以不稳定的脚步走向天国
我第一年教学时，班上有一个中学生，除非她把作业做得十全十美，否则她便拒绝交给我。她是一个聪颖和勤力的学生，但她这门课却不合格，因为她欠交的作业实在太多了。我便与她和她的妈妈倾谈，我们讨论令她陷在瘫痪状态中的完美主义，接着我们便安排她以自修的方式重修这一门课，她最终以优异成绩通过了。
跟从耶稣时，我们也很容易被类似的完美主义所困。我们心里的声音可能试图说服我们，如果我们不能完完全全地跟从耶稣，我们就是在犯罪了。然而，我们需要治死这些倾向，因为即使我们已因着耶稣为我们的牺牲得蒙拯救，我们仍然会继续与罪恶搏斗的。尽管我们常常并不肯定知道如何实行神带领我们去做的事，但我们必须相信，神必定会继续在我们里面动工的。
举例说，我太太和我参与安置难民的事工，有机会认识来自世界各地不平凡的人，我们感到兴奋和庆幸；但我们却是“恐惧战兢”地参与这事工的，因为我们不是专家，我们需要不断学习不同的文化和它们之间的微妙之处。尽管如此，在我们以不坚定的脚步逐渐建立新的友谊时，我们的新朋友也一直都怀着善意和感谢来接纳我们。
主啊，你与我们这些容易绊倒的人同行，我们感谢你。求你平静我们的恐惧战兢，又藉着我们把你的爱传给别人。奉耶稣祈求，阿们。
腓立比书 2:1-13
1所以，在基督里若有什么劝勉，爱心有什么安慰，圣灵有什么交通，心中有什么慈悲怜悯，
2你们就要意念相同，爱心相同，有一样的心思，有一样的意念，使我的喜乐可以满足。
3凡事不可结党，不可贪图虚浮的荣耀，只要存心谦卑，各人看别人比自己强。
4各人不要单顾自己的事，也要顾别人的事。
5你们当以基督耶稣的心为心。
6他本有神的形象，不以自己与神同等为强夺的，
7反倒虚己，取了奴仆的形象，成为人的样式；
8既有人的样子，就自己卑微，存心顺服以至于死，且死在十字架上。
9所以神将他升为至高，又赐给他那超乎万名之上的名，
10叫一切在天上的、地上的和地底下的，因耶稣的名无不屈膝，
11无不口称耶稣基督为主，使荣耀归于父神。
12这样看来，我亲爱的弟兄，你们既是常顺服的，不但我在你们那里，就是我如今不在你们那里，更是顺服的，就当恐惧战兢，做成你们得救的工夫。
13因为你们立志行事，都是神在你们心里运行，为要成就他的美意。
Stumbling Toward The Kingdom
"Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." - Philippians 2:12-13
In my first year of teaching I had a high school student who refused to hand in any work unless it was perfect. She was a bright and dedicated student, but she failed the course because so much work was not handed in. I sat down with her and her mother, and we discussed her paralyzing perfectionism. Then we made arrangements for her to retake the course as an independent study, and she passed with flying colors.
It can be easy for us to fall into a similar perfectionism in following Jesus. A voice within us can convince us that if we are not following Jesus perfectly, we are sinning. We need to die to tendencies like that because we will continue to struggle with sin even though we are already saved through Jesus’ sacrifice for us. We have to trust that God will continue to work in us even though we aren’t always sure how to do what God is leading us to do.
For example, my wife and I help with a refugee resettlement ministry, and we have been excited and honored to meet amazing people from all over the world. But we work at this with some “fear and trembling” because we are not experts and we keep learning about different cultures and intercultural sensitivity. Even so, as we stumble our way into new relationships, our new friends have always received us with grace and gratitude.
Thank you, Lord, for walking with stumblers like us; steady our fear and trembling, and work through us to bring your love to others. In Jesus, Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
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