IMITATING CHRIST AND DESPISING ALL VANITIES ON EARTH

nancy9hoo

IMITATING CHRIST AND DESPISING ALL VANITIES ON EARTH

HE WHO follows Me, walks not in darkness," says the Lord. By these words of Christ we are advised to imitate His life and habits, if we wish to be truly enlightened and free from all blindness of heart. Let our chief effort, therefore, be to study the life of Jesus Christ.

The teaching of Christ is more excellent than all the advice of the saints, and he who has His spirit will find in it a hidden manna. Now, there are many who hear the Gospel often but care little for it because they have not the spirit of Christ. Yet whoever wishes to understand fully the words of Christ must try to pattern his whole life on that of Christ.

What good does it do to speak learnedly about the Trinity if, lacking humility, you displease the Trinity? Indeed it is not learning that makes a man holy and just, but a virtuous life makes him pleasing to God. I would rather feel contrition than know how to define it. For what would it profit us to know the whole Bible by heart and the principles of all the philosophers if we live without grace and the love of God? Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, except to love God and serve Him alone.

This is the greatest wisdom -- to seek the kingdom of heaven through contempt of the world. It is vanity, therefore, to seek and trust in riches that perish. It is vanity also to court honor and to be puffed up with pride. It is vanity to follow the lusts of the body and to desire things for which severe punishment later must come. It is vanity to wish for long life and to care little about a well-spent life. It is vanity to be concerned with the present only and not to make provision for things to come. It is vanity to love what passes quickly and not to look ahead where eternal joy abides.

Often recall the proverb: "The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear filled with hearing." Try, moreover, to turn your heart from the love of things visible and bring yourself to things invisible. For they who follow their own evil passions stain their consciences and lose the grace of God.

 

[此贴子已经被作者于2010-5-8 14:09:26编辑过]

nancy9hoo

效法基督与轻看世界的虚荣

　　一. 主说：“跟从我的，就不在黑暗里走”(约 8:12)。这是基督对我们的教训。我们若是愿意得蒙真理的光照，脱离内心的黑暗，就必须效法他的生活和行为。所以，我们首要的工作，就是默想耶稣基督的生活。

　　二. 基督的教训远胜过古圣先贤的一切教训：人藉着圣灵，就必在其中找着隐藏的吗哪。但是许多常听基督福音的人，由于没有基督的灵，所受的影响却很小。所以，无论何人想要完全感受明白基督的话，就必须努力完全活出基督的生命。

　　三. 他如果缺少谦卑的心，就不能蒙三位一体上帝的喜悦。那么深奥地讲解三位一体的道理，对你又有什么益处呢？ 其实，高言大论并不能使人成为圣洁和公义，只有道德的生活才能提高他在上帝面前的价值。我固然愿意明白悔罪的道理，但我更愿意获得悔罪的经验。全本圣经和一切哲学家的言论，即使你都能背诵，却没有领受上帝的爱(林前 13:2)，得蒙上帝的恩，那对你又有什么益处呢7

　　四. 所以，轻看世界而寻求天国是最大的智慧。追求并依靠那会朽坏的财富真是虚空；贪图浮名、妄自尊大真是虚空;顺从肉体的情欲而操劳真是虚空，因为你今后必将为此遭受重罚之苦; 希望长寿却不注意健康的生活真是虚空; 只顾目前的生活而不准备将来的事真是虚空; 贪受那些转眼成空的事物，而不追求永福的所在真是虚空。

　　五. “眼看，看不饱；耳听，听不足”(传 1:8)。这句圣经应常记心中。
　　所以你要转移那颗爱恋可见之物的心，而转向那看不见的。因为随从肉欲的人，不但玷污了他们自己的良心，而且失掉了上帝的恩典。