又一本好书： 宗教情操真伪辩

http://www.chinachristianbooks.org/new/ChristianClassics/experience

BY： 爱德华滋（Ｊｏｎａｔｈａｎ Ｅｄｗａｒｄｓ， １７０３－６８），美国最伟大的神学家，他以弟一次大觉醒（Ｔｈｅ Ｆｉｒｓｔ Ｇｒｅａｔ Ａｗａｋｅｎｉｎｇ）为时代背景，些了这本有关宗教的文集，当时的大复兴等于英国所谓福音派的复兴。爱德华滋本人在此复兴运动中扮演了非常重要的角色，当时他是麻萨诸塞州北安普顿城一间公理会的牧师。 在此次复兴中，爱德华滋出于一位牧师的关切，而发出了区分真伪宗教经历的心愿。

在干旱疲乏无水之地，我渴想你；我的心切慕你

属灵情感的目标，在于属灵事物的可悦，不在于我们的自我利益。

属灵的感恩与只为自我利益的感谢，其差异如下：

一、对神赐福的真感恩是为了爱神自己而涌出的。基督徒已看见神的荣耀，他的心被神的荣耀说抓住，所以他的心变得柔嫩，当这位荣耀的神赐恩惠祝福给他时，更是易受感动。我能以人间的生活举例说明：若有一个人虽然对于另一个人没有爱，可是还会因对方所施与自己的恩惠感到感激。但对所爱的朋友、已有深厚感情的人，所表现的感激是大不相同的；当我们得到这样朋友的帮助时，更增进我们对他们已有的爱。同样，当我们蒙受这位伟大的神赐福是，更增强为爱的善良和荣耀而有的爱。所以我们不能从属灵的感恩排除所有的自爱：「我爱耶和华，因为听了我的声音，和我的恳求」（诗一一六：１）。我们对神的爱是基于神自己的本性，我们对神的感恩是感谢他为我们所作、所预备的救恩。

二、属灵的感恩不只是因神赐福的良善感动人心，乃是因神的良善是神属性的荣美而感谢。神无比的恩典表现在救赎的工作上，发光于基督脸上，有无限的荣耀，基督徒看见这荣耀就大为喜悦。如一个罪人需要救恩基督徒个人有份于基督的工作，就能帮助他集中心志在基督的工作上。他看见神救赎的仁慈作为，使他全神贯注神良善的荣耀属性。所以自爱促成属灵的思考。

From: 宗教情操真伪辨
http://www.chinachristianbooks.org/new/ChristianClassics/experience/

May He Himself be our joy

To summarize what Christine shared with me today over the phone before I forget, and Christine will add or correct when she gets less busy:

The Israelites followed the cloud column and the fire column in the desert when God led them out to the promised land. Where they stayed and for how long they stayed there was decided by God. Today, where we stay in a paticular situation and for how long we stay there is also decided by God, is also part of His plan. We often rely on God for He is a God of mercy and blessings, then we somehow rely on Him FOR His mercy and blessings, then what we really rely on is His mercy and blessings, not He Himself. Then we are actually joyful because of His mercy and blessings, not really joyful because of He Himself. Sometime, God our Father and our Lord plan situations for us to learn to be joyful solely because of Him, because He is with us. Like children we'll learn gradually to be joyful for the mother, but not only for her milk, for the Father, and not only for His blessings. Like Paul who treasured Jesus as most precious, nothing is worth a cent compared to Him. May the Lord strengthen us, for us to be lifted above the world's desires, above our dependence on comfortness and blessings, to be joyful no matter what, be joyful because we have Him, and He is with us always.

"耶和华"的本义

《圣经》上"耶和华(Yhwh 或 Jehovah)"这个词, 大家知道耶和华是 神的名字，这个名字原本出自"我是我所是的(I am who I am)"一语，其希伯来文本义就 是"自在者　I am 直译即'我是'"。以色列的先祖摩西在何烈山上领受神的旨意，神吩咐 他把以色列人从埃及领出来。摩西自惭形秽，自叹不能，神便说："我必与你同在"。摩西 仍不放心，追问神的名字，好向以色列人言明。神就对摩西说："I am who I am"，即"我 是我所是的"。中文通行本《圣经》翻译成"我是自有永有的"，也就是"自在者"的意思。 神接着说："你要对以色列人这样说，那｀自在者＇打发我到你们这里来"(出3：14，15)。 从此，神就有了"自在者Jehovah"这样含义明确的称谓。
据有人考证，《老子》第十四章所强调的"夷、希、微"三个字，就是希伯来文耶和华(Jehovah)的发音。 　　

看见而不晓得，叫作"夷"；听到而不明白，叫作"希"；摸索而不可得，叫作"微" 。

"夷、希、微"这三者，不可思议， 难究其竟，所以它们混而为一。在他之上不再有光明，在他之下不再有黑暗(14：1-3)。 　　德国哲学家黑格尔在十九世纪初谈起过"夷、希、微"三个字。他说"那三个符号I- hi-wei或IHV，......也出现在希腊文的Iaw(以阿威)里，是「知神派」称呼上帝的一个名字，......在非洲中部也许就是一个神的意思。此外在希伯来文里叫作耶和华(Jehovah)，而罗马人又叫作约维斯(Jovis)"。实际上，先于黑格尔提出"夷、希、微"即耶和华的人，是雷缪萨。

耶和华更早的发音是Yhwh，中文译成"耶威"或"雅威"，其始音与尾音与"夷希微" 更相近。

-From远志明 - 《老子》与《圣经》
http://cclw.net/gospel/explore/lzysj/index.html

What a Blessing - for He Served us all His Life

Praise the Lord for He moved my heart so this week by putting the joy of serving others in my heart. This joy could not come from me, from the worldly self, but only come from our father, from our savior. Jesus came to serve us, and He is alive to serve, alive in every Christian to serve each other and be blessed through serving, be rejoiced through serving. The Spirit gave me such sweetness and joy within when me and my parents, my brothers and sisters, when we serve each other. My house is a house full of joy because the love our Lord put in our hearts! I thank the Lord and our heavenly father for my parents, for their unconditional, selfless love! I praise the Lord for letting me see the wonder of Jesus's love and truely understand how He served us. He served us through all His life on earth! How great is His love to us! It touched me so that I came to understand that no matter what I do and where I would be in the future, as long as I can live to serve my parents, return the love they have for me, to serve and return the love Jesus has for me, I would be blessed in joy and sweetness forever. Praise God for such unutterable wonder.

An email, which helped me a lot today

Everyone ought to know why this is so beautiful! John 3:16

A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner, the people were in and out of the cold. The little boy was so cold that he wasn't trying to sell many papers. He walked up to a policeman and said, "Mister, you wouldn't happen to know where a poor boy could find a warm place to sleep tonight would you? You see, I sleep in a box up around the corner there and down the alley and it's awful cold in there for tonight. Sure would be nice to have a warm place to stay." The policeman looked down at the little boy and said, "You go down the street to that big white house and you knock on the door. When they come out the door you just say John 3:16, and they will let you in."

So he did. He walked up the steps and knocked on the door, and a lady answered. He looked up and said, "John 3:16." The lady said, "Come on in, Son." She took him in and she sat him down in a split bottom rocker in front of a great big old fireplace, and she went off. The boy sat there for a while and thought to himself: John 3:16...I don't understand it, but it sure makes a cold boy warm. Later she came back and asked him "Are you hungry?" He said, "Well, just a little. I haven't eaten in a couple of days, and I guess I could stand a little bit of food," The lady took him in the kitchen and sat him down to a table full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until he couldn't eat any more. Then he thought to himself: John 3:16...Boy, I sure don't understand it but it sure makes a hungry boy full.

She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge bathtub filled with warm water, and he sat there and soaked for a while. As he soaked, he thought to himself: John 3:16... I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy clean. You know, I've not had a bath, a real bath, in my whole life. The only bath I ever had was when I stood in front of that big old fire hydrant as they flushed it out. The lady came in and got him. She took him to a room, tucked him into a big old feather bed, pulled the covers up around his neck, kissed him goodnight and turned out the lights. As he lay in the darkness and looked out the window at the snow coming down on that cold night, he thought to himself: John 3:16...I don't understand it but it sure makes a tired boy rested.

The next morning the lady came back up and took him down again to that same big table full of food. After he ate, she took him back to that same big old split bottom rocker in front of the fireplace and picked up a big old Bible. She sat down in front of him and looked into his young face. "Do you understand John 3:16?" she asked gently. He replied, "No, Ma'am, I don't. The first time I ever heard it was last night when the policeman told me to use it," She opened the Bible to John 3:16 and began to explain to him about Jesus. Right there, in front of that big old fireplace, he gave his heart and life to Jesus. He sat there and thought: John 3:16 -- don't understand it, but it sure makes a lost boy feel safe.

You know, I have to confess I don't understand it either, how God was willing to send His Son to die for me, and how Jesus would agree to do such a thing. I don't understand the agony of the Father and every angel in heaven as they watched Jesus suffer and die. I don't understand the intense love for ME that kept Jesus on the cross till the end. I don't understand it, but it sure does make life worth living.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I do Love God. He is my source of existence.. He keeps me functioning each and every day. Phil 4:13

Simply say a small prayer for the person who sent you this, "Father, God bless this person in whatever it is that You know he or she may be needing this day !"

Pass it on to other brothers and sisters if you think this will help them. And say a prayer for those who you will be sending this to.

March 2006 Prayer Requests

當 將 你 的 事 交 託 耶 和 華 ， 並 倚 靠 他 ， 他 就 必 成 全 。Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.（ 詩 37:5 ） Please post your prayer requests by adding comments to this post. Bring your thanks, or praises, or worries or burdens to the Lord, pour out your heart before Him. We'll pray for you too.