第五章

1我們知道，如果我們在地上的帳棚拆毀了，我們必得著從神而來的居所。那不是人手所造的，而是天上永存的房屋。2我們現今在這帳棚裡面歎息，渴望遷到那天上的住處，好像換上新的衣服；3如果穿上了，就不會赤身出現了。4我們這些在帳棚裡面的人，勞苦歎息，是由於不願意脫去這個，卻願意穿上那個，使這必死的被生命吞滅。5那在我們身上完成了工作，使我們達成這目標的，就是神。他已經把聖靈賜給我們作憑據。6我們既然一向都是坦然無懼的，又知道住在身內就是與主分開7（因為我們行事是憑著信心，不是憑著眼見），8現在還是坦然無懼，寧願與身體分開，與主同住。9因此，我們立定志向，無論住在身內或是與身體分開，都要討主的喜悅。10因為我們眾人都必須在基督的審判臺前顯露出來，使各人按著本身所行的，或善或惡，受到報應。

 

默想

1. 信徒有勇氣持守基督的呼召，像保羅一樣向世界的價值觀挑戰，是因為知道現今暫時的苦難與最終的獎賞相比，實在微不足道。當我們竭力為神那「更美的道路」奔走，而受到誤會或輕視時，我們仍然有盼望，在神的同在（以馬內利）我們可以全然欣喜。此外，我們亦因在神的智慧上的成長而歡欣。所以我們雖然在地上嘆息勞苦，等候身體得贖（羅8:23），但確實是有益的。
2. 在整理裝扮自己地上的帳棚（身體），和預備天上永存的房屋，這兩件事上，我比較著重的是什麼？若我在自己地上的日子是幾十年，但在天上卻是億萬年，我該花較多的心思在那裡？

 

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 5

¹Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. ²Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, ³because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. ⁴For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

⁶Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷We live by faith, not by sight. ⁸We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

MEDITATION

1. Courage to endure the radical call of the Christian claim on our lives comes from the belief that the eventual reward will outweigh the temporary suffering we incur by challenging the world’s values as Jesus and Paul did.  When our valiant struggle for God’s better way goes unappreciated and misunderstood, we have the hope of the Emmanuel God—God with us—utter delight at being in the divine presence.  But we also have the happiness of experiencing our own growth into the splendour of divine wisdom, so that our groaning here for the redemption of our bodies is not without reward in its own right.
2. Which do I spend more time preparing and thinking, my earthly tent (body) or my heavenly dwelling?  If I only spend several decades in my earthly tent, but millions of years in heaven, which one should I devote more thoughts and energy on?

 

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.