撰文／奥克兰教会 沈喜乐（James Shen）｜圣灵月刊357期-2007.06｜主题／爱心的负担？谈接待
三.我的好处不在神以外
第一个好处：
九年前归入真教会之后，小弟的慢性鼻窦炎和经常发作的心绞痛，便蒙神医治。什么时候被神医好的，我自己都不清楚。因为刚进入真教会，被真教会的道理所吸引，心里很火热，既渴望多听些真道，又想将这些美好的信息赶快写信告诉国内的亲人，根本没有想到要向神祈求医治我的病。
而且这两种病症已伴随我多年，对我来讲，已经习以为常，就不太在乎了。直到有一天，大约进入真教会后半年的时间，发现从大陆带来的药品很久没有使用了，才惊觉鼻窦炎已经痊愈，而且心绞痛的症状也很久没有出现。我深深感谢神，使我亲身体会主所赐意外的平安和额外的恩典。
第二个好处：
当我们夫妻移民到新西兰的时候，因听说工作很难找，就让太太宁芳去奥克兰大学化学系读书，自己在家里非常清闲，因此就专心看《圣经》和读真教会的书刊。
差不多经过半年，有一天早上，我开始忧愁起来，忧愁自己在新西兰不知该做什么事，读书？我英文不好，许多书我读不来；工作？也很难！因为我在国内医院是从事中医临床工作；回国？也要等她毕业才能回去。
那天早上，我越想越忧愁，心想：我今天要好好专心向神祈求，求神开路，指引我该走的方向。感谢神！非常奇妙，当我还在愁苦、思虑的时候，中午就接到一通电话，对方是新西兰中医药学会的会长，说他在市中心的诊所走了一位医生，急需一位医生到他的诊所工作。
我觉得很奇怪，这位会长是香港人，跟我并不认识，怎么会找到我呢？原来他是透过病人的处方笺得知我的电话号码，跟我联系的；就这样，从第二个星期开始，我便到他的诊所工作。
这件事，让我更加敬畏神，也更加感谢神，更体会到我们心里所想、所需要的，虽然还没有祈求，但神都知道，而且神会为我们预备一切。
第三个好处：
八年前，宁芳还在读书，当时弟兄姊妹鼓励我们要赶快生孩子，父亲也为这事责备我们，说她不应该读博士。我们夫妻也觉得是该考虑这个问题了；但因她是读化学系的，在做实验的时候，常常会吸到许多有毒的化学气体；因此，在她怀孕期间，我们都很担心，尤其奥大化学系有些教授，就是因为吸入太多化学毒气而生下畸形弱智的孩子。
所以我们夫妻在祷告中，常常求神保守胎儿平安，在信仰生活中，也慢慢学会懂得倚靠神、交托神。感谢神，虽然宁芳在怀孕期间继续读书做实验，但胎儿蒙神保守，非常平安。1998年5月剖腹产下一个健康、聪明的男孩，现已七岁半，读小学三年级。
第四个好处：
2001年5月12日，我在餐厅吃了太多海鲜，当晚皮肤就过敏，非常痒，整晚抓来抓去睡不着。第二天早上起床，发现身上从大腿至脖子长满疹子，又红又痒；刚开始我不在乎，认为是海鲜过敏造成，就服用五天的中药，也涂上皮肤外用药膏“康纳乐霜”；但是，不但没有好转，皮肤痒得更厉害，身上许多地方都被我抓破。
我开始觉得不妙，赶快改为服用最强的抗过敏西药，但连续服用五天，也没有什么效果。这十天来，皮肤又痒又痛，非常痛苦，而且每晚都要更换床单和睡衣，因都被皮肤流出来的液体弄脏了。
我从大陆带来的皮肤药膏一共有50支，在这十天中就涂掉49支，但一点效用都没有。那时候，因为肉体的痛苦，我心里很难熬。太太对我说：“既然西药、中药、皮肤药都没有效果，那就不要再用药了，要专心向神祷告。”
我也觉得应该这样，但内心却很沮丧，因为这十多天来，我都有向神祷告，就是不见好转。后来我连话也不想讲了。
在第十四天的晚上，我深深地反省自己的信仰到底有什么问题，使我祷告不蒙垂听，想到自己在神面前的软弱和亏欠，又想到神拣选我们的福分、神的应许和对我们的爱，并且我们敬拜神，不该是创建在肉体、物质上的好处。
那天晚上，我不断地向神感谢祷告，对神说：“主啊！虽然祢没有马上医治好我的皮肤病，但我永远都要敬拜、称颂祢，因为能够蒙祢拣选，能够成为祢的百姓，就是最大的福气。”
当天晚上，我睡得特别香甜，那时已经连续两周没有好好睡觉了；第二天早上起床，非常奇妙，发现皮肤不痛了，而且皮肤抓破裂开的地方也开始复原，不到两天就完全痊愈了，感谢主！
第五个好处：
太太读书期间，我们就曾计划，等她毕业之后回大陆工作，因为在新西兰要找工作很不容易，而且我在诊所上班的收入也不高。那时候，我就辞掉工作，自己在家里带小孩，料理家务，偶尔也在家中看诊。
当时，心里想：要趁着在新西兰有空闲的时候，多听些道理的录音带，好好装备自己的信仰，恐怕回国之后，信仰会流失掉。我们夫妻也立定心志：无论到哪个地方居住，都要以神为中心、以信仰为重，要倚靠神的能力过虔诚感恩的生活，并持守在真教会所信的真道上。
在经济运用方面，我们也达到共识：要在神所赐给我们的范围之内享受生活，不为自己增加任何经济上的压力，免得被世上的思虑及各种欲望所控制而影响到信仰生活。
感谢神的看顾，太太毕业后，刚好在家帮忙照顾来这里生产的小姨子，而小姨子也在这里信主归入真教会。那时候想，等到小姨子回广州之后，我们再回去。
但是人在计划，却是神在带领；太太毕业之后两个多月，教授打电话来，请她留在大学作博士后研究的工作，年薪五万纽币。我们很高兴，也非常感谢神。她的同学们非常羡慕，因为只有她有工作，而且不用去找，是工作找上门来，感谢神！因此，我们就在奥克兰居住下来。
自从进入真教会以后，常常体验到神对我们的施恩怜悯，使我们的生活不至于忧虑，让我们走在主的道路上有满足、有喜乐。
在信仰的追求当中，神也让我们越来越觉得神赐给我们属灵福气的美好和宝贵，使我们属世的物质欲望越来越少，让我们深深地体会到在天上、地上，除神以外，没有可爱慕的（）。愿一切荣耀颂赞归给天上的真神！
3.All That Is Good For Me Lies In God
（A）
After I accepted the Lord and entered into True Jesus Church nine years ago, the Lord has healed me of my chronic nasal catarrh and frequent cardiac muscular wrenching pain. On my fresh contact with the church, I was so attracted to the Truth that I was not even aware of Gods treatment.
I longed enthusiastically to hear more about the Truth and could not wait to inform all my relatives back in China about the good tidings. Hence, I had overlooked my illnesses and did not pray to God for help.
It had been a number of years since they accompanied me and we were quite accustomed to each other, I did not give them much thought.
Not until one day, when I found out that the medicines brought from China for my ailments had been left there untouched for some time, did I realise that my nasal catarrh had been healed and the symptoms of my cardiac muscular pain had disappeared.
All these happened about half a year after my entry into True Jesus Church. I am deeply thankful for the bonus of His grace and the transcending peace bestowed on me.
（B）
When both my wife and I migrated here, we heard about the difficulties of job hunting in New Zealand. So, I let my wife continue her studies in the chemistry field in Auckland University.
For about half a year, being alone at home, I would bury myself in the Bible, the church periodicals and publications. But one morning, caught by anxiety, I started to worry about my career in New Zealand.
Because of my poor English skills, I had great difficulty reading and understanding, so I feel no study was suitable for me here.
The thought of looking for a job also baffled me. As a Chinese doctor, I only worked clinically in the hospital in China. My last option would be to move back to homeland, but even so, not until my wife had graduated.
The more I thought of my situation, the deeper I stepped into a quagmire. Out of the blue, I had a resolution: today I am going to plead for Gods help and seek for His guidance. Thank God, something amazing happened while I was still worrying.
I received a call that afternoon from the chairman of the Chinese Medical Association of New Zealand. He said he was desperately looking for a Chinese doctor to fill up a vacated position.
Indeed, this was a surprise to me! How could the Hong Kong born chairman have found me when we had never met each other before? Later, I discovered that he found my telephone number through my patients prescription.
I started working in his clinic the following week. Through this incident, it has dawned on me that our God is omniscient. He knows our thoughts, our needs and provides for us even before we ask of Him. Hence, my reverence and thanks towards Him were increased greatly.
（C）
Eight years ago, when my wife was still studying, many brethren encouraged us to have children. My father even rebuked us on this matter and said that my wife should not go for PhD.
We agreed that it was high time for us to consider this issue without delay. As my wife was a chemistry researcher; she would breathe in a lot of poisonous gases during her experiments.
Consequently, we were very worried when she conceived because there were children born to the professors in the Faculty of Chemistry with deformities or low intellectual faculties. Under suchcircumstances, we had no other way but to seek diligently for Gods protection on the fetus.
In our life of faith, we have learnt to trust in God and to commit to Him our worries. Thank God, in May 1998, my wife gave birth to a healthy and smart baby boy, and although she continued her studies and experiments, the baby was well looked after by God. Now my son, age seven and a half, is a year three student.
（D）
On May 12th of 2001, I had a skin allergy that sent me scratching throughout the night due to an excess intake of seafood at a restaurant. The next morning, I awoke to red and itchy eczema all over my body.
At first, I did not pay much attention to it and thought that it was only an allergy caused by seafood. As remedy, I took Chinese medicine and applied anti-allergy cream for 5 days. However, my condition worsened. There were injuries and fluid all over my body from the scratching.
At this point, I sensed that something was not right. I changed to the strongest Western skin anti-inflammation pills without delay and took it continuously for five days. But this was also to no avail.
I was in great torment during those ten days. I had to change my pyjamas and bed sheets every night because of the fluid from my body. In the course of ten days, I used up 49 out of the 50 tubes of dermal cream which I brought from China and they were also helpless.
The physical torment was unbearably agonizing. At this critical moment, my wife said to me: "Stop using anymore of those treacherous medicines! Seek God and pray to Him with all your heart!"
I agreed with this, but was crestfallen. I had been praying to God all these days and had seen no result but only tortures, which grew even more severely during the last three to four days. Being bound with itch and pain, I even resented speaking.
On the night of the fourteenth day, I made a thorough self-examination of my faith: why did God turn His ears away from my prayers? What happened to my faith? I thought of my indebtedness to God.
I thought of my weaknesses and insignificance. Then I pondered upon the promises God made to us, His love and His election. It also came to my mind that we should not base our religious practice on material and physical benefits. When I returned to my senses, words of gratitude overflowed from within my heart.
To God I prayed: "O Lord, regardless of my skin diseases which remain to be healed, I will praise and revere you till time infinite, because you have given me the greatest blessing in choosing me as one of your people."
For the first time out of the two weeks, I was finally able to sleep well. Miraculously, when I woke up the next morning, the pain was gone; the affected skin began to take shape, and was completely healed within a day or two. Thank God.
（E）
When my wife was still in university, we planned to return to China as searching for a job was not easy for us here, and I only worked on a low income at the clinic.
About that time, I had to quit my job to take care of my son and occasionally I would attend to some patients who came to see me in my house.
Besides this, I intended to make full use of my leisure time to equip myself with the Word; by listening to the sermon tapes and studying more of the biblical truth before I return to my country lest my faith should drift away.
Both my wife and I made a resolution: irrespective of where we dwell, we would regard God and our faith as the core of our life, ever reminding ourselves that we should lead a God-fearing and thanksgiving life by trusting in His power.
We should make every effort to holdfast to the Truth received from True Jesus Church. In addition, we arrived at a common view with regards to financial management.
That is, we ought to enjoy a life within the boundary set by God, and not add any money-related pressures on ourselves, so that we will not be overcome by worries of this world and harmful desires of our flesh, bringing disaster to our faith.
Thank God, with His blessing, my wife finally graduated. The timing was just right for her to help look after her sister who had just given birth here.
We also thank the Lord for His mercy; my wifes sister had also accepted the Truth and entered into Christ here in New Zealand. By then, we already had a scenario in mind, we would also move back to our homeland after my sister-in-law had left for Kwong-Chou.
Although we may have had a plan for our future, it is God who ultimately leads our way. Slightly more than two months after my wifes graduation, a professor from the university asked my wife if she would like to go back to the university to work; a job for a post-graduate doctorate with an annual income of NZ$50,000.
We were overwhelmed with happiness as well as thanks towards God. It was too good to be true. Her classmates could not help but admire her, for she was the only one who got a job without having to look for it - the job came to her. The grace of God allows us to stay in Auckland. Praises be given unto His name.
Ever since we entered True Jesus Church, the compassion and loving kindness of God is not unusual to us. Joy and contentment accompany us as we walk with the Lord who takes away from us worries of this world.
Moreover, as God gradually imparts us the knowledge of the surpassing goodness of His spiritual blessings, our desires for the things of this world gradually decrease.
It is well said in , "Whom have I in the heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you." This verse portrays the deep feeling within our hearts. May all the glory and praises be given unto God in heaven.