“叹息哭泣的眼泪遮盖耶和华的坛， … 耶和华不再看顾那供物 …。” - 玛 2:13

　　论到神的子民多么的藐视神，如果说他们的眼泪最后遮盖耶和华的殿，也是很合情理的。可惜，他们的眼泪不是因为他们觉得自己有罪，乃是觉得自己很可怜。他们哭泣，是因为他们得不到他们心想得到的。他们完全不会在意自己献给神的是否真诚的。

　　自我中心的心态对我们有很大的影响力，它通常是因为我们得不到我们认为当得的东西而引起的，尽管这些东西有时真的是我们应得的。我曾经为某些事感到愤愤不平，神提醒我：“你为什么不就此罢休呢？”但我却这样想：“我是有权发怒的。”神没有挑战我发怒的权利，但衪让我看见，我不必非要运用这个权利的。公平正义，或许会激动我们愤怒或忧伤，而自我中心，却会叫我们沉浸在这些情绪当中。

　　自我中心的习惯是很容易养成的。因为我们每天都会遇到不公平不正义的事，而这些往往是一些琐碎的事，但当自我中心愈来愈膨胀时，要放开忿恨的心怀也愈来愈困难了。

　　自我牺牲却带来相反的果效。当我们愈懂得这样做时，我们对这个不公平不正义的世界也愈会处之泰然。我们容让人取得他们没有权利得到的东西。我们知道，一个自我牺牲的生命，其价值远胜于那些因别人的自私行为令我们失去的任何一样东西。

　　自我牺牲抑或自我中心——今日，你生命所彰显的，是哪一样呢？

祷告

主耶稣，祢让我们看到自我牺牲的生命的典范。是祢，为我们的过犯付上了代价，叫我们得以自由，求祢帮助我们效法祢的榜样。奉耶稣的名祷告，阿们。

 

玛拉基书 2:13; 罗马书 12:1, 9-13

13你们又行了一件这样的事，使前妻叹息哭泣的眼泪遮盖耶和华的坛，以致耶和华不再看顾那供物，也不乐意从你们手中收纳。
1所以，弟兄们，我以神的慈悲劝你们，将身体献上，当作活祭，是圣洁的，是神所喜悦的；你们如此事奉乃是理所当然的。
9爱人不可虚假。恶，要厌恶；善，要亲近。
10爱弟兄，要彼此亲热；恭敬人，要彼此推让。
11殷勤，不可懒惰；要心里火热，常常服事主。
12在指望中要喜乐；在患难中要忍耐；祷告要恒切。
13圣徒缺乏，要帮补；客，要一味地款待。  

Learning To Sacrifice

"You flood the LORD's altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings. . . ." — Malachi 2:13

英语音频 English Audio

Considering all the ways God's people have disrespected him, it might seem appropriate that they flood his altar with tears. But they feel sorry for themselves, not for their sin. They're weeping because they're not getting their way. They're not interested in genuine sacrifice.

Selfishness is powerful. It often stems from not getting something we think we deserve. Sometimes we might even be right about deserving it. Once while I struggled with bitterness, God probed me: "Why not just let it go?" But I thought, "I have the right to be angry." God did not challenge my right to be angry, but he did show me that I didn't need to exercise that right. Justice might allow us to be angry or sad, but selfishness often requires those emotions.

Selfishness easily becomes a habit. Injustices happen to us every day; usually they are small bits of unfairness. As selfishness grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to let any of those things go.

Sacrifice has the opposite effect. As we grow in the ability to sacrifice, we grow to be at peace in a world of injustice. We can let others have even the things they have no right to. We realize that living a sacrificial life is more valuable than anything we might lose to someone else's selfish behavior.

Selfishness or selflessness: which do you show in your life?

Prayer

诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳