2008-06-15 Devotionals Today

知信行網上團契為各主內肢體提供的每日靈糧，歡迎訂閱，推介及奉獻支持。 《網絡天糧》查詢，請電郵：ccf@ccfellow.org 訂閱天糧 | 轉介天糧 | 修訂訂閱 | 奉獻支持 信徒的責任 粵語國語 第15天 讀經：彼得前書一章13至21節 　　神對信徒至少有兩個期望：第一，是要常常遵行祂的話，這是順服的表現；第二，是要學像祂，這是聖潔的表現。 　　我們在信主之前的表現，完全是另一個樣子。彼得在第14節指出，我們那時是放縱私慾地生活；但如今，我們既然是屬於神，就必須遵照祂的教導而行。 　　神由始至終都強調祂的兒女要過聖潔的生活。「聖潔」這個字詞，以不同形式出現在舊約和新約之中，不下於一千次。它的意思是「分別出來，給神使用」。它也表示當一個人是屬於神的時候，他的生命就再容不下罪。 　　彼得叫我們留意基督的一生，是如何的無瑕無疪，和不被罪所玷污。祂就像舊約用以獻祭的羔羊。根據獻祭的規例，只有無瑕無疪的羔羊，才可以用來獻祭給神。 　　耶穌基督的一生是完全和聖潔的。祂是神的羔羊，除去世人的罪。在人類的歷史中，祂是唯一一個無罪的人。因此，彼得指出，祂就是我們的榜樣和標準。我們的生命要像祂一樣。 　　神在創世以先，就已經預定這一切(20節)。然後，基督按照神所定的時間降世為人，再藉著祂的死來成為我們的救主。 　　然而，神並沒有讓基督長留墓中。神使祂從死裡復活。我們如今所信的，是一位永活的基督。 　　既然如此，我們這些屬祂的人該如何過活呢？我們必須以基督作為我們的典範，過順服和聖潔的生活。 禱告： 主啊，求你加力給我，讓我凡事遵行你的道。 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE RESPONSIBILITES OF A BELIEVER DAY 15 BIBLE READING: 1 Peter 1:13-21 God has at least two main purposes for those who believe in him. He wants them to do his will always. This is obedience. He also wants them to be like himself. This is holiness. Before you were saved, everything was different. In verse 14 Peter says you lived just as you yourself wanted to. NOW, you belong to God and you must do what he says. Holiness has always been God's standard for his children. The word 'holy' appears in various ways more than 1,000 times in the Old and New Testaments. It means to be set apart for the purpose of being used by God. It also means sin has no place in a person's life when he belongs to God. Peter points us to Christ whose life had no blemish of sin on it at all. He was like the lambs in the Old Testament. They had to be examined carefully before they could be offered to God as a sacrifice. If they had any blemish or bad spots of any kind, they could not be used. They had to be perfect. The life of Jesus Christ was absolutely perfect and holy. He is the Lamb of God which has taken away the sin of the world. He is the only sinless one - the only one who could ever have taken our place. Peter says he is our example, our standard. Our lives should be like this. God planned all of this before the world began (v.20). Then in God's own time Christ came into our world and became our Saviour through his death. But God did not leave Christ in the tomb. God raised him from the dead. Our faith now is in a living Christ who is alive forevermore. How then should we live? We should live as men and women who belong to God, willingly obeying him and desiring to be like him. A PRAYER: Lord, help me to be today what you want me to be.