2016年1月22日
定睛耶穌 A Prisoner No More
读经: 羅馬書7章15-25節
Reading: Romans 7:15-25
因為我所做的，我自己不明白；我所願意的，我並不做；我所恨惡的，我倒去做。-羅馬書7章15節
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. Romans 7:15
全年读经: 出埃及記4-6章;馬太福音14章22-36節
Bible in a Year: Exodus 4–6; Matthew 14:22-36
有一次，我到某家公司分享了一篇信息。結束時，一名中年員工來問了我一個問題：「我幾乎當了一輩子的基督徒，但不時對自己感到失望，我不明白自己為何總戒不掉明知不可為之事，而對該做的事卻感到力不從心；上帝會不會對我感到厭煩？」站在一旁的兩個人也同樣投以期待的眼神，希望能聽到我的回答。
這樣的掙扎其實很常見，連使徒保羅也曾有過這樣的經歷，他說：「因為我所做的，我自己不明白；我所願意的，我並不做；我所恨惡的，我倒去做」 （羅馬書7章15節） 。但值得慶幸的是，我們不必一直深陷沮喪之中。若重述保羅在羅馬書8章提到的要點，最重要的是不再專注律法，而是定睛於耶穌。我們無法單憑己力，改變人類容易犯罪的本性。所以解決的方法並不是要強逼自己遵守律法，而是專注於那位賜下憐憫的基督耶穌，並順從那改變我們的聖靈。
當我們看重的是律法的準則，就會一再地評斷自己不配得著上帝的恩典，然而當我們定睛於耶穌，就會越來越像祂。
我常陷入這樣的循環：竭力想做好一件事，
卻一再失敗、灰心喪志，只好放棄。
求主幫助我倚靠祢的恩典、
親近祢，讓祢來改變我的心。
專注於耶穌。
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A middle-aged man approached me after I led a workshop at his place of employment and asked this question: "I've been a Christian nearly my whole life, but I'm constantly disappointed in myself. Why is it that I always seem to keep doing the things I wish I didn't do and never seem to do the things I know I should? Isn't God getting tired of me?" Two men standing next to me also seemed eager to hear the response.
That's a common struggle that even the apostle Paul experienced. "I do not understand what I do," he said, "For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do" (Rom. 7:15). But here's some good news: We don't have to stay in that trap of discouragement. To paraphrase Paul as he writes in Romans 8, the key is to stop focusing on the law and start focusing on Jesus. We can't do anything about our sinfulness in our own strength. The answer is not "try harder to be good at keeping the rules." Instead, we must focus on the One who shows us mercy and cooperate with the Spirit who changes us.
Focus on the One who shows us mercy & cooperate with the Spirit who changes us.
When we focus on the law, we are constantly reminded that we'll never be good enough to deserve God's grace. But when we focus on Jesus, we become more like Him.
I sometimes get caught in the cycle of trying harder to be good, failing, getting discouraged, and giving up. Help me, Lord, to depend on Your grace and to draw near to You so that You can change my heart.
Focus on Jesus.