核桃殼
作者：盧國禮
我相信大家對核桃並不陌生﹐很多人都喜歡食核桃﹔核桃屬硬殼果仁﹐含有豐富維生素(維他命)和奧美加3(Omega3) ﹐是有益的脂油。但是﹐它有一層極度堅硬的外殼﹐把核桃肉保護著﹐不受外蟲侵蝕。若想吃甘味可口的核桃肉﹐或與朋友品茗清茶﹐分享核桃肉﹐作為小食﹐也算是懂得享受的生活藝術(哲學)。
再思想生活的哲學﹐我便聯想到核桃殼的功能。造物主給核桃的外殼原是給它有保護﹐但又能把硬殼打破﹐提供甘香﹑有營養的食用果仁﹐人人喜愛; 又能和其他食料配搭﹐製成不同種類的美食品﹐例如﹕糕點、核桃酥、核桃糊等等.......。
又想到人的性格 (personality)﹐深藏在人心深處。我們的身體﹐也好像核桃的硬外殼﹐因為許多時候與人相處往來﹐與人保持相當的距離﹐因而過於自保﹐失去了人際關係的和諧﹔ 下意識裏﹐我們不能夠表現出自己的真我; 這不是我們的本性﹐而是戴上了面具﹐假裝出來的特性; 我們一切的表現都是個人特殊的個性 (individuality) ﹐不可能是個人的本來性格 (personality)。
人類本是照神的形像造的 (創世記)﹐所以我們本有神的屬性﹔我們的本性應有神的真﹑善﹑美和公義 。
可是﹐純正的真﹑善﹑美﹐若是只靠修身﹑或面壁﹐去達成個人的品格﹐是不完全的。聖經說﹕世上"沒有義人﹐連一個也沒有﹔沒有明白的﹐沒有尋求神的﹔都是偏離正路﹐......沒有行善的﹐連一個也沒有。" (羅馬書﹐3﹕10 - 12﹐和合本)"因為世人都犯了罪﹐虧缺了神的榮耀﹕......" (羅馬書﹐3﹕23﹐ 和合本)
"神設立耶穌作挽回祭﹐是憑著耶穌的血﹐藉著人的信﹐要顯明神的義﹔因為祂用忍耐的心寬容人先時所犯的罪﹐......" (羅馬書﹐3﹕25﹐3﹐和合本) 因此﹐肯痛悔﹐並認自己的罪﹐接受了耶穌基督為生命的主的人﹐便能因而白白稱義。有一個法利賽人﹐名叫尼哥底母 (猶太人的官)﹐夜裏來問耶穌何為"重生"﹔耶穌回答說﹕"......人若不重生﹐就不能見 神的國。" (約翰福音﹐3﹕3﹐和合本) 又說﹕"......人若不是從水和聖靈生的﹐就不能進神的國。......'你們必須重生'﹐......" (約翰福音﹐3﹕5﹐7﹐和合本)
"神國" 或稱為 "神的國度"﹐是甚麼意思呢？就是純真﹑善﹑美和公義的國﹐是神掌權的國度﹐我們因著信能成為祂的國民﹐也是神的兒女﹐在主耶穌裏與神同行﹐走上成聖的生活﹐有永恆的盼望。
我們怎樣行才能活出基督想我們活出的生命？
剛才說了﹐人若不把捆綁著自我特性的外殼打破﹐就無能力將自己的本性活出來﹔若要能將自己的本性活出來﹐就必先重生得救﹐在主耶穌基督裏與神建立和好的關係。所以﹐"耶穌對門徒說﹐若有人要跟從我﹐就當捨己 (...let himself deny himself....) ﹐ 背 起 他 的 十 字 架 ﹐ 來 跟 從 我。"(馬 太 福 音﹐16:24﹐和合本) 捨己就是把自己的舊我性情捨了﹐然後活出天父創造人類時賜給人美好的屬性。這樣的基督徒﹐實實在在忠心事奉﹐愛神﹐愛人如己﹐乃是有信德的門徒﹐合乎神心意的真正基督徒。
Walnut Shells
Written by Francis Loo
I think we all are not unfamiliar with walnuts. Many like to eat walnuts—kernels inside a hard husk--rich in vitamins and Omega3﹐ the good fatty acid. But the hard shell is protecting the kernels from external invasion of insects. If you wish to taste the scrumptious walnut kernels﹐ or enjoy with it over a cup of tea as a snack﹐ is it not knowing to enjoy the art or philosophy of life?
Thinking again about the philosophy of life﹐ I associate my thought to the function of the walnut shell. The Creator provided the walnut a hard shell to protect it and when it is broken up it will supply delectable﹐ tasty﹐ nourishing kernels as food everyone loves. And all the more it is an ingredient for making different kinds of delicious foods such as﹐ pastries﹐ cookies﹐ porridges and so on. . . .
Further thinking about personality﹐ which deeply seated in the human hearts﹐ our physical bodies are similar to the hard walnut shells. Oftentimes when we interact with people﹐ we jostle too much for self-protection—losing harmony in human relationship. Subconsciously we cannot express the true self. This is not our personality. Thus it's the self under the cover of a mask﹐ pretending to be the true self. All that we express is our individuality—not the individual personality.
Human is made in the image of God (Genesis). So we all would have the disposition of God. Our personality has God's truth﹐ excellence﹐ beauty and righteousness.
But﹐ the real truth﹐ excellence﹐ beauty only dependent on self-cultivation﹐ religious practice﹐ or meditating in a cave cannot be fully achieved for the individual personality. The Bible says: "There is no righteous. Not even one; there is no one who understand﹐ no one who seeks God. All have turned away﹐ there is no one who does good" (Romans 3:10-12﹐ NIV). "[F]or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. . ." (Romans 3:23﹐ NIV).
"God presented himself as a sacrifice of atonement﹐ through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice﹐ because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished﹐" (Romans 3:25﹐ NIV). Therefore﹐ one who repents his/her sins and has received Jesus Christ as Lord will be unconditionally saved. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus﹐ a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and asked about him. Jesus replied: ". . . [N]o one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. | (John 3:3). Jesus also said: ". . . [N]o one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. . . 'You must be born again'. . . (John 3:5﹐ 7).
What is the meaning of the "kingdom of God"? This is the kingdom of real truth﹐ excellence﹐ beauty and righteousness﹐ in the sovereignty of God. Because in faith we've become His citizens; also﹐ His children in Christ Jesus and walk with God progressing to holy life with hope in eternity.
How do we walk in the way of life Christ would wish us to live?
I have said﹐ none of us can live out our individual personality without breaking through our shell enslaving our personality. If we would like to live out our individual personality﹐ we must be born again by salvation. In our Lord Jesus Christ we've reconciled with God. Therefore﹐ ". . . Jesus said to his disciples﹐ 'If anyone would come after me﹐ he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me' " (Matthew 16:24﹐ NIV).