双语灵修（葛培理牧师）：8月24日 行善目标

8月24日

行善目标

弟兄们，我自己也深信你们是满有良善，充足了诸般的知识，也能彼此劝戒。

罗马书15:14

梭罗写道：“如果一个人跟不上同伴的步伐，也许是因为他听到的节奏不同。让他跟着他所听到的音乐，无论多么缓慢或者多么遥远。”作为基督徒，我们别无选择，只能跟着圣灵的节奏，迈着神所喜悦善良的步伐。

我们可以行善，藉着行善，我们能够向周围的人见证，我们活出了“不一样”的生命——也许这正是他们自己想要拥有的。我们甚至可以向其他人展现，如何活出善良来。但圣经说：“你们的良善如同早晨的云雾，又如速散的甘露。”（何西阿书6:4）。真正的善良是“圣灵的果子”，我们若单靠自己的力量，是不可能成功的。

我们应该谨慎，叫世人在我们身上所看到的善良，是圣灵真正的果子，而不是冒牌货，以免我们不知不觉地误导人。

约翰·卫斯理为我们设定了一个向善的目标，这使我对此有了更深入的理解，那就是：尽一切所能，以一切方式，用一切方法，在任何地方，于任何时间，向任何人行善，只要有可能。

今日祷告：

天父，求祢用祢的圣灵充满我们，让我们有祢的良善，以良善去服事世人，也彼此服事。奉耶稣的名祷告，阿们。

August 24

A GOAL FOR GOODNESS

I myself am convinced,my brothers,that you yourselves are full of goodness,complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.Romans 15:14,NIV

Thoreau wrote,“If a man does not keep pace with his companions,perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.Let him step to the music which he hears,however measured or far away.”As Christians we have no alternative but to march to the drumbeat of the Holy Spirit,following the measured steps of goodness,which please God.

We can do good deeds,and by practicing principles of goodness can witness to those around us that we have something“different”in our lives-perhaps something they themselves would like to possess.We may even be able to show others how to practice the principles of goodness in their own lives.But the Bible says,“Your goodness is as a morning cloud,and as the early dew it goeth away”(Hosea 6:4).True goodness is a“fruit of the Spirit,”and our efforts to achieve it in our own strength alone can never succeed.

We should be careful that any goodness the world may see in us is the genuine fruit of the Spirit and not a counterfeit substitute,lest we unwittingly lead someone astray.

The immortal John Wesley gave us a goal for goodness that puts all this in perspective for me:

Do all the good you can,By all the means you can,In all the ways you can,In all the places you can,At all the times you can,To all the people you can,As long as ever you can.

Pray for the Day:

Father,fill us with Your Holy Spirit,that we would have Your goodness in us and serve the world through that goodness—and serve one another as well.In Jesus’Name,Amen.