栽種自己的生命 … Sowing and growing our lives

(English at the bottom)
日前讀到《每日經歷神》的文章《慷慨地撒種》，覺得說法特別：

『讓我們選擇慷慨地栽種自己基督徒生命的一切……』(見備註)

栽種自己生命的一切？沒有想過用栽種的心態去面對自己的生命。一般以栽種形容種植植物，但栽種生命呢？如何栽種自己的生命？

早前常被雨後路邊植物特別明亮翠綠的色澤所吸引，名符其實是雨水潤澤！大概基督徒的生命，也需經過主的活水滋養。(約翰福音4章10-14節)。

8.5.2019       4:35 p.m.

主耶穌亦曾以撒種比喻靈命的成長：路旁、磐石、荆棘、好土。(路加福音8章)對於8章14節，啟導本的註解是：『憂慮、錢財和生活的享樂是靈性成熟的三大阻礙，它們妨礙了靈命的成長，這樣的 “泥土” 結不出子粒來。』 

15.4.2019      11:52 a.m.

過生活、享受人生，不等於栽種生命。前半生忙於生活各種事務，工作佔據人生，現在才覺悟在人生下半場，應好好栽種自己靈性的生命。

約翰福音14章17-20節，主耶穌提到祂自己及聖靈都在我們裏面，我們也在主裏面。如果活在主裏面，主在我裏面，心態就很不一樣了！生命力也不一樣，表現也不一樣。 

21.4.2019      4:26 p.m.
葉尖像音符

步入人生下半場，日益面對自己和家人餘下三個階段：老、病、死。但感恩從其他信徒的生命，見到她們對人生下半場未知的將來、突如其來的病患，都能安然面對，信心建基於神，我亦甚得鼓勵。

備註：
『讓我們選擇慷慨地栽種自己基督徒生命的一切……』的英文原文是：
 “Let us choose to sow generously in everything we do in our Christian lives”
作者從慷慨地撒種(經濟上幫助其他信徒)，引申到基督徒靈命成長中「投資所有一切與神相交」，猶如「撒種」。
原文：https://blackaby.org/sow-generously/

21.4.2019     4:17 p.m.
雖被鋸斷，絶處逢生

Sowing and growing our lives

Days ago, I found an interesting idea expressed in the article (for 7th June) ‘Sow generously’ in the devotional ‘Experiencing God Day by Day’: “Let us choose to sow generously in everything we do in our Christian lives.”

Well, to sow generously in everything we do in our Christian lives? I haven’t thought of such a perspective when facing my own life. Sowing is a verb for growing crops and plants. But how about sowing in our lives? How to sow in our lives or grow our lives?

I am often attracted by the bright green colors of plants on the roadside. They are really moisturized by rainwater. So, Christians also need the living water from Jesus to moisturize their lives. (John Chapter 4:10-14)

In Luke Chapter 8, Jesus has also used the parable of the sower to describe the growth of spiritual lives: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” There are three major obstacles in the growth of Christians’ spiritual lives: life’s worries, riches, and pleasures, just as seeds would not mature among thorns.

Living and enjoying life doesn’t mean sowing and growing our lives. As a workaholic occupied by work and all kinds of daily chores during the first half of my life, now I have started to be aware of sowing and growing my spiritual live in the rest of my days.

In John Chapter 14:15-20, Jesus said that He and the Holy Spirit are with us and in us, and we are in Him. If we are living in the Lord, and the Lord is in me, my attitude wouldn’t be the same, my life wouldn’t be the same, and my state wouldn’t be the same.

In the latter half of life, we increasingly face these 3 stages in life both in ourselves as well as our parents: aging, sick, and death. (P.S. A Chinese saying describes the 4 stages of life as: birth, aging, sick, and death.) But I’m grateful to witness from some Christians’ lives that when facing the unsure future and sudden illness, they still have peace in mind, faith in the Lord. I am encouraged by their examples.