4月21日 嫉妒就是属灵的骄傲
嫉妒就是属灵的骄傲
当你因嫉妒而轻看其他基督徒的恩赐时，你实际上轻看的是那位赐下恩赐的神。
另一个显明你已落入属灵骄傲网罗的记号，就是嫉妒他人的恩赐。要将我们的心与嫉妒剥离简直比强行拆散一对热恋中的情侣还要困难。嫉妒是那流出第一滴人血的罪：该隐因嫉妒而在心中酝酿了谋杀亚伯的恶念。
嫉妒是对神的性情与位格的公然冒犯。当你嫉妒时，你是在质疑神是否有权按祂主权的美意分配恩赐，你也是在毁谤神的良善。你之所以恼怒，是因为神竟乐意赐福给除你以外的人。难道你不愿意神是良善的吗？神断不能停止行善，正如祂断不能停止为神。既然良善是神性不可或缺的本质，你若抗拒祂的良善，实质上就是在否定祂作为神的地位。当你因嫉妒而轻看其他基督徒的恩赐时，你实际上轻看的是那位赐下恩赐的神。
嫉妒和它的母亲骄傲一样，是各类罪恶的先锋。这种内心的幽暗之罪往往先行一步，为各种肉体的罪排演登场。以色列首任君王扫罗竟卑劣到图谋杀害那位拯救他国家的功臣的地步。自从扫罗听见妇女们歌颂大卫胜过他自己的那天起，那个声音就成了他挥之不去的梦魇。嫉妒滋生恨意，恨意又驱使他策划了大卫的死。
后来，嫉妒在大卫心中又作了什么呢？它诱发大卫贪恋忠心战士乌利亚的妻子，领他陷入了情欲、谎言、奸淫与谋杀的迷宫。若非嫉妒这煽动叛乱的罪在作祟，这一切罪原本都不会发生。嫉妒是流血之罪——它是孕育一整窝别样罪恶的子宫（罗1:29）。因此，除非你愿意敞开大门迎接魔鬼和牠那一整队随从，否则务要抵挡嫉妒之罪。
若要胜过此罪，你必须呼求从天而来的帮助。我们得着了一个确定的应许：我们里面恩典的根基远比私欲的根基更稳固，但这唯有在我们恳求圣灵为我们争战时才会彰显出来。“你们想经上所说是徒然的吗？神所赐、住在我们里面的灵，是恋爱至于嫉妒吗？ 但祂赐更多的恩典。”（雅4:5-6）
麦琴（麦克谦）读经计划进度
家庭敬拜：利25章，诗32章，
个人灵修：传8章，提后4章
APRIL 21, TUESDAY
ENVY AS SPIRITUAL PRIDE
When your envy prods you to belittle the gifts of other Christians, you are really belittling God who gave them.
Another indicator that you are caught in the trap of spiritual pride is envy of others’ gifts. Keeping our hearts and envy separated is as difficult as keeping two lovers from meeting. It is the sin that shed the first blood: Cain’s envy hatched Abel’s murder.
Envy is an affront to the character and person of God. When you envy, you are questioning God’s right to administer His gifts as He sees best. You are also maligning the goodness of God. You are angry that God wants to bless someone besides you. Would you not have God be good? You might as well say you would not have Him be God, for He can no more cease to be good than He can cease to be God! When your envy prods you to belittle the gifts of other Christians, you are really belittling God who gave them.
Envy, like its mother, pride, is the scout for a whole host of other sins. This sin of the heart goes before and sets the stage for all kinds of sins of the flesh. Saul, Israel’s first king, fell so low as to plot the murder of the very man who had saved his kingdom. From the day he heard David preferred above himself in the women’s songs, he could not get the sound out of his head. Envy brought him to hate, which carried him on to plot David’s death.
Later on, what did envy do to David’s heart but make him covet the wife of his trusted soldier, Uriah, and lead him through a maze of lust, lies, adultery, and murder? Not one of these would have been committed had it not been for that rabble-rouser, envy. It is a bloody sin—the womb wherein lies a whole litter of other sins is formed (Romans 1:29). Therefore, unless you are willing to welcome the devil and his whole train, resist the sin of envy.
To gain mastery of this sin, you must call in help from heaven. We have a sure promise that the foundation of our grace is stronger than that of our lust, but only if we enlist the Holy Spirit in our behalf. “The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy. But he giveth more grace” (James 4:5–6).