6243阅读
There’s nothing like the beauty of a loving heart.
最美丽的是一颗充满爱的心!
We all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory. 2 Corinthians 3:18
我们众人既然敞着脸得以看见主的荣光,好像从镜子里返照,就变成主的形状,荣上加荣。-哥林多后书3章18节
When our granddaughter Sarah was very young, she explained to me what happens when you die: “Only your face goes to heaven, not your body. You get a new body, but keep the same face.”
记得孙女莎菈还小的时候,她按自己的理解告诉我人死后的状况,她说:“人死后只有脸会到天堂去,身体并不会。所以我们原来的这张脸,会配上一个新的身体!”
Sarah’s concept of our eternal state was a child’s understanding, of course, but she did grasp an essential truth. In a sense, our faces are a visible reflection of the invisible soul.
当然,这只是个小孩对于永恒的理解。但莎菈也的确抓住了一个重要的真理。从某方面来说,我们的面容确实会反映出内心的光景。
My mother used to say that an angry look might someday freeze on my face. She was wiser than she knew. A worried brow, an angry set to our mouths, a sly look in our eyes may reveal a miserable soul. On the other hand, kind eyes, a gentle look, a warm and welcoming smile—despite wrinkles, blemishes, and other disfigurements—become the marks of inner
transformation.
母亲常说,我那愤怒的表情,有一天可能真的就在我脸上定格了!她实在是太有智慧了!我们脸上的表情,如紧蹙的双眉、愤怒的嘴型、怀疑的眼神,或多或少反应了内心的痛苦。相反地,关爱的眼神、温柔的表情、亲切的微笑,尽管带着皱纹、疤痕,或其他的缺陷,却都是内在生命转变的标记。
We can’t do much about the faces we were born with, but we can do something about the kind of person we’re growing into. We can pray for humility, patience, kindness, tolerance, gratefulness, forgiveness, peace, and love (Galatians 5:22–26).
我们或许无法大幅改变与生俱来的脸孔,但我们却可以选择自己要成为什么样的人。我们可以祷告,求上帝赐给我们谦卑、耐心、恩慈、宽容、感恩、饶恕、和平与仁爱(加拉太书5章22-26节)。
By God’s grace, and in His time, may you and I grow toward an inner resemblance to our Lord, a likeness reflected in a kind, old face. Thus, as English poet John Donne (1572–1631) said, age becomes “loveliest at the latest day.”
愿你我能靠着上帝的恩典,按着祂的时间,内心与我们的主越来越相似,让苍老的面容反映出主的恩慈良善。如同英国诗人约翰·多恩所说:“白发苍颜绽放美丽光彩。”
Dear Lord Jesus, we want to be more like You every day. Help us to cooperate with the work You want to do in our hearts in lives and be sensitive to the leading that You give us.
亲爱的主耶稣,我们愿日日更加像祢。求祢帮助我们在生活中,能配合祢在我们心里所要做的工,并且敏感于祢对我们的带领。
Galatians 5:22-26 NIV
5 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
加拉太书 5:22-26
5 圣灵所结的果子,就是仁爱、喜乐、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信实、 23 温柔、节制;这样的事没有律法禁止。 24 凡属基督耶稣的人,是已经把肉体连肉体的邪情私欲同钉在十字架上了。25 我们若是靠圣灵得生,就当靠圣灵行事。 26 不要贪图虚名,彼此惹气,互相嫉妒。
INSIGHT
Policemen, firemen, doctors, and nurses put on clothes that distinctively identify them. What about the Christian? What distinguishes us as followers of Jesus? Paul tells us to “clothe [ourselves] with the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14). Earlier in Romans Paul says, God “predestined [us] to be conformed to the image of his Son” (8:29). It was God’s intention when He saved us that we would become like His Son. Our spiritual transformation is a process, however (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Holy Spirit works in us to increasingly make us more like Christ (1 John 3:2). To be like Jesus is “to be like God—truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:24 nlt). Our transformation will only be fully completed at the second coming of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:49–53).
警察、消防员、医生和护士,都会穿上制服以表明他们的身份。那么,基督徒呢?我们如何表明自己是跟随耶稣的人呢?保罗教导我们要“披戴主耶稣基督”(罗马书13章14节)。保罗在此之前也说,上帝预先定下我们效法祂儿子的模样(8章29节)。上帝拯救我们时,祂的心意是使我们变得像祂的儿子一样。不过,我们属灵的转变并不是一蹴而就的,而是循序渐进的(哥林多后书3章18节)。圣灵在我们里面作工,使我们越来越像基督(约翰一书3章2节)。像耶稣就是要像上帝那样,“有真理的仁义和圣洁”(以弗所书4章24节)。然而,只有当基督再来时, 我们的转变才能彻底完成(哥林多前书15章49-53节)。
As you reflect on your spiritual transformation since coming to Jesus, in what areas have you seen growth? Can others say, “I can see Christ in you”?
当你回想决志信主后生命的转变,在哪些方面看到自己有所长进呢?人们是否会说“我从你身上看到了基督”呢?
整理:于姊妹
3644阅读
3188阅读
3180阅读
3127阅读
3119阅读
发表评论 取消回复