 During the 16th Century, with the help of the printing press, Martin Luther’s Ninety-five Theses and the Bible spread through Europe, attacking the Catholic Church, ultimately changing the western history. The first Thesis is the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. Why is repentance so important?
Of the Ten Commandments, the first one is: You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3. Unfortunately, we constantly have different idols throughout our life. Idols could be earthly things or people. We could base our identity on them. We could define ourselves by them. We could receive lots of praises and admiration because of them. They could become so important to us that life is not worth living if we lose them. They could be our wealth, fame, relatives, friends, pedigree, power, accomplishment, health, or beauty. The problem arises if they overshadow everything in our life. Phil3:4-7. They become our idols. They become what we live for. We could be decimated if we lose them. Such over-indulgence causes them to dominate and drive us. We need to carefully identify these earthly things or people. Unmask them. See how they have messed up our life. Then de-emphasize them and repent. When we repent, no need to feel very sorry for ourselves, and hate ourselves for making such mistakes. Instead of focusing on ourselves, focus on God and His mercy. See the depth of our sins and the pain we have caused Him. Rely on what Christ has done for us. Ask God to help remove them from such a high position in our life. Gradually, stop being defined by them. Be defined by us being God’s beloved children. Such changes could take a long time. Be patient. Since we constantly have different idols throughout our life, keep identifying them and repent. Constantly re-orient to focus back on God. Let the love of God drive us. Summarized from a Tim Keller’s sermon. https://gospelinlife.com/downloads/removing-idols-of-the-heart-5596/ 我需要它。没有它，生命就不值得活。 16世纪中，在印刷机的帮助下，马丁·路德（Martin Luther）的《九十五条教条》和《圣经》流传欧洲，攻击天主教会, 最终改变了西方历史。其中的第一条教条是信徒的一生都要悔改。为什么悔改如此重要呢？ 十诫的第一诫是：除我以外，不可以有别的上帝 （出埃及记20：3）。 不幸的是，我们一生中不断有不同的偶像。 偶像可能是尘世间的事物或人物。我们可以用这些偶像来自我认定，用它们（他们）来定义自己。我们可以因为这些偶像得到很多赞美和钦佩。它们（他们）可能变得如此重要，除非拥有它们（他们），人生似乎就不值得活下去了。偶像可以是我们的财富，名望, 亲朋戚友，血统，权力，成就，健康，或美丽。 如果它们（他们）掩盖了我们生活中所有的一切，问题就会出现（腓3：4-7）。它们（他们）成为了我们的偶像，成为了我们生而为之奋斗的目标。假若失去了它们（他们），我们就可能被摧毁。这种过度的放纵使得这些偶像控制并驱使我们。 我们需要小心地确定这些属世的事物或人物。揭开它们（他们）的面罩，看看它们（他们）如何把我们的生活搞得一塌糊涂。然后，不再看重它们（他们）, 并悔改归向上帝。 当我们悔改时，不必为自己感到非常抱歉，也不必为犯下这样的错误而讨厌自己。不要集中在自己身上，要转而专注于上帝和祂的怜悯。我们必须看见自己罪恶之深，看见我们带给上帝的痛苦。 让我们依靠基督为我们所做的渡过每一天。求上帝帮助我们，把一切的偶像从我们心中的高位拉下来。 逐渐地，我们不要再被这些偶像来定义，而要被我们作为上帝爱子的身份所定义。 这些改变可能要经过很长的时间。让我们耐心一点。 因为我们一生中不断有不同的偶像，我们必须不断地识别它们（他们）并且悔改，不断地重新定位自己, 再次专注于上帝。 让上帝的爱驱使我们吧。
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |