Never confuse temptation with opportunity.

诱惑与良机，当慎思明辨。

You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24

你们不能又事奉神，又事奉玛门（注：“玛门”是“财利”的意思）。-马太福音6章24节

Early in my career while doing work that I saw as more of a mission than a job, another company offered me a position that would give a significant increase in pay. Our family could surely have benefited financially from such a move. There was one problem. I hadn’t been looking for another job because I loved my current role, which was growing into a calling.

刚进入职场时，我从事一份富有意义的工作。当时，另一家公司愿意以优厚的待遇聘请我，我的家庭经济也可以因此比较宽裕。但问题是，我并没有寻求新工作的意愿，因为我喜爱现有的工作，且合乎上帝的心意。

But the money . . .

可是钱嘛……

I called my father, then in his seventies, and explained the situation. Though his once-sharp mind had been slowed by strokes and the strain of years, his answer was crisp and clear: “Don’t even think about the money. What would you do?”

于是，我打电话给年逾七旬的父亲，征询他的意见。明智的父亲虽因中风和年迈而略显迟钝，但他的回答却清晰有力：“如果不考虑钱，你会怎么做？”

In an instant, my mind was made up. The money would have been my only reason for leaving the job I loved! Thanks, Dad.

顷刻间，我做了决定。我怎能为了金钱，抛开我喜爱的工作。我对父亲说：“我知道该怎么做了。谢谢你，爸爸。”

Jesus devoted a substantial section of His Sermon on the Mount to money and our fondness for it. He taught us to pray not for an accumulation of riches but for “our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11). He warned against storing up treasures on earth and pointed to the birds and flowers as evidence that God cares deeply about His creation (vv. 19–31). “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,” Jesus said, “and all these things will be given to you as well” (v. 33).

耶稣在登山宝训中，以大篇幅谈论金钱，以及人们对金钱的喜好。祂教导我们祷告，当求“我们日用的饮食”（马太福音6章11节），而不是积攒财宝。耶稣警告我们，在这世上积聚的财宝有虫咬贼偷，并指出飞鸟和野花的荣美，证明天父必看顾世人（19-31节）。耶稣说：“你们要先求祂的国和祂的义，这些东西都要加给你们了。”（33节）

Money matters. 

But money shouldn’t rule our

 decision-making process. 

Tough times and big decisions are 

opportunities to grow our faith in new ways. 

Our heavenly Father cares for us.

金钱虽然重要，

但不应支配人生的抉择。

历经艰难困苦和重大抉择时，

正是信心成长茁壮的良机，

当记得天父必看顾我们。

Matthew 6:24-34New International Version (NIV)

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

马太福音 6:24-34Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified) (CUVMPS)

勿虑衣食

24 “一个人不能侍奉两个主，不是恶这个爱那个，就是重这个轻那个。你们不能又侍奉神，又侍奉玛门[a]。 25 所以我告诉你们，不要为生命忧虑吃什么喝什么，为身体忧虑穿什么。生命不胜于饮食吗？身体不胜于衣裳吗？ 26 你们看那天上的飞鸟，也不种也不收，也不积蓄在仓里，你们的天父尚且养活它，你们不比飞鸟贵重得多吗？ 27 你们哪一个能用思虑使寿数多加一刻呢[b]？ 28 何必为衣裳忧虑呢？你想野地里的百合花怎么长起来，它也不劳苦，也不纺线， 29 然而我告诉你们：就是所罗门极荣华的时候，他所穿戴的还不如这花一朵呢！ 30 你们这小信的人哪！野地里的草今天还在，明天就丢在炉里，神还给它这样的装饰，何况你们呢？ 31 所以，不要忧虑说吃什么、喝什么、穿什么。 32 这都是外邦人所求的。你们需用的这一切东西，你们的天父是知道的。 33 你们要先求他的国和他的义，这些东西都要加给你们了。 34 所以，不要为明天忧虑，因为明天自有明天的忧虑。一天的难处一天当就够了。 

整理：于姊妹