Ministry in Word

The Ways and the Paths – Part 2

道与路 – 第二部

Psalm 25:4-7
诗篇25:4-7

“Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD.”

「耶和华啊，求你将你的道指示我，将你的路教训我！求你以你的真理引导我，教训我，因为你是救我的神。我终日等候你。耶和华啊，求你记念你的怜悯和慈爱，因为这是亘古以来所常有的。求你不要记念我幼年的罪愆和我的过犯；耶和华啊，求你因你的恩惠，按你的慈爱记念我。」

The following is a story written by Tom Bernard in his Friday Evenings newsletter and quoted in the Preaching Daily devotional: When Victor Frankl was arrested by the Nazis during World War II, he was stripped of everything of value he owned. His only possession when he arrived at Auschwitz was a manuscript of a book he had been working on for a very long time. To preserve it from confiscation, Frankl had sewn it into the lining of his coat. When he was searched, his manuscript was found and was taken from him. Later he wrote, "I found myself confronted with the question of whether under such circumstances my life was ultimately void of any meaning."

下面是汤姆伯纳在他的「周五晚间」新闻信札中写的一个故事，被「每天讲道」灵修短文中引述：在二次大战中维特法兰高被纳粹逮捕时，他拥有的全部有价值的东西都被没收。在他到达澳殊维特斯集中营时他只有他用了很长时间写的一本书的文稿。为了避免它被充公，法兰高把它缝入他大衣的履子里面。他被搜查时他的文稿被发现也被拿走了。後来他写道，「我发现自己面对这个问题：我的生命在这情况下是否最终失去任何意义。」

Apparently in an effort to keep prisoners from accumulating anything worthwhile, the Germans routinely forced prisoners to give up their clothing and in return they were issued clothing taken from other prisoners on their way to the gas chambers. In the garment of the old clothing re-issued to Frankl was a torn piece of paper—a portion of a page from a Hebrew prayer book. On it was part of the Jewish prayer—Shema Yisrael—"Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one God."

很明显为了防止囚犯累积任何有价值的东西，德军惯性地强迫囚犯交出他们的衣服来换上那些正要去瓦斯室被毒死的囚犯的衣服。在法兰高接到的旧衣服中他找到一片撕下来的纸，是一本希伯来祷告书的一部份。其上是犹太祈祷文〔ShemaYisrael〕的一部份：「以色列阿，你要听！耶和华─我们 神是独一的主。」

Later Frankl wrote, "How should I have interpreted such a 'coincidence' other than as a challenge to live my thoughts instead of merely putting them on paper?" From that experience Frankl concluded, "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how."

後来法兰高写道，「我应该如何解释这个〝巧合〞如果不把它看为要我活出我的思维而非单单写在纸上的一个挑战呢？」法兰高从那次经历作了以下的结论：「一个有理由去生存的人可以忍受几乎任何的生存方法。」

Frankl was saying that he who has a reason to live for can endure almost any way to live. What better reason to live for than Jesus Christ and what better way to live than God’s way.

法兰高的意思是如果一个人找到生存的意义就能忍受几乎任何生存的方法。有什麽比耶稣基督更好的生存意义和有什麽比神的方法去活更好的方法。

We must learn His ways and His paths from the Lord, but we must first learn His purpose for our life. We ought to embrace His purpose for our life, because God says in Jeremiah 29:11 that, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future.” God has a plan for all His creatures, all of us, to bless us and not to harm us. Every event in a person’s life has God’s purpose in it. We need to first learn His purpose and after that His ways to carry out His plan.

我们必要向主学习他的道路，但我们必要先学习他对我们生命的目的。我们应该接受他对我们生命的目的，因为在耶利米书29:11神说：「我知道我向你们所怀的意念是赐平安的意念，不是降灾祸的意念，要叫你们末後有指望。」神向他所有受造物，就是我们所有人，都怀有一个意念，要赐平安而非降灾祸给我们。一个人生命中每件事都有神的目的在其中。我们须要先知道他的目的然後他的方法来执行他的意念。

To be continued next week.

下周待续。

May we first receive God’s purpose for our life, and embrace His ways and His paths to realize this purpose, knowing that He wants to bless us and not to harm us.

愿我们先接受神在我们生命中的目的，和顺从他的道路来实现这目的，明白他要赐平安给我们而非降祸给我们。

Tom and Tehwan Tso
仲谋与德菀

“The outcome of your faith is the salvation of your souls.” 1Peter 1:9

“信心的果效， 就是灵魂的救恩” 彼得前书1：9