Let It Go 选择放手
Dexu Xia
Do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. Romans 13:14
Augustine’s autobiographical Confessions describes his long and winding journey to Jesus. On one occasion, he was riding to the palace to give a flattering speech for the emperor. He was fretting over his deceptive applause lines when he noticed a drunken beggar “joking and laughing.” He realized the drunk already had whatever fleeting happiness his shifty career might bring, and with much less effort. So Augustine stopped striving for worldly success.
But he was still enslaved by lust. He knew he couldn’t turn to Jesus without turning from sin, and he still struggled with sexual immorality. So he prayed, “Grant me chastity . . . but not yet.”
Augustine stumbled along, torn between salvation and sin, until finally he had enough. Inspired by others who had turned to Jesus, he opened a Bible to Romans 13:13–14. “Let us behave decently . . . not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality . . . . Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”
That did it. God used those inspired words to break Augustine's chains of lust and brought him “into the kingdom of the Son . . . in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14). Augustine became a bishop who remained tempted by fame and lust, but he now knew whom to see when he sinned. He turned to Jesus. Have you?
By: Mike Wittmer
What’s keeping you from giving your life to Jesus? How might your life change if you let it go?
Dear Father, let nothing come between me and You.
不要为肉体安排去放纵私欲。—罗马书13章14节
奥古斯丁在自传《忏悔录》描述他归向耶稣那漫长又曲折的过程。有一次，他骑马前往皇宫，准备向国王发表恭维的演说。当他正在苦思要如何奉承讨好国王时，他留意到一个醉醺醺的乞丐正开心地与人说笑。他突然意识到自己靠着欺骗谄媚才能得到短暂的快乐，而这醉汉无需付出太多努力就能拥有。于是，奥古斯丁停止追求世上的成功。
可是他仍然受情欲的奴役。虽然他知道自己若不脱离罪恶，就无法归向耶稣，但他仍荒淫无度，无法自拔。所以他祷告说：“请赐予我贞洁……但不是现在。”
在信仰的旅程中，奥古斯丁一路跌跌撞撞，在救赎与罪恶之间苦苦挣扎，直至最后他无法继续忍受。他受到其他基督徒的启发，翻阅罗马书13章13-14节：“行事为人要端正，……不可荒宴醉酒，不可好色邪荡，……总要披戴主耶稣基督，不要为肉体安排去放纵私欲。”
上帝用这些激励人心的话语，彻底粉碎奥古斯丁生命中情欲的枷锁，并把他“迁到祂爱子的国里；⋯⋯在爱子里得蒙救赎，罪过得以赦免”（歌罗西书1章13-14节）。后来，奥古斯丁成为一名主教，虽然仍会受名利与情欲的诱惑，但他最终知道自己犯罪时要仰望谁。他已悔改归向耶稣，你呢？
作者： 韦陌格
是什么阻碍你将生命的主权交给耶稣？
如果你选择放手，你的人生将会有何改变？
天父，求祢不让任何事物阻隔在祢我之间。