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【Daily Bread】Gentleness 温柔


Humility toward God will make us gentle toward others.

向上帝谦卑使我们待人谦和。


Be completely humble and gentle. Ephesians 4:2

凡事谦虚、温柔。-以弗所书4章2节



The troubles of life can make us cranky and out of sorts, but we should never excuse these bouts of bad behavior, for they can wither the hearts of those we love and spread misery all around us. We have not fulfilled our duty to others until we have learned to be pleasant.

生活中的烦恼会让我们烦躁不安,但不表示我们就可以乱发脾气,因为这样的行为不只会伤害我们所爱的人,还让周遭的人也不好过。我们只有学会和气待人,才不会继续伤害他人。


The New Testament has a word for the virtue that corrects our unpleasantness—gentleness, a term that suggests a kind and gracious soul. Ephesians 4:2 reminds us, “Be completely humble and gentle.”

新约圣经里提到一种美德,能帮助我们和气待人,那就是温柔,也就是亲切善良。以弗所书4章2节提醒我们:“凡事谦虚、温柔。”


Gentleness is a willingness to accept limitations and ailments without taking out our aggravation on others. It shows gratitude for the smallest service rendered and tolerance for those who do not serve us well. It puts up with bothersome people—especially noisy, boisterous little people; for kindness to children is a crowning mark of a good and gentle person. It speaks softly in the face of provocation. It can be silent; for calm, unruffled silence is often the most eloquent response to unkind words.

温柔是愿意接受身体的局限和病痛,而不迁怒他人。温柔是对我们受到的一点点帮助表示感激,并宽容那些未能善待我们的人。温柔是能容忍讨厌的人,特别是那些烦人、吵闹的小孩子。因为善待小孩,是良善温柔的人应有的特质。温柔是在面对挑衅时,柔声地回应。温柔可以是静默无声,因为平心静气的沉默通常是对不友善的话最有力的回应。


Jesus is “gentle and humble in heart” (Matt. 11:29). If we ask Him, He will, in time, recreate us in His image. Scottish author George MacDonald says, “[God] would not hear from [us] a tone to jar the heart of another, a word to make it ache . . . . From such, as from all other sins, Jesus was born to deliver us.”

耶稣“心里柔和谦卑”(马太福音11章29节)。若我们向祂祈求,祂终将会以祂的形象重新塑造我们。苏格兰籍作家乔治·麦克唐纳(George MacDonald)说:“上帝不要我们以言语刺激、伤害别人的心……。耶稣为我们而生,正是要救我们脱离言语以及其他各样的罪。”


Dear Lord, I want to be a gentle person. Please help me to be kind and gracious to others today.

亲爱的主,我想成为一个温柔的人。
求祢帮助我,今天就能以良善及恩慈待人。




Ephesians 4:1-6New International Version (NIV)

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

以弗所书 4:1-6

我为主被囚的劝你们:既然蒙召,行事为人就当与蒙召的恩相称, 凡事谦虚、温柔、忍耐,用爱心互相宽容, 用和平彼此联络,竭力保守圣灵所赐合而为一的心。 身体只有一个,圣灵只有一个,正如你们蒙召同有一个指望; 一主,一信,一洗, 一神,就是众人的父,超乎众人之上,贯乎众人之中,也住在众人之内。


INSIGHT

The apostle Paul had a lot to say about gentleness. Paul was the founding pastor of the church at Corinth and taught there for eighteen months (Acts 18:1–11). Yet, soon after he left the city, the believers rejected him as a true apostle. Paul had every reason and every right to come down hard on these believers, but he didn’t. Instead, he appealed to them “by the humility and gentleness of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:1). In his letter to another church, Paul urged two feuding sisters to reconcile. Paul asked that their “gentleness be evident to all” (Phil. 4:5). In dealing with people who are not sympathetic to the Christian faith and are antagonistic towards us, Peter urged us to be ready “to give an answer to everyone who asks [us] to give the reason for the hope that [we] have.” But we are to do so “with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

The Scriptures show us how we should relate to everyone—we are to be kind, gracious, respectful, and gentle.

Why is it so important to demonstrate gentleness in our interaction with others if we claim to be a follower of Christ?

灵粮透视

关于温柔,使徒保罗有许多的教导。保罗是建立哥林多教会的牧者,在那里教导信徒长达18个月(使徒行传18章1-11节)。然而,保罗离开哥林多不久,就有一些信徒否认他是真正的使徒。保罗有充分的理由和资格,可以严厉地责备这些信徒,但他却没有这样做,反倒以“基督的温柔、和平”请求他们(哥林多后书10章1节)。在他写给另一个教会的书信中,保罗吁请两位长期不和的姐妹和好。保罗要信徒们让众人知道他们“谦让的心”(腓立比书4章5节)。对于那些不认同基督教信仰、甚至反对我们的人,彼得敦促我们:“有人问你们心中盼望的缘由,就要常作准备,以温柔、敬畏的心回答各人。”(彼得前书3章15节)

圣经让我们明白与人相处之道,就是要谦和、仁慈、温柔,且要尊重别人。我们若自称基督徒,那么与人交往时,温柔的态度为什么会至关重要呢?


整理:于姊妹

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