Good Congee 一碗好粥
Dexu Xia
He went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him. 2 Kings 5:14
Jocelyn’s bestselling dish at her food stall was her congee. She’d stir the rice porridge very carefully until it had a smooth consistency. So, she was startled when a regular customer said, “Your congee tastes different. The texture isn’t as fine.”
Jocelyn’s new assistant had prepared it this time and explained why it was different: “I didn’t stir it as long as the recipe said since that’s how I do it at home. I also added more sesame oil. In my opinion, it tastes better that way.” She had decided to ignore the recipe and do it her way instead.
This is how I sometimes respond to God’s instructions. Instead of fully obeying His commands as given in Scripture, I subject them to my opinions and proceed my way.
Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, was on the verge of making a similar mistake. On receiving God’s instruction through the prophet Elisha to wash himself in the Jordan so his leprosy would be healed, the proud soldier got angry. He had his own expectations for how his need ought to be addressed, believing his opinion was superior to God’s command (2 Kings 5:11-12). His servants, however, convinced him to listen to Elisha’s words (v. 13). As a result, Naaman was healed.
When we do things God’s way, we experience a peace that’s indescribable. Let’s work with Him in fulfilling His purposes. By: Karen Huang
How do you allow your opinions to compromise your obedience to God? How does this affect His work in your life?
Dear God, please help me to obey You in full, for Your command far surpasses my opinion.
于是乃缦下去，照着神人的话，在约旦河里沐浴七回。—列王纪下5章14节
在张玲经营的小吃店里，最畅销的就是她熬的粥。她会非常认真地搅拌米粥，一直熬煮到滑顺浓稠为止。因此当一位熟客对她说：“今天的粥跟平常的不一样，口感不太好。”这实在令她十分诧异！
原来那天是张玲新来的助手负责煮粥，她解释口感不同的原因：“我没有按照食谱的指示去做长时间的搅拌，因我自己在家熬粥也是这样。我还加了更多麻油，因为我觉得这样味道更好。”她决定不照食谱的指示，而是按照自己的方式来做。
有时候，我也如此回应上帝的指示。我没有完全遵从上帝在圣经中的吩咐，而是按照自己的方式来做事。
亚兰国的将军乃缦，差一点就犯了同样的错误。当上帝透过先知以利沙要乃缦去约旦河沐浴，以治好他的麻风病时，这位自负的将军竟然大发雷霆。对于如何治好自己的麻风病，他有自己的期望，认为上帝的命令比不上他的方法（列王纪下5章11-12节）。但他的仆人却说服了他照以利沙的话去做（13节），结果乃缦痊愈了。
当我们按照上帝的指示去做，就能经历一种说不出的平安。让我们与上帝同工，完成祂的计划。作者： 黃嘉仁
你的想法曾如何妨碍你完全顺服上帝？
这如何影响到上帝在你生命中的工作？
亲爱的上帝，求祢帮助我能完全顺服祢，因为祢的命令远高过我个人的意见