神所賜的福氣，不會有副作用(箴10章）

耶和華所賜的福、使人富足、並不加上憂慮。（箴 10：22）

我很喜歡這段經文的應許。因為世上的福氣，得到之後，有時候多多少少都會附帶有一些或大或小的風險。好比人一出了名，就容易招妒；有錢了，就容易被匪徒盯上；有機會吃山珍海味，就會擔心三高或過胖的問題。這有點像「天下沒有白吃的午餐」一樣，既然吃了免費的午餐，就要付出一定的代價。於是別人所擁有的那看似光鮮亮麗的成功，背後總有一些不為人知的代價要承擔。

所以，能不能就單純享福，然後可以沒有「憂慮」不要有副作用？有的！只要是神所給的恩典與福氣，就不加上憂慮。好比快樂這件事，對於有能力的人，可以常常出國遊山玩水，或是盡情地藉由各種管道享樂、甚至縱情聲色。雖然可能當下很快樂，但是快樂一過，卻感覺滿滿地空虛。

我心裏說：「來罷、我以喜樂試試你、你好享福。」誰知、這也是虛空。（傳 2：1）這是傳道書的作者所羅門王，所為我們下的強而有力的註解：「虛空」。

對我而言，這「耶和華所賜的福」，就是祂的話。每天清晨最期待的，就是打開聖經，翻到今天的進度，要看看我慈愛的天父今天要跟我說什麼？祂那時而輕輕柔柔、時而當頭棒喝的話語，藉著祂的聖靈，在我裡面所運行的大力，總讓我恍然大悟、感動不已！

科學研究說，閱讀能迫使我們腦部因思考而產生新的連結。神經元之間的連結越多、則越聰明。閱讀理解時產生的「新連結」，將會成為哪天某件傷腦筋的事襲來時，提供更多面向思考的選擇，使各種難關可以更輕易解決。

尤其因讀經產生感動時，使身體產生多巴胺的快樂激素，將會啟動全身的免疫系統，使我們更加健康。特別是因感動而流淚時，心中會在流淚之後產生無比的欣慰，為身體帶來更多的好處。

我則是喜歡讀經完，將聖靈在我的心裡所說的悄悄話，藉由指尖與鍵盤的交互作用，在網路上，轉化成一篇篇的讀經心得文章。每次看到所分享的文章，有一定的回饋，此時分享的快樂油然而生，使我更加快樂。

曾經讀過加州大學心理系教授，美國社會認知神經學家，馬修-利伯曼所提出的論點：人類的大腦天生是為了與他人互動而生。當出現利他行為時，腦內會產生如吃巧克力般的快感。他提到分享的快樂，將會比身邊受益的人更加快樂。好比：沖咖啡的人，總比旁邊喝咖啡的人還要快樂；台上受聖靈感動講道的人，將會比台下無壓力、靜靜聽道的人還要快樂。

因此，神所賜的福氣「每日讀經」，使人靈性富足，而且沒有副作用。越讀越快樂，越快樂就越愛讀。

你的言語在我上膛何等甘美．在我口中比蜜更甜。我藉着你的訓詞、得以明白．所以我恨一切的假道。你的話是我腳前的燈、是我路上的光。（詩 119：103-105）

By Isaiah Kao

The Blessing Given by God Has No Side Effects (Proverbs 10)

“It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich,

And He adds no sorrow to it.” (Proverbs 10:22, NASB 2020)

I really like the promise in this verse. The blessings of this world, after we obtain them, often come with certain risks, whether big or small. For example, when a person becomes famous, it is easy to attract jealousy. When someone becomes wealthy, it is easy to be targeted by thieves. When one has the opportunity to enjoy rich delicacies, there is the concern of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, or becoming overweight.

It is a bit like the saying, “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” If you eat a free lunch, you will have to pay a certain price. Therefore, the success that others appear to have—so bright and glorious on the surface—often carries hidden costs that are unknown to people.

So is it possible to simply enjoy blessings without “sorrow”, without any side effects? Yes, it is! As long as the grace and blessing come from God, no sorrow will be added to them.

Take happiness for example. People who have resources may often travel abroad for sightseeing, or enjoy various forms of pleasure, even indulging themselves in sensual enjoyment. Although they may feel happy at the moment, once the happiness passes, they are often left with a deep sense of emptiness.

“I said to myself, ‘Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself.’ And behold, it too was futility.” (Ecclesiastes 2:1, NASB 2020)

This is the powerful conclusion given by King Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes: “futility.”

For me, this “blessing of the LORD” is His word. Every morning, the thing I look forward to most is opening the Bible and turning to the passage for the day, to see what my loving Heavenly Father wants to say to me today. Sometimes His words are gentle and tender; sometimes they strike like a wake-up call. Through His Holy Spirit working mightily within me, they often bring sudden understanding and deep emotion to my heart.

Scientific studies say that reading forces our brains to think and to form new connections. The more connections between neurons, the smarter a person becomes. The “new connections” formed during reading comprehension may later provide more perspectives for thinking when we face difficult problems, making challenges easier to overcome.

Especially when reading the Bible moves our hearts, the body releases dopamine—the hormone of happiness—which activates the immune system of the whole body and makes us healthier. 

Particularly when we are moved to tears, after the tears there comes an indescribable comfort in the heart, bringing even more benefits to the body.

As for me, after reading the Bible, I like to take the quiet whispers that the Holy Spirit speaks in my heart and, through the interaction of my fingertips and the keyboard, turn them into devotional reflections shared on the internet. Whenever I see that the articles I share receive certain responses, the joy of sharing naturally arises, making me even happier.

I once read the viewpoint of Matthew Lieberman, a psychology professor at the University of California and an American social cognitive neuroscientist. He proposed that the human brain is naturally designed for interaction with others. When altruistic behavior occurs, the brain produces pleasure similar to the feeling of eating chocolate. He also mentioned that the joy of sharing can make the giver even happier than the one who receives the benefit. For example: the person who brews the coffee is often happier than the person who simply drinks it. The one on the stage who is moved by the Holy Spirit to preach will often feel happier than those who sit below the stage quietly listening without pressure.

Therefore, the blessing given by God,"daily Bible reading",makes a person spiritually rich, and it has no side effects. The more we read, the happier we become; and the happier we become, the more we love to read.

“How sweet are Your words to my taste!

Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

From Your precepts I get understanding;

Therefore I hate every false way.

Your word is a lamp to my feet

And a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:103–105, NASB 2020)