11月21日

標 題：當神祝福他人時

經 節：掃羅見大衛做事精明，就甚怕他。（撒母耳記上十八章15節）

嫉妒是一種毀滅性的態度，污染你對生活的看法。嫉妒對人的損傷極大，以至於神用十誡中的兩條來定罪它。掃羅王是個愛嫉妒、沒有安全感的人，他已被提升到以色列最高位，且在各方面倍受祝福。但是，掃羅看到大衛贏得以色列百姓的讚美及注意。以色列人認可掃羅的成就，同時也讚美大衛。神要使用大衛完成的成就，似乎要比掃羅的更大（撒母耳記上十八：7）。當神賜給另一人能力，好打敗他們的仇敵時，掃羅不但沒有歡喜，反而嫉妒大衛至深，要尋索大衛的命。

嫉妒是基督徒生命中令人憎惡的行為。神使我們成為祂的兒女，我們當中沒有任何人有資格作神的兒女。因此，我們根本沒有必要去比較自己與其他神兒女的祝福。嫉妒是一種最嚴重自我中心的行為。嫉妒劫奪了我們的喜樂，也治死了我們的滿足。嫉妒使我們的心變硬，壓碎我們的感恩。嫉妒是假設神的資源是有限制的，無法同時祝福我們和其他的人。

掃羅整個人被自己對大衛的嫉妒所佔據，他忽略重要的國家大事不管，把痛苦帶給他的百姓。掃羅的家庭也因為他的嫉妒被毀。

要謹守你的心！如果發現自己無法因別人的成功而喜樂，務要小心！不要讓嫉妒污染你的心。在嫉妒劫奪神本要給你的喜樂和滿足之前，趕緊悔改。當你想比較自己與其它人的成就時，求神提醒你祂在各方面的賜予，這些賜予本不是你應得的。

When God Blesses Others

Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him. (1 Samuel 18:15)

Jealousy is a destructive attitude that poisons the way you view life. It is so harmful that God condemned coveting in two of the Ten Commandments. King Saul was a jealous and insecure man. He had been elevated to the highest position in Israel. He had been blessed in numerous ways. But Saul saw that David was gaining the attention and praise of the Israelites. The Israelites recognized Saul’s accomplishments, but they also praised David, whom God was using to accomplish even more (1 Sam. 18:7). Rather than rejoicing that God had empowered another to defeat their enemies, Saul became murderously jealous and sought to destroy David.

Jealousy is an abomination in the life of a Christian. God has made us His children. None of us deserves to be God’s child, so there is no need to compare our blessings with those of other children of God. Jealousy is self-centeredness at its worst. Jealousy robs us of joy and chokes out contentment. Jealousy hardens the heart and stifles gratitude. Jealousy assumes that God’s resources are too limited for Him to bless another and still bless us.

Saul grew so preoccupied with his jealousy toward David that he neglected important things, bringing suffering and pain upon his people. Because of his jealousy, Saul’s family was destroyed.

Watch over your heart! If you find yourself unable to rejoice in the success of others, beware! Do not let jealousy taint your heart. Repent before it robs you of any more of the joy and contentment God desires for you. When you are tempted to compare your success in life to that of another, ask God to remind you of all the ways He has blessed you undeservedly.