826 英翻中 (526) Life is short. 人生是短暫的. 8/20/2024

826 英翻中 (526)                          Life is short.          人生是短暫的.               8/20/2024

Life is short (v. 16a). “Buying up the opportunity—taking advantage of it.” An old Chinese adage says, “Opportunity has a forelock so you can seize it when you meet it. Once it is past, you cannot seize it again.” Our English word opportunity comes from the Latin and means “toward the port.” It suggests a ship taking advantage of the wind and tide to arrive safely in the harbor. The brevity of life is a strong argument for making the best use of the opportunities God gives us.        人生短暫（16 節上半段）。 “買下機會來好好利用它。”中國有句諺語，“機會有如馬前額的長毛，遇上時就趕緊抓住。一旦失去，就再也抓不住了。”英語單詞機會來自拉丁語，意思是“朝向港口”。 它暗示船利用風和潮安全到達港口。生命的短暫，是上帝要我們充分利用祂賜給的機會的有力論據。

The days are evil (v. 16b). In Paul’s time, this meant that Roman persecution was on the way (1 Peter 4:12–19). How foolish to waste opportunities to win the lost, when soon those opportunities might be taken away by the advances of sin in society! If the days were evil when Paul wrote this letter, what must be their condition today?                                                                                             時代是邪惡的（第 16 節下半段）。在保羅時代，羅馬的迫害隨時都會來臨（彼前  4：12-19）。浪費機會去贏得失喪的人是多麼愚蠢，因為這些機會很快就會被社會中罪惡的邪魔所奪走！ 若保羅寫這封信時的時代是邪惡的，那麼拿它們來比今天的光景又是什麼？

God has given us a mind (v. 17a). “Understanding” suggests using our minds to discover and do the will of God. Too many Christians have the idea that discovering God’s will is a mystical experience that rules out clear thinking. But this idea is wrong—and dangerous. We discover the will of God as He transforms the mind (Rom. 12:1–2); and this transformation is the result of the Word of God, prayer, meditation, and worship. If God gave you a mind, then He expects you to use it. This means that learning His will involves gathering facts, examining them, weighing them, and praying for His wisdom (James 1:5). God does not want us simply to know His will; He wants us to understand His will.                                                                                                                         上帝賜給了我們祂的旨意（第 17 節上半段）。 “明白”的意思是用我們人的頭腦去思索和遵行上帝的旨意。太多的基督徒認為要明白上帝的旨意是如了解神秘的經驗，不是清晰的思考可達成。但這是錯誤的想法，並且是危險的。當上帝改變人心時，我們會發現祂的旨意（羅  12:1-2）；這種轉變是祂的聖言，禱告，默想，和敬拜的結果。如果上帝給了你一個頭腦，那麼祂希望你使用它。是說學習祂的旨意 : 包括收集事實，經驗它們，權衡它們，並祈求上帝的智慧（雅  1:5）。上帝不希望我們僅僅知道祂的旨意；祂要我們明白祂的旨意。

God has a plan for our lives (v. 17). Paul alluded to this plan (Eph. 2:10). If God saved me, He has a purpose for my life, and I should discover that purpose and then guide my life accordingly. He reveals His plan through His Word (Col. 1:9–10), His Spirit in our hearts (Col. 3:15), and the working of circumstances (Rom. 8:28). The Christian can walk carefully and accurately because he knows what God wants him to do. Like the builder following the blueprint, he accomplishes what the architect planned.                                                                                                                     上帝對我們的生活有一個計劃（第 17 節）。保羅提到了這個計劃（弗  2:10）。若上帝拯救了我，祂對我的生活有目的，我應該發現那個目的，然後相應地引導我前面的生活。上帝用祂的話語啟示給我們（西  1:9-10），配合在我們心中的聖靈（西  3:15）再加上境遇對我們訓練（羅  8:28），共同來揭示祂的計劃。 基督徒可以謹慎而準確地行事為人，因為他知道上帝的旨意要他做什麼。就像遵循藍圖的建造房屋一樣，他完成了建築師的計劃。

This completes the section we have called “Walk in Purity.” The emphasis is on the new life as contrasted with the old life, imitating God and not the evil world around us. In the next section, “Walk in Harmony,” Paul deals with the relationships of life and shows how life in Christ can bring heaven to the home.                                                                                                                         這就完成了我們所稱為的“在純潔中行事為人”這段。重點是與有罪性老我成對比的新生活，是效法天父上帝，而不是周圍的邪惡世界。在下一段在“和諧相處”中，保羅處理人生活的關係，並說明在基督裡如何將天堂進入家庭。