A Christian’s life is the window through which others can see Jesus.

基督徒的生命就像一扇窗，让世人看见耶稣。

Watch your life and doctrine closely. 1 Timothy 4:16

你要谨慎自己和自己的教训。-提摩太前书4章16节

When you travel by air, before the flight takes off an airline employee presents a safety briefing, which explains what to do if there is a loss of cabin pressure. Passengers are told that oxygen masks will drop from the compartment above and they are to put one on themselves before helping others. Why? Because before you can help anyone else, you need to be physically alert yourself.

在搭乘飞机时，空服员总会在起飞前示范和介绍安全须知。他们告诉乘客当机舱压力不足时，氧气面罩会从座位上方自动掉落，乘客务必要先戴上自己的氧气罩，然后再帮别人戴上。这是为什么呢？因为在我们帮助别人之前，自己首先要保持意识清醒，身体状况良好。

When Paul wrote to Timothy, he stressed the importance of maintaining his own spiritual health before helping and serving others. He reminded Timothy of his many responsibilities as a pastor: There were false teachings to contend with (1 Tim. 4:1–5) and wrong doctrines to correct (vv. 6–8). But to discharge his duties well, what was most important was to “watch [his] life and doctrine closely [and] persevere in them” (v. 16). He needed to take care of his own relationship with the Lord first before he could attend to others.

保罗写信给提摩太的时候，特别强调在帮助和服事弟兄姐妹之前，要先保持自身灵命健康的重要性。他提醒提摩太身为牧者的诸多责任：要驳斥错谬的教导（提摩太前书4章1-5节），纠正错误的道理（6-8节）。但若要更好地履行职责，最重要的就是要注意自己的言行和教导，并要持之以恒（16节）。提摩太在服事弟兄姐妹之前，必须先保持自己与上帝之间的良好关系。

What Paul told Timothy applies to us too. Each day we encounter people who do not know the Lord. When we tank up on our spiritual oxygen first through time in God’s Word, prayer, and the enabling of the Holy Spirit, we keep our relationship right with God. Then we will be spiritually alert to help others.

保罗对提摩太的教导，对于我们也同样适用。每一天，我们会接触到许多还不认识耶稣的朋友们。要引导这些人认识主，我们自己要先花时间读经祷告，吸足了属灵的氧气，得着圣灵的能力，与上帝保持亲密的关系。然后，我们才能以良好的属灵状态帮助别人。

1 Timothy 4:12-16New International Version (NIV)

12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

提摩太前书 4:12-16Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified) (CUVMPS)

12 不可叫人小看你年轻，总要在言语、行为、爱心、信心、清洁上，都做信徒的榜样。 13 你要以宣读、劝勉、教导为念，直等到我来。 14 你不要轻忽所得的恩赐，就是从前借着预言，在众长老按手的时候赐给你的。 15 这些事你要殷勤去做，并要在此专心，使众人看出你的长进来。 16 你要谨慎自己和自己的教训，要在这些事上恒心，因为这样行，又能救自己，又能救听你的人。

INSIGHT

The importance of our relationship with God is also a prominent theme in the Old Testament. As Moses passed the leadership of the Israelites over to Joshua, he reminded his protégé that he must keep a right relationship with God. Joshua was to study God’s Word, “to meditate on it day and night,” and “be careful to do everything written in it.” Only then would Joshua successfully lead his people into the Promised Land (Josh. 1:7–8). Four hundred years later, David gave similar advice to his son Solomon: “Learn to know [God] intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. . . . The  has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work” (1 Chron. 28:9–10 ). Heeding his father’s wise advice, Solomon humbly sought the Lord and succeeded in building the temple (1 Kings 3:3–15; 6:14, 38).

What steps can you take this week to strengthen your personal relationship with God? 

灵粮透视

我们与上帝的关系非常重要，这也是旧约圣经的重要主题。当摩西把带领以色列百姓的责任转交给约书亚时，他也提醒自己的接班人，必须与上帝保持良好的关系。摩西要约书亚仔细研读、“昼夜思想”上帝的话语，并要“谨守遵行这书上所写的一切话”。只有这样，约书亚才能成功地带领上帝的百姓进入应许之地（约书亚记1章7-8节）。四百年后，大卫也给他的儿子所罗门类似的建议：“你当认识耶和华你父的上帝，诚心乐意地事奉祂。……耶和华拣选你建造殿宇作为圣所。你当刚强去行”（历代志上28章9-10节）。所罗门留意听从他父亲智慧的建议，谦卑地寻求耶和华，并成功地建造了圣殿（列王纪上3章3-15节，6章14、38节）。

这星期，你会采取什么步骤来加强你与上帝的亲密关系？

Lord, open Your Word to me now. 

Let me breathe in its freshness before

 I go out to be Your light to the world.

主啊，求祢让我现在便能明白祢的话语，
使我先吸入祢所赐的属灵气息，
好让我能在世上为祢发光。

整理：于姊妹