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Manna issue 78 - My Time? God’s Time! 我的時間？神的時間吧！

God is the pivot of our lives. 神是我們生活的軸心

Philip Shee—Jakarta, Indonesia 印尼雅加達 許腓利執事

Time is not only precious but, indeed,
priceless. We often lament that there
are not enough hours in the day,
that time flies, and that life is short.
The rich cannot buy more days, the
powerful cannot extend his hours,
and the genius cannot invent more
minutes. Even though we can save
time by outsourcing mundane tasks
to others, and using technology
to increase our efficiency, we still
suffer from a lack of time. Ironically,
one seems to get busier as society
becomes more advanced.

時間不只很寶貴，而且，是的，時間是無價的。
我們時常感嘆每天時間不夠，而且時間很快飛逝，並且人生苦短。
富人不能買到更多的年日，有權勢的人也不能延展片刻，天才也不能增加自已分分秒秒的時間。
即使我們把一些世上的雜事外包給別人，節省一些時間，或是用新科技來增加效率，我們仍是飽受時間不足所苦。
但諷刺的是，隨著社會變得更加進步，人們似乎卻變得更加忙碌。

We often hear about members who
used to live in rural areas, at a time
when they lacked basic amenities
and conveniences such as electricity
and transportation. They would labor
on their farms from dawn till dusk,
and yet attending morning-prayer
and evening services were essential
parts of their daily routine. As society
progresses and urbanization brings
more conveniences and affluence,
many worshippers struggle to find
time to participate in regular worship,
let alone committing to serve in God’s
ministry.

我們常常聽到有關，過去住在郊區的信徒，有一段時間，他們缺乏基本娛樂，生活也因為沒有電力和交通，很不方便。
他們會從早到晚在田裡努力工作，然而參加早禱會，或是晚間聚會，卻是他們每日會作事情的基本工作。
隨著社會進步，都市化帶來更多方便和富裕的生活，
許多信徒卻要努力找出時間來參加日常的聚會，更不要說，立下心志要在神的事工上服事，更不容易了。

This is a real challenge facing
Christians and the church today.
While we may yearn to devote more
time to our spiritual lives and to serve
our Lord in His ministry, somehow,
we fail to sustain or even to start this
commitment. We comfort ourselves
that we will do so later, once we
have accomplished this or that, but
we find ourselves putting it off again
and again as new challenges and life
goals come along.

這是今日基督徒和教會所面臨真正的挑戰。
當我們可能很渴望想要投入更多時間給自已的屬靈生活時，不知怎麼了，
我們卻不能支持下去，或者甚至不能開始實現這個承諾。
我們會安慰自已，以後一定會作的，一旦我們完成了現在手上這件和那件事之後，就會接下去，
但我們自已發現一次又一次，不斷的再延後這個計劃，因為不斷會在生活上遇到新的挑戰和生活目標要追求。

How can we break this vicious
cycle? We can start by re-orientating
our lives so that God is in the center
of all we do.

我們要怎麼作，才能打破這個惡性循還呢？
我們可以開始給自已的人生重新定位，這麼一來，神就是我們一切所作所為的中心。

BALANCE OR PIVOT? 找到平衡點，還是以神為中心？

It is often said that we can manage
our time better if we strike a
good balance among the various
commitments in our lives. This
suggests that we allocate our time
equally between work or studies,
family, friends, our own interests,
and God and His ministry. Also, some
say that the balance changes as we
progress through each stage of our
lives—a student would focus his full
attention on academic achievement,
a graduate on building his career, and
a middle-aged person on providing
a comfortable life for his family and
saving for retirement. During these
periods, any spare time is further
divided between leisure, family,
friends, and God. Is this the best
formula if we hope to make time for
God? The Lord Himself has left the
following guidance:

有人常說，我們可以好好管理自已的時間，若我們可以努力在各種生活中的約定中，找到一個好的平衡點。
這就是建議我們，要在工作，學習，家庭，友情，自已的愛好和神及其事工之間，好好平分時間，找到平衡點。
也有一些人說，隨著我們生活進入每一個階段，這個平衡點也會隨之改變 - 
學生要全心投入在學業目標上，畢業生要好好發展自已的職場生涯，
中年人要為自已的家庭和退休的儲畜，好好準備，讓自已有個很舒服的生活。
在這些不同時期之中，若有更多空閒時間，就會拿來給休閒，家庭，朋友和神來分配使用。
若我們希望留時間給神的話，這是最好的分配方式嗎？
主耶穌自已已經留下了接下來的指引給我們：

But seek first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness…. (Mt 6:33a)

33你們要先求他的國和他的義，這些東西都要加給你們了。(太 6：33a)

No one can serve two masters; for
either he will hate the one and love
the other, or else he will be loyal to
the one and despise the other. (Mt
6:24a)

24一個人不能事奉兩個主；不是惡這個，愛那個，就是重這個，輕那個。(太 6：24a)

You shall love the LORD your God
with all your heart, with all your
soul, and with all your mind. (Mt
22:37)

37耶穌對他說：你要盡心、盡性、盡意愛主─你的神。(太 22：37)

While the contexts of these verses
are not about how we use our time,
the underlying principles are relevant.
They reveal the Lord’s expectation of
our unwavering, single-minded, and
total devotion to Him. If we cannot
serve two masters at the same time,
how can we possibly see God as one
of many commitments to juggle in
our lives? Our love for Him should
encompass all of our heart, our soul
and our mind, and not just an allocated
part. It is no wonder, therefore, that
the Lord has instructed us to seek first
His kingdom and His righteousness—
and in doing so, we will receive all
we need as a blessing from God,
rather than through our own tireless
pursuit. This suggests that the ideal
formula is not about striking an equal
balance between God and the other
components in our lives. Instead, God
should be the center around which
our lives pivot.

雖然這些經節的內容，並不是和我們如何使用時間有關，但其下的原則卻是相關的。
他們其中的含意，代表了神對我們的期望，不動搖的心，單純的心，向神全心奉獻。
若我們不能同時間內服事二個主人，在生活中，我們要如何有可能去判定，神就是我們眾多選擇之中，所要注意的？
我們為了祂而活，應包含全心，全性及全意，而不是只有被分配後的一部份時間而已。
所以，難怪神會吩咐我們，要先求神國神欺，因為這麼作了之後，就會從神那裡得到祝福，生活一無所缺，
而不是要去透過自已不斷努力去追求。
這裡就建議我們，最好的方式，不是去努力在神和其他生活的事上，找到一個平衡。
相反地，神應該是我們生活軸心的中心點。

The difference here is that God is
not just another component of our
lives, on par with our other activities
and commitments. Rather, God is our
primary commitment, and the other
areas that require our time and energy
revolve around this commitment. We
may devote more time to some areas
over others, and there will be times
when we completely drop certain
commitments. Our lives may not be
equally balanced, but with God as
our pivot, whatever we choose to do
is entirely driven by God. All of our
activities will be God-centered, as
Paul writes:

這裡不同的地方就是，神不只是我們生活中另一個事件而已，和我們其他的活動和承諾有同等的重要性。
反而是，我們最主要，就是以神的事為主，若其他地方也需要我們花時間，投入精力，他們是圍繞在神為中心的外圍。
我們或許會花很多時間在某些地方，有些時間，我們也會完全放棄某些事項。
我們的生活並不會很平均的分配時間而找到平衡點，但是以神為我們的中心，
不論我們選擇要作什麼，是完全由神所控制的。
我們全部的活動，都是以神為中心，就像保羅所說：

He who observes the day, observes
it to the Lord; and he who does
not observe the day, to the Lord he
does not observe it. He who eats,
eats to the Lord, for he gives God
thanks; and he who does not eat, to
the Lord he does not eat, and gives
God thanks. For none of us lives to
himself, and no one dies to himself.
For if we live, we live to the Lord;
and if we die, we die to the Lord.
Therefore, whether we live or die,
we are the Lord’s.
(Rom 14:6–8)

6守日的人是為主守的；吃的人是為主吃的，因他感謝神；不吃的人是為主不吃的，也感謝神。
7我們沒有一個人為自己活，也沒有一個人為自己死。
8我們若活著，是為主而活；若死了，是為主而死。所以，我們或活或死總是主的人。
(羅 16：6-8)

And whatever you do in word or
deed, do all in the name of the Lord
Jesus… (Col 3:17a)

17無論做甚麼，或說話或行事，都要奉主耶穌的名。(西 16：6-8)

PRACTICAL LIVING FOR CHRIST 老老實實的為基督而活

If we understand that God should be
our pivot, how can we apply this in
our lives? We can look at four steps to
achieve this:

若我們了解神應該成為我們的重心，要如何才能在生活中應該這些原則呢？
我們可以來看看以下四個步驟來達成這個目標：

1) Stay Attuned to God 與神同心

We must embed the idea that God is
in the driver’s seat as a key foundation
in our lives. While Paul devoted his life
to preaching the gospel, his path and
where he spent his time were entirely
directed by the Holy Spirit. In one
instance, the Holy Spirit forbade him
to preach in Asia or go to Bithynia,
guiding him instead to Macedonia
(Acts 16:6–12). In the end, he was
led to Jerusalem, with the clear
knowledge from the Holy Spirit that
chains and tribulation awaited him
(Acts 20:22–24). Instead of reasoning
that his time and life would be better
spent in further missionary travels, he
submitted to God’s guidance without
question.

我們一定要植入這個想法，就是神好像坐在駕駛座上，祂是我們生活的基礎。
當保羅奉獻生命為主傳福音的時候，他要去那裡，在什麼事上要花時間完成，都是完全依靠聖靈的帶領。
有一個例子，就是聖靈禁止他在亞洲傳道，也不准他去庇推尼，反而帶領他去馬其頓。(徒 16：6-12)
最後，他被帶到耶路撒冷，並且有聖靈清楚的指示，在那裡有捆鎖與患難等待著他。(徒 20：22-24)
保羅沒有和聖靈理論，若他的時間和生命，花在其他的福音旅行上會更好，
他完全順服神的指引，沒有質疑。

In hindsight, we can see God’s
marvelous arrangement: by spending
time under house arrest in Rome, Paul
was able to spread the gospel to the
people who came to his rented house,
rather than having to travel around
(Acts 28:30–31). More importantly,
being under house arrest provided
him the time and setting where he
could be inspired by God to write the
four prison epistles, which are part
of the New Testament today. These
letters have reached, and continue to
reach, many people across the world.
Their impact has far surpassed all
that Paul could ever have done in his
physical mission during his lifetime.
We can, therefore, see how God’s
direct guidance helps us make the
maximum impact with our limited
time. And the starting point must be
the constant devotion of our time
to prayer and the word of God for
guidance. As we stay attuned to God,
our paths will be directed by him.

雖然是以後人的角度來看，但我們卻可以看到神奇妙的安排：
因為在羅馬被拘禁，所以要留在房內，並且有很多時間，
保羅因此就可以來傳福音，給那些來到他租屋拜訪他的人，而不需要四處遊歷。(徒 28:30-31)
更重要的是，因為被軟禁在房內，讓他有很多時間，以及有一個好的環境，
因此他受到神的感動，寫下了四部監牢書信，而這些作品是今日新約內容的一部份。
這些書信在世界上，已經傳達給許多人了，而且要繼續傳達給更多的人。
而書信所帶來的影響力，遠遠超過在他一生之中，保羅在物質世界裡，曾經完成過的一切福音事工。
所以，我們可以看到，神是如何直接帶領我們 幫助我們在自已有限的時間之內，作出極大的影響力。
而要為神工作的起始點，就一定要持續全心奉獻我們的時間，來禱告，來學習神的話，從中得到神的帶領。
因為當我們可以和神的同步調的話，祂就會指引我們的道路。

2) Simplify Our Lives 簡單生活

One big irony is that as technological
advancement has made the world
more efficient, our lives seem to
be even busier. To break out of this
contradictory state, we must first seek
to understand how we ended up this
way. Firstly, as things get done faster,
we often look to get even more things
done. Secondly, we are quick to fill
up our free time to pursue the next
level of achievement. Thirdly, we are
ever ready to embrace the novelties
that the world presents, including
new gadgets, new restaurants, new
holiday destinations, and new leisure8
activities.

如今最大的諷刺是，隨著科技進步，已經讓世界變得更有效率，但是我們的生活似乎卻變得更加忙碌。
若要打破這種矛盾的狀態，我們一定要先來了解看看，為什麼我們最後會變成這個樣子的。
第一，隨著事情很快作完，我們常常想要找更多事情來作。
第二，我們很快就把自已的自由時間再度填滿，去尋求下一階段的成就。
第三，我們時時都想要去擁抱世上所有出現的新鮮事物，
包括了新的小玩具，吃看看新的餐廳，去新的地方渡假、遊玩，或是找尋新的休閒活動。

The key to addressing this challenge
is to simplify our lives. The Bible
encourages us “that you should aspire
to lead a quiet life, to mind your own
business” (1 Thess 4:11a). Indeed, if
we can manage our ambitions by not
setting our minds on “high things”
(Rom 12:16), stop the endless pursuit
of secular achievements, and find
contentment in the satisfaction of our
daily needs (1 Tim 6:6–8), we should
be able to find time for the Lord’s
ministry.

11又要立志作安靜人，辦自己的事。(帖前 4：11a)

3) Prioritize Our Commitments 優先處理我們的承諾

As we face increasing demands on
our time, it is critical to prioritize our
commitments, especially if we are
unable to find time to serve God. With
God at the center of our lives and
all other commitments built around
Him, then the time to serve God will
become readily available.

當我們在日常生活中，遇到各種不斷增加的需求時，
能夠把自已的承諾優先守好，是很重要的，
特別是若我們找不出時間來服事神的時候。
若是有神成為我們生活的中心，
並且所有對神的約定都以圍繞著祂而打造出來，
那麼，服事神的時間，就會變得隨時都準備好一樣。

When Jesus visited a certain village,
Martha welcomed Him into her
home. While she chose to busy herself
with serving her guest, her sister
Mary chose simply to spend time
at the feet of Jesus, listening to His
teaching. When Martha complained,
Jesus corrected her by praising Mary
for having chosen the good part (Lk
10:38–42). Although Martha was
serving Jesus, she was deemed to
have had the wrong priority. Hence,
as we apportion the scarce time we
have, the key is to consider how God
would have us prioritize.

當耶穌去訪問村子的時候，馬大就接待耶穌到她的家裡去。
正當她選擇讓自已忙著服事來客的時候，她的妹妹馬利亞，卻只選擇花時間坐在耶穌腳前，聽祂講道。
就在馬大抱怨的時候，耶穌就糾正她，並且讚美馬利亞已經選擇了上好的福份。(路 10：38-42)
雖然馬大正在服事耶穌，但是她卻選錯了事情的優先順序。
因此，當我們在分配自已稀少時間的時候，
最重要的，就是要想，神要我們如何來分配自已事情的優先順序。

When Jesus reached out to people
to follow Him, one person asked to
be allowed to bury his father first.
Another asked to go and bid farewell
to those in his house. While both
requests seem reasonable from a
secular perspective, Jesus’ response
was less favorable—He concluded
that these were not fit for the
kingdom of God (Lk 9:59–62). Hence,
in comparison to directly serving God,
our secular commitments become
insignificant, or even irrelevant.

當耶穌向外尋找人們來跟隨祂的時候，有一個人請求先回去埋葬自已的父親。
另一個人請求先回去和家人道別。
從世俗的角度來看，他們二個人的請求似乎很合理，
而耶穌的回答卻是比較不中聽 - 
祂作了這樣的結論，這些人並不適合進入神的國。(路 9：59-62)
因此，若是和直接服事神來比較，我們世上的志向，都會變得毫無重要性，或者甚至和我們跟本沒有相關。

As we prioritize our commitments,
the activities that make up our service
to God should be non-negotiable.
For example, we should be firmly
committed to attending regular church
services and spiritual convocations,
carrying out our assigned church
duties, and devoting time each day for
prayer and Bible reading. Once these
are fixed in our schedules, we can
then allocate time to other activities.
The activities we should prioritize are
those that will contribute indirectly to
our service to God. For example, a
student should absolutely devote time
to their studies and a working adult
should work hard in their vocation, as
long as they are not distracted from
their direct service to God. Hence,
even when a student is busy with
examinations and a working adult
has a project deadline, they should
not de-prioritize the non-negotiable
fixtures such as prayer and attending
church services. In addition, these
other activities should be pursued
only with the mindset that they
are for the purpose of serving God
more effectively. A student pursues
education to be better equipped to
serve God, not for riches or success.
Any activities that add little or no
value to the work of God should be
the last on our to-do lists. These could
be binge-watching television serials,
aimless Internet surfing, or being
addicted to computer games.

當我們在分配自已的優先順序去投入自已的志業時，
主要服事神的那些活動，是不能妥協的。
例如：我們應該要堅定執行參加每日教會的聚會，參加靈恩會，進行分配給我們的教會工作，
每天空出時間來禱告，讀聖經。
一旦這些事情都固定在我們每日的行程之中，然後我們才能分配其他活動的時間。
接著要處理優先順序的，就是那些間接會服事到神的工作和活動。
例如：學生絕對要花時間在學習上，成人工作應該在其職位上努力付出，
只要這些事情不會影響到他們直接服事神，就可以。
因此，甚至當學生忙於準備考試的時候，或是大人上班感著在專案截止期限之前，完成任務，
他們都不應該把那些不能妥協的固定任務，降低其優先順序，例如，禱告，參加聚會。
此外，在追求這些其他活動的時候，應該要認知到，追求這些活動是為了可以更有效率的服事神。
學生努力學習，是為了裝備自已，可以好好服事神，並不是為了得到財富或是成就。
任何對服事神的工作，只產生一點點價值，或是沒有價值的事情，就應該列在我們待辨事項的最後面。
這些事情有可能是，毫無節制的觀看電視影集，毫無目標的上網，或是玩電動到一種不能自拔的程度。

4) Employ Our Gifts 運用恩賜

“But one and the same Spirit works
all things, distributing to each one
individually as He wills.” (1 Cor
12:11)

11這一切都是這位聖靈所運行、隨己意分給各人的。(林前 12：11)

This Bible passage highlights that
God has given different gifts, or
talents, to each individual. We may
also have gained different strengths
and skills through our education
and work experience. We should be
proactive in employing these gifts
to serve God. If we choose to serve
God in areas that are not aligned to
our natural gifts, talent, or skills, we
would not be using our limited time
wisely. Hence, to make good use
of our time for God, we should not
attempt to focus on areas where
others are clearly more suited to do.
If each of us devotes time to serve
God in the way for which we are best
equipped, then our collective service
will deliver the maximum impact in
the minimum time.

這裡的聖經經節強調說，神給每個人不同的恩賜，或才能。
我們也可能在自已的教育過程中，還是職場經驗中，得到了不同的長處和技能。
我們就應該積極主動地運用這些恩賜，來服事神。
若是我們沒有選擇用自已自然得到的恩賜，才能和技能，用在相關的地方來服事神，
我們就沒有聰明地使用自已有限的時間。
因此，為了好好為神善用自已的時間，我們就不應該去集中嘗試，那些很明顯是別人比較適合去作的事情。
若我們每一個人，都把時間奉獻出來服事神，用的是我們身上最好的能力，
那麼我們大家一起對神的事奉，就能夠在最短的時間之內，發揮出最大的效果。

CONCLUSION 結論

Finally, as we continue through life
attempting to make the best use of our
time, we need to realize that our time,
and our lives, are completely in the
hands of God. Hence James reminds
us: “Come now, you who say ‘Today
or tomorrow we will go to such and
such a city, spend a year there, buy
and sell, and make a profit’; whereas
you do not know what will happen
tomorrow. For what is your life? It is
even a vapor that appears for a little
time and then vanishes away. Instead
you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills,
we shall live and do this or that’ ”
(Jas 4:13–15). This realization makes
it imperative for us to place God as
the pivot of our lives. And as our lives
revolve around God, we can minimize
distractions and ensure our activities
naturally stay within the boundaries
guided by Him.

最後，當我們繼續一直透過生活，來試看好好使用自已的時間，
我們就要明白，時間和生命，都是完全在神的手中。
因此雅各提醒我們：
13嗐！你們有話說：「今天明天我們要往某城裡去，在那裡住一年，做買賣得利。」
14其實明天如何，你們還不知道。你們的生命是甚麼呢？你們原來是一片雲霧，出現少時就不見了。
15你們只當說：「主若願意，我們就可以活著，也可以做這事，或做那事。」
(雅 4：13-15)
這種領悟會讓我們覺得有其必要，要把神放在生活的軸心。
而且當我們的生活可以圍繞著神而旋轉的話，就可以減少被分心的機會，
確保自已的所作所為，很自然地就停留在祂所指引的範圍之內。

If we adopt the practical steps
suggested above, to stay tuned to
God, simplify our lives, prioritize our
commitments, and employ our gifts,
then making time for God becomes
an irrelevant consideration as our
entire lives and the way we spend our
time will revolve around Him. With
this understanding, let us endeavor to
use our time wisely to fulfill what God
has intended for us to accomplish for
Him; while we are still alive, and while
we still have time.

若我們採用了以上建議的實用方法，與神保持同調，簡化自已的生活，
把神的事優先處理，運用自已的恩賜，
那麼為神好好使用時間，就變成一種不需考慮的因素，
因為我們全部的生活，我們使用時間的方式，都會圍繞著祂而轉。
有這樣的認知，讓我們努力更聰明的使用時間，來完成神在我們身上註定要完成的事情，
就能在我們還仍活著的時候，也能在我們還有時間的時候，完成主的託負。

小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com