害怕死去的麦子
未来因祂变得安全
经文
歌罗西书三1-15
1所以，你们若真与基督一同复活，就当求在上面的事；那里有基督坐在神的右边。
2你们要思念上面的事，不要思念地上的事。
3因为你们已经死了，你们的生命与基督一同藏在神里面。
4基督是我们的生命，他显现的时候，你们也要与他一同显现在荣耀里。
5所以，要治死你们在地上的肢体，就如淫乱、污秽、邪情、恶欲，和贪婪。贪婪就与拜偶像一样。
6因这些事，神的忿怒必临到那悖逆之子。
7当你们在这些事中活着的时候，也曾这样行过。
8但现在你们要弃绝这一切的事，以及恼恨、忿怒、恶毒（或作：阴毒）、毁谤，并口中污秽的言语。
9不要彼此说谎；因你们已经脱去旧人和旧人的行为，
10穿上了新人。这新人在知识上渐渐更新，正如造他主的形像。
11在此并不分希利尼人、犹太人，受割礼的、未受割礼的，化外人，西古提人，为奴的、自主的，惟有基督是包括一切，又住在各人之内。
12所以，你们既是神的选民，圣洁蒙爱的人，就要存（原文作穿；下同）怜悯、恩慈、谦虚、温柔、忍耐的心。
13倘若这人与那人有嫌隙，总要彼此包容，彼此饶恕；主怎样饶恕了你们，你们也要怎样饶恕人。
14在这一切之外，要存着爱心，爱心就是联络全德的。
15又要叫基督的平安在你们心里作主；你们也为此蒙召，归为一体；且要存感谢的心。
信息分享
我们发现，当我们降服于全能的稳固者时，就无须降服于不能肯定的一切。肯定了神，我们就没有肯定其他事物的必要。如果基督徒不愿意与主一起行走模糊不清和不能确定的道路，要从路上退缩下来的话，他就等于在说：「我信任的是自己而不是主。」我们并不喜欢采用这些字眼，因为它会挑战我们的意愿，不过我们必须对自己本身有一个清楚的认识，那就是，我们并不喜欢被挑战、对质或放逐。
然而人的自我必须受到死亡的管教。自我必须首先弃绝「成为第一」这种欲望，然后才能够以「第二」的身份来生活。这就是为甚么神的国度的中心是十字架。我们在属灵上必须经历耶稣在肉身上所经历的──必须死以及被埋葬，借以经历复活，进入生命的自由和完满。
有一个属灵进深小组的弟兄说：「我很明白我需要甚么，但是我也知道我并不想得到我所需要的。」他这些话说出了我们所有人与自我的争斗。究竟谁应当在我们的生命中成为第一，是我自己还是神？这个决定影响着我们其他的决定，因为那是一个根本的决定。你完全降服于基督的那一刻，就已经向自己的欲望和目的死去，从此对生命有了崭新的看法。从那时开始，你就以基督的心态而不是自己的心态来看待事物。你虽然还是在面对着模糊和不确定的前路，但是你会说：「我可能不知道将来如何，不过没有关系，因为我知道谁在掌管明天。」
「我知道谁掌管明天」
进深研究
提后二1-13；罗六6；林后四11
1. 哪一句话是可信的？
2. 它如何应用到你的身上？
祈祷
我的父、我的神，我现在明白我错过了生命的焦点，以致生命的整幅图画都模糊和扭曲了。求您帮助我从新的角度，就是从您的角度来看生命。奉耶稣的名祈求，阿们。
The Corn of Wheat Afraid to Die
The future - safe with Him
Bible reading:
Colossians 3:1-15
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b]
7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.
8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Message
We are discovering that when we are surrendered to the certain, we need never surrender to the uncertain. Sure of God, we do not have to be sure of anything else. A Christian who shrinks from walking the road of ambiguity and uncertainty in company with his Lord is saying, in effect: "My trust is in myself and not in Him." We don't like to put it in those terms, of course, because it challenges our self-interest. And if there is one thing we must learn about the self, it is that it does not like to be challenged, confronted or dislodged.
The self, however, must be disciplined to die. It must die to being first in order to live as second. That is why the centre of the kingdom of God is a cross. We must go through spiritually what Jesus went through physically - we must die and be buried in order to experience a resurrection into freedom and fullness of life.
A man who was part of a small group who had met together to deepen their spiritual understanding said: "I see what I need, and I see that I don't want what I need." In those words, he identified the struggle we all have with this business of self. Who is to be first - myself or God? That decision decides all other decisions - it is a seed decision. The moment you fully surrender to Christ, you automatically die to your own intentions and purposes and you gain a new perspective on life. From then on, you live in a state of Christ-reference not self-reference. You look out at ambiguity and uncertainty and say: "I may not know what the future holds - so what? I know who holds the future."
"I know who holds the future"
Prayer
My Father and my God, I see now that I've been out of focus, and all of life's pictures have been blurred and distorted. Help me to see life from a new point of view - Your point of view. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
Further study
2 Timothy 2:1-13
Romans 6:6
2 Corinthians 4:11
1.Which saying is trustworthy?
2. How does this apply to you?
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