2013-04-02 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   簡介／操練須知     詩篇139經文 歸心禱告操練     粵語  國語      第167天 向神坦然開放 「神阿，求你鑒察我，知道我的心思，試煉我，知道我的意念。看在我裡面有甚麼惡行沒有，引導我走永生的道路。」（23-24節） 詩人向神祈禱，但並沒有甚麼東西是希望神賜給他的，他沒有求神使他生活順利、安舒。頗奇怪的，詩人竟然求神檢查他的心思、考驗他的意念、察看他的內在的傾向。我們很少聽見這樣的祈禱。 詩人對於神，是毫無保留的。他坦蕩蕩的求神知透他的心，引導他的心思、意念，又察看他的內在傾向。從人性經驗而言，只有在彼此互相信任、關愛的關係裡才可能有這樣誠實、開放的表白。當然，誠實、開放的表白，會進一步加深彼此的連繫。詩人起初已經說神知道他的心思意念，到了最後又再求神鑑察他內心的一切。他實在是很放心、很樂意讓神了解他。我們也被鼓勵，以誠懇、坦然的態度面對神。 讓我們渴慕跟神更深地連繫，進入靜禱，體認我與神、神與我是深切共融的。你現在就放鬆，慢慢呼吸，心裡默念：「神阿，你認識我。」把你的意識放在與神共融的當下。請開始。…… 請你在靜禱中體認，我與神、神與我是深切共融的。每當你察覺自己在想其他東西，或有任何思念把你的意識帶離神同在的當下，便再次在心中默念：「神阿，你認識我。」然後返回當下這一刻。……   文章及錄音版權屬譚沛泉博士及國證網絡所有。 音樂版權屬譚邱瑞珍女士所有，承蒙允許使用。     神的管教 粵語 國語 第2天 讀經：    約拿書一章4至17節 4然而耶和華使海中起大風，海就狂風大作，甚至船幾乎破壞。 5水手便懼怕，各人哀求自己的神。他們將船上的貨物拋在海中，為要使船輕些。約拿已下到底艙，躺臥沉睡。 6船主到他那裡對他說：你這沉睡的人哪，為何這樣呢？起來，求告你的神，或者神顧念我們，使我們不致滅亡。 7船上的人彼此說：來吧，我們掣籤，看看這災臨到我們是因誰的緣故。於是他們掣籤，掣出約拿來。 8眾人對他說：請你告訴我們，這災臨到我們是因誰的緣故？你以何事為業？你從哪裡來？你是哪一國？屬哪一族的人？ 9他說：我是希伯來人。我敬畏耶和華─那創造滄海旱地之天上的神。 10他們就大大懼怕，對他說：你做的是甚麼事呢？他們已經知道他躲避耶和華，因為他告訴了他們。 11他們問他說：我們當向你怎樣行，使海浪平靜呢？這話是因海浪越發翻騰。 12他對他們說：你們將我抬起來，拋在海中，海就平靜了；我知道你們遭這大風是因我的緣故。 13然而那些人竭力盪槳，要把船攏岸，卻是不能，因為海浪越發向他們翻騰。 14他們便求告耶和華說：耶和華啊，我們懇求你，不要因這人的性命使我們死亡，不要使流無辜血的罪歸與我們；因為你─耶和華是隨自己的意旨行事。 15他們遂將約拿抬起，拋在海中，海的狂浪就平息了。 16那些人便大大敬畏耶和華，向耶和華獻祭，並且許願。 17耶和華安排一條大魚吞了約拿，他在魚腹中三日三夜。 神的呼召臨到之後，約拿的生命經歷了四個階段：悖逆、被管教、回轉，及得著拯救。 神的先知竟然抗拒神的呼召，不肯去傳神的信息，真是令人難以置信！神在以色列民族中的作為是如此的偉大，若有人要定意遵從神，首先應該是猶太人的先知才對。然而，想想我們自己，我們對神的順服，又豈與我們所蒙的恩相稱呢？ 約拿逃走的時候，一切都似乎非常順利──他找到一條船，正要開往他想去的地方，他付得起船費，他們也還有空位。唯有一點，這，不是神所要他做的。 最初，神讓他任意而行，但等到一切安妥的時候，神便開始行動，祂開口了──一場風暴驟然而至。船員們甚為驚恐，船長叫醒了夢中的約拿，讓他向他的神呼求，可以消災避禍。船員都相信，一定有人觸怒了神，以致招來了這狂風巨浪。 後來大家都相信約拿便是惹禍的人。該拿他怎麼辦呢？他們想盡了別的辦法，最後不得不把他拋進海中。有趣的是，他們邊向耶和華神禱告，邊把約拿拋下大海（拿一14）。 約拿被海吞噬了，這是船員們所知道的結局。沒有人想到，汪洋之下，約拿的神仍然作工。神已為這個悖逆的僕人，預備了祂拯救的計劃。為甚麼？因為神仍愛約拿，祂希望約拿明白祂是怎麼樣的一位神；祂要約拿去尼尼微傳道的計畫未曾更改。 神為何要管教我們呢？原因跟祂管教約拿一樣。祂希望我們遵行祂的旨意；神希望用我們去向他人傳播祂的愛和憐憫。省察神在你生命中的工作；你便曉得神為何要管教你。 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GOD WOULDN'T LET JONAH DROWN Day 2 Bible Reading:    Jonah 1:4-17 4 But the LORD sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came to him, and said to him, "What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish." 7 And they said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, "Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?" 9 So he said to them, "I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land." 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, "Why have you done this?" For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. 11 Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?"—for the sea was growing more tempestuous. 12 And he said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me." 13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they cried out to the LORD and said, "We pray, O LORD, please do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You." 15 So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows. 17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. There were four stages in Jonah's experiences after God called him. First there was disobedience, secondly there was discipline, then decision and finally deliverance. What a contradiction - a prophet of God being disobedient to God's call to speak on His behalf. If anyone should have wanted to obey God it should have been a Jewish prophet, one of the race for whom God had done so much. But can we criticize any of them when our obedience isn't all that it should be? Everything seemed to be right for Jonah - he found a ship going where he wanted to go, they had room for him and he had the money for the fare. But it wasn't what God wanted. God let him go his own way but when he was comfortably settled God acted. God spoke and His voice was a storm. The sailors were terrified. The captain woke Jonah asking him to call on his God and see what he could do. The crew believed someone was to blame for this terrifying storm. Finally it came down to Jonah as the culprit. What could they do with him? Throwing him overboard is the only way. They tried everything else first but at last they had to do it. It is interesting that they prayed as they did it. (v.14) The sea closed over Jonah and as far as the crew knew, that was the end of the story. It would have been except that Jonah's God was working below the surface of the sea. God had deliverance ready for His disobedient servant. Why? Because God loved Jonah. God also wanted to teach Jonah what kind of a God He is, and He still wanted him to speak to Ninevah. Why does God deal with us in discipline? For the same reasons He dealt with Jonah in that way. He wants us to do His revealed will. He wants to use us to reach others with His love and mercy. Watch what God is doing in your life. You may see why He is doing it. 撒母耳記上四至七章 重點： 以色列人被非利士人擊敗；約櫃被擄；以利死；非利士人因約櫃遭災難，送回約櫃；撒母耳作士師。 鑰節： 基列耶琳人就下來，將耶和華的約櫃接上去，放在山上亞比拿達的家中，分派他兒子以利亞撒看守耶和華的約櫃。約櫃在基列耶琳許久。過了二十年，以色列全家都傾向耶和華。（七1-2） 內容：  以色列人處在黑暗時期，事奉神的祭司以利一家不尊重神，放縱肉體；他們還以為將神的約櫃從會幕裡抬上戰場，必定將敵人殺敗。豈知神已離開他們，神的約櫃被非利士人擄去。 因為神自己的保守，約櫃被送回以色列；神並且向不敬虔的百姓顯出祂的榮耀和權能，擊殺擅觀祂約櫃中的七十人。祭司以利一家既歿，百姓對神並不認識，便像非利士人一樣懼怕約櫃；惟基列耶琳的居民迎接，亞比拿達將他的家和兒子分別出來，看守著約櫃，約櫃也就再沒有送回會幕去。 讚美主！約櫃在亞比拿達家中二十年，竟然吸引了以色列全家都傾向耶和華。這是神的憐憫，祂仍住在百姓中間，祂自己在作工。 現今的教會光景或許像以利祭司時代的衰敗，宗教的禮儀、聚會仍在普遍地進行，只是主不在其中，像約櫃不在會幕一樣。但是，只要有神的兒女愛主、分別為聖事奉主，高舉主耶穌，堅持主的見證，主就與他同在，復興仍會降臨。 默想： 我們高舉的是甚麼呢？是宗派嗎？是基督教的活動、工作，還是耶穌基督和祂的十字架呢？（參約十二32） 本文資料由福音團契書局提供，謹此致謝。 《讀經日引》每季一本，免費贈閱。請電郵biblepathway@yahoo.com.hk索取。 意見交通，請電郵：biblepathway@yahoo.com.hk 喜樂的人生   腓立比書一1-6   「我每逢想念你們，就感謝我的神……常是歡歡喜喜的祈求……」（3-4節） 腓立比書是保羅寫給腓立比教會的信，被稱為新約的「喜樂書信」。無可否認，我們的人生常會遭遇艱難的處境，這些嚴峻的考驗是那麼磨人，常使我們喘不過氣來，更把我們的喜樂奪去。這時，我們會呼喊：「我的人生還會有什麼喜樂嗎？」現在，不如讓我們重新審視喜樂人生有什麼特質。 在早期教會，當一位男士跟隨耶穌成為公認的宗教領袖，他是會被控告、被鞭打、常捱餓，在寒冷的日子衣不敝體。保羅便是這樣，他後來還遭拘捕，在羅馬士兵看守下被關進牢獄兩年之久。然而，他並沒有沈溺在自憐中，也沒有逃避；相反，他卻超越了現存的處境，寫出了給腓立比人這封美妙的書信——迴響著喜樂信息的書信。在第一章裡保羅告訴我們無論在任何境況，他都找到生活的喜樂。 這些腓立比的信徒，為何令保羅那麼快樂？首先，這群弟兄姊妹帶給保羅很好的回憶。某聖經新譯本這樣寫：「每一次我想起你，我便湧流出難以言喻的感謝」（3節）（原文摘自The Message）。他選擇了忘記在腓立比那不人道的牢獄生涯，而將腓立比信徒的美好回憶放在心上，這給他的胸懷和嘴唇帶來微笑，讓他能喜樂地為他們祈求。 你內心充滿了怎樣的回憶？很無奈的，對某些「朋友」的回憶會使我們的心沉下來；然而，我們也可以選擇回憶起那些好朋友，使我們能為他們感謝神，使我們內心快慰，滿溢喜樂。   常念記過去和現存的友誼，享受那溫馨的回憶，並為這些朋友感謝神。

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