加拉太书6章7节 Galatians 6:7
「不要自欺,上帝是轻慢不得的。人种的是什么,收的也是什么。」 ”Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”
读经: 加拉太书6章1-10节 Scripture Reading: Galatians 6:1-10
在英国利物浦的国际奴隶制度博物馆中,纪录了世世代代身为奴隶及其子女所受到的奴役和压迫。因为奴隶主的贪婪,无辜的奴隶们付出了可怕的代价。然而,代价不仅是如此而已。在博物馆的一面墙上,刻着美国曾经身为奴隶的人权领袖,弗雷德里克道格拉斯的名言:「用锁链扣住同伴脚踝的人,最后必发现锁链的另一端正缠在自己的脖子上。」当以不人道的方法对待他人时,自己就成了灭绝人性的人。
使徒保罗以另一种方式阐明了同样的道理, 他说:「不要自欺,上帝是轻慢不得的。人种植的是什么,收割的也是什么」(加拉太书6章7节)。保罗的话是严厉的警告,要我们知道每一项选择都会带来后果,当然包括我们选择如何待人。如果我们选择仇恨,那么仇恨所带来的结果绝对是我们无法应付的。我们会发觉自己与人疏远、对自己恼怒、能力受阻,而且无法有效地服事基督。
相反的,我们要选择 「行善,不可丧志;若不灰心,到了时候就要收成。所以,有了机会,就当向众人行善。」(9-10节)WEC
撒下贪婪仇恨种子,
收割败坏损失痛苦;
撒下仁爱恩慈种子,
必然收割永生恩福。 Sper
你我今日撒下的种子, 成就明日收割的果实。
In the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool, England, the devastation of generations of enslaved men, women, and children is remembered. The price innocent people have paid for the greed of others is horrific -but theirs is not the only cost. Engraved in a wall of the museum is a profound observation made by Frederick Douglass, former slave and crusader for human rights, which reads, “No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without at last finding the other end fastened about his own neck.” In the act of dehumanizing others, we dehumanize ourselves.
The apostle Paul put it another way when he wrote, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7). Paul’s words form a stark reminder to us that our choices have consequences - and that includes how we choose to treat others. When we choose to hate, that hate can return to us in the form of consequences that we can never fully prepare for. We can find ourselves alienated from others, angry with ourselves, and hamstrung in our ability to serve Christ effectively.
Instead, let’s choose “not [to] grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap . . . As we have opportunity, let us do good to all” (vv.9-10).
Sowing seeds of greed and hatred
Reaps corruption, loss, and pain;
But if we sow love and kindness,
We will reap eternal gain. —Sper
The seeds we sow today
will determine
the kind of fruit we’ll reap tomorrow.
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