八福
灵性或心理问题

经文
腓立比书三7-21
7只是我先前以为与我有益的,我现在因基督都当作有损的。
8不但如此,我也将万事当作有损的,因我以认识我主基督耶稣为至宝。我为他已经丢弃万事,看作粪土,为要得着基督;
9并且得以在他里面,不是有自己因律法而得的义,乃是有信基督的义,就是因信神而来的义,
10使我认识基督,晓得他复活的大能,并且晓得和他一同受苦,效法他的死,
11或者我也得以从死里复活。
12这不是说我已经得着了,已经完全了;我乃是竭力追求,或者可以得着基督耶稣所以得着我的(或作:所要我得的)。
13弟兄们,我不是以为自己已经得着了;我只有一件事,就是忘记背后,努力面前的,
14向着标竿直跑,要得神在基督耶稣里从上面召我来得的奖赏。
15所以我们中间,凡是完全人总要存这样的心;若在甚么事上存别样的心,神也必以此指示你们。
16然而,我们到了甚么地步,就当照着甚么地步行。
17弟兄们,你们要一同效法我,也当留意看那些照我们榜样行的人。
18因为有许多人行事是基督十字架的仇敌。我屡次告诉你们,现在又流泪的告诉你们:
19他们的结局就是沉沦;他们的神就是自己的肚腹。他们以自己的羞辱为荣耀,专以地上的事为念。
20我们却是天上的国民,并且等候救主,就是主耶稣基督从天上降临。
21他要按着那能叫万有归服自己的大能,将我们这卑贱的身体改变形状,和他自己荣耀的身体相似。
信息分享
今天我们要接续昨天的讨论:那些饥渴慕义的人怎么了?答案很明显:他们必得饱足。以公义为你的目标,你就会永远得到满足。如果我能以自己的说话来演绎这节经文,这会是:「恭喜那些热切渴望改变成为越来越像我、认识我的公义的人,因为他们会找到永远不会消失或被毁灭的满足。」
我想问你一个问题:你最渴望得到的是甚么?是健康吗?是脱离痛苦吗?是没有焦虑吗?是财务上的保障吗?这些都是合理的渴望,但如果你的主要渴望不是要改变像基督的话,你就会经历一种内在的空虚,是你所追求的东西所不能填补的。
让我再指出可能会令你感到惊讶的一点:你最深的渴望越不是为了神,你就越会经历灵性和心理上的问题。如果你不渴求神,你就会渴求其他的东西。但假若我们以荣耀神为自己的目标时,就能享受祂。当然,我们不能为了要享受神才荣耀祂。要记得,不管我们多么周详地策划要得到快乐,但快乐这目标却是难以捉摸的,不过,对于那些以认识神和被神得着为目标的人,快乐却成为可以自由取用的副产品。
「寻求公义带来永远的满足」
进深研究
诗三十八9,七十三25;赛二十六1-9;彼前二2-3
1. 诗人承认甚么?
2. 以赛亚的渴望引致他做甚么?
祈祷
天父,您以您的话语来教导我,求您把您的教导存在我心底里。求您帮助我降服在您的目标下,让我可以成为您得胜的工具。阿们。
The Beatitudes
Spiritual / psychological problems

Bible reading:
Philippians 3:7-21
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.
10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.
18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
19 Their destiny is destructionn, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Message
Today we ask: What happens to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness? The answer is clear: they will be filled. Make righteousness your goal and you will be eternally satisfied. If, once again, I might venture upon a paraphrase of my own, I would put it like this: "Congratulations to those who ardently crave to become more and more like Me and to know My righteousness, for they shall find a satisfaction that will never vanish or be destroyed."
May I be permitted to ask you this personal question: What are you most hungering and thirsting for? Is it health? Is it relief from pain? Is it freedom from anxiety? Is it financial security? All of these are legitimate cravings, but if your primary hunger and thirst is not to become more and more like Christ, then you will experience an inner emptiness that nothing you chase after can fill.
Let me point out one more thing - something that might astonish you: to the extent that your deepest hunger and thirst is not for God, to that extent you will experience spiritual and psychological problems. If you are not hungering and thirsting after Him, you will hunger and thirst after something else. When we make it our goal to glorify God, then we will enjoy Him. We must not make it our goal to enjoy Him in order to glorify Him. Remember the goal of happiness is elusive, regardless of how well-thought-out is our strategy. But the by-product of happiness is freely available to those whose goal is to know God and be found in Him.
"Seeking righteousness leads to eternal satisfaction"
Prayer
Father, You are teaching me Your ways - written in Your Word and also in me. Help me to surrender to Your purposes so that I might be the vehicle of victory. Amen.
Further study
Psalm 38.9; 73:25
Isaiah 26:1-9
1 Peter 2:2-3
1. What was the psalmist's confession?
2. What did Isaiah's desire cause him to do?
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