【双语灵修】私欲DESIRES

雅各书1：12 – 18

忍受试探的人是有福的！因为他经过试验以后，必得生命的冠冕，这是主应许给那些爱他之人的。 人被试探，不可说“我是被神试探”，因为神不能被恶试探，他也不试探人。 但各人被试探，乃是被自己的私欲牵引、诱惑的。 私欲既怀了胎，就生出罪来；罪既长成，就生出死来。 我亲爱的弟兄们，不要看错了。 各样美善的恩赐和各样全备的赏赐都是从上头来的，从众光之父那里降下来的，在他并没有改变，也没有转动的影儿。 他按自己的旨意，用真道生了我们，叫我们在他所造的万物中好像初熟的果子。

五月六日

私欲

“各人被试探，乃是被自己的私欲牵引诱惑的。”——雅各书1:14

试探是我们心里的意念。看到喜欢的人或东西时，我们便想据为己有，虽然我们明知这种想法是错的。

人总会有欲念的，其实，我们对人最初的印象是身不由己的。举例说，我是一个异性恋男子，当我见到一位美丽的女士时，我对她的第一个印象是：“哗，她真是个尤物！”这是自然的反应。若要停止有这种感受，恐怕要弄瞎我的眼睛才行呢。

然而，在起初有这种感受后，我便要为自己的意念负责任了，那些意念有可能会发展为试探和邪恶。例如，如果这样想：“哗，假如能够亲近她，就是梦想成真了。”就不单是起初的印象那么简单了，这是邪恶的意念导至犯罪。耶稣说：“凡看见妇女就动淫念的，这人心里己经与他犯奸淫了”（马太福音5：28）。我们很容易便会这样做，这就是犯了罪。

每一天我们都会见到可以成为我们的试探的东西或人物，看见一辆汽车、或一栋房屋、或一个人、或任何你渴望得到的东西，你都可能会受到试探。然而，当我们从直觉的第一印象，进展到存心去满足自己的错误欲望时，我们就是犯了罪。这时我们不可以把责任推到神身上，神创造美丽的事物，但欲望是我们的，控制我们的欲望是我们的责任。

祷告

神啊，求你叫我们不遇见试探、拯救我们脱离凶恶、和赦免我们的罪。求你藉着你的灵在我们里面作工，来帮助我们控制我们的心思意念。奉耶稣的名祈求。阿们。

James 1:12-18

WEDNESDAY, MAY 6

DESIRES

Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. —James 1:14

Temptations are thoughts. We see things or people that appeal to us, and we want them for ourselves, even though we know that would be wrong.

Humans will always have sensations of desire, and we really can’t be responsible for those initial impressions. For example, I am a heterosexual male. When I see a beautiful woman, my first impression is “Wow, she is really a knockout!” That is a natural response. To stop having such a sensation would probably require that I be struck blind.

After that initial impression, though, I am responsible for my thoughts. Those thoughts may lead toward temptation and evil. To think, “Wow, it would be a dream come true to get together with her,” for example, is not just an initial impression. That would be an evil thought leading to sin. Jesus said that “anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). That is very easy to do. And it is sin.

Every day, we see things or persons that can tempt us. It can happen when you see a car, or a house, or a person, or pretty much anything you might desire. But when we move from an instinctive first impression to a conscious thought of wrongful desire, we sin. And God is not to blame for that. God makes beautiful things, but the desire is ours— and ours to control.

O God, keep us from temptation, deliver us from evil, and forgive us our sins. By your Spirit’s work in us, help us to control our thoughts, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.