今天我们要继续来默想「神的荣耀比我们的利益更重要」这观念。问题往往不是因为别人把伤害带给我们，而是我们自己把伤害不断的加给我们的神。且让我尽可能把这个具体的意思解释清楚。

很多基督徒在受到伤害的时候只是想到要如何得到神的安慰，而不会考虑到自己是怎么样的伤害了神。寻求神的安慰并不是错，圣经也鼓励我们当这样做，但这只是整幅图画的其中一面。今天书店里面最受欢迎的都是《怎样医治生命中的创伤》或《怎样克服过去的痛苦》这一类的书籍。我再说一遍，这种强调是合理的，但我们绝不能无视一个事实，那就是：重要的不是别人没有善待我们，而是我们自己一直以来对神的伤害。

让我们来想一想这么一个例子吧：有人伤害了我们或令我们失望了，我们就会策划报复。但神是怎样说的？「朋友们，不可为自己复仇，宁可让神的忿怒……」因为圣经说：「主说：伸冤在我；我必报应」（罗十二19）。当神看见我们忽视祂的话时，你认为祂不会感到难过吗？别人可能得罪我们，但我们有甚么理由去得罪神呢？让我们不要含糊其辞，因为任何违背神圣原则的事情，我们都必须给它正确的名称，那就是罪。没有任何罪是我们可以轻看的，特别是得罪神的罪。

We continue meditating on this matter of God's glory being more important than our own well-being. The serious problem is not the pain that others have inflicted upon us, but the pain we have inflicted (and continue to inflict) upon God. Let me spell out as clearly as I can exactly what I mean.

Many Christians are far more interested in focusing on how they can get God to comfort them when they have been hurt than considering how much they have hurt Him. Not that it is wrong to seek His comfort - Scripture encourages us to do this - but it is only one side of the picture. The most popular books in our bookshops today are titles such as these: How to be Healed of Life's Hurts or How to Overcome the Pains of the Past. I repeat that this is a legitimate emphasis, but we must not lose sight of the fact that the important issue is not how badly people have behaved toward us, but how badly we have behaved (and continue to behave) toward God.

Take this for example: someone hurts us or upsets us and we decide to become the architects of their judgment. But what does God say? "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath...'It is mine to avenge, I will repay,' says the Lord" (Rom. 12:19). Don't you think God is hurt when He sees us ignoring His Word? We may have been sinned against, but is that any justification for sinning against God? Let's not mince words here, for any violation of a divine principle must be called by its rightful name - sin. And no sin ought to be treated lightly - especially a sin against God.