第一章

¹³所以要準備好你們的心，警醒謹慎，專心盼望耶穌基督顯現的時候所要帶給你們的恩典。¹⁴你們既是順服的兒女，就不要再效法從前無知的時候放縱私慾的生活。¹⁵那召你們的既是聖潔的，你們在一切所行的事上也要聖潔。¹⁶因為聖經上記著說：“你們要聖潔，因為我是聖潔的。”¹⁷你們既稱那不偏待人、按各人行為審判的主為父，就當存敬畏的心，過你們寄居的日子；¹⁸因為知道你們得贖，脫去你們祖先傳下的妄行，不是憑著能壞的金銀等物，¹⁹而是憑著基督的寶血，就像無瑕疵無玷污的羊羔的血。²⁰基督是在創立世界以前，是神所預知的，卻在這末後的世代才為你們顯現出來。²¹藉著他，你們信那使他從死人中復活、又給他榮耀的神，叫你們的信心和盼望都在於神。

²²你們既因順從真理，潔淨了自己的心靈，以致能真誠地愛弟兄，就應當從清潔的心裡彼此切實相愛。

 

默想：

1. 彼得對聖潔的教導可能令我們很困惑且有威脅感；因為我們常常受傳媒影響，認為「聖潔」的人就一定是沉悶、拘謹、寡慾、枯燥、自以為是、主觀、並極度偽善的。但聖經中所說的聖潔，並非如此，乃是說要成為聖潔，就是要將我們改變成基督的樣式。
2. 耶穌在世時，罪人蜂擁地靠近祂，但自以為義的宗教領袖，則盡量設法廻避祂。彼得曾親歷基督那滲入人心、充滿愛的聖潔；他雖犯了極大的過錯，他也不會離開耶穌。究竟聖潔與愛心有什麼關連？彼得的指示：「愛弟兄沒有虛假、就當從心裡彼此切實相愛」。我要怎樣活出這樣的生命？
3. 禱告，求神教導我活出獨特、分別、與世隔離的聖潔真實生活。

 

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。

I Peter

Chapter 1

¹³Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. ¹⁴As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ¹⁵But just as he who called you is holy, so; ¹⁶for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

¹⁷Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. ¹⁸For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. ²⁰He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. ²¹Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

²²Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.

 

Meditation:

1. Peter’s call to holiness can be confusing and intimidating.  We are often bombarded by the media depicting “holy” people as stiff, sexuality repressed, boring, lifeless, self-righteous, judgemental, and deeply hypocritical.  Yet the picture we see in the Bible is that to be holy is to be transformed into Christ’s image.
2. While Jesus was on earth, sinful people flocked to him, while self-righteous folk tended to avoid an encounter.  Peter experienced firsthand Christ’s penetrating, loving holiness, and even after his greatest mistakes he couldn’t keep away from Jesus.  How are holiness and love related?  Peter further instructed: “have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart”.
3. Pray.  Ask God to teach me to live an authentic holy life that is different and separated from the world.

 

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 2012 “Spiritual Journal” book.