八福
温柔不是甚么？
经文
彼得前书三1-12
1你们作妻子的要顺服自己的丈夫；这样，若有不信从道理的丈夫，他们虽然不听道，也可以因妻子的品行被感化过来；
2这正是因看见你们有贞洁的品行和敬畏的心。
3你们不要以外面的辫头发，戴金饰，穿美衣为妆饰，
4只要以里面存着长久温柔，安静的心为妆饰；这在神面前是极宝贵的。
5因为古时仰赖神的圣洁妇人正是以此为妆饰，顺服自己的丈夫，
6就如撒拉听从亚伯拉罕，称他为主。你们若行善，不因恐吓而害怕，便是撒拉的女儿了。
7你们作丈夫的，也要按情理（原文是知识）和妻子同住；因他比你软弱，（比你软弱：原文作是软弱的器皿）与你一同承受生命之恩的，所以要敬重他。这样，便叫你们的祷告没有阻碍。
8总而言之，你们都要同心，彼此体恤，相爱如弟兄，存慈怜谦卑的心。
9不以恶报恶，以辱骂还辱骂，倒要祝福；因你们是为此蒙召，好叫你们承受福气。
10因为经上说：人若爱生命，愿享美福，须要禁止舌头不出恶言，嘴唇不说诡诈的话；
11也要离恶行善；寻求和睦，一心追赶。
12因为，主的眼看顾义人；主的耳听他们的祈祷。惟有行恶的人，主向他们变脸。
信息分享
我们看到温柔不是与生俱来的素质，它是属灵的素质，因此所有基督徒都应该具有温柔的品德。在过去几天，我们讨论了温柔的重要性，看到它的一些本质；今天我们将继续从另一个角度思想温柔──温柔不是甚么？
首先，温柔（或谦卑）不是懒惰。有些人似乎在属灵上温柔，但实际上完全不是这样，而是他们很懒惰。再者，温柔不是随便的态度，就是在那些随遇而安的人身上所看到的态度，那不是温柔，而是软弱。有些基督徒有一种随意的表现，这很容易令人误以为它就是耶稣在八福中提到的素质。
另外一种不应该和温柔混淆的东西是友善。有些人天生友善。钟马田博士（Martyn Lloyd-Jones）这样描述这类人：「天生友善是生物上的事情，是你在动物身上找到的东西。一只狗比另一只狗友善，一只猫比另一只猫友善。」还有，温柔不是被动，或者渴望不惜一切代价去换取和平。那些认为凡事和平共处总比意见分歧好的人，往往被视为温柔，其实这种被动的态度不能带来精神和属灵的健康。历代以来最受神重用的男女都是温柔但不软弱的，他们是坚强但温柔的人。他们有足够的温柔来领受神的丰盛。
「他们有足够的温柔来领受神的丰盛。」
进深研究
提后四1-16；诗三十七11，一四九4；赛二十九19
1. 保罗怎样显出温柔？
2. 温柔增加甚么？
祈祷
天父，我知道我对温柔需要有清晰和正确的认识。求您在我每天的思想上光照我。奉耶稣的名祈求，阿们。
The Beatitudes
What meekness is not
Bible reading:
1 Peter 3:1-12
1 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives,
2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.
3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.
4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands,
6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.
9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
10 For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.
11 They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."[a]
Message
We are seeing that meekness is not a natural quality, but a spiritual one, and by reason of this all Christians should possess it. Over the past couple of days we have examined the importance of meekness and seen something of its nature; today, we examine what meekness is not.
First, meekness (or humility) is not indolence. There are people who appear to be spiritually meek, but really they are not so at all - they are indolent. Again, meekness is not an easy-going type of attitude - the attitude seen in those who just take life as it comes. That is not meekness; that is flabbiness. There are some Christians who have such a casual air about them that one can easily mistake this for the quality which Jesus is referring to in .
Another thing that meekness ought not to be confused with is niceness. There are people who are nice by nature. Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones said of such people: "Natural niceness is something biological, the kind of thing you get in animals. One dog is nicer than another, one cat nicer than another." Finally, meekness is not passivity, or a desire to obtain peace at any price. How often is the person regarded as meek who adopts the attitude that anything is better than a disagreement. This is the kind of passivity which does not make for good mental or spiritual health. The most greatly used men and women of God down the ages have been people who were meek without being weak - strong men and women, yet meek men and women. They were meek enough to absorb the resources of God.
"They were meek enough to absorb God's resources"
Prayer
O Father, I see that so much depends on my understanding of what meekness really is. I pray yet again for Your continuing light to be shed around me as I pursue these thoughts day by day. I ask this in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Further study
2 Timothy 4:1-16
Psalm 37:11; 149:4
Isaiah 29:19
1. How did Paul display meekness?
2. What does meekness increase?
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