【双语灵修】尽意WITH ALL OUR MIND
马可福音12:28 - 34
有一个文士来,听见他们辩论,晓得耶稣回答得好,就问他说:“诫命中哪是第一要紧的呢?” 耶稣回答说:“第一要紧的就是说:‘以色列啊,你要听,主我们神是独一的主。 你要尽心、尽性、尽意、尽力爱主你的神。’ 其次就是说:‘要爱人如己。’再没有比这两条诫命更大的了。” 那文士对耶稣说:“夫子说神是一位,实在不错!除了他以外,再没有别的神。 并且尽心、尽智、尽力爱他,又爱人如己,就比一切燔祭和各样祭祀好得多。” 耶稣见他回答得有智慧,就对他说:“你离神的国不远了。”从此以后,没有人敢再问他什么。
五月二日
尽意
“你要尽心、尽性、尽意、尽力爱主你的神。”—《马可福音》12:30
在回答关于哪一条诫命最重要这个问题时,耶稣引用了旧约圣经《申命记》第6章的经文。祂强调爱神牵涉到我们整个人、我们的每一部份。耶稣这话让我们留意到,希伯来文化视“心”(heart)为我们整个人的中心,是我们的意念、我们的意志和我们的情感所在。意念是我们整个人的基本部份。
意念是我们整个人的核心。我们每天的生活都源于自己的思想和意愿,这些都在我们的言语和行为上反映出来。可是,我们大部份的思想和意愿,都是我们或其他人察觉不到的。所以,如果我们想遵行这条最重要的诫命的话,需要留意自己的思想和意愿,需要留意自己的意念。
我们使用意念来分辨对与错,我们可以定下计划,想办法达到目标。我们的意念反映出我们的为人和性情。怪不得耶稣提醒我们,用尽我们的意念去爱神是多么重要。
然而我发觉甚少会去察验自己的意念—看看它是否在专注爱神,抑或是专注在一堆丑恶的想法和意愿上。你是否也有同感呢?
在这个月,让我们集中注意力,尽用我们的意念来事奉神吧。让我们思想神会怎样更新我们,叫我们按祂的呼召,像耶稣那样过生活。
祷告
神啊,求你帮助我们留意我们在想什么。惟愿我们的思想和意愿,都配得上你呼召我们做你的儿女的身份。奉基督的名祈求,阿们。

Mark 12:28-34
SATURDAY, MAY 2
WITH ALL OUR MIND
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” —Mark 12:30
As Jesus answers a question about the greatest commandment, he quotes from Deuteronomy 6 in the Old Testament. He emphasizes that loving God involves our whole being—every part of us. In this way Jesus draws attention to the Hebrew teaching of the heart as the center of our being, the seat of our mind, our will, and our emotions. Our mind is a fundamental part of our whole being.
Our mind is at the core of our self. Our everyday living flows from our thoughts and desires, and these are reflected in our words and deeds—all that we do and say. Most of our thoughts and desires go unnoticed by us and others, however. So if we want to obey the greatest commandment, we need to pay attention to our thoughts and desires. We need to pay attention to our mind.
With our mind we can tell the difference between right and wrong. We can make plans and figure out how to reach our goals. Our mind reflects our character and disposition. No wonder Jesus reminds us how important it is to love God with all our mind.
Yet I find that I rarely examine my mind to see if it is focused on loving God or on a swamp of ugly thoughts and desires. Is that true of you too?
This month let’s focus on serving God with all our mind. Let’s consider how God can transform us to live as he calls us to live—like Jesus.
O God, help us to think about what we think about. May our thoughts and desires be worthy of the children you call us to be, in Christ. Amen.

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