八福
我们为甚么会愤怒？
经文
哥林多前书九15-27
15但这权柄我全没有用过。我写这话，并非要你们这样待我，因为我宁可死也不叫人使我所夸的落了空。
16我传福音原没有可夸的，因为我是不得已的。若不传福音，我便有祸了。
17我若甘心作这事，就有赏赐；若不甘心，责任却已经托付我了。
18既是这样，我的赏赐是甚么呢？就是我传福音的时候叫人不花钱得福音，免得用尽我传福音的权柄。
19我虽是自由的，无人辖管；然而我甘心作了众人的仆人，为要多得人。
20向犹太人，我就作犹太人，为要得犹太人；向律法以下的人，我虽不在律法以下，还是作律法以下的人，为要得律法以下的人。
21向没有律法的人，我就作没有律法的人，为要得没有律法的人；其实我在神面前，不是没有律法；在基督面前，正在律法之下。
22向软弱的人，我就作软弱的人，为要得软弱的人。向甚么样的人，我就作甚么样的人。无论如何，总要救些人。
23凡我所行的，都是为福音的缘故，为要与人同得这福音的好处。
24岂不知在场上赛跑的都跑，但得奖赏的只有一人？你们也当这样跑，好叫你们得着奖赏。
25凡较力争胜的，诸事都有节制，他们不过是要得能坏的冠冕；我们却是要得不能坏的冠冕。
26所以，我奔跑不像无定向的；我斗拳不像打空气的。
27我是攻克己身，叫身服我，恐怕我传福音给别人，自己反被弃绝了。
信息分享
我们要接着昨天的讨论，继续思考「我们所做的一切都有目标」的这个观念。事实上，我们在生命中所经历的大部分挫折，都是来自错误的目标，以及目标的障碍。让我解释一下，回想你上次感到愤怒的时候，你只要能够找出你当时的目标，以及是甚么阻挡你达到目标，你就可以找到导致你愤怒和沮丧的线索。
有人曾经问我能否解释一下，是甚么东西导致他的怒气那么激烈。我很快便清楚指出他的愤怒是因为目标受到阻挡。他生命中的目标是赚钱。他争辩说：「如果我可以赚到很多钱，那么大家都会视我为一个成功和重要的人物。」当他这个目标遇上障碍时──例如他太太坚持要他减少花在处理业务上的时间──他便会大发脾气。
我告诉他处理愤怒的方法，是建立一个没有人能够阻碍的目标。但那是甚么目标？那就是讨主喜悦的目标。最初他很抗拒这个说法，但当他明白自己生命中的目标并不合乎圣经，而他的愤怒是源自别人拦阻了他那不合乎圣经的目标之后，他重新向神委身，找到了喜乐和释放。从那时开始，他的目标不再是赚钱，而是如何讨神喜悦。我必须重申，想赚钱并没有甚么不对，因为那是人类普遍的渴望，不过它只能是渴望，永远都不能成为你真正的目标。
「以讨神喜悦作为你生命的目标」
进深研究
雅一9-20；诗三十七8；箴十四17，十六32
1. 没有耐性的人做些甚么？
2. 谁会「得到城池」？
祈祷
慈爱的天父啊，求您帮助我永远不将人类普遍的渴望变成生命的目标。救我脱离追求不合乎圣经的目标，引导我朝向唯一能够释放我的真理走去。奉耶稣的名祈求，阿们。
The Beatitudes
Why we get angry
Bible reading:
1 Corinthians 9:15-27
15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast.
16 For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.
18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.
19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.
21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law.
22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.
23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.
27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Message
We continue meditating on the idea that everything we do represents a goal. In fact, most of the frustration we experience in life comes from wrong goals and blocks to those goals. Let me illustrate. Cast your mind back to the last time you were angry. If you can identify your goal and what blocked your goal, then you have the clue to what produced your anger and frustration.
A man once asked me if I could explain what caused his deep-seated anger. It soon became apparent that his anger was due to a blocked goal. His goal in life was to make money. He reasoned: "If I can make plenty of money, then everyone will see that I am a successful and important person. When he encountered blocks to this goal, such as his wife's insistence that he cut down on the amount of time he was spending in his business, he would erupt in anger.
I pointed out that the way to deal with the anger was to establish a goal that no-one could block. And what was that? To please the Lord. He resisted that idea at first, but when he came to realise that his goal in life was unbiblical and that his anger resulted from others blocking his unbiblical goal, he made a new commitment to God and found happiness and release. From then on his goal was not to make money, but to please the Lord. I hasten to point out that there is nothing wrong with wanting to make money - it is a legitimate human desire - but it must remain a desire and never become a goal.
"Make it your life goal to please the Lord"
Prayer
O God my gracious Father, help me never to turn what can be a legitimate human desire into a life goal. Save me from pursuing unbiblical objectives, and guide me toward the truth which alone can make me free. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Further study
James 1:9-20
Psalm 37:8
Proverbs 14:17; 16:32
1. What does an impatient man do?
2. Who will "take the city"?
本文英文版权属 CWR 所有，承蒙允准刊载。
背景音乐版权属 赞美之泉音乐事工 所有，承蒙允准使用。