第十四章

⁶守日的人是為主守的，吃的人是為主吃的，因為他感謝神；不吃的人是為主不吃，他也感謝神。⁷我們沒有一個人為自己活，也沒有一個人為自己死。我們若活著，是為主而活；⁸我們若死了，是為主而死。所以，我們無論活著或是死了，總是屬於主的人。⁹為了這緣故，基督死了，又活過來，就是要作死人和活人的主。¹⁰這樣，你為甚麼批評你的弟兄呢？為甚麼又輕看你的弟兄呢？我們都要站在神的審判臺前；¹¹因為經上記著：“主說，我指著我的永生起誓：萬膝必向我跪拜，萬口必稱頌神。”¹²這樣看來，我們各人都要把自己的事向神交代。¹³所以，我們不要再彼此批評了；倒要立定主意，決不作絆倒弟兄或使他跌倒的事。

 

默想

1. 在教會群體中，每個人都是單單憑著神的饒恕和恩典才得以存活，因此在教會中，常常評論自己不喜歡的人和事，是極其粗暴無禮的舉動。所以批評論斷和流言蜚語都會為教會帶來腐蝕敗壞。我們口中所發出的每個論斷之詞，其實都是冒犯了另一位信徒，他也是同蒙基督為他而死的肢體。
2. 我是否曾親眼見過本該彼此相親相愛的教會，卻被信徒之間的論斷批評和流言所毀壞？在這個月中，努力學習多說鼓勵人的話，來建立（而非拆毀）我們教會的群體。

 

禱告與筆錄：

繼續安靜在神面前，與神對話，並聆聽祂對我說的話。將心中的思想（心得），或是與神的禱告，記錄在“靈程筆記”簿上面。

 

Chapter 14

⁶He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. ⁸If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

⁹For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. ¹⁰You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. ¹¹It is written:
” ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.’ ” ¹²So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

¹³Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.

 

Meditation

1. In the church community, everyone lives entirely on the forgiveness and grace of God.  Therefore, to constantly making comments on what we disapprove of or dislike in one another is outrageous. Criticisms and gossips are detrimental to the church community.  Every judgmental word out of our mouths violates an eternal soul for whom Christ died.
2. Have I seen a fellowship being destroyed by judgmental criticisms and gossip?  Try this month to speak words of encouragement and hope that build community at every possible opportunity.

 

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the 2011 “Spiritual Journal” book.