我一家曾到凡爾賽宮一遊，看到宮殿金碧輝煌，心想著建造這宮殿背後的代價。波旁王朝想為自己家族和國家立威名，但人去樓空，人竟是如此脆弱。人若賺得全世界卻失去了生命有什麼意義呢？
When my family and I paid Versailles palace a visit, my thoughts were on the cost behind this lavish lifestyle. The Bourbon dynasty wanted to build a name for themselves with this magnificent architecture. The people were gone, and the palace remains. From this I see the frailty of mankind. What good is it if we attain all wealth and luxury in the world but lose our souls?
看紀錄片得知這宮殿是靠着多人的血汗建成的。當時沒有足夠安全設施，建於郊區， 亦缺乏衛生常識，很多工人因此身亡。 看見這宮殿之龐大和華美， 不知耗費多少？ 法國路易XIV的曾孫路易IV 繼承巨債達20年的盈餘，加上當時的稅務架構偏袒達官貴人，導致民不聊生， 人神共憤。路易XIV罔顧了人民根本的需要，為了一己私欲，讓國民和子孫附上沉重的代價。「敬 虔 加 上 知 足 的 心 便 是 大 利 了 ；因 為 我 們 沒 有 帶 甚 麼 到 世 上 來 ， 也 不 能 帶 甚 麼 去 。只 要 有 衣 有 食 ， 就 當 知 足 。」（提 摩 太 前 書 6:6-8） 保羅奉勸我們要追求公義、敬虔、信心、愛心、忍耐、溫柔。（11節）
I learned from a documentary that the palace was built by the blood, sweat and tears of many French workers. The mortality rate from heavy labor were high without a good knowledge of hygiene and safety precautions. It put ordinary people deep in poverty with 20 years of revenue in debt at the passing of Louis XIV, especially when the tax system favored the nobles. Yet the king did not spare his people from fulfilling his ambition. “… Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it… pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” (1 Timothy 6:6-7,11)
我曾經差點落入網絡詐騙的圈套，唯有這一句「貪財是萬惡之根。」（10 節）突然浮現腦海裡，才當頭棒喝， 及時發現自己的貪念得以揭穿騙子的計謀。 貪念埋伏繼而纏繞住我，令我措手不及、反應不來 ，利字當頭不想緣由和後果，事後才看穿自己的愚昧。 實在的，如果人沒有那貪念，騙徒便無從入手了。原來基督徒也難逃貪念的圈套，感恩有聖靈的提醒。從波旁王朝而論，及至我自己，都曾敗於一個「貪」字。我們擁有的物質都不持久，唯有我們的性情能得培養、煉淨和存留。最終要緊是得著主裡的生命，「你要為真道打那美好的仗，持定永生。」（12節）
Once I almost fell into the lies of a scam. It was not until this verse appears in my mind “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” (v.10a) did I begin to realize I was being swindled. It takes two. The scammer would never succeed if the victim had no greed in the first place. I am grateful to the Holy Spirit for His timely nudge, and I reflected that Christians could fall into their own trap of greed like everyone else. Our ownership on anything material will never last, but our character with a calm and humble spirit and contentment will be refined like silver and last forever. As Paul put it, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life…” (v12a)
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