What behaviors or distractions might be on your list of “vanities”? How do you try to “manage” them?
你认为哪些行为或事物是虚荣的呢?你要如何应对呢?
Create in me a pure heart, O God.Psalm 51:10
上帝啊,求祢为我造清洁的心。-诗篇51篇10节
In February 1497, a Monk named Girolamo Savonarola started a fire. Leading up to this, he and his followers spent several months collecting items that they thought might entice people to sin or neglect their religious duties—including artwork, cosmetics, instruments, and dresses. On the appointed day, thousands of vanity items were gathered at a public square in Florence, Italy, and set on fire. The event has come to be known as the Bonfire of the Vanities.
在1497年2月的某一天,修士吉罗拉莫·萨佛纳罗拉(Girolama Savonarola)在意大利佛罗伦斯的广场上点起熊熊烈火。他和跟随者花了几个月的时间,收集了他们认为会令人犯罪或忽略宗教职责的物品,包括艺术品、化妆品、乐器和衣服。就在这一天,他们将数千件会引发虚荣心的物品堆积在一个广场上,然后焚烧殆尽。这起事件被称为“虚荣之火”。
Savonarola might have found inspiration for his extreme actions in some shocking statements from the Sermon on the Mount. “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away,” said Jesus. “And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away” (Matthew 5:29–30). But if we interpret Jesus’s words literally, we miss the point of the message. The entire sermon is a lesson on going deeper than the surface, to focus on the state of our hearts rather than blaming our behavior on external distractions and temptations.
萨佛纳罗拉的极端行为或许是因为登山宝训中某些令人惊讶的教导,就像耶稣说:“若是你的右眼叫你跌倒,就剜出来丢掉,……若是右手叫你跌倒,就砍下来丢掉”(马太福音5章29-30节)。如果我们仅按字面的意思来诠释,则难免错失这信息的重点,耶稣的这篇信息其实是要告诉我们:不要只看表面,而是要关注我们内心的光景;不可将自己错误的行为,全都归咎于外界的诱惑和试探。
The Bonfire of the Vanities made a great show of destroying belongings and works of art, but it is unlikely that the hearts of those involved were changed in the process. Only God can change a heart. That’s why the psalmist prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10). It’s our heart that counts.
虚荣之火虽然声势浩大地烧毁了许多奢侈品和艺术品,但那些参与者的心思意念却未必因此而改变。只有上帝才能改变人心,怪不得诗人会祷告说:“上帝啊,求祢为我造清洁的心”(诗篇51篇10节)。心思意念的改变,才是真正的转变!
Holy God, please give me the grace to surrender my heart to You and yield my life’s vanities to the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit.
亲爱的主,求祢向我施恩,使我的心能降服于祢,并恳求圣灵洁净的火,将我内心的虚荣焚烧殆尽。

Matthew 5:21-30    NIV

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. 23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. 25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

马太福音 5:21-30 

5 “你们听见有吩咐古人的话说:‘不可杀人’,又说:‘凡杀人的难免受审判。’ 22 只是我告诉你们,凡向弟兄动怒的,难免受审判;凡骂弟兄是拉加的,难免公会的审断;凡骂弟兄是魔利的,难免地狱的火。 23 所以,你在祭坛上献礼物的时候,若想起弟兄向你怀怨, 24 就把礼物留在坛前,先去同弟兄和好,然后来献礼物。 25 你同告你的对头还在路上,就赶紧与他和息,恐怕他把你送给审判官,审判官交付衙役,你就下在监里了。 26 我实在告诉你:若有一文钱没有还清,你断不能从那里出来。27 “你们听见有话说:‘不可奸淫。’ 28 只是我告诉你们,凡看见妇女就动淫念的,这人心里已经与她犯奸淫了。 29 若是你的右眼叫你跌倒,就剜出来丢掉!宁可失去百体中的一体,不叫全身丢在地狱里。 30 若是右手叫你跌倒,就砍下来丢掉!宁可失去百体中的一体,不叫全身下入地狱。

INSIGHT

灵粮透视

In ancient thinking, the “heart” was considered a person’s core—the source from which flowed all thoughts, words, and actions. In Matthew 5, Jesus emphasizes that life in God’s kingdom requires radical transformation and continual reshaping of our hearts so that we cultivate a profoundly different way of life—one that’s invitational and beneficial to the world (vv. 14–16).
在古老的观念中,“心”被认为是一个人的核心,是一切思想、言语和行动的根源。在马太福音第5章,耶稣特别强调,在上帝的国度里,所有人的生命都需要彻底改变,而且内心也需要不断地重新塑造,好叫我们培养一种截然不同的生活方式,那是一种吸引人、让人得益处的生活方式(14-16节)。
编辑:Sarah
校对:Snow
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