真牛奶搀豆浆 曹弟兄说,他在北方认识一位长老;一天忽然得了神经病,一直喊说:「真牛奶搀豆浆。」后来查知得病缘故,是因卖牛奶时搀了豆浆,受了良心控告,以致神经失常。 为了敬畏神的缘故 从前有一孩子,母亲是个基督徒,命他到大城市去作买卖。因为沿途治安不靖,起行之前,母亲把四十枚金币缝进他的外衣里面。母亲叮嘱他说;第一、要敬畏神,第二、切勿说谎。孩子牢牢地记在心里,就起程了。途中果然遇着一群强盗,盘问有无银钱在身。孩子记起母亲的话,就说:「我有四十枚金币,缝在外衣里面。」强盗听了,仰天大笑,勒转马头就走,因为他们以为他在开玩笑。过了一会,又有一个强盗盘问他,也照样回答。那强盗说:「这孩子是个傻瓜!」也就勒转马头走了。再走一会,盗首来了,问他有什么东西。仍是诚诚实实的回答。盗首下了马,搜查他的外衣,结果丝毫不爽,四十枚金币皆在那儿。盗首很觉惊奇,问他为何回答那样坦白。他说:「为了敬畏神的缘故。「盗首伏在长枪上思索了一会,终于受了那位孩子的感动,改邪归正,后来洗手不干强盗的勾当,很热心地为主作工,引领很多人归主。 信用油条 某学院的福利社膳厅在早餐时,举办信用油条大饼。方法是将油条大饼放置桌上,附有价目,无人看管,购者自取,自己付钱,自己找钱,以为堂堂大学,些微之物谅必不致揩油取利。岂知实行以来,起初仅有少数几次没有差误,遂耳大事宣传;后则屡有缺少,而且差额激增,当事者吃亏不起,乃告停办。高等学府之学生,品性道德竟然不堪大饼油条之一试。可叹! 良心买报 有一教会,设一合作社,排列许多日常用品,各各标有价格。无人销货,只放钱柜一个,各人自己取货,自己付钱。一位弟兄负责办货,每夜查点售出货品,收入金额数算结果,不但未曾发现亏损,有时反会多出一些。中华日报曾在台南火车站办过「良心买报」,阅者自行取报,自行付价;结果,常常损失,有时售出七份只收二元四角,有时卖出十二份只收六角。看报的人都是受过教育的人,但是道德仍然低落,因为他们里面缺少主耶稣。 诚实是基督徒的第二生命 有一个看门工人,一天捡到一千美元,却毫不动心的急于设法寻找失主。他说:「捡到一块钱或是一百万,对我并没有分别,因为我都不能占为己有。」─ 梁敏夫《五饼二鱼》 政策 现在的时代乃是一个商业的时代。无论什么,都是出之以政策。可怜!信徒中人,亦染此风。我们应当知道诚心与政策的分别。诚心爱人者与以爱人为政策者,其中真有天壤之别。诚心爱人,其爱是从心生;政策爱人,其爱从脑出。诚心爱人是真性真情的流露;政策爱人是外面厉害的勉强。诚心爱人是很天然的,内外相同的;政策爱人是造作的,表里不合的。属肉身的基督徒的行为,多有政策的作用在里面。他的行为不是天然的,不是真情自然而然的流露;乃是因畏人的议论,或求人的称赞,方才有这样的行为。单讲爱弟兄一事:他爱弟兄的表示,并不是他有真爱情;乃是不如是作,好象人就要论断他灵性的深浅。嗳!许多的爱人究竟是无此心的──是假的!愿主拯救我们离开这个。 保罗在哥林多前书十三章所说的,真是深深刺入我们的心思意念。事大至于舍身为火所焚,仍有无爱心的可能!这种爱不是出于诚心,乃是政策的作用。所以使徒说,这样,「仍然与我无益」(3节)!政策作用的相爱是务外的,心口不相同。不过外面盖一重壳而已,里面并无神恩的作工。这样的自欺欺人,真是撒但的诡计。究竟,这样的爱心不过常是一种政策而已。政策的作用是不能历久的。过了一时,里面的真情就要暴露!这样造作、勉强的相爱,不能帮助自己的灵性一丝一毫。弟兄们,我们应当倚赖主的十字架,除去一切心中的恶毒。你们要「切实相爱」(彼前一22;四8)。「小子们哪!我们相爱,不要只在古语和舌头上;总要在行为和诚实上」(约壹三18)。―― 倪柝声 ※ 「诚实」的原文Sincere = without wax. Cheating The Baltimore Orioles of 1894~96 was the best team that baseball had seen up to that time, and also the craftiest. One of Baltimore's favorite tricks was to plant a few extra baseballs in strategic spots in the tall outfield grass. Any balls hit into that area that looked as if they would go for extra bases were miraculously held to singles. One day, however, an opposing batter drove a ball to left-center field, where one of those balls had been hidden. The left fielder picked up the hidden ball and threw it in. The center fielder, not seeing what his teammate did, picked up the hit ball and threw it in. The umpire, seeing two balls coming into second base, called time and then awarded the game to the visiting team by forfeit. Deceit A humorist told the story of a driver who put a note under the windshield wiper of a parked car. It read: "I have just smashed into your car. The people who saw the accident are watching me. They think I'm writing down my name and address. I'm not. Good luck." Deceit A little boy was lost during the Christmas shopping rush. He was standing in an aisle of the busy department store crying, "I want my mommy." People passing by kept giving the unhappy youngster nickels and dimes to cheer him up. Finally a floorwalker came over to him and said, "I know where your mommy is, son." The little boy looked up with his tear-drenched eyes and said, "So do I...just keep quiet!" Deceit In some resort towns in Arizona, it is the practice of various hotels or motels to spray-paint the grass green in the winter to lure tourists to what looks like a lust vacation spot. The problem is that the first spring rains wash the paint into the gutters, revealing how false was the image of the picture-perfect lawns. That's the essence of hypocrisy-pretending to be what we are not. Deception The story has been told of a woman who had acquired wealth and social prominence and decided to have a book written about her genealogy. The well-known author she engaged for the assignment discovered that one of her grandfathers was a murderer who had been electrocuted in Sing Sing. When he said this would have to be included in the book, the woman pleaded that he find a way of saying it that would hide the truth. When the book appeared, the incident read as follows: "One of her grandfathers occupied the chair of applied electricity in one of America's best-known institutions. He was very much attached to his position and literally died in the harness. Deception Several years ago on the Saturday Evening Post cover was a painting by Norman Rockwell that showed a woman buying a Thanksgiving turkey. The turkey was on the scales and the butcher was standing behind the counter. The customer, a lady of about sixty, stood watching the weigh-in. Each had a pleased look, but a quick glance at the painting shows nothing unusual going on. Then we look closely at the entire cover. Rockwell has shown us their hands. The butcher is pressing down on the scales with a thumb while the woman is pushing up with a finger. Both would resent being called thieves, but neither saw anything wrong with a little deception.
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