20110401
昨晚读了路加10:38-42，讲耶稣进了一个村庄。有一个女人名叫马大Martha，接他到自己家里。她有一个妹子名叫马利亚Mary，在耶稣脚前坐着听他的道。马大伺侯的事多，心里忙乱，就进前来说：“主阿，我的妹子留下我一个人伺候，你不在意吗？请吩咐她来帮助我。”耶稣说：“马大，马大！你为许多的事思虑烦扰，但是不可少的只有一件，马利亚已经选择那上好的福分，是不能夺去的。”
Martha was careful and troubled about many things, she was busy in the kitchen but her sister Mary was eager first of all to know about spiritual things, listening to the Truth from the lips of Jesus. Preparing food could wait -- this was an unmissable experience. She chose the one thing that was needful, and Jesus told her so.
Acutally this does not mean that everyday chores should be ignored. This was not the extreme lesson Jesus was trying to teach Martha. The lesson is surely that we can trust G that the mundane things will fall into place if we put spiritual matters first. How could anyone pass up a unique opportunity to hear the wisdom of the Master himself in order to slice bread or cook meat. If you were there, would you let such an opportunity as that slip? How would you say about your general enthusiasm for spiritual things?
Just like Martha, so many people say they are too busy for G. Busy with what ? To make a better life? Here, COLIN ATTRIDGE list some of the things people generally agree go together to make a satisfying and fulfiilling life:
1. sufficient food.
2. sufficient clothing.
3. a place to live.
4. sufficient money.
5. good physical health.
6. good emotional health.(self worth, securtiy)
7. good mental health.(lack of anxiety or neurosis)
8. good relationships.
9. a sense of purpose. (a belief that life is meaningful)
10. enjoyment (that doesn't rob us of any of the above)
But few people actually achieve even half of them. They fail to balance it out in most cases. That is why he was careful to say for the last item: Enjoyment that doesn't rob us of any of the above. So often people go for an enjoyment, or the extreme of an enjoyment, that will cancel out one or more of the other vital forces for a happy life. How about trying to concentrate on one thing only?
As is sometimes said of happiness: you dont achieve it by directly striving for it, it generally comes as a by-product of doing other things. The pursuit of happiness puts happiness forever in the future. Be like the wise old tomcat who realizes that when he stops chasing his tail it follows him around anyway. Don't chase after all the things you think will bring happiness, simply focus on your spiritual life and those things will take care of themselves and the happiness will follow. Listen, you can cast all your cares upon G because He careds for you(彼得前书5:7)，"One thing is needful," said Jesus.
接下来在18:18-23，有一个官向耶稣寻求永生之道，他遵守了一切的诫命，耶稣说“你还缺少一件：要变卖你一切所有的，分给穷人，就必有财宝在天上，你还要来跟从我。”他一听这话就很忧愁，因为他很富足。
The man was already on the spiritual path. He was observing the law but there was an area of his life in which he was vulnerable. He lacked one thing which was needful: a truly full commitment to the spiritual path. He had not yet faced an unpleasant truth about himself, that his wealth was more important than his spirituality. All the while he had everything he needed, he felt secure in his religion. Bud if his religion made demands that might be fatal to his wealth, he would rather side with his wealth.We donot know how the story ended.
Donot misunderstand us, we do not all have to give everything we have to the poor in order to follow the spiritual path. The point is that we are better off doing without whatever blocks our progress along the path. The man's attachment to his wealth was the problem, not the wealth itself. Our problem may not be wealth, even if we have it. We may need testing in an entirely different area. See, G certainly tests believers, and this is one reason why many are less than content with life in the Truth. So often we fail to learn the lesson that comes to us. So slow we make our spiritual development. Even if J.C already said clearly "你为许多的事思虑烦扰，但是不可少的只有一件”。
"One thing is needful," said Jesus.
"This one thing I do,"said Paul.
Are you still too busy for G?
"Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own, but this one thing I do: forgeting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of G in Christ Jesus."(Philippians3:13-14)
Martha was careful and troubled about many things, she was busy in the kitchen but her sister Mary was eager first of all to know about spiritual things, listening to the Truth from the lips of Jesus. Preparing food could wait -- this was an unmissable experience. She chose the one thing that was needful, and Jesus told her so.
Acutally this does not mean that everyday chores should be ignored. This was not the extreme lesson Jesus was trying to teach Martha. The lesson is surely that we can trust G that the mundane things will fall into place if we put spiritual matters first. How could anyone pass up a unique opportunity to hear the wisdom of the Master himself in order to slice bread or cook meat. If you were there, would you let such an opportunity as that slip? How would you say about your general enthusiasm for spiritual things?
Just like Martha, so many people say they are too busy for G. Busy with what ? To make a better life? Here, COLIN ATTRIDGE list some of the things people generally agree go together to make a satisfying and fulfiilling life:
1. sufficient food.
2. sufficient clothing.
3. a place to live.
4. sufficient money.
5. good physical health.
6. good emotional health.(self worth, securtiy)
7. good mental health.(lack of anxiety or neurosis)
8. good relationships.
9. a sense of purpose. (a belief that life is meaningful)
10. enjoyment (that doesn't rob us of any of the above)
But few people actually achieve even half of them. They fail to balance it out in most cases. That is why he was careful to say for the last item: Enjoyment that doesn't rob us of any of the above. So often people go for an enjoyment, or the extreme of an enjoyment, that will cancel out one or more of the other vital forces for a happy life. How about trying to concentrate on one thing only?
As is sometimes said of happiness: you dont achieve it by directly striving for it, it generally comes as a by-product of doing other things. The pursuit of happiness puts happiness forever in the future. Be like the wise old tomcat who realizes that when he stops chasing his tail it follows him around anyway. Don't chase after all the things you think will bring happiness, simply focus on your spiritual life and those things will take care of themselves and the happiness will follow. Listen, you can cast all your cares upon G because He careds for you(彼得前书5:7)，"One thing is needful," said Jesus.
接下来在18:18-23，有一个官向耶稣寻求永生之道，他遵守了一切的诫命，耶稣说“你还缺少一件：要变卖你一切所有的，分给穷人，就必有财宝在天上，你还要来跟从我。”他一听这话就很忧愁，因为他很富足。
The man was already on the spiritual path. He was observing the law but there was an area of his life in which he was vulnerable. He lacked one thing which was needful: a truly full commitment to the spiritual path. He had not yet faced an unpleasant truth about himself, that his wealth was more important than his spirituality. All the while he had everything he needed, he felt secure in his religion. Bud if his religion made demands that might be fatal to his wealth, he would rather side with his wealth.We donot know how the story ended.
Donot misunderstand us, we do not all have to give everything we have to the poor in order to follow the spiritual path. The point is that we are better off doing without whatever blocks our progress along the path. The man's attachment to his wealth was the problem, not the wealth itself. Our problem may not be wealth, even if we have it. We may need testing in an entirely different area. See, G certainly tests believers, and this is one reason why many are less than content with life in the Truth. So often we fail to learn the lesson that comes to us. So slow we make our spiritual development. Even if J.C already said clearly "你为许多的事思虑烦扰，但是不可少的只有一件”。
"One thing is needful," said Jesus.
"This one thing I do,"said Paul.
Are you still too busy for G?
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"Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own, but this one thing I do: forgeting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of G in Christ Jesus."(Philippians3:13-14)
