返回上頁



二○二○年十二月二十六日/二十七日                                                                                                Click here for English

「空心病」的良藥

彭牧師

兩年前某間名校的一名教授(心理健康教育家)發表了一篇文章,指出該校的新生,有 30.4% 的學生厭惡學習,或認為學習無意義,還有 40.4% 的學生更認為活著沒有意義,據說,他們對治療的反應不大,甚至無效,這位教授稱這狀況為「空心病」。這些在人眼中的天之驕子們,經過披荊斬棘之後贏來漂亮的成績,入了夢寐以求的名校,但為何忽地就失去了活著的動力?他們頭頂上耀眼的光環和他們的人生態度為何會有這麼大的反差?這要追溯到每個靈魂最深幽之處,這些學生裡面鮮活的靈魂得不到必須的營養,枯竭成空心了,所獲得的名利、成功、光環也無法填補這空洞。

我們周旋於忙碌中,容易忽略自己心靈的需要,當心也得「空心病」啊!今天是靈修主日,藉此一提,如要給自己心靈充分營養,最好也是惟一的方法,就是每日讀經禱告——靈修。

禱告,耶穌已給我們立下了美好榜樣,祂在忙碌中仍常刻意退到安靜處親近神。主極重視禱告,反觀我們,會否視之為可有可無呢?會否因見不到禱告後的即時收益和果效就放棄禱告了?你可知,雅各在毗努伊勒與神相見之前,經過多少次禱告?主耶穌受難前在客西馬尼園有最赤心的禱告,那是經過多少夜晚與天父獨處而生出的結果。我們在關鍵時刻能否做出合神心意的決定,在嚴峻考驗和危難時能否有力量和信心去面對,是受著每日的靈修禱告直接影響的。

至於讀經,我們要知道神的話語能淨化人的心靈道德,使人得享最美好的生活。馬大為要接待耶穌而殷勤準備飯食,這本是美事,但她在服事過程中顯露了她的心靈狀態——煩亂、乏力,也因此沒法維持愉快的心服事主耶穌,也把服事的焦點從耶穌身上轉向人身上了!耶穌給她的建議是要她重拾那不能少的一件事,就是安靜在主腳前,透過聆聽主的話來調校心靈狀態。

也許你會認為要在培靈會或研經會上才能聽到主的聲音,其實,主往往也在你個人靈修時向你說話。你會否因為沒掌握好研經法而對讀經有所卻步呢?在此,我介紹一個既簡單又容易上手的靈修讀經方法,讀經時你要問以下三個問題:

1. 經文中有甚麼榜樣要我效法的?
2. 有甚麼應許是我要接受的?
3. 有甚麼命令要我去行或禁止我去做的?

這是我從年少用至今天的靈修讀經法,很管用,試試吧!






Pastor's Sharing
A Good Remedy to "Hollow Disease"
Rev Phang

A couple of years ago, a professor (of psychological health education) of a prestigious institute wrote an article about the freshmen in his institute. He said 30.4% of them are sick of studying, or consider studying meaningless. Another 40.4%said life is meaningless and futile. Therapy has limited or no effect on these students. The professor called the phenomenon "Hollow Disease." But they are the best people in the eyes of many – exceling in their studies and admitted to a renowned university. How come they suddenly lose the motivation to live? How come their halo disappears and their outlook on life changes? The answer has to be traced deep within their soul. These souls do not get the nourishment they really need. They are dry and hollow. And the void in there is something no money, reputation, success or halo can fill.

In the midst of busyness, we tend to neglect the genuine needs of our souls. We need to watch out against the "Hollow Disease." Today is Devotional Sunday. May I again draw your attention to our genuine inner needs. The best and only way to get nourishment for the soul is to read the Bible and pray in our daily devotional.

About praying, Jesus has set a good example for us. Amid a packed schedule, He still intentionally found time to get close to God in solitude. The Lord attaches a lot of importance to prayer. But do we regard prayer as just an option? Do we give up praying as we cannot see immediate results? How many times has Jacob prayed before he saw God face to face at Peniel? How many nights did Jesus spend alone with the Father before He uttered His agonizing prayer at Gethsemane? Our daily quiet time has direct bearings on whether we can make a God-pleasing decision at the crucial moment, or whether we have strength and faith to tackle the most difficult trials and crises.

For Bible reading, the word of God can cleanse the soul and enable us to lead the best possible life. Martha arduously prepared dinner in honor of Jesus. That was itself a good thing, but in the process, the condition of her heart was revealed – she was really worried and upset. The joy in her ministry could not be maintained and she was serving people rather than the Lord. Jesus’ advice to her was that she should resume what she could not do without, and that is to sit quietly at the Lord’s feet to listen to what He said and keep her heart in tune.

You may think that the voice of the Lord can only be heard at Bible conferences or revival meetings. In fact, God always speaks to you during your personal quiet time. Have you ever been deterred from reading the Bible because you do not know how? Let me introduce to you a simple method that is easy to learn. When you read the Bible, ask yourself three questions:

1. What examples in the passage should I follow?
2. Are there any promises that I should embrace?
3. Are there any commands – anything that I should do or should not do?

I have been using the above method since I was young with satisfaction. Try it out!