举头暸望 Look around and see

“当你觉得你快要被生活困难压倒时，
举头向四周暸望，看别人怎样应付。
你会觉得自己多么幸福。” - 安兰德斯


"When life's problems seem 
overwhelming, look around and see 
what other people are coping with. 
You may consider yourself fortunate." - Ann Landers

举重 Heavy Lifting

September 15, 2011 — by Jennifer Benson Schuldt

(From: Our daily Bread, http://odb.org/ and http://chinese-odb.org/)

马太福音11章28节 Matthew 11:28

凡劳苦担重担的人，可以到我这里来。“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden.”

读经: 箴言22-24章 Scripture Reading: Proverbs 22-24

有一天，我看到儿子正吃力地想将一对四磅重的哑铃高举过头，对于一个尚在蹒跚学步的孩子来说，这可是项壮举。他才不过将哑铃举离地面几英吋高，眼神却充满坚毅，他的小脸也因使力而涨红。于是，我决定助他一臂之力，合力将哑铃抬高，举向天花板。对他而言这是吃力的举重，于我却是轻而易举。

那些使我们穷于应付的难事，对耶稣来说也是这样。有时人生中的灾祸就像旋转木马般不断上演，但都不会让耶稣感到困扰。无论是一场小车祸、为牙疼而苦恼，或是一场唇枪舌战所造成的纠纷，甚至这些事件全发生在同一天，也难不倒耶稣！ 祂能处理任何事，因此祂才说：「凡劳苦担重担的人，可以到我这里来。」（马太福音11章28节）

层出不穷的问题是否使你疲惫不堪？ 你身上的压力与焦虑是否沉重得难以负荷？ 唯有耶稣能真正解决这些问题。要以祷告亲近祂，如此一来就能将重担卸给主，祂必扶持你（诗篇55篇22节）。今天就求祂帮助你解决一切的问题， 祂能解除你的重担，进而使你的灵得安歇，因为祂的轭是容易的，祂的担子是轻省的（马太福音11章29-30节）。 JBS 

多少平安屡屡失去，


多少痛苦白白受，


皆因我们未将万事，


带到主恩座前求。 Scriven


我们借着祷告将重担卸给主。

One day I found my son straining to lift a pair of four-pound barbells over his head—an ambitious feat for a toddler. He had raised them only a few inches off the ground, but his eyes were determined and his face was pink with effort. I offered to help, and together we heaved the weight up toward the ceiling. The heavy lifting that was so hard for him was easy for me.

Jesus has this perspective on the stuff that’s hard for us to manage. When life seems like a carousel of catastrophes, Jesus isn’t fazed by a fender-bender, troubled by a toothache, or harassed by a heated argument—even if it all happens in one day! He can handle anything, and that is why He said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden” (Matt. 11:28).

Are you worn out from ongoing problems? Are you weighed down with stress and worry? Jesus is the only real solution. Approaching the Lord in prayer allows us to cast our burdens on Him so that He can sustain us (Ps. 55:22). Today, ask Him to assist you with everything. By helping you with your burdens, He can supply rest for your soul, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matt. 11:29-30).

O what peace we often forfeit,

 O what needless pain we bear,

  All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer. -  Scriven

Prayer is the place where burdens change shoulders.

是我们的选择 The Choice is Ours

罗马书 7:18-25 Romans 7:18-25

18 我也知道在我里头，就是我肉体之中，没有良善。因为，立志为善由得我，只是行出来由不得我。 19 故此，我所願意的善，我反不做；我所不願意的恶，我倒去做。 20 若我去做所不願意做的，就不是我做的，乃是住在我里头的罪做的。 21 我觉得有個律，就是我願意为善的時候，便有恶与我同在。22 因为按著我里面的意思（原文是人），我是喜欢神的律；23 但我觉得肢体中另有個律和我心中的律交战，把我掳去，叫我附从那肢体中犯罪的律。 24 我真是苦啊！ 谁能救我脱離这取死的身体呢？ 25 感谢　神，靠著我们的主耶稣基督就能脱离了。这样看来，我以内心顺服　神的律，我肉体却顺服罪的律了。

18  And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. ¹⁹ I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. ²⁰ But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. ²¹ I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. ²² I love God’s law with all my heart. ²³ But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. ²⁴ Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? ²⁵ Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

在我的里头，好像是有一条纪律活着；有一股犯罪的力量在里头运作，使我在有意做对、做善事时，反倒去做不良、不善的事。这是怎么一回事呢？使徒保罗说那股力量是从我罪恶的根源而来的。这样我怎能摆脱罪的力量呢？答案在于神！他不会将我们从罪中拯救出来之后，还让罪恶得胜于我们，是吗？圣经告诉我们，“感谢神，靠著我们的主耶稣基督就能脱离了。” 在他里头，我们已经脱离了罪恶应得的惩罚与势力。现在，我们能够自由的活着，我们能选择顺服神或仍然活在罪的捆绑里头。

There seems to be a principle living in me, the power of sin operating within to make me do what is wrong and what isn’t good, even when I desire to do what is right and good. Why is this so? Paul attributes that to the power that activates the sinful nature in me. So what could I do to break this sinful power? The answer is in God! He will not save us from our sin and then allow us to be overcome by the power of sin, will he? For the Bible says, “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” In Christ, we are set free from the penalty and power of sin. Now, we can live in freedom, we can choose to obey God or still submit to sin. 

走第二里路 Going the Second Mile

礼拜天在教会学到的信息 Learned in Church on Sunday

Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 are shocking. They seem to be unreasonable and even unrealistic. But his picture is so much bigger than ours, and his ways really do work! 主耶稣在马太福音第五章的话是有点惊人。那些话语似乎没有道理，也是不实际。但他所看到的比我们更大，他的方法真的行的通！

2011年9月5日（二） September 5, 2011(2)

讲员：斯蒂夫皮尔孙牧师 Speaker: Pastor Steve Pearson

经文：马太福音 5：41  Scripture: Matthew 5:41

有人强逼你走一里路，你就同他走二里。

If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.

走第二里路是个文化的做法。

在圣经里， 罗马士兵有权利叫犹太人帮他们提包袱，走一里路， 但不能勉强他们走第二里路。

在这种情形下：

1） 若我为你走一里路， 我行我份内需做的，

2）我是被叫，委屈而做，

3）我行了我的责任，

4）我只看到我的一边，

5）我还是生气、不高兴，

6）我的反应像其他的人，

7）我在与敌人对抗。

但是， 当我走第二里路时：

1） 我做的比所要求的来得更多，

2）我选择祝福，

3）我感动了一棵心，

4）我学习你的观点，

5）当我将我的期望交托于神，

       我找到了释放与喜乐，

6）我显示了神的恩慈，

7）我得了个朋友。

在第二里路， 我先奉献 。。。 然后我寻到了恩典的意思。

Going the second mile is a cultural thing.

1.   Roman soldiers compelled Jews to carry a soldier’s pack one mile.

2.   An extremely insulting and humiliating thing for a Jewish man to be forced to carry an enemy’s gear like a beast of burden.

3.   So Jews would mark a mile in all directions from their home and refuse to go a step further.

If I go one mile with you:

a)   I do what is expected (good employee).

b)   I am forced to serve.

c)   I discharge my responsibility.

d)   I see only my side.

e)   I am still angry and resentful.

f)     I respond like everyone else.

g)   I previously had to deal with an enemy.

But on the second mile:

a)   I do far more than expected. [Luke 10:30-37] (exceptional employee)

b)   I choose to bless.

c)   I touch a heart. (Make connections, all ministry comes out of relationship)

d)   I learn your perspective.

e)   I find freedom and joy as I release my expectations to God.

f)     I demonstrate the kindness of God. (Romans 2:4)

g)   Now I gain a friend.

On the second mile, I first offer … and then discover the meaning of grace.

诗歌：奇异恩典 －捆锁已去 (克里斯汤姆林)

Song: Amazing Grace – My Chains are Gone (Chris Tomlin)