10. Manna issue 82 - A Letter to Our Youths Thoughts on Career and Marriage 給年輕人有關工作和婚姻想法的一封信
Advice for youths taking the next
step in their lives.
給要在生活中，採取下一步年輕人的忠告
Shun Tao Hsieh—Taichung, Taiwan
台灣台中 謝順道長老
Peace to our youths-in-Christ! 給我們主內基督裡年青人的平安！
May the Lord Jesus Christ bestow
grace upon you, and make your
future glorious to God. I imagine your
parents and friends wish this same
blessing for you. The question is: what
can you do to secure this blessing?
I would like to share some thoughts
on two matters: your career and your
marriage.
願主耶穌基督賜恩典給你，
讓你的未來可以榮耀神。
但願你的父母朋有都會給你同樣的祝福。
問題是：
你要作什麼才能好好保守這個祝福呢？
我們分享一些想法有關二件事：
工作和婚姻。
STEPS TO CAREER SUCCESS—
THE CHRISTIAN WAY
走向成功職場的方法 - 基督的方式
After you graduate from academia,
you will enter the world of work.
In your place of employment, you
will have superiors above you, thus
making you a subordinate. Using
the terminology of the Bible, they
will be your “master,” and you, their
“servant.” What they will require
of you is faithfulness (1 Cor 4:2), as
manifested in your submission in all
things (1 Pet 2:18). You should strive
to be a good employee, exhibiting
qualities such as punctuality,
conscientiousness, and responsibility.
從學校畢業之後，你會進入需要工作的世界。
在你工作的地方，你會有上司，
所以你就是別人的下屬。
若用聖經裡面的詞彙來說，
他們就是你的"主人"，你就是他們的"僕人"。
他們需要你付出的，就是對主人的忠心，
(林前 4：2)
對所有的事情，都能展現你的順服。
(彼前 2：18)
你要努力工作成為一位好的員工，
表現出一些特質，例如準時，有良心，有責任感。
In terms of punctuality, do not
arrive late for work, or leave early;
always make sure to complete your
tasks within the target deadline.
In terms of conscientiousness, be
passionate about your job; refrain
from idle chatter within office hours;
and always look for other tasks to do
after you have completed your own
work. In terms of responsibility, do all
things with your heart and mind, and
be faithful in small matters as well as
in the great (Lk 16:10).
說到準時，不要工作遲到，或早退；
總要在時限之內，完成你被指派的工作。
說到有良心，對你的工作有熱情；
不要在上班時間閒懶愛聊天；
在你完成自已的工作之後，總是找看看有沒有其他的工作可以作。
說到責任心，無論作何事都盡心盡力，
在大事和小事上都很忠心。
(加 16：10)
Be Faithful in the Small Things 在小事上盡忠
In the late-16th century, there was
a famous Japanese military strategist
by the name of Hideyoshi Toyotomi
(1536–1598). During his adolescent
years, he was a sandal-bearer to
Nobunaga Oda, a powerful feudal
lord. Hideyoshi’s daily duties included
bringing straw sandals to his master
when his master got out of bed. In
winter, he would place the sandals
against his chest to warm them before
giving them to his master; he resolved
to be the best sandal bearer in Japan.
One day, his master asked him, “Why
are the sandals warm?” Hideyoshi
replied respectfully and truthfully.
His faithfulness touched his master,
who predicted that he would become
someone great one day. Indeed,
discerning eyes can tell greatness from
mediocrity. Later, when Nobunaga
was killed by a subordinate, Hideyoshi
used his military strategy skills to
lead an army to quell the unrest and
avenge his master. He soon became a
dominant figure in Japan.
16世紀末，日本有一位出名的戰略家，
他的名字是豐臣秀吉(1536-1598)。
在他青少年的時候，他是織田信長的提鞋童，
而織田信長是當時非常強大的封建領主。
豐臣秀吉每天的任務，就是當主人起床的時候，遞上草鞋。
冬天的時候，他會把草鞋放在胸前，
在把草鞋給主人之前，先溫暖草鞋；
他決心要成為日本最好的提鞋童。
有一天主人問他，
"為什麼這雙草鞋是熱的？"
豐臣秀吉帶著敬畏誠實的回答。
他的忠心感動了主人，織田信長就預言，
有一天豐臣秀吉會成為一個偉大的人。
是的，眼光敏銳的人，可以分辨偉大的人與平凡人的不同。
後來，織田信長被部下殺了，
豐臣秀吉就用他軍事策略技能，
帶領軍隊平息叛亂，為主人復仇。
不久之後，他成為日本的領導者。
Fetching sandals is undoubtedly a
lowly job; yet, from the way a person
performs this task, we can see his true
spirit. A great man is not necessarily
one who accomplishes great things,
but rather, someone who does his
utmost, even when performing a
small deed.
提鞋無疑是一份卑微的工作；
然而，從一個人怎麼執行這個工作的方式，
我們可以看見他真正的精神。
偉大的人，不一定是那些完成偉業的人，
反而甚至是那些執行小事，都盡全力的人。
In the society that we now live in,
efficiency is key. No matter what you
do, you need to do it more accurately,
seamlessly and speedily than ever
before. You need to be observant and
notice problems that others overlook.
You must also learn to reflect, to
anticipate problems that others do
not think of. Only in this way can you
be creative, and only with creativity
can there be innovation. Innovation
will give you the competitive edge to
survive in your industry.
在今日我們居住的社會，效率是很關鍵的。
無論你作什麼，你要更小心的去執行，
完全沒有偏差，比以前更快的去完成。
你必需要有很敏銳的觀察力，
可以看出別人忽略的問題。
你也一定要學會反省，
提前預料那些別人沒有想到的問題。
只有這種方式，你可以變得更有創造力，
也只有創造力 ，才會產生創新。
創新會讓你有競爭優勢，在這個行業裡生存下來。
Serving God is Integral to Our
Success
我們的成功，只有服事神才會完整
It is also good to acquire more
knowledge and keep ourselves
relevant through extensive reading.
We also need wisdom which comes
from fearing God: “The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One
is understanding” (Prov 9:10). There
are a number of ways to show we
fear God: attend worship services
and fellowships; study the Bible
conscientiously and abide by God’s
will; and pray earnestly to maintain
a close relationship with God. Take
time to participate in church work,
take part in the grace of prospering
the gospel. Offer tithes on time, and
God shall bless you (Mal 3:10). If you
do these things, success will surely be
yours. In addition, God shall receive
His due glory!
透過延伸閱讀，對我們是好的，
讓我們得到更多的知識，時時更得上相關資訊。
我們需要從敬畏神之中，得到知慧：
10敬畏耶和華是智慧的開端；認識至聖者便是聰明。
(箴 9：10)
有很多方法可以表示我們敬畏神：
參加聚會和團契活動；
認真的查經，與神的旨意同在；
迫切禱告，來維持與神緊密的關係。
花時間參與教會工作，讓我們與興旺福音的恩典有份。
定時獻什一捐，神就會祝福你。
(瑪 3：10)
若你了這些事情，成功就一定在你手中。
此外，神就會得到祂本來就該得到的榮耀！
Should you feel a sense of
commission, or are moved by the
Holy Spirit to offer yourself to God
as a full-time minister, then enroll
in the theological training program.
This would be the best choice at this
juncture of your life! The last day is
fast approaching; indeed, it is at our
very doorstep (Mt 24:3–33; 2 Tim
3:1–4), and the speed at which we
must preach the gospel is accelerating
(Rev 14:6–7). The church requires
more youths to offer themselves to
participate in the work of spreading
the gospel throughout the world. The
message we preach is the “gospel
of peace” (Eph 6:15), as it grants
peace to all who believe (Mt 4:23–
24; 11:28–29). It is also the “gospel
of reconciliation” (Eph 2:17), as it
reconciles man with God, and man
with man (Eph 2:12–16). It is the
“gospel of salvation,” as all who
believe will receive the Holy Spirit of
promise, which is the guarantee of our
heavenly inheritance (Eph 1:13–14).
你會有感覺得受到交託的感覺嗎？
或是受到聖經的感動，要獻身成為神的全職傳道人嗎？
那麼，你可以向神學訓練班註冊。
在你的一生之中，這必定是最好的選擇！
末日即將來臨；是的，末日來臨即將來到你的大門口，
(太 24：3-33；提後 3：1-4)
而末日來的速度，讓我們一定要加速傳福音。
(啟 14：6-7)
教會需要更多的青年，獻上自已，參與傳福音到世界各地的工作。
我們所傳的訊息，是"平安的福音"，
(弗 6：15)
因為這個福音保証給所有相信的人平安。
(太 4：23-24；11：28-29)
這個訊息也是一種"和好的福音"，
(弗 2：17)
因為這個福音讓人與神再度和好，讓人與人再度和好。
(弗 2：12-16)
這個訊息也是"救贖的福音"，
一切相信的人會得到應許的聖靈，
而聖靈會給予我們得到天國產業的福份。
(弗 1：13-14)
Because the gospel is so precious,
the Bible says, “How beautiful are the
feet of those who preach the gospel
of peace, who bring glad tidings of
good things!” (Rom 10:15b). Hesitate
no longer, equip yourself to become
part of this beautiful team!
因為福音是這個的珍貴，聖經才說，
15報福音、傳喜信的人，他們的腳蹤何等佳美。
(羅 10：15b)
不要再猶豫，裝備自已成為這個美好工作團隊的一份子。
THE BLESSING OF MARRYING IN
THE LORD
主內聯姻的祝福
Your Marriage Shapes Your Faith 婚姻會造就信仰
All of you are now adults, eligible
to consider marriage. As we know,
marriage is a very important part of
one’s life. A successful marriage will
have positive effects on how your
family is established, how you manage
your career, and on the course of
your faith, etc. In contrast, a wrong
decision can lead to endless troubles.
你們所有人現在都是成人了，
已經合適要考慮婚姻的問題。
我們都知道，婚姻是一個人一生非常重要的一部份。
成功的婚姻會有正面的效果，
會影響到你的家庭是如何建立起來，
你會怎麼經營你的工作和職場，
也會影響你信仰上的勇氣，等等。
相反的，錯誤的決定會導致無窮無盡的問題。
Youths will have heard countless
times the teaching about the
importance of marrying in the Lord.
This often leads to different reactions.
Some may feel frustrated, and have
been known to ask, “Why can’t I
marry an unbeliever if I bring him and
his family to the Lord?”
青年人都聽過無數次，嫁娶主內重要性的教導。
這常導致不同的反應。
有一些人覺得很灰心，且為人所知的，會問，
"為什麼我不能娶未信主的人，若我能把他和他全家帶來信主呢？"
My answer is, “You would be
fortunate to hold on to your own
faith, let alone bring your spouse and
his or her family to believe. Do you
think it would be an easy task to bring
the entire family to God? Please do
not neglect that it is the Lord who
chooses whom He wishes to save (Jn
6:37, 44, 65; 15:16). If the family is
not moved by God, can you really
bring them to Him and override the
sovereignty of the Lord (Eph 1:4–5;
2 Tim 1:9)? What if they really don’t
want to believe?”
我的答案是，
"你若能堅守住自已的信仰就已經是很幸運的，
更不要說能把你的配偶，把他或她及全家帶來信主。
你會認為把整個家帶來信主是很簡單的任務嗎？
請不要忽略了，神才是真正的主角來選擇祂所想要拯救的人。
(約 6：37，44，65；15：16)
若全家沒有受到神的感動，你真的能夠把他們帶來信主嗎？
你能超過神的主權嗎？
(弗 1：4-5；提後 1：9)
若是他們真的不想要信主，你怎麼辨呢？"
I know of a sister from Taiwan
who married a non-believer. On the
wedding day, the newly-weds were
made to stand before the family idols
and ancestral tablets. The mother-inlaw
gave the bride incense with which
to pay her respects, at which point the
bride said, “I believe in Jesus; I cannot
worship idols.”
我認識了一位台灣的姐妹，
她嫁了未信主的人。
在結婚那天，這一對新人被強迫站在家族偶像及祖先牌位前面。
婆婆拿香給她，要她拿香拜拜，
在那個時候，新娘說，
"我信耶穌，不能拜偶像"。
The mother-in-law was livid and
scolded her son for his choice of
bride. Eventually, the bridegroom sent
the bride back to her own home, and
did not dare to bring her back to his
house. She cried until her tears ran
dry, but it was too late!
婆婆就非常生氣罵她的兒子，選了這個新娘。
最後，新郎把新娘送回她家，
不願意把她帶回男方的家。
她哭到直側淚水哭乾，但一切都太晚了。
The Danger of Being Yoked to an
Unbeliever
與未信主之人，同負一軛的危險
Some brothers claim there is less
risk of them having to compromise
their faith should they marry a nonbeliever.
My answer is, “For every
brother who marries a non-believer,
will there not be a sister with one less
brother to marry? And might it not
cause her to look for a spouse outside
of the church?”
有一些弟兄說，若他們嫁娶未信主的人，
他們所面對的風險會比較少。
我的回答是，
"每有一個弟兄娶了未信主的人，
難道不會少一個弟兄，讓姐妹可以嫁嗎？
難道不會導致她在教會外，尋找配偶嗎？"
Moses told the Israelites, “Nor shall
you make marriages with them [the
Gentiles]. You shall not give your
daughter to their son, nor take their
daughter for your son. For they will
turn your sons away from following
Me, to serve other gods; so the anger
of the Lord will be aroused against
you and destroy you suddenly” (Deut
7:3–4). These words describe the
outcome of marrying non-believers:
corruption of the faith, turning away
to idols, and ultimately being forsaken
by the true God.
摩西告訴以色列人，
3不可與他們結親。不可將你的女兒嫁他們的兒子，
也不可叫你的兒子娶他們的女兒；
4因為他必使你兒子轉離不跟從主，去事奉別神，
以致耶和華的怒氣向你們發作，就速速地將你們滅絕。
(申 7：3-4)
這個經節說明了嫁娶未信主的後果：
會敗壞信仰，轉向偶像，最後被真神所拋棄。
Learn from the examples in the
Bible. After Solomon built the temple
and his palace, he took for himself
one thousand Gentile concubines. In
his old age, they led him to worship
idols and to do things which were
abominable in the eyes of God. God
was angered and said that He would
take Solomon’s kingdom, apart from
one tribe, from his son and give it to
his servant (1 Kgs 11:1–13).
從聖經的許多例子中，我們可以學習。
在所羅門建造了聖殿和皇宮之後，
他為自已娶了幾千外邦人的嬪妃。
在古時候，他們帶他去拜偶像，
作一些在神眼中憎惡的事情。
神很生氣說，要把所羅門的國度分開，不再屬於一族，
並且要從所羅門的手中拿走，給所羅門的僕人。
(王上 11：1-13)
When Nehemiah returned to
Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls,
he saw that the Jews took Gentile
wives, and their children were unable
to speak the language of Judah.
Nehemiah rebuked them, saying,
“Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by
these things? Yet among many nations
there was no king like him, who was
beloved of his God; and God made
him king over all Israel. Nevertheless
pagan women caused even him to
sin. Should we then hear of your
doing all this great evil, transgressing
against our God by marrying pagan
women?” (Neh 13:26–27).
當尼希米回到耶路撒冷重建城牆，
他看見猶太人娶了外邦人，
他們的兒女不能說猶大的語言。
尼希米斥責他們說，
26我又說：以色列王所羅門不是在這樣的事上犯罪麼？
在多國中並沒有一王像他，且蒙他神所愛，神立他作以色列全國的王；然而連他也被外邦女子引誘犯罪。
27如此，我豈聽你們行這大惡，娶外邦女子干犯我們的神呢？
(尼 13：26-27)
Because the Jews intermarried
with Gentiles, their children could
not speak the language of Judah. In
a spiritual sense, those who marry
unbelievers today will cause their
children to lose the ability to “speak
the language of Judah.” In other
words, the environment they will
grow up in will lack the spiritual and
religious dimension. In short, the
faith of the next generation will be
a cause of worry if our youths marry
non-believers.
因為猶太人和外邦人通婚，
他們的兒女不能說猶大的語言。
以屬靈的角度來說，
今日那些娶未信主的人，
會讓兒女失去"說猶大語言"的能力。
換句話說，他們將要成長的環境，
會缺少屬靈和宗教上的內函。
總之，若我們的青年嫁娶未信主的人，
下一代的信仰就很值得憂慮。
During the 1960s, the Taiwan
General Assembly sent me to
minister the church at Taipei. One
day, a church committee member
took me to visit a sister. When we
knelt down to pray, her two children
began giggling and continued doing
so until the prayer ended. It was as
if they were experiencing something
unfamilliar. After we left her house,
I told the committee member, “I can
see that the sister has never prayed
at home before, or brought her two
children to attend religious education
classes in church.”
在1960年代期間，
台灣總會派我牧養台北教會。
有一天，一位教會職務會負責人，
帶我去訪問一位姐妹。
當我們跪下來禱告，她的兩個小孩開始傻笑，
直到禱告結束時都一直這麼作。
這個情況就好像是，他們體驗到一些不熟悉的事情。
在我們離開她家之後，
我告訴負責人，
我可以發現，這個姐妹以前從來沒有在家禱告，
或是把她二個小帶來教會參加宗教教育。"
He asked, “How do you know?”
I said, “If she had, they would not
have behaved in that way.”
他就回問，
"你怎麼知道呢？"
我說，
"若她有這麼作，
她的小孩就不會有那樣的行為。"
The sister was initially from the
church in Taichung, and her family
was among the early believers in the
central region. As a youth, she had
a strong faith. It was only after she
married a non-believer that her faith
declined—to such an extent that she
did not pray with her children.
這個姐妹一開始是來自台中的教會，
她家是中部地區早期信主的人之一。
年青的時候，她的信仰很堅強。
只在她嫁娶未信主的人之後，
她的信仰變軟弱了，到了這一種程度，
他從來沒有和自已的小孩禱告。
Indeed, we see some youths who
once had strong faith and were even
religious education teachers. But after
marrying non-believers, their faith
deteriorated with time, and you now
rarely see them attending church
services. Consider this carefully: on
average, it takes the church twenty
years to cultivate a person’s faith,
starting from kindergarten class to
youth class. With the amount of time,
effort and resources being invested in
each member, surely the hope is that
they would be able to take up some
church work when they grow up.
However, because they marry a nonbeliever
and backslide in their faith,
the investment of the church comes
to nothing. This is indeed a great
loss—it is heartbreaking!
是的，我們看見一些青年，
他們曾經有堅強的信仰，甚至是宗教教育的老師。
但是在嫁娶未信主的人之後，
信仰隨著時間惡化了，
現在你很少看到他們到教會聚會。
好好想想這件事：
平均來說，教會要花20年來培養一個人的信仰，
到幼稚班到社青班。
在每一個信徒身上，都投資了大量了時間，精力和資源，
想當然爾的是，希望他們長大之後，
可以分擔教會的工作。
然而他們嫁娶了未信主之人，
信仰在其後受到傷害，
教會在他們身上的投入都白費了。
這真的是很大的損失，讓人很傷心！
Believers and unbelievers cannot
be yoked together; what fellowship
or communion can they have (2 Cor
6:14)? If you believe in the Lord and
strive for the everlasting blessing,
while your spouse does not believe
and pursues the things of the world,
how can you reconcile the disparity?
How can you achieve intimacy or
harmony?
你們和不信的原不相配，不要同負一軛。義和不義有甚麼相交呢？
(林後 6：14)
你如果相信神，努力追求永遠的福份，
同時你的配偶不信，追求世上的一切，
你要如何能夠協調這不一致的情況呢？
你們之前如何能夠很親密，很和諧呢？
Have an Open Mind 開放的心態
Why do some members find it hard
to find their ideal spouse in church,
or feel the need to look outside? This
is a complex question. Personally, I
feel that one reason is that they have
overly high expectations and too
many conditions.
為什麼有些信徒覺得要在教會裡面，
找到他們理想的配偶很難呢？
或是覺得他們要在外找呢？
這是一個很複雜的問題。
個人來說，我覺得有一個原因，
就是他們有過高的期望，及很多條件。
The Greek philosopher Plato once
had a student who sought his advice
with regards to choosing a spouse.
Plato instructed him, saying, “Go
into the wheat field and bring me the
largest grain you can find. Walk from
this end to that end, but you can only
go forwards, not backwards.”
希臘哲學家柏拉圖曾經有一個學生，
他問一個有關選擇配偶的問題，尋求他的建議。
柏拉圖教他說，
"走到田地去，把找到最大的作物拿來給我。
從這一端走到那一端，
但是你只能往前走，不能回頭。"
His student did accordingly, but
no matter how he tried to choose,
he could not find a suitable grain
of wheat. It was only when he
reached the end of the field that he
remembered there was a nice plump
specimen some way back. However,
because he had been told he could
not walk backwards, he had no choice
but to pluck a grain from the end of
the field.
他的學生照著作，
但無論他怎麼照著作，他都找不到合適的作物。
只有當他走到田地的那一端，
他才想起來在後面某個地方，有一捆很豐滿的作物。
然而，他已經被告知，不能往回走了，
他沒有選擇，只能從這田地的邊邊，拿取一些作物。
This story tells us that time and tide
wait for no man, and we are not able
to turn back the clock. If we hold very
high expectations with regards to our
choice of spouse, we will always be
dissatisfied no matter how hard we
look. And then, when age catches
up with us, we will have a limited
choice, and, like Pluto’s student, just
pick anything we can find at the end
of the field!
這個故事告訴我們，
時間和潮流不等人，我們不能使時鐘回轉。
若我們對選擇配偶有很高的期胡，
不論我們如何努力在尋找，將總是不滿意。
然後，當年齡到達一定程度之後，
我們的選擇就很少了，就像柏拉圖的學生，
就在田邊揀一些能找到的東西。
During the 1970s, I introduced a
sister to a brother. After the initial
meeting, I asked him about his
impression of the sister. He blushed,
silently looking down at the floor. I
said, “If you are too shy to say what
you think, let me suggest marks out
of a hundred: one hundred marks for
‘I won’t find anyone better’; eighty
marks for ‘ideal’; sixty marks for
‘acceptable’!”
在1970年代，我介紹一個姐妹給弟兄。
一見面之後，我問他對姐妹的印象。
他臉紅，沉默的看著地上。
我說，
"你若是很不好意思說你的想法，
我就建議你寫下100點理由：
100點有關"我不會找到更好的人"；
80點有關"很理想的理由"；
60點有關"尚可接受的理由"！
At that point, he stammered, “My
own circumstances are not that good;
how can I have high expectations of
someone else?”
在那時候，他慢慢的說到，
"我的環境沒有那麼好；
我怎麼會對別人有很高的期望呢？"
I understood his remark and told
him, “A blissful marriage does not
depend on whether the other person
fulfills certain conditions, but whether
you both have the word of God in
your hearts.”
我了牽他的回答，而告訴他，
"一個受祝福的婚姻，不決定於，
另一半是不是符合某些條件，
而是你們兩個人在心中有沒有神的話。"
Soon after, they were engaged,
then married, and then they became
parents. Today, they are grandparents,
and remain a loving couple.
不久之後，他們訂婚了，然後就結婚，
然後成為父母。
今日，他們已經是祖父母了，
仍是一對相愛的伴侶。
The moral is not to have too many
conditions or high expectations when
you choose a spouse. As long as the
other party has a good character,
a pure faith, and an acceptable
appearance, that is sufficient.
其中重要的意思是，當你選擇配偶的時候，
不是要有很多條件，或很高的期望。
只要另一伴有好的品德，
純正的信仰，可接受的外表，
這就足夠了。
May the Lord bless you to find
someone who is best suited to you.
願神祝福你，可以找到一個最適合你的人。
Hallelujah, and peace be with you.
Farewell!
哈利路亞，願平安與你同，再見！
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
歡迎主內同靈來信加入翻譯
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