Suffering and character nurturing 苦難與品格的培養

(中文在下半部分.

Translation function available at the side bar)

      Suffering is what believers fear most, and they hope they can be immuned from suffering. Who wouldn’t think like this? It’s human nature!

      However, today after reading the article for January 27 in the Chinese edition of the book 'Experiencing God Day by Day' (by Henry Blackaby and Richard Blackaby), I found that the author offered three reminders:

-         Do not feel resentful against God;

-         Do not try every means to avoid suffering;

-         Even in times of suffering, we must learn to submit to God.

      I’d like to add one further reminder: don’t compare the degree and nature of your sufferings with others’.

      The article explained the cause of suffering: (The following is a translation based on the Chinese edition): There are parts of your soul that can only be reached through the lessons of suffering.” The Holy Spirit of God has important lessons to teach you. Only through sufferings can you learn these lessons. 

Suffering makes people:

-         More like Jesus Christ;

-         develop a mature character so that you can carry out the work that God has assigned you;

-         Become a person after God’s own heart

       Suffering is a process of learning to transform oneself, including one’s character, and is a compulsory course for every Christian!

      In Romans Chapter 5:3-5, “But that’s not all! We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering helps us to endure. And endurance builds character ('character' was translated as  ‘mature’(老練)in a Chinese Bible version); which gives us a hope that will never disappoint us. All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love.” (CEV version)

      However, God uses different methods to nurture each person’s character.

      A person must be a good person if he has good character. Some people’s characters are already very good, so they don’t need too much tempering, right?

      But yesterday’s January 26^th issue of a Chinese devotional (called 活水 in Chinese) mentioned: “There are several kinds of good people, or rather, they have several kinds of good intentions:…rules…education…conscience…talent…religion…although these good factors are different, they are all goodness in the flesh; but we who belong to God must abandon all these causes of goodness and pursue goodness in Christ.”

      Ah! It turns out that having inborn goodness is not enough! Suffering is a way to shape our spiritual character.

      This photo shows a breakwater under repair:

      The breakwater initially looked fine. However, it turns out that it had been repeatedly hit by huge waves when the typhoon signal no. 10 was hoisted as a hurricane attacked Hong Kong. This may have already created potential weakness or damage. If the damaged parts are not completely removed and rebuilt, the breakwater will not be able to withstand the huge impact of the next storm and provide protection to the harbour.

      Suffering is also like this – it repairs the weaknesses in one’s character and cultivate spiritual goodness, just like a potter shaping pottery.

      The breakwater cannot repair itself; it needs people who are familiar with its construction to repair it.

      Perhaps we are just the same, we are aware that we have some problems in ourself, yet we can hardly change ourselves?

      Only by relying on the power of God can we change ourselves, like a potter making pottery!

      Besides the topic of character, I have also heard Pastor Charles Stanley giving a sermon on television about the ten trials, which I will write in my next blog post.

苦難是信徒最怕的事，希望最好免疫，
誰都會如此想吧？人之常情！
但今天當讀到《每日經歷神》的文章《你是否受造完全》，
分析之下，作者有三點提醒：
-         不要怨恨神；
-         不要想盡辦法避免苦難；

-         即使處於苦難中，仍要學習順從。

還想加多一點：不要與別人比較苦難的程度與性質。

文中解釋苦難的原因：

『你靈魂的某些地方唯有藉著苦難的功課才能觸及。

神的靈有重要的功課要教導你，

而唯有身處試煉中，你才能學到這些功課。』

苦難令人：

-         更像耶穌基督；

-         培養成熟的品格，好能實行神所指派的工作；

-         成為合神心意的人。

苦難是一個學習改變自己 ─ 包括品格 ─ 的過程，
是每位信徒的必修科！
『不但如此，我們在苦難中也歡喜，
因為知道苦難使人生忍耐，

忍耐生品格 (和合本聖經譯為「老練」)，

品格生盼望。這種盼望不會落空，

因為上帝的愛藉著所賜給我們的聖靈已傾注在我們心中。』

(羅馬書5章3-5節, 聖經當代譯本修訂版)

不過神用於每人的品格培養方法都有所不同。

好品格，一定是好人；

有些人品格已非常好，那便無需太多磨練吧？
但昨天1月26日的《活水》提到：
『有幾種不同的好人，也可以說好的出發點有幾種：
……律法……教育……良心……天賦……宗教……
以上的幾種好的因素雖然不同，卻都是肉體的好；
但我們屬神的人，要丟棄以上各種好的成因，
在基督裏追求好。』
啊！原來具有天賦上的好並不足夠！
苦難便是一種塑造靈性的方法。
照片是維修防波堤：

防波堤原本看似沒有什麼問題，

但原來曾遭十號風球巨浪不斷翻騰衝擊，

可能已造成潛在破損弱點，

如果不徹底將受損部分移除、重新建造，

便不能在下次風暴時承受巨大衝擊力，發揮保護作用。

苦難也如是 - 修補品格上的弱點、

塑造靈性上的好，如陶匠塑造器皿。

防波堤是不能自行修補的，需要由熟悉其建造的人維修，

可能我們也如是，知道自己的一些問題，卻難以改變自己？

只有靠主的能力去改變自己、如工匠陶造器皿！

除了品格以外，有次聆聽Charles Stanley 牧師在電視講道中提出人受試煉的十點，將在下一篇網誌記述。