当没有人在看时 When no one is watching

May 21, 2012 — by Cindy Hess Kasper

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

歌罗西书3章22节Colossians 3:22

「要凡事听从你们肉身的主人，不要只在眼前事奉，像是讨人喜欢的，总要存心诚实敬畏主。」”Obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.”

读经: 歌罗西书3章22-25节 Scripture Reading: Colossians 3：22-25

派特的第一份工作是在超市值夜班。打烊后，他和其他的员工将商品上架。老板吩咐他们，为了方便顾客，上架时要将罐头的标签正面朝外。但老板又叮咛了一句：「前面三排罐头的标签都要正面朝外。」一晚，当派特正在摆放罐头的时候，他的同事开始嘲笑他说：「只要第一排罐头的标签正面朝外就好了，谁会发现呢？」

对一个青少年来说，这是个抉择的时刻。 他是该按老板要求的去做，还是为自己方便就偷懒呢？

我们都曾经遇到过类似的情况，我们必须要作出决定。使徒保罗鼓励他的同工，即便是在没有人看见时，仍要遵守，他说：「你们作仆人的，要凡事听从你们肉身的主人，不要只在眼前事奉，像是讨人喜欢的，总要存心诚实敬畏主。」（歌罗西书3章22节）

不管我们的老板是否在身边，或是有其他的人在监视我们，我们都应该做正确的事。虽然有时候服从是很不容易，或是会造成不便，但服从是对的。

请记得：「人若知道行善，却不去行，这就是他的罪了。」

（雅各书4章17节）CHK

求主助我紧跟耶稣，

日日夜夜时刻顺服；

立志做祂忠心门徒，

     听旨行事取悦救主。 Fitzhugh

无人察看时的行为，表现我们的真品格。

Pat’s first job was working on the night crew at a grocery store. After closing time, he and the other employees stocked the shelves. Pat’s boss had instructed them to always turn the soup cans forward so that the label could be read easily. But he had gone a little further by saying, “Make sure that they’re facing forward—three cans back.” One night as Pat was arranging the shelves, his co-workers began to scoff, “Just make sure the front can is turned the right way. Who’s gonna know?”

It was a moment of decision for the teenager. Should he obey what his boss had asked him to do, or just do what was easy?

We’ve all been in similar situations where we’ve had to make a choice. The apostle Paul encouraged his fellow believers to be obedient even when no one was watching: “Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God” (Col. 3:22).

Doing the right thing should not be dependent on whether our employer is around or if anyone else is watching. It’s not always easy or convenient to be obedient. But it’s right.

Remember, “to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

Lord, help me to follow Jesus,

To obey Him day by day,

To be His faithful disciple

And please Him in every way. —Fitzhugh

Our character is measured by what we do when no one is looking.

神没有弃绝了他的百姓 God has not abandoned His people

罗马书 11：1－6  Romans 11:1-6

我且说，神弃绝了他的百姓吗？ 断乎没有！ 因为我也是以色列人，亚伯拉罕的后裔，属便雅悯支派的。神并没有弃绝他预先所知道的百姓。你们岂不晓得经上论到以利亚是怎么说的呢？ 他在神面前怎样控告以色列人说：主啊，他们杀了你的先知，拆了你的祭坛，只剩下我一个人，他们还要寻索我的命。神的回话是怎么说的呢？ 他说：我为自己留下七千人，是未曾向巴力屈膝的。

如今也是这样，照著拣选的恩典，还有所留的余数。既是出於恩典，就不在乎行为；不然，恩典就不是恩典了。

¹ I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin. ² No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said, ³ “LORD, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” ⁴ And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!”

5 It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace - his undeserved kindness in choosing them. ⁶ And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is - free and undeserved.

使徒保罗问一个自答的问题：“神弃绝了他的百姓以色列人吗？神在保罗身上的呼召与救恩证明了神更本没有弃绝了他的百姓。因为保罗是一位以色列人，是亚伯拉罕的后裔，是从便雅悯支派的人。显然的，神对他的决定是信实的。他并没有弃绝他预先所拣选的百姓。

既然先知以塞亚在神面前怎样控告以色列人说，“主啊，他们杀了你的先知，拆了你的祭坛，只剩下我一个人，他们还要寻索我的命。” 神的回话是怎么说的呢？ 

The Apostle Paul asked a rhetorical question: “Has God rejected His own people, that is, the Israelites?” God’s call and salvation of Paul’s life is proof that God has not abandoned His people. He was an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and from the tribe of Benjamin. Thus God is faithful to His decision, He has not rejected the people He has chosen from the beginning.

Even though Elijah the prophet complained to God that the wayward king Ahab and the idolatrous Israelites had killed all of God’s prophets and he was seemingly left alone, and fleeing for his life, God’s reply was: He has kept for Himself 7,000 remnants who were true to Him, and did not bow down to the idol Baal.

Similarly, in the days of the Apostle Paul where the Israelites were under Roman rule and there were people who compromised their faith, and allied themselves with the Romans, such as the chief priests and the scribes. There is also a remnant of Israelites who received God’s undeserved grace, kindness, favor and salvation. And they knew that it was not by good works that they received God’s grace – it is purely free and undeserved. Praise God! The same could be said of Gentiles, many of today’s Christians all over the world – we have received God’s underserved grace and salvation in Jesus Christ, our Savior, and He is the Savior of the world.

免除忧虑 Walk Away From Worry

by Jennifer Benson Schuldt

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

腓立比书4章6节Philippians 4:6

「应当一无挂虑。」 ”Be anxious for nothing.”

读经: 腓立比书4章1-9节 Scripture Reading: Philippians 4：1-9

几年前，查经小组长向我们提出挑战，要求大家记住圣经的某一章，并要在小组中背诵。一开始，我对这个建议很抗拒。一整章！ 还要在大家面前背出来！ 背诵从来就不是我的专长，一想到大家会盯着我看，在长长沉寂中等着我背出下一个字，我就感到害怕。

几天之后，我不情愿地翻着圣经，想看看有哪些经文可以背，翻了许久都感觉不对，直到我翻到腓立比书第4章。

我默默地读了这节经文：「应当一无挂虑，只要凡事借着祷告、祈求和感谢，将你们所要的告诉上帝」（6节）。突然间我知道自己该背诵哪一章了，也知道该怎么免除对这份作业的焦虑。

上帝不想要我们为未来的事情烦恼，因为忧虑会使我们无法祷告。使徒保罗提醒我们不要焦躁不安，而应该向上帝求助。当我们持续以祷告替代焦虑，上帝的平安将会保守我们的心怀意念（7节）。

一度有人半开玩笑地说：「如果你能够忧虑，何必还要祷告？ 」 这里很清楚地指出：忧虑对我们没有帮助，但祷告会让我们和上帝亲近，祂是能担当我们所有忧虑的那一位。


若经一日忙碌，


你感压力累积；


乌云密布焦虑，


                   便是祷告之际。 (无名人士)

合手向上帝祷告，就不会因焦虑而扭绞双手。

A few years ago, our Bible-study leader challenged us to memorize a chapter of the Bible and recite it to the group. Internally, I began to protest and groan. An entire chapter, in front of everyone? Memorization had never been my thing; I cringed as I imagined long silences while everyone watched me, waiting for the next words.

A few days later, I reluctantly leafed through my Bible, looking for a set of verses to learn by heart. Nothing seemed right until I landed in Philippians 4.

I read this verse in silence, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (v.6). That’s when I knew which chapter to memorize, and how to walk away from my anxiety about the assignment.

God does not want us to agonize over future events, because worry paralyzes our prayer life. The apostle Paul reminds us that instead of fretting, we should ask God for help. When we continually take this approach to anxiety, God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds (v.7).

Someone once said tongue-in-cheek, “Why pray when you can worry?” The point is clear: Worry gets us nowhere, but prayer gets us in touch with the One who can handle all of our concerns.

When you feel the tension mounting,

And across the busy day,

Only gloomy clouds are drifting

As you start to worry-pray! (Anon.)

It’s impossible to wring our hands when they are folded before God in prayer.