 We live in a self-absorbed society, where few volunteer for the common good. But many top philosophers tell us that self-centeredness is the source of suffering. How can we fix this? Let’s learn from Isaiah 6:1-13.
In this passage, Isaiah saw the glory and holiness of God (v1-4). In Hebrew, repetition shows magnitude. Here, “holy” is repeated three times, implying infinite brilliance, beauty, and significance. The encounter changed and deepened Isaiah’s understanding of God. Isaiah was crushed and reacted by cursing himself (v5). Seeing the greatness exposed his inadequacies. Job, Moses and Peter had similar experiences. Isaiah was a skilled and intelligent communicator from a royal family. At that time, King Uzziah had died, and the society was in bad shape. It should have been his time to shine, yet Isaiah saw how unworthy he and his people were (v5). Then God cleansed Isaiah (v6-7). Isaiah was humbled by his inadequacies, but he was bold because of God’s cleansing and acceptance. After that, God offered Isaiah a job without telling him what it entailed. Isaiah immediately accepted (v8). For the rest of his life, Isaiah would preach with no results, no conversion (v9-13). The Israel nation was like a tree cut down to its stump, but God told Isaiah the stump would grow again (v13). God’s holiness might not bring earthly benefits. But after seeing His holiness, Isaiah focused on God, ignoring his own needs, fulfillment, and goals. Independent of the environment, Isaiah adored and served God for the rest of his life. We tend to treat God as our personal ATM. Meeting God would totally change us. Encountering Christ would show our inadequacies, humbling us while making us bold! Isaiah didn’t earn his self-worth through his own effort; neither do we. Christ’s sacrifice cleanses us, leading to God’s acceptance, our supreme position, and boldness. Encountering Christ changes us from self-absorbed to focused on Him. We can persevere even when our environment is terrible. We can adore and serve Him for the rest of our lives. Also, one day Christ will come back. The stump will grow. And everything will be wonderful again! Summarized from a Tim Keller sermon titled, “Gospel_and_Your_Self”: https://gospelinlife.com/downloads/the-gospel-and-your-self-5433/ 如何突破自我中心？ 我们生活在一个自我陶醉的社会中,更少人愿意为大众的利益做志愿者。但许多顶级的哲学家告诉我们自我为中心是痛苦的根源。怎么从中解脱出来呢？让我们从以赛亚书6：1-13中学习。 以赛亚在这段经文中看到上帝的荣耀和圣洁 （以赛亚书6：1-4）。重复的字语在希伯来语中代表其重要性。 “圣洁”在此处重复三次，意味着无限的光彩、美丽和重要性。这次的相遇改变和深化了以赛亚对上帝的认识和理解。 以赛亚被天使的信息破碎后，他开始诅咒自己 （以赛亚书6：5）。目睹上帝的伟大暴露了他的亏缺。约伯、摩西和彼得也有类似经历。 以赛亚是一位出生于王室之家聪明而又卓越的沟通者。那时候乌西雅王驾崩，社会动荡不安，国家状况不佳。此刻本应是以赛亚崛起闪耀的机会，他却看到自己和百姓的光景何等糟糕（以赛亚书6：5）。上帝随即洁净了以赛亚 （以赛亚书6：6-7）。以赛亚因他的不足而感到卑微。因为上帝的洁净和接纳，以赛亚仍然满有勇气。 此后上帝赐给以赛亚一份任务，却没有告诉具体细节。以赛亚立即接受神的托付 （以赛亚书6：8）。 以赛亚在他的余生中传讲上帝的话语，但最终都没有结果，没有人听了就回转 （以赛亚书6：9-13）。以色列民族就像一棵被砍伐的树木。但上帝告诉以赛亚那存留的树墩有一天会再次生长 （以赛亚书6：13）。 上帝的圣洁不一定带来属世的好处。但目睹祂的圣洁后，以赛亚定睛专注于上帝，轻看自己的需要、成就和目标。以赛亚不管环境如何, 用其余生爱慕和服事神。 人们往往把上帝当作自動取款機。与上帝的相遇则会完全改变这样的想法。遇见基督会显出自我的亏缺，因此谦卑自己，同时也能放胆活出新生命! 以赛亚无法通过努力而提升自己的价值，我们也不能。基督的牺牲洁净了我们，从而带来神的接纳，使我们享有上帝儿女极高的殊荣，可以坦然无惧地面对万事。 遇见基督会使人从自我中心转向定睛关注祂，即使境况低劣也能坚韧不拔地走下去, 将终身爱慕和服事祂。 有一天基督将再来。树墩将生长，一切都会再次变得奇妙而美好！
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |