五1-16；罗六4；林后五7；加五16
1. 我们应该怎样生活？
2. 你有没有尽量利用每一个机会？
祈祷
天父，我明白我需要甚么──我需要使我的目标配合您的目标。当我在未来几天继续寻求的时候，求您向我更多地揭示这重要的真理。奉耶稣的名祈求，阿们。
The Beatitudes
An important key to living
Bible reading:
Colossians 1:1-14
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To God's holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters[a] in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.[b]
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God's people—
5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel
6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God's grace.
7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant,[c] who is a faithful minister of Christ on our[d] behalf,
8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[e]
10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,
12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[f] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Yesterday we saw that when we make it a goal to hunger and thirst after happiness, we get nowhere, but when we make it our goal to hunger and thirst after righteousness, we get everywhere.
Message
Once again Jesus touches on an aspect of good mental health when He teaches us through these words to focus on right goals. Those who study human behaviour tell us that everything we do has a goal. "We are not conditioned animals that act automatically and unthinkingly in programmed response," says a psychologist, "...neither are we the hapless victims of internal forces that drive us relentlessly in unwanted directions." It may sometimes feel as if we do things we don't want to do, but the truth is that everything we do represents an effort to reach a goal that somehow, albeit at an unconscious level, makes sense. In fact, one of the ways in which you can better understand why you do the things you do is to ask yourself: What's my goal?
A woman I once counselled and who was extremely frustrated because her husband would not change to meet her requirements said to me: "My husband is so stubborn and obstinate that I just can't see any future for us together." I shared with her the concept that everything we do represents a goal, and asked her to put into words what she thought her goal might be in her marriage. Without a moment's hesitation she replied: "To change my husband." Her daily prayer was: "Lord, You love my husband and I'll change him." I suggested she altered her goal to: "Lord, You change my husband and I'll love him." She did, and instantly found a new freedom - and a new happiness in her marriage.
"Everything we do has a goal"
Prayer
O Father, I see what I need - I need to bring my goals in line with Your goals. Unfold more of this important truth to me as I pursue it over the next few days. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
Further study
Ephesians 5:1-16
Romans 6:4
2 Corinthians 5:7
Galatians 5:16
1. How are we to live?
2. Do you make the most of every opportunity?
本文英文版权属 CWR 所有，承蒙允准刊载。
背景音乐版权属 赞美之泉音乐事工 所有，承蒙允准使用。