暗香盈袖
如鷹展翅 更新茁壯
這是我最近在看的一本書，是教會裏一個朋友介紹的。我很喜歡。這本書教會我很多道理，雖然有些部分的觀點比較陌生。有些地方太單純，但因著對基督的信賴，我竟然也看下來了，並盡量去做。
這本書的作者是RICK WARREN，此書是2002年THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER。 Rich Warren is the founding pastor of
昨天讀到的一章令我頗有感觸，摘錄一些在這裏，和大家分享. 也許可以部分解釋為什麽基督徒有時生活也很不順利。我讀過很多見證，都是說信了耶穌以後病好了，生活好了，或者得到了一個好工作，所以更信了。醫治是耶穌的一個作為，這些人因為得到的好處而信耶穌也是一種途徑，但我知道這不是所有。基督徒有更多 更深意義的見證，基督徒的存在也有比依靠耶穌生活得好更重要的意義。這個章節證實了我的感覺。對我而言，信了耶穌，心安神樂，還要一直地努力，並不完全是為了得好處。我也並不是完全為了將來的永生，我想我信耶穌，愛基督，是因為他本身，I love Jesus as he is. 因為他是那麽好，使我想要更靠近它。我現在知道受洗不是終點，而是起點，我們還有很長的路要走，要成長。而耶穌求了聖靈來住在我們的身體裏，支持我們。
***(是的，這一篇我是靠一個一個字打的，相不相信由你：）
YOU WERE CREATED TO BECOME LIKE CHRIST
From the very beginning Cod’s plan has been to make you like his Son, Jesus. This is your destiny and the third purpose of your life. God announced this intention at the Creation: “Then God said: ‘let us make human beings in our image and likeness’”
In all of creation, only human beings, are made in God’s image. This is a great privilege and gives us dignity. We don’t know all this phrase covers, but we do know some of the aspects it includes: Like God, we are spiritual beings – our spirits are immortal and will outlast our earthly bodies; we are intellectual—we can think, reason, and solve problems; like God, we are relational – we can give and receive real love; and we have a moral consciousness – we can discern right from wrong, which makes us accountable to God.…
But the image is incomplete and has been damaged and distorted by sin. So God sent Jesus on a mission to restore the full image that we have lost.
…
People often use the phrase “like father, like son” to refer to family resemblance. When people see my likeness in my kids, it pleases me. God wants his children to bear his image and likeness, too. The Bible says, “You were … created to be like God, truly righteous and holy.”
Let me be absolutely clear: You well never become God, or even a god. That prideful lie is Satan’s oldest temptation. Satan promised Adam and Eve that if they followed his advice, “ye shall be as gods”
This desire to be a god shows up every time we try to control our circumstances, our future, and people around us. But as creatures, we will never be the Creator. God doesn’t want you to become a god; he wants you to become godly – taking on his values, attitudes, and character. The Bible says: “Take on an entirely new way of life – a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.”
God’s ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort, but character development. He wants you to grow up spiritually and become like Christ. Becoming like Christ doesn’t mean losing your personality or becoming a mindless clone. God created your uniqueness, so he certainly doesn’t want to destroy it. Christlikeness is all about transforming your character, not your personality.
God wants you to develop the kind of character described in the beatitudes of Jesus, the fruit of the Spirit, Paul’s great chapter on love, and Peter’s list of the characteristics of an effective and productive life. Every time you forget the character is one of God’s purposes for your life, you will become frustrated by your circumstances. You’ll wonder, “Why is this happening to me? Why am I having such a difficult time.” One answer is that life is supposed to be difficult! It’s what enables us to grow. Remember, earth is not heaven!
Many Christians misinterpret Jesus’ promise of the “abundant life” to mean perfect health, a comfortable lifestyle, constant happiness, full realization of your dreams, and instant relief from problems through faith and prayers. In a word, they expect the Christian life to be easy. They expect heaven on earth.
This self-absorbed perspective treats God as a genie who simply exists to serve you in your selfish pursuit of personal fulfillment. But God is not your servant, and if you fall for the idea that life is supposed to be easy, either you will become severely disillusioned or you will live in denial of reality.
Never forget that life is not about you! You exist for God’s purpose, not vice versa. Why would God provide heaven on earth when he’s planned the real thing for you in eternity? God gives us our time on earth to build and strengthen our character for heaven.
GOD’S SPIRIT WORKING IN YOU
It is the Holy Spirit’s job to produce Christlike character in you. The Bible says “As the spirit of the Lord within us, we become more and more like him and reflect is glory even more” This process of changing us to be more like Jesus is called sanctification, and it is the third purpose of your life on earth.
You cannot reproduce the character of Jesus on your own strength… only the Holy Spirit has the power to make the changes God wants to make in our lives. The Bible says: “God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what please him”
Mention “the power of the Holy Spirit” and many people think of miraculous demonstrations and intense emotions. But most of the time the Holy Spirit’s power is released in your life in quiet, unassuming ways that you aren’t even aware of or can’t feel. He often nudges us with “a gentle whisper”
Christlikeness is not produced by imitation, but by inhabitation. We allow Chirst to live through us. “For this is the secret: Chirst lives in you.” How does this happen in real life? Through the choices we make. We choose to do the right thing in situations and then trust God’s Spirit to give us his power, love, faith, and wisdom to do it. Since God’s Spirit lives inside of us, these things are always available for the asking.
We must cooperate with Holy Spirit’s work. Through out the Bible we see an important truth illustrated over and over. The holy spirit releases his power the moment you take a step of faith. When Joshua was faced with an impassible barrier, the floodwaters of the
God waits for you to act first. Don’t wait to feel powerful or confident. Move ahead in your weakness, doing the right thing in spite of your fears and feelings. This is how you cooperate with the Holy Spirit and it is how your character develops.
The Bible compares spiritual growth to a seed, a building, and a child growing up. Each metaphor requires active participation: Seeds must be planted and cultivated, building must be built – they don’t just appear – and children must eat and exercises to grow.
While effort has nothing to do with your salvation, it has much to do with your spiritual growth. At least eight times in the New Testament we are told to “make every effort” in our growth toward becoming like Jesus. You don’t just sit around and wait it to happen.
Paul explains in Ephesians 4:22-24 our three responsibilities in becoming like Christ. First, we must choose to let go of old ways of acting. “Everything …connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it.”
Second, we must change the way we think. “Let the Spirit change your way of thinking” The Bible says we are “transformed” by the renewing of our minds. The Greek word for transformed, metamorphosis is used to describe the amazing change a caterpillar goes through in becoming a butterfly. It is a beautiful picture of what happens to us spiritually when we allow God to direct our thoughts: We are changed from inside out, we become more beautiful, and we are set free to soar to new heights.
Third, we must “put on” the character of Christ by developing new, godly habits. Your character is essentially the sum of your habits; it is how you habitually act. The Bible says, “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
God uses his Word, people, and circumstances to mold us. All three are indispensable for character development. God’s Word provides us the truth we need to grow, God’s people provide the support we need to grow, and circumstances provide the environment we need to practice Christlikeness. If you study and apply God’s Word, connect regularly with other believers, and learn to trust God in difficult circumstances, I guarantee you will become more like Jesus.
Many people assume all that is needed for spiritual growth is Bible study and prayer. But some issues in life will never be changed by Bible study and prayer alone. God uses people. He usually prefers to work through people rather than perform miracles, so that we will depend on each other for fellowship. He wants us to grow together. …
Spiritual maturity is not a solitary, individual pursuit! (40hutu 你的問題在這裏被回答了) You cannot grow to Christlikeness in isolation. You must be around other people and interact with them. You need to be a part of a church and community. Why? Because true spiritual maturity is all about learning to love like Jesus, and you cannot practice being like Jesus without being in relationship with other people. Remember, it’s all about love – loving God and loving others.
Becoming like Christ is a long, slow process of growth. Spiritual maturity is neither instant nor automatic; it is a gradual, progressive development that will take the rest of your life. Referring to this process, Paul said, “This will continue until we are… mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him.”…
Much confusion in the Christian life comes from ignoring the simple truth that God is far more interested in building your character than he is anything else. We worry when God seems silent on specific issues such as “What career should I choose?” The truth is, there are many different careers that could be in God’s will for your life. What God cars about most is that whatever you do, you do it in a Christlike manner.
God is far more interested in what you are than in what you do. We are human beings, not human doings. God is much more concerned about your character than your career, because you will take your character into eternity, but not your career.
…
Sadly, a quick review of many popular books reveathat many believers have abandoned living for God’s great purpose and settled for personal fulfillment and emotional stability. That is narcissism, not discipleship. Jesus did not die on the cross just so we could live comfortable, well-adjusted life. His purpose is far deeper: He wants to make us like himself before he takes us to heaven. This is our greatest privilege, our immediate responsibility, and our ultimate destiny.
Praise God!