Psalm 37:1, 3-5, 23-24 (NKJV) “Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity…Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass…The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.”
King David is known as a man who was after God’s own heart. He was mistreated, persecuted and hunted down by King Saul for years. Yet as Saul’s vassal, David maintained his faithful allegiance to him, in action and in word, in spite of being unfairly treated. Because of Saul’s own insecurity, David went from being the most highly favoured warrior and general to a fugitive. He could have fretted over all his unjust experiences and setbacks, yet because he knew God and trusted God as his covenant partner, he did not lose hope or his sense of purpose. David’s identity wasn’t in the position that he held in the king’s army, neither did he miss people’s praises. He wasn’t worried whether his calling to be the next king could ever materialize when faced with unpromising circumstances. He didn’t fret over the evil done to him, nor did he ask God why He had allowed it to happen. Instead, David advises us not to be angry, frustrated, irritated or worried when evildoers seem to prosper.
In our current times, we may need to weather economic downturns one time or the other. To cut costs, companies may dismiss their employees, sometimes even unjustly. Even when we are at the receiving end of what we perceive to be unfair treatment, do not fret, but commit it all to the Lord. Stay focused and resilient and trust that He has a good plan and a personal breakthrough in store for us. By reacting differently, we can be a trailblazer and an example to others.
Perhaps you have experienced being bullied or intimidated at school, at work or even on social media. You were called names or body-shamed, or others had ganged up against you. These comments haunted your thoughts and caused you to have difficulty sleeping. You were concerned about what others think and how they look at you. While we cannot control what other people say, we can decide whose words matter to us. Hurtful comments will not stay with us if we choose to believe that what God says about us carries the most weight. We can adjust our thoughts to align with our identity in Christ—precious children of God, accepted in the Beloved, highly favoured, wonderfully created, and talented in our own unique ways. Do not fret over people’s remarks or allow the values of the world to define you.
You can choose to either dwell on the unkindness of others and in self-pitying misery, or have a breakthrough and leave it all behind. Many people suffer in similar ways, but you can be a trailblazer: break through the situation, do not allow it to hold you down and show others how to do so. Live out and apply the biblical truth that you are a child of God. When you decide that your security and identity are in Christ, all that matters is what God thinks of you. And you will be the trailblazer who shows other how to live differently.
Sermon Series: Trailblazer
与众不同!做一位开路先锋
诗篇37:1; 3-5; 23-24不要为作恶的心怀不平，也不要向那行不义的，生出嫉妒……你当倚靠耶和华而行善;住在地上，以祂的信实为粮。又要以耶和华为乐，祂就将你心里所求的赐给你。当将你的事交托耶和华，并倚靠祂，祂就必成全……义人的脚步，被耶和华立定。他的道路，耶和华也喜爱。他虽失脚，也不至全身仆倒。因为耶和华用手搀扶他。
大卫王被认为是一个合神心意的人。他被扫罗王恶待、迫害和追捕了很多年。然而，作为扫罗的下属，尽管受到不公平的对待，大卫仍然在言行上对扫罗忠心耿耿。由于扫罗自己的不安全感，大卫从最受欢迎的战士和将军变成了逃犯。他本可以为他所有不公平的经历和挫折而心怀不平，但因为他认识神并信靠神作他的盟约伙伴，他并没有失去希望和目标。大卫的身份并不依赖他在王的军队中的官职，他也并不怀念人的赞美。在面对不乐观的情况时，他并不担心成为下一任王的呼召是否能够实现。他既不为自己所受的恶而烦恼，也不质问神为什么会允许这种事发生。相反，大卫建议我们当恶人似乎得势时，不要生气、沮丧、恼怒或担心。
在当今的时代，我们可能需要经历一次又一次经济衰退。为了削减成本，公司可能会解雇员工，有时甚至是不公正的。即使我们觉得自己受到了不公平的待遇，也不要心怀不平，要把一切交托给主。保持专注和坚韧，相信祂有一个美好的计划和个人的突破在等待着我们。通过不一样的应对，我们可以成为一位开路先锋和他人的榜样。
也许你在学校、工作甚至社交媒体上经历过被欺负或霸凌。你被人辱骂，被人羞辱，或者其他人联合起来反对你。这些评论萦绕着你的思绪，使你难以入睡。你看重别人的想法和他们怎么看你。虽然我们不能控制别人说什么，但我们可以决定谁的话对我们重要。如果我们选择相信神对我们说的话是最重要的，那么伤害我们的评论就不会对我们产生影响。我们可以调整我们的心思意念，使之与我们在基督里的身份一致——我们是神宝贵的儿女，被爱者所接纳且备受宠爱，奇妙地受造且被赐予独特的天赋。不要为别人的评论而心怀不平，也不要让世界的价值观来定义你。
你可以选择沉湎于他人的不友善和自怜的痛苦中，也可以选择有一个突破，将这一切都抛诸脑后。许多人在相似的遭遇中受苦，但你可以成为一位开路先锋:突破现状，不允许它压制你，并向其他人展示如何这样做。活出并应用圣经的真理，你是神的孩子。当你决定你的安全感和身份是在基督里的时候，最重要的是神怎样看你。你将是一位向别人展示如何活得不一样的开路先锋。
讲章系列: 开路先锋
Image Source: pixabay.com