新视域的力量
只以一个角度来看事物

经文
腓立比书二5-11
5你们当以基督耶稣的心为心:
6他本有神的形像,不以自己与神同等为强夺的;
7反倒虚己,取了奴仆的形像,成为人的样式;
8既有人的样子,就自己卑微,存心顺服,以至于死,且死在十字架上。
9所以,神将他升为至高,又赐给他那超乎万名之上的名,
10叫一切在天上的、地上的,和地底下的,因耶稣的名无不屈膝,
11无不口称耶稣基督为主,使荣耀归与父神。
信息分享
今天,我们要继续思想一个非常重要的真理──学习以属灵角度来思考。有时候听到一些基督徒在一起讨论地上和天上的事情,我会觉得这是很有趣的事。以政治为例,当讨论这个课题时,很多基督徒几乎马上把基督教信仰放在一旁,并且带出了所有惯常使用的偏见和世俗的论据。
这告诉了我们甚么?它指出一个极须打破的观念,那就是我们总认为生命是可以任意从自然和属灵两个层面来看待的。事实上,基督徒必须学习从属灵角度来看一切事物,否则便会落入和诗人相同的困境中。伟大的布道家司布真(C.H. Spurgeon)曾经提醒一班神学生说,在他们开始加入事奉后,要是发觉大家在教会的祷告会上好像天使那样祷告,而在教会事务会议中却好像魔鬼那样行动的话,不需要感到惊讶。不幸的是,教会的历史证实了他的这句话。
怎么会这样呢?这是因为在祷告会的时候,人的思想是属灵的,可是在事务会议上,他们又回复了人性的想法,那就是人的偏见和世俗的假设。他们之间有党派的成见,只要遇到攻击,党派的精神就会出现。但是今天的经文清楚指出,我们的主是从属灵角度来看一切事物,因而在面对重大考验的时候,祂能够说:「然而不要成就我的意思,只要成就你的意思」(路二十二42)。
「我们的主从属灵角度看一切事物」
进深研究
雅一1-18;太六22;林前二16
1. 是甚么令我们失去稳定?
2. 我们专心一意的时候会有甚么发生?
祈祷
我的父、我的神,求您赦免我,因为我往往是以人性的角度而不是以属灵的视野去思考问题。虽然有某些事情我也会以属灵的角度出发,但却不是全部。亲爱的主,求您帮助我改变我的态度。奉耶稣的名祈求,阿们。
The Power of a New Perspective
One view of things

Bible reading:
Philippians 2:5-11
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Message
We continue meditating on the importance of learning to think spiritually. It is sometimes interesting to listen to Christians discussing together both earthly and heavenly issues. Take politics, for example. When involved in a discussion on this subject, many Christians seem to put their Christianity on one side and bring out all the prejudices and worldly arguments which they have been accustomed to use over the years.
What does this say to us? It reveals the great need we have to break with the idea that life can be viewed on two levels - the natural and the spiritual. The Christian must learn to view everything from a spiritual viewpoint or otherwise he will fall prey to the same problems that the psalmist had. The great preacher CH Spurgeon once told a group of theological students that after they entered the ministry they should not be surprised to find that people who prayed like angels in a church prayer meeting could act like devils in a church business meeting. Unfortunately the history of the Church proves his statement to be true.
How can this happen? It's because in a prayer meeting people think spiritually, but in a business meeting they revert to their natural thinking, with all its prejudices and worldly assumptions. They have a party spirit within them and as soon as any one bumps against them - out it comes. Our Lord, as our text for today shows so clearly, saw everything from a spiritual point of view. This is why, in the hour of overwhelming testing, He was able to say: "Not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42).
"Our Lord saw everything from a spiritual point of view"
Prayer
My Father and my God, forgive me that so often my thinking is based on natural, rather than spiritual, perspectives. I think spiritually about some matters, but not all. Help me, dear Lord. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Further study
James 1:1-8
Matthew 6:22
1 Corinthians 2:16
1. What makes us unstable?
2. What happens when we are single-minded?
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