What are we living for? 活着是为了什么？
Author: Bro Stanley Seow
If your life is made into a documentary for people to watch, what will be in it? Will you be happy with what is being shown? Will God be pleased?
It is sometimes scary to know that I am 30 years old already and have probably lived about 40% of my life. And as I look into the future, an admonishment comes to mind - We would have most likely been chasing and running our entire lives that the most difficult lesson to learn for our generation is in Psalms 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God”.
For our generation, life in Singapore seems pretty standard, perhaps even scripted. From the time we are born, we pursue our education and are taught to work hard for our future. We strive in schools and then pour our hearts into our jobs. Perhaps we establish a family and start to busy ourselves with kids. We start to enjoy the ‘spoils’ of our labour and indulge a little. We then comfort ourselves by serving a little in church and doing the occasional charity. We make plans to increase or ensure our earthly assets and pave the way for future generations. We plan. We optimize. We run. We pursue. We try to take control of different aspects of our lives.
But James 4:13-14 says, “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
In his book, ‘You and Me Forever’, Pastor Francis Chan warns married couples against being distracted from the greater things. He reminds us that marriage, while great, is temporal and it should never replace our eternal mission – to make disciples. He challenges us to consider how we want to approach the throne. Is our life currently on the right trajectory?
As I continue walking into the remaining 60% of my life (or maybe lesser), I hope that I do not hold on to things I am not able to keep. I do not wish to run in vain and be distracted from the purpose in which we were all created for.
“A jealous God asks us to pursue Him first and most. Then life makes sense, and everything falls into its proper place.” – Francis Chan.
Let’s finish strong together!
文:萧思豪弟兄
翻译:王佩瑾师母
若是把您的生命拍成一部纪录片，里边会记录些什么？您会对片子里的内容感到满意吗？神会觉得满意吗？
有时当我意识到30岁的自己可能已经度过了人生的40%，感觉还挺吓人的。然后再看看未来，脑海里便出现了这个告诫–对于我们这一代来说，很有可能大半辈子都是在追逐，奔跑，以致这一生最难学会的，便是诗篇46:10所说的“要安静，要知道我是上帝”。
我们这一代的新加坡人，生活似乎有一种既定模式，或者说好像已经编程好了。从出生那一刻，我们接受教育，学会如何为将来奋斗打拼。学生时代，我们追求学业；步入社会，我们全心投入工作。或许我们也会组织自己的家庭，生儿育女，忙着带孩子。然后辛苦耕耘后，便慰劳自己，允许自己享受一下。之后，可能为求心安，在教会参与一点服事，或是偶尔做些慈善工作。我们计划如何保障自己的未来，让自己在地上的财富增长，为下一代铺路。我们试着计划，优化，追逐，奔跑，试图掌控生命里的个个层面。
但是雅各书4:13-15告诉我们，“你们有话说：「今天明天我们要往某城里去，在那里住一年，做买卖得利。」其实明天如何，你们还不知道。你们的生命是甚麽呢？你们原来是一片云雾，出现少时就不见了。你们只当说：「主若愿意，我们就可以活着，也可以做这事，或做那事。」”
陈恩藩牧师(Francis Chan)在‘你与我到永远’这本书里告诫已婚夫妇们不要因为其他的事分散了注意力，以致无法成就更大的事。他提醒我们婚姻纵然伟大，也只是暂时的，不应该取代我们使人成为门徒的永恒使命。他向我们发出挑战，要我们认真思考如何接近神的宝座。我们的生命是否运行在正确的轨道上？
但愿当我走入生命剩余的60%（有可能更少）时，我不再留恋于那些我留不住的。我不想徒劳奔波，而影响我去达成神造人时的目的。
“一位嫉妒的神要我们把祂放在生命中第一的位置。只有这样，生命才会有意义，一切才会归回到应有的位置。”- 陈恩藩牧师
让我们一起向终点迈进吧！