歌罗西书第三章
【西三12】「你们既是神的选民....就要穿上怜悯、恩慈....」
从前有一位老人，无论走到甚么地方，身边总带着一小桶油。如果他走过一扇门，门上发出辗轧的响声来，他就倒一些油在铰链上。如果他遇到一扇难开的门，他就涂一些油在门闩上。他一生就是这样作加油的工作，使他以后的人得着便利。
人称他为怪人，但是这位老人依然照旧行去──桶里的油倒空了再装，倒空了再装。
有许多人，他们每天的生活很不和谐，充满了轧轧声、咒骂声...他们需要喜乐油、温柔油、关切油...你身上有没有带着油呢？你应当随时带着你的帮助油，从早到晚去分给人，从你最近的人分起。也许你早晨分给他的油，可以够他一日应用。把喜乐油分给沮丧的人──对绝望的人说一句鼓励的话──哦，这是一件何等美丽的事！
在人生的道路上，有许多人，我们也许一生只会碰到一次，以后永远不会再相遇了，所以千万不要错过这唯一的机会啊！
多少次，一滴恩慈油，会叫一个顶硬的罪人软化过来，豫备接受救主赎罪的恩典。
一句悦耳的话，对于一个忧伤的心，就是照明黑暗的阳光。
「爱弟兄，要彼此亲热」(罗十二10)。─ 选
The put-on/take-off terminology of Colossians 3
finds a literal parallel in first-century baptismal practice, where candidates
approached the ordinance wearing old clothes. These were stripped of as they
entered the waters of baptism, and on surfacing they put on new clothes. The
old clothes represented the old life, while the new clothes characterized the
new sphere of life and its accompanying behavior changes.
In the fable “The Emperor’s New Clothes,
and unscrupulous con artist, seeking royal favor, promises to provide the
emperor with an outfit of clothing that would be very special. So delicate and
rare would be the fabric that the clothes would be undetectable to the touch.
More importantly, they would be invisible to anyone of poor character of
inferior ability. When the emperor received the empty hanger on which his new
outfit was supposedly displayed, he could hardly admit not seeing the clothes
without impugning his own suitability for royal office. So admired the clothes
(as did his advisors), put them on, and strutted proudly around his kingdom—stark naked!
We Christians can fall into the same trap. In the
first part of Colossians 3, Paul said to “take off” practices such
as fornication, lying, greed, and so forth. But the point is that we are to “put on” new practices
to replace the old ones. Have we really donned those positive attitudes and
actions of compassion, kindness, humility?
Sometimes the answer is “No.” Instead, we parade around
showing off our new clothes of righteousness and refusing to admit the truth:
that we are really naked. And we walk about, blinded to the fact that the world
is snickering behind our backs because they don’t want our kind of clothes!
【要让基督的平安在心中作主】判断是非最可靠的方法，除了勤读圣经、善用神的话之外，另有一个方法是保罗所说的：『要叫基督的平安(来自耶稣的安宁心境)在你们心里作主(即继续不停的让这平安当你的裁判员)』(西三15)。一个裁判员会宣判：『你安全上垒！』或是：『你出局了！』当你心中觉得不安时，你就知道自己出局了――超出正常的限度；因为你的心在对你说：『你这个行为是不对的。』你甚至可凭不安的程度，分辨出你正要作的事情是否适当，是否得罪神。