标杆人生 第26天 在试探中成长
Growing through Temptation
Happy is the man who doesn't give in and do wrong when he is tempted 1, for afterwards he will get as his reward the crown of life that God has promised those who love him. James 1:12 (LB)
My temptations have been my masters in divinity. Martin Luther
Every temptation is an opportunity to do good.
On the path to spiritual maturity 2, even temptation becomes a stepping-stone rather than a stumbling block when you realize that it is just as much an occasion to do the right thing as it is to do the wrong thing. Temptation simply provides the choice. While temptation is Satan's primary weapon to destroy you, God wants to use it to develop you. Every time you choose to do good instead of sin, you are growing in the character of Christ.
To understand this, you must first identify the character qualities of Jesus. One of the most concise 3 descriptions of his character is the fruit of the Spirit: "When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control."
These nine qualities are an expansion of the Great Commandment and portray 4 a beautiful description of Jesus Christ. Jesus is perfect love, joy, peace, patience, and all the other fruit embodied 5 in a single person. To have the fruit of the Spirit is to be like Christ.
How, then, does the Holy Spirit produce these nine fruit in your life? Does he create them instantly? Will you wake up one day and be suddenly filled with these characteristics fully 6
developed? No. Fruit always matures and ripens 7 slowly.
This next sentence is one of the most important spiritual truths you will ever learn: God develops the fruit of the Spirit in your life by allowing you to experience circumstances in which you're tempted to express the exact opposite quality! Character development always involves a choice, and temptation provides that opportunity.
For instance, God teaches us love by putting some unlovely people around us. It takes no character to love people who are lovely and loving to you. God teaches us real joy in the midst of sorrow, when we turn to him. Happiness depends on external circumstances, but joy is based on your relationship to God.
God develops real peace within us, not by making things go the way we planned, but by allowing times of chaos 8 and confusion. Anyone can be peaceful watching a beautiful sunset or relaxing on vacation. We learn real peace by choosing to trust God in circu
- I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
- I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。
- These plants ought to reach maturity after five years.这些植物五年后就该长成了。
- This is the period at which the body attains maturity.这是身体发育成熟的时期。
- The explanation in this dictionary is concise and to the point.这部词典里的释义简明扼要。
- I gave a concise answer about this.我对于此事给了一个简要的答复。
- It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
- Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？
- a politician who embodied the hopes of black youth 代表黑人青年希望的政治家
- The heroic deeds of him embodied the glorious tradition of the troops. 他的英雄事迹体现了军队的光荣传统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
- They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。