“‘你们贫穷的人有福了，因为神的国是你们的。’” – 路 6:20
圣经这样说：“贪财是万恶之根。”我们在Charles Dickens的著作小气财神（A Christmas Carol）中看到这个事实，贪财关闭了故事中的Scrooge的心。在人类历史中，贪财岂没有令无数的家支离破碎吗？！
看起来，财富累积得越多，它带来的危机便越大，因为鲜有人能抗拒财富的引诱。我们会落在钱财的网罗中，我们只想得到更多。难怪耶稣说：“骆驼穿过针的眼，比财主进神的国还容易呢！”（马太福音 19:24）。
听到耶稣这话，我们可能以为耶稣在说，财富会妨碍人得到救恩。因为拥有大量金钱，最低限度能令我们觉得我们不受任何事物辖制，甚至不受神的公义的辖制。然而我认为当时耶稣心中想到的，可能是一些更迫切的事情：就是在当下活出神国的生命。
财富能够向我们施压力，使我们无法按神国的模式生活。按比例来说，那些财富不多的人，往往会比富有的人更慷慨。怪不得耶稣对贫穷的人说：“神的国是你们的。”他们的慷慨已经符合神国的条件了。
祷告
主啊，求你“使我也不贫穷，也不富足”（箴言30:8）。又求你帮助我信赖你是慷慨的，好叫我也能够像你那样慷慨。阿们。
提摩太前书 6:6-10
6然而，敬虔加上知足的心便是大利了。
7因为我们没有带什么到世上来，也不能带什么去。
8只要有衣有食，就当知足。
9但那些想要发财的人，就陷在迷惑，落在网罗和许多无知有害的私欲里，叫人沉在败坏和灭亡中。
10贪财是万恶之根。有人贪恋钱财，就被引诱离了真道，用许多愁苦把自己刺透了。
Enough Is Enough
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” – Luke 6:20
The Bible says, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” We see it in Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, where the love of money has closed off Scrooge’s heart. And hasn’t money shattered countless families throughout history?!
Apparently the dangers of money increase as we get more of it. Because few of us can resist the seductions of wealth. We fall into a money trap. All we want is more. No wonder Jesus says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24).
When we hear that, we may think Jesus is talking about salvation and warning that wealth gets in the way. Because, if nothing else, having a pile of money can make us feel immune from everything, even from the justice of God. But I think Jesus may have something more immediate in mind: living the way of God’s kingdom here and now.
Wealth can put the squeeze on us and keep us from living the way of God’s kingdom. And, proportionally, people who have less tend to be more generous than people who have more. No wonder Jesus says to people who are poor, “Yours is the kingdom of God.” Their generosity already fits.
Prayer
Lord, “give me neither poverty nor riches” (Proverbs 30:8). Help me to trust your generosity enough to be generous like you. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
