2 Samuel 12:1-7  

January - 7

CARING ENOUGH TO CONFRONT

Nathan said to David, "You are the man!" 2 Samuel 12:7

Sometimes we are almost completely blind to our own sins and shortcomings. It’s so much easier to see the faults and failures of others. And sometimes it takes someone else to make us see our sin.

That’s how it was with David. When the prophet Nathan told him a story about a rich man who stole a poor man’s lamb, David was outraged. He could clearly see what the rich man had done, but he failed to see his own sin. The prophet needed to confront David before he realized that Nathan was talking about him.

In the book Caring Enough to Confront, David Augs¬burger talks about the importance of confronting people who live in sin. Sometimes we need to confront, and sometimes we need to be confronted.

It’s not easy to confront a family member, a friend, or a coworker. Sometimes it’s easier to look the other way. Besides, we ourselves don’t like to be confronted. When someone cares enough to confront us, often our first response is "Who do you think you are? You’re not perfect either!"

God calls us to confront others who are in sin, and we need to learn to do so with gentleness (Galatians 6:1). We must also be willing to be confronted when we are blind to our own sins. God wants us all to help remove the barrier of sin that keeps us far from God.

PRAYER

Father in heaven, make us caring enough to con¬front someone who is living in sin, and give us the grace to accept those who confront us. We ask all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

撒母耳记下   12:1-7

January - 7

在爱里说实话

「拿单对大卫说：『你就是那人！』」 撒下12:7

有时，我们会对自己的罪和缺点完全视而不见，但却很容易看见别人的错处和失败。有些时候，难免要由别人来指出我们的罪。

这正是大卫的情况，先知拿单告诉他关于一个富户取了一个穷人的羊羔的故事，大卫听见之后，就甚恼怒那人。他可以清楚看见那个富户的所作所为，但却看不见自己所犯的罪。先知要向大卫说实话，然后大卫才明白过来，原来拿单所指的人，正是大卫自己。

作者David Augsburger在他的著作《在爱里说实话》中，谈到向活在罪中的人说实话的重要性。有时，我们需要向人说实话；有时，却需要别人向我们说实话。

向家人、朋友或同事说实话，并不容易。有时，转换话题可能较为容易，况且，我们也不喜欢别人向自己说实话。当有人在爱里说实话时，我们的第一个反应往往是：「你以为自己是谁？你也不见得是十全十美！」

神呼召我们对活在罪中的人说实话，而我们要学习如何用温柔的态度说这些话（加拉太书6:1）。当我们看不见自己所犯的罪时，也必须愿意聆听别人所说的实话。神希望我们除去罪的拦阻，因为它令我们远离神。

祷告

天父，求祢叫我们能够对活在罪中的人说实话，又施恩给我们，好叫我们能够接受对我们说实话的人。以上一切，都是奉耶稣的名求，阿们。