阅读经文 

在过去二十四小时里，你曾经有过多少个愿望呢？

以下是我有过的几个愿望：我渴望有可口的饭餐、安宁的睡眠、我最爱的曲棍球队得胜（他们真的赢了！）我寄出一封电邮，关于一个棘手事件，得到了友善的回应、我所爱的人有一个平安的旅程，还有更多的——事实上，在过去二十四小时，我大概有过数以百计的愿望呢。

在今天我们看到的“......有福了”的声明中，耶稣邀请我们去审查一下我们的愿望，看看它们是否符合祂的标准。我们的愿望是否符合饥渴慕义的呼召呢？

多年前，我和一些人在教会里讨论耶稣再来，我冲口而出说：“我不肯定我是否希望耶稣现在就回来。我想看见我还是婴孩的女儿长大成人，我想装修一下我们那幢有一百年历史的老房子，我还有很多其他的计划要完成呢。”他们听了后都很惊奇，整个房间都静下来了。跟着，我们的牧者温柔地说：“Syd，你渴望见到一个不会再有癌症、饥荒、罪恶、或战争的世界吗？”我难为情地说：“我当然渴望见到。”他便回应说：“那么，你就是渴望耶稣再来了，因为你渴望的也是祂所渴望的。”

神会帮助我们拿走那些不追求公义原则的愿望，祂也会使我们热切渴慕那些符合祂心意的愿望。我们随时都可以求祂赐智慧，（参雅 1:5）而祂也时常都与我们同在，并引领我们前行。

How many desires have you had in the past 24 hours?

Here’s a handful of mine: I’ve desired a delicious meal, a restful sleep, a win for my favorite hockey team (and they won!), a kind response to an email I sent about a stressful situation, a safe trip for a loved one. And there are more—in fact, I’ve probably had hundreds of desires in the past 24 hours.

In the “Blessed are…” statement we are looking at today, Jesus invites us to examine our desires and hold them up to his standard. Do our desires align with hungering and thirsting for righteousness?

Years ago, I was with some people at church discussing the second coming of Jesus. And they were surprised when I blurted out, “I don’t know if I want Jesus to come back yet. I want to see my infant daughter grow up. I want to fix up the 100-year-old house we bought. I have so many plans I want to carry out.” The room became very quiet. Then our pastor said gently, “Syd, do you want to see a world where there is no more cancer, or hunger, or crime, or war?” “Yes, I do,” I said sheepishly. “Then,” he replied, “you want Jesus to come back. Your desires are what he also desires.”

God can help us sort out our desires that might not fit with seeking righteousness, and he can give us a deep passion for the desires that align with his heart. His wisdom is available to us always (James 1:5), and he is always with us to guide us.