Be Patient 要忍耐

[Dexu Xia]

Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2

Ephesians 4:1-6

Today's Scripture  Ephesians 4:1-6

Today's Insights  At the start of his letter to the Ephesian church, Paul reminds us how much God loves us: “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ . . . to adopt us into his own family” (1:4-5 nlt). To this undeserved love, the apostle urges us “to live a life worthy of the calling [we] have received” (4:1) and to manifest the Christlike virtues of humility, gentleness, patience, and love (v. 2). In humility, we “value others above [ourselves], not looking to [our] own interests but . . . to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3-4). In gentleness and patience, “we bear with each other and forgive one another . . . as the Lord forgave [us]” (Colossians 3:12-13). Because “God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us” (1 John 4:12 nlt), He’ll help us demonstrate His love to others by being patient with them.

Today's Devotion  Shiro Oguni once visited a group home for adults with dementia. Heartbroken at their isolation from the hum of society, he felt there ought to be a better way. Oguni’s creative genius led to what is known as the Restaurant of Mistaken Orders, an actual restaurant with this added twist—all the wait staff struggle with memory loss. Yes, you read that correctly. Every person in that pivotal role, which requires a strong memory, suffers in that exact area. Now, from the usual business perspective, the results were poor—thirty-seven percent of the time, the guests did not receive what they ordered. But those guests also expect such problems, so they understand. After these “surprises,” apologies and hearty laughter ensue, and customers leave happy.

Paul writes, “Be patient” (Ephesians 4:2)—and we all know that’s so much easier said than done because it involves bearing with each other, a word that can mean everything from “carrying” to “enduring” to “supporting.” In other words, effort is involved. Yet if the effort has its source in God’s love as opposed to our own strength, the burden is lightened and leads to a lighthearted way of living, full of surprises and apologies and even laughter. It’s a way of living where you may not get what you asked for, but you end up getting what we all really want—“a life worthy of the calling you have received” (v. 1).

Reflect & Pray  Who are two people you have little to no patience for? How will you show them patience this week?
Dear God, I want to be patient. Please help my impatience.  By John Blasé

凡事谦卑、温柔、忍耐，用爱心彼此宽容。（以弗所书 4:2）

今日经文：以弗所书 4章1-6 节

今日洞见：在写给以弗所教会的书信中，保罗提笔就提醒我们，神对我们的爱是何等深厚：“早在创世之前，神就在基督里爱了我们，并拣选了我们……收养我们进入祂自己的家”（1:4-5）。面对这份不配得的爱，使徒劝勉我们要“行事为人就当与蒙召的恩相称”（4:1），并彰显出像基督一样的美德：谦卑、温柔、忍耐和爱心（2节）。谦卑使我们“看别人比自己强，不单顾自己的事，也要顾别人的事”（腓立比书 2:3-4）。温柔与忍耐使“我们要彼此宽容，互相饶恕……正如主饶恕了我们一样”（歌罗西书 3:12-13）。因为“我们若彼此相爱，神就住在我们里面，爱祂的心在我们里面得以完全了”（约翰一书 4:12），祂会帮助我们通过对他人保持忍耐，以此彰显祂的爱。

  今日灵修：小国士朗曾造访一家为失智症患者设立的照护机构。看到他们与充满活力的社会隔绝，他感到痛心，并认为应该有一种更好的方式来改善这种情况。小国士朗的创意促成了“会上错菜的餐厅的诞生，这是一家真实的餐厅，但有一个独特的安排：所有的服务员都受记忆力衰退问题的困扰。没错，你没看错。每一个担任这一关键角色（通常需要极佳记忆力）的人，恰恰都在记忆力方面存在困难。从常规商业角度来看，经营结果并不理想，有37%的情况下，客人收到的并不是他们点的菜。但客人们对此早有心理准备，因此能够理解。在这些“意外”发生后，随之而来的是道歉和爽朗的笑声，客人们最终都带着愉悦的心情离开。保罗写道：“要……忍耐”（以弗所书 4:2），我们都知道，这说起来容易做起来难，因为它涉及彼此“包容”；这个词的含义丰富，既包含“承载”与“忍受”，也包含“扶持”。换言之，这需要付出努力。然而，如果这种努力源于神的爱而非我们自身的力量，重担便会减轻，从而带来一种轻松自在的生活方式，其中充满了惊喜、彼此致歉，甚至欢声笑语。在这种生活中，你或许未能如愿以偿，却最终得到了我们内心真正渴望的，“行事为人就当与蒙召的恩相称”（1节）。

  反思与祷告：哪两个人是你几乎或完全无法忍耐的？本周你打算如何向他们表现出忍耐？亲爱的神，我渴望学会忍耐。求祢帮助我克服急躁。

作者：约翰·布莱斯