5月2日 物质得益并非成功
物质得益并非成功
若有人追求属天之事却无所得，那是因为他没有按着神所指示的正路去追求。
假设你死时一无所有，那又有什么关系呢？但如果你死时毫无恩典，那才是真正的悲剧！天国与属天的事奉，是任何世俗之物都无法补偿的。不要让撒但用那些廉价的玩物和虚假的装饰分散你的注意力；当牠用这些幻象娱乐你时，牠的另一只手正伸进你的宝库，偷走那不可替代的珍宝。得救比“存在”更重要；与其在阴间里存在，不如从未存在过。
无论你为物质财富付出多少辛劳，都没有成功的保证。人类经商数千年，从未有人找到一套稳赚不赔的致富秘方。在世界的这场“彩票”博弈中，真正中奖的人寥寥无几，大多数人所得的不过是幻灭与苦涩的回忆。
然而，论到天国与属天之事，神的道路在圣经中清晰可见：“凡照此理而行的，愿平安、怜悯加给他们……”（加6:16）。若有人追求属天之事却无所得，那是因为他没有按着神所指示的正路去追求。
如果你既想得着天国，又想保留罪恶，就不要指望成功；你必须与其中之一断绝往来。若你不肯放开罪，神就不得不放开你。若你想要天国，却坚持用自己的“义”去换取，你必付不起那代价。你就像路得记中那位至近的亲属，只想要土地，却不愿按律法娶路得（得4:2–4）。你所行的一切善事、尽的一切本分，若是出于在悔改后对神的爱心，那是美好的；但若你将其作为进入天国的筹码，神绝不会与你交易。你必须单单接纳基督，全然投靠祂，否则你将失去一切。
麦琴（麦克谦）读经计划进度
家庭敬拜：民9章，诗45章，
个人灵修：歌7章，来7章
MAY 2, SATURDAY
MATERIAL GAIN IS NOT SUCCESS
If anyone pursues heavenly things and does not get them, it is because he did not follow God’s instruction in the right manner.
Suppose you do die penniless. What will it matter at all? But suppose you die graceless! Heaven and heavenly things are the kind that cannot be recompensed by anything else. Do not let Satan distract you with baubles and toys. While he is entertaining you with his clever illusions, his other hand is in your treasure, robbing you of that which is irreplaceable. It is more necessary to be saved, than to be; better not to be, than to have a being in hell.
No matter how hard you work for material gain, there is no guarantee of success. Men have been doing business for thousands of years, yet no one has come up with a fail-proof plan for getting rich. How few carry away the prize in the world’s lottery! Most have only disillusionment and bitter memories for their trouble.
But now for heaven and the things of heaven, the plan is quite clearly laid out in the Bible: “As many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them …” (Galatians 6:16). If anyone pursues heavenly things and does not get them, it is because he did not follow God’s instruction in the right manner.
If you want heaven but you also want your sins, do not expect to succeed. You must part company with one or the other. If you will not let go of your sins, God will have to let go of you. If you want heaven but insist on purchasing it with your own righteousness, you will fall short of the price. You are like the near kinsman in Ruth who wanted to buy Elimelech’s land but was not willing to marry Ruth as the law required (4:2–4). All the good you do, all the duties you perform, are admirable if they are acts of love that follow your act of repentance. But if you offer them as the price you are willing to pay for heaven, God will not deal with you. You must close with Christ and Him alone, or lose the whole bargain.