Excerpt from "The Sacred Truth" 选自《神圣的寻觅》

选《神圣的寻觅》

Cindy Ong 译

女人很容易就被男人的外在条件如名誉和地位冲昏头。他或许富有、或许热心侍奉，让你误以为这样的他一定就是个不错的对象。但你可别忘了，把你娶回家的不是他的名誉或地位，而是他这个人。富有的男人可能吝啬至极、热心侍奉的男人或许骨子里是个负心汉，所以女人得小心，别让一个男人的外在影响你对他内在的判断。你要找的另一半是个内心坚定的男人，而这样的他不一定光鲜亮丽或光芒四射。

我能说得再直接点吗？我能卸下作家的身份以牧师的身份告诉你，你该如何做选择吗？使徒行传6:3已为我们完美地总结：“选出　……满有圣灵和智慧的人”。这是早期教会挑选教会领袖的标准，也应该是你挑选家庭领袖（即一家之主）的标准。满有圣灵的人活在基督里，神的大能不断地在他们的生命中彰显，他们更是充满智慧。以这样的原则找寻另一半，你必不失望。看看你现在的另一半，你能真心的说他“满有圣灵和智慧的人”吗？如果不能，如果他不是满有圣灵和智慧的人，你也无所谓吗？

Excerpt from The Sacred Truth

by Gary Thomas

It is also easy for women to be carried away by a man’s position. Maybe he’s wealthy. Maybe he’s a leader in the church. So you make assumptions that because he’s this or that, everything else must be okay. Here’s the thing: you don’t marry a position. You marry a person. Some wealthy guys are stingy. Some ministry guys are jerks. Don’t let a guy’s position distract you from his person. You’re looking for character, not status; you want to find a man who is solid in his core, not just someone who has a solid title.

Can I be blunt? Can I put on my “pastor’s hat” here for just a second and flat out tell you what I hope you want? Acts 6:3 sums it up perfectly: “Choose… men… who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.” This is what the early church looked for in leaders of their congregations, and it’s what you want to look for in leaders of your home. Men who are filled with the Spirit – they are alive to God, and God is active in them – and men who are full of wisdom. You won’t regret making a choice founded on that basis. Can this honestly be said about your boyfriend? “He’s a man full of the Spirit and wisdom”? If not, are you sure you want to settle?