害怕死去的麦子
神对金钱的四个目的
经文
提摩太前书六6-19
6然而，敬虔加上知足的心便是大利了；
7因为我们没有带甚么到世上来，也不能带甚么去。
8只要有衣有食，就当知足。
9但那些想要发财的人，就陷在迷惑、落在网罗和许多无知有害的私欲里，叫人沉在败坏和灭亡中。
10贪财是万恶之根。有人贪恋钱财，就被引诱离了真道，用许多愁苦把自己刺透了。
11但你这属神的人要逃避这些事，追求公义、敬虔、信心、爱心、忍耐、温柔。
12你要为真道打那美好的仗，持定永生。你为此被召，也在许多见证人面前，已经作了那美好的见证。
13我在叫万物生活的神面前，并在向本丢彼拉多作过那美好见证的基督耶稣面前嘱咐你：
14要守这命令，毫不玷污，无可指责，直到我们的主耶稣基督显现。
15到了日期，那可称颂、独有权能的万王之王、万主之主，
16就是那独一不死、住在人不能靠近的光里，是人未曾看见、也是不能看见的，要将他显明出来。但愿尊贵和永远的权能都归给他。阿们！
17你要嘱咐那些今世富足的人，不要自高，也不要倚靠无定的钱财；只要倚靠那厚赐百物给我们享受的神。
18又要嘱咐他们行善，在好事上富足，甘心施舍，乐意供给（或作：体贴）人，
19为自己积成美好的根基，预备将来，叫他们持定那真正的生命。
信息分享
要能明白神为甚么让我们遇到经济上的困难，以及祂要在我们的生命中实现甚么，我们首先必须明白主对金钱的看法。很多基督徒以为金钱是为了提供保障、独立，或创造权力和影响，但这是相当世俗的看法。圣经让我们看到神要透过金钱来实现四个基本目的，如果我们想成为多结果子、富生产力的基督徒，那么我们必须清楚明白这些重要的目的。
金钱的第一个目的是为了提供生活上的基本需要。要满足生活的基本要求，其实所需的金钱少得令人惊讶。我们可以用衣、食、住几个字来概括这些需要。神向我们保证祂会帮助我们得到这些基本的必需品，借以显示祂慈受的关怀：「何必为衣裳忧虑呢？你想野地里的百合花怎么长起来，它也不劳苦，也不纺线……你们这小信的人哪！野地里的草今天还在，明天就丢在炉里，神还给它这样的妆饰，何况你们呢！」（太六28-30）。
人类从一开始就想要离开神，独立自主。我们堕落的本性里面存在了自给、自足和依靠自己的倾向。我们会祷告说：「请您给我们这个月的工资」而不是「我们日用的饮食，今日赐给我们。」为甚么呢？因为我们骨子里希望不用每天倚靠主。所以，主在给门徒的祷告典范中包含这句话是多么的明智，祂知道当我们懂得只看一天的需要的时候，我们就懂得每一天都仰望、倚靠我们的神。
「每天的需要使我们每天倚靠神」
进深研究
太六19-34，十29-31；彼前五7
1. 我们应当先求甚么？
2. 然后会有甚么？
祈祷
天父，求您的圣灵完全的掌管我，使我不仅是年复年、月复月、周复周的倚靠你，而是日复日坚定的追随。奉耶稣的名祈求，阿们。
The Corn of Wheat Afraid to Die
God's four purposes for money
Bible reading:
1 Timothy 6:6-19
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you
14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
Message
Before we can understand what God may be trying to achieve in our lives by putting us into tight financial circumstances, we must know something of our Lord's purpose for money. Many Christians think that the purpose of money is to provide security, establish independence, or create power and influence, but this is a very worldly view of the subject. The Bible shows us that God has four basic purposes which He wants to achieve through money - and understanding these purposes is crucial if we are to be fruitful and productive Christians.
The first purpose of money is to provide basic needs. It's surprising how little money we need in order to sustain the basic needs of life. These needs can be summed up in the words food, clothing and shelter. And God demonstrates His loving care by assuring us of His help in obtaining these basic essentials: "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin...will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Matt. 6:28-30).
Since the dawn on time, humankind has tried to become independent of God. There are tendencies in our fallen nature to be self-sufficient and self-supporting We would much rather pray, "Give us this month our monthly pay cheque" than "Give us this day our daily bread." And why? Because it doesn't bring us face to face with our need to be daily dependent on the Lord. How wise was our Lord in including that phrase in the model prayer He gave His disciples. He knew the recognition of daily needs would help to produce daily dependence.
"Daily needs produce daily dependence"
Prayer
Father, I pray that You will bring me under the complete sway of Your Spirit so that my spiritual dependence will not be year by year, month by month or week by week - but day by day. This I ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Further study
Matthew 6:19-34; 10:29-31
1 Peter 5:7
1.What are we to seek first?
2. What will follow?
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