Prepare Your Heart for God’s Word

为神的话预备你的心

Feb 1, 2017

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you” (James 1:19b-21 NIV).

“你们每一个人要快快地听，慢慢地说，慢慢地动怒，因为人的怒气并不能实现　神的义。所以，你们要除去一切的污秽和累积的恶毒，要存温柔的心领受所栽种的道，就是能救你们灵魂的道。”（雅各书1：19-21 和合本修订版）

Let’s say you’re a gardener. You’ve learned that you can take the exact same seed and plant it in three different locations and get three different results. In one spot, you’ll get giant tomatoes. In another, you’ll get small tomatoes. And in a third, you’ll get nothing. What’s the difference? It’s not the seed; it’s the soil. The soil must be prepared for the seed.

让我们把你当做一个园丁。你学过，如果你把三个一模一样的种子重在三个不同的地方，会结出三种不同的果子。一种，你会得到大番茄。另一种，你会得到小番茄。第三种，你什么都得不到。差别在哪里呢？不是在于种子；而是在于土壤。土壤必须为种子做好预备。

The same is true when you hear God’s Word. Your heart has to be prepared for the Word. If you get up late, have trouble finding a parking spot, and are irritated as you rush into church, you’re probably not going to hear God’s voice! You’re not in a receptive mood.

你们听到上帝的话是一样的。你的心必须对神的话有所预备。如果你起床晚了，就很难找到停车位，当你冲进教堂时会很生气，你可能听不到上帝的声音！你没有接受的心情。

That’s why you can take two people to church, set them side-by-side, and one will walk out thinking God really spoke to him and the other won’t get anything out of the service. The heart of one person was prepared; the other’s heart wasn’t.

这就是为什么你可以带两个人去教堂，把他们并排放置，一个人会走出去思考上帝真的对他说话，另一个人不会从讲道中有任何收获。一个人的心已经准备好了，另一个人的心却没有了。

The Bible says, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you” (James 1:19b-21 NIV).

圣经说，“你们每一个人要快快地听，慢慢地说，慢慢地动怒，因为人的怒气并不能实现　神的义。所以，你们要除去一切的污秽和累积的恶毒，要存温柔的心领受所栽种的道，就是能救你们灵魂的道。”（雅各书1：19-21 和合本修订版）

For good reception, this passage teaches you have to have four attitudes:

对于如何更好的领受神的话，这片文章告诉了你必须有的四种态度：

You must be quiet. You can’t hear God if you’re talking.

你必须要安静。当你在喋喋不休的时候，你不会听到上帝的话。

You have to be calm. You can’t rush God. If you’re frantic, you’re not going to hear God. The Bible says, “Be still and know that I am God.” My translation of that is: “Sit down and shut up.”

你必须要平静。你不能超过上帝。你在狂乱中，你是不会听到上帝的。圣经说，“安静，要知道我是上帝。”我对此的翻译是“坐下，然后闭嘴。”

You have to be clean. Before you can meet with God, you need to take out some emotional and spiritual garbage. You need to get rid of the stuff that stinks in your life. You get rid of the garbage by confessing your sin to God and agreeing with him that what you did was wrong.

你必须要清洁。在你遇到上帝之前，你需要拿走一些情绪和精神上的垃圾。你需要摆脱你生活中发臭的东西。承认你在上帝面前的罪，认同他，你所做的是错的。

You need to be humble. Be ready to do whatever God tells you from his Word. A prideful attitude won’t work.

你必须要谦卑。准备好上帝要对你说的任何话。一个骄傲的态度是不会有任何果效的。

Talk It Over

讨论问题

Why are silence and active listening such difficult things to practice? What can you do to minimize your distractions so that you are able to listen well?

为什么沉默和积极倾听很难实践？你能做些什么来减少你的烦乱？以便你可以更好的聆听。

What emotional or spiritual garbage is keeping you from hearing God’s voice today?

现在，你有什么精神或情绪上的垃圾一直困扰你聆听神的声音？

What new habits can you adopt to help prepare your family to hear from God during church, family or individual devotions, or at any time?

你可以采取什么新的习惯，帮助你的家庭能够在教会、个人灵修或者其他任何时间中预备聆听神的话？