【双语灵修】保守我们的眼目PROTECTING OUR EYES

马太福音 5:27-30

“你们听见有话说：‘不可奸淫。’只是我告诉你们，凡看见妇女就动淫念的，这人心里已经与她犯奸淫了。若是你的右眼叫你跌倒，就剜出来丢掉！宁可失去百体中的一体，不叫全身丢在地狱里。若是右手叫你跌倒，就砍下来丢掉！宁可失去百体中的一体，不叫全身下入地狱。

8月19日

保守我们的眼目

“若是你的右眼叫你跌倒，就剜出来丢掉。” - 马太福音 5:29

许多年前，我就读的那所基督教大学禁止跳舞。为了规避这项规定，学生们有时会在宿舍地下室举行所谓的“足部联欢”（foot functions）。今天，我们或许会对此类古怪的禁令一笑置之，但在这禁令背后，是对基督徒纯洁性的一项严峻挑战——私欲（lust）——的深切忧虑。

《圣经》深知私欲的破坏力，因此明确警告不要有淫念和放荡的行为，因为这些行为不仅贬损、伤害他人，更危及犯罪者自身的灵魂。例如，耶稣在“登山宝训”中宣告：凡看见他人的身体就动了淫念的，倒不如剜出自己的眼睛。耶稣在此极可能使用了夸张的手法来强调其危险性，祂警告说，性方面的不洁思想是对诫命“不可奸淫”（《出埃及记》20:14）的违背。因此，基督徒蒙召要拥有纯洁的心灵与纯净的思想。

当今时代放纵且弥漫的性道德风气，在便捷、私密的色情资讯助推下，给今日的基督徒带来了巨大的挑战。我们该如何保守自己的心不受这恶势力的影响？我们需要采纳使徒保罗对他的年轻朋友提摩太的建议：“你要逃避少年的私欲，同那清心祷告主的人追求公义、信德、仁爱、和平。”（《提摩太后书》2:22）。并且，在必要时寻求专业的帮助。

祷告

耶稣啊，求你帮助我们以纯洁的心灵和心思，将我们及他人的身体视作你的圣殿，来守护它的圣洁。阿们。

Matthew 5:27-30

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19

PROTECTING OUR EYES

“If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away.” —Matthew 5:29

Many years ago, the Christian college I attended did not allow dancing. To skirt this rule, “foot functions” were sometimes held in dormitory basements. Today we may smile at such a quaint restriction, but behind it was concern about a serious challenge to Christian purity: lust.

Recognizing the destructive power of lust, the Bible clearly warns against lustful thinking and behavior that degrades or harms others, as well as endangering the souls of the guilty. Jesus, for instance, in his Sermon on the Mount, declares that anyone who looks at another’s body with lustful desires would be better off gouging out their own eye. Likely using exaggeration here to highlight the danger, Jesus warns that sexually impure thinking is a violation of the commandment “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). Followers of Christ are therefore called to have pure hearts and pure minds.

The permissive and pervasive sexual ethos of our age, jetfueled by easy, private access to pornography, presents a huge challenge for Christians today. How do we guard our hearts from this evil influence? We need to take the apostle Paul’s advice to his young friend Timothy: “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). And, if needed, reach out for professional help.

Jesus, help us by purity of heart and thought to honor our bodies and those of others as your holy temples. Amen.