12月5日

標　　題：要持守

經　　節：但要凡事察驗；善美的要持守，各樣的惡事要禁戒不做。（帖撒羅尼迦前書五章2l-22節）

要持守美善之事，不然這世界會奪走它。撒但是美善之事的惡敵。當牠看到神給亞當、夏娃的一切是那麼美好，牠就設計奪走它們。當牠看到大衛王討神的歡喜，牠就設法毀壞大衛與神的關係。永遠不要視生活中的美好之事是理所當然，如果沒有堅守它，它可能會被遺落。

人們可能會質疑你所行的善事，他們可能會批評你的道德標準、教養孩子的方式、使用金錢的原則，或在教會的參與。時間的壓力也會攻擊你生命中美善之事。你的禱告生活、讀經時間、與家人的相處、在教會的事奉，都可能被其它事物所擠壓。也許你對教會事工及其它基督徒事工慷慨解囊，但是你也可能遭到試探，想自私地運用手上的金錢，減少在經濟上能做的美善之事。

聖經揭示持守美善之事的秘訣，是禁戒不做各樣的惡事。邪惡會掠奪神在你身上的美意。配偶與家人是極大的祝福，但是婚外情會摧毀神所賜的美善家庭。禱告是神所賜的美好禮物，但是罪會掠奪禱告的能力（以賽亞書一：15）。倘若不禁戒惡事，罪會奪走神所賜予的美善之事。神的誡命不是限制你，而是釋放你，讓你經歷祂的美善。你要儆醒，禁戒不作各類惡事，你將會自由地享受神所賜的各樣美善之事。

Hold Fast

Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22)

Hold fast to what is good, or the world will take it away. Satan is the relentless enemy of good. When he saw that what God gave Adam and Eve was good, he set about to take it away from them. When he saw that King David was pleasing to God, he attempted to destroy David’s relationship with God. Never take the good in your life for granted. If you do not hold on to it firmly, it may be lost.

People will challenge the good that you are practicing. They may criticize you for your moral stand, your child rearing, your use of money, or your involvement in church. Time pressures will attack the good in your life. Your time to pray, study Scripture, be with your family, and serve in your church will all be pressured by the many other time demands you face. You may give generously to your church and other Christian causes, but you will be tempted to spend your money selfishly and minimize the good you are doing with your finances.

Scripture reveals the solution for holding on to what is good—abstain from every form of evil. Evil robs you of what God intends for you. A spouse and family are great blessings, but the evil of adultery can rob you of the good that God has given. Prayer is a wonderful gift from God. Yet sin robs the power of prayer (Isa. 1:15). If you will not abstain from evil, it will rob you of the good things God has given. God’s commandments do not restrict you: they free you to experience God’s best. Diligently abstain from every form of evil, and you will be free to enjoy every good thing God has for you.