2008年6月20日 星期五

2008-06-20 Devotionals Today

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為主的緣故

粵語國語

第20天

讀經:彼得前書二章20至25節

  我們若然知道自己做錯,即使被別人指責,也會覺得是活該。可是,若然自己沒有做錯,卻要忍受別人的無理指責,對很多人來說都會感到難以忍受。你曾否試過被人冤屈呢?彼得在這裡面是教導信徒,即使自己沒有做錯或說錯甚麼,卻無故遭人冤枉,也當靠著主恩典來默然承受。

  這裡所指的「受苦」,未必是指到患病或肉體上的受苦,它還包括了被人誤會、排擠、被朋友離棄等。基督徒在日常生活中會經常受到這些試煉。

  彼得提醒我們,基督也受過類似的苦,因此,祂給我們留下了受苦的榜樣。我們唸幼稚園或小學時,老師會在黑板或習作本中寫下生字,我們要留意老師所寫的筆劃照樣抄寫。「榜樣」就是這個意思:我們要留意基督如何面對苦難,我們便依照祂的榜樣去做。

  你還記得自己小時抄寫生字的經驗嗎?要把字體寫得端正,像老師所寫的一樣,最初是很不容易的;我們必須不斷地練習,才會逐漸進步。學習基督的榜樣也是同一道理:我們不可能一開始便像基督那樣完全,只有透過不斷的學習和鍛練,才會日漸成長,愈來愈像基督。

  基督怎樣忍受冤屈呢?曾經有人說基督是「被鬼附著的」(約七20)。祂卻回應說:「人若渴了,可以到我這裡來喝。」(約七37)

  猶大出賣基督,但基督仍然稱他是朋友。彼得不認祂,基督卻主動找他和赦免他。兵丁將祂釘十字架,但祂卻求父赦免他們。

  這種充滿寬恕和憐憫的生命,正是神期望我們擁有的。這是基督的生命。我們唯有祈求基督活在我們心裡,我們才會活出這種生命。你渴望擁有這種生命嗎?

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FOR THE LORD'S SAKE

DAY 20

BIBLE READING: 1 Peter 2: 20-25

'It's hard to be blamed for something I didn't do.' How many times have you heard somebody say that? Most people will accept a rebuke when they know they are wrong. But it takes a lot of Christian grace to accept undeserved blame for something you know you did not do or say.

'Suffering' in these verses doesn't necessarily mean sickness or physical pain. It includes being misunderstood, being rejected, losing friends or other similar testings. All of these things come to us from time to time in our ordinary Christian experience.

Peter reminds us that this was how Christ suffered. He left us an example to follow. Did your teacher in school ever write a sentence on the board or in your book and then tell you to copy it? That is what the word 'example' means here - to copy that which has already been given to us.

It took real effort to copy that example at school, didn't it? But you improved as you did it over and over. So it is with Christ and ourselves. None of us are instantly perfect in our conduct, but our aim should be to grow more like Christ from day to day.

People said about Christ (in John 7) 'He has a devil'. His reply was, 'If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink'.

Judas betrayed him. Christ's reply was to call him friend. Peter denied him. Christ sought him out and forgave him. The soldiers crucified him. His reply was 'Father forgive them'.

This is the kind of life that God wants to see in us. Let us ask him to help us live that life today. It is the life of Christ. He lives within us and will live through us if we will allow him.

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