2013-04-15 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   簡介／操練須知     詩篇139經文 歸心禱告操練     粵語  國語      第180天 走永生的道路 「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。 詩人求神：「看在我裡面有甚麼惡行沒有，引導我走永生的道路」。」他不是只為知道內裡是否有惡行，他是要離開惡行，踏上「永生的道路」。詩人說的「永生的道路」是甚麼意思呢？他希望神引導他永遠生存下去，不會死亡嗎？人人都有一死。即使是義人，連耶穌也會死亡。「永生的道路」不是指「不死的道路」。我們需要參考詩篇第一篇所描述，義人和惡人的道路兩者的差別。義人的道路如一棵樹栽在溪水旁，按時候結果子，葉子也不枯乾。但惡人的道路，卻必滅亡，像糠秕被風吹散。「永生的道路」，是一條義路，是連繫於生命之神的路。我們也求神引導我們走永生的道路。 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。     舊約人物：亞伯拉罕--祝福緊隨著試驗 粵語 國語 第15天 讀經：    創世記十二章10節至十三章4節 10那地遭遇饑荒。因饑荒甚大，亞伯蘭就下埃及去，要在那裡暫居。 11將近埃及，就對他妻子撒萊說：我知道你是容貌俊美的婦人。 12埃及人看見你必說：這是他的妻子，他們就要殺我，卻叫你存活。 13求你說，你是我的妹子，使我因你得平安，我的命也因你存活。 14及至亞伯蘭到了埃及，埃及人看見那婦人極其美貌。 15法老的臣宰看見了他，就在法老面前誇獎他。那婦人就被帶進法老的宮去。 16法老因這婦人就厚待亞伯蘭，亞伯蘭得了許多牛、羊、駱駝、公驢、母驢、僕婢。 17耶和華因亞伯蘭妻子撒萊的緣故，降大災與法老和他的全家。 18法老就召了亞伯蘭來，說：你這向我作的是甚麼事呢？為甚麼沒有告訴我他是你的妻子？ 19為甚麼說他是你的妹子，以致我把他取來要作我的妻子？現在你的妻子在這裡，可以帶他走罷。 20於是法老吩咐人將亞伯蘭和他妻子，並他所有的都送走了。 1亞伯蘭帶著他的妻子與羅得，並一切所有的，都從埃及上南地去。 2亞伯蘭的金、銀、牲畜極多。 3他從南地漸漸往伯特利去，到了伯特利和艾的中間，就是從前支搭帳棚的地方， 4也是他起先築壇的地方；他又在那裡求告耶和華的名。 亞伯拉罕到達迦南後，便要面對兩個試驗。首先，他可能預期神應許賜給他的地，是無人居住的，但事實並非如此。那裡已住滿了迦南人（6節）。亞伯拉罕和他的後裔，如何能得到這塊應許地呢？ 而且，神帶他去的地方，竟然沒有足夠的食物，當地正面臨一場大饑荒（10節）。亞伯拉罕可以怎樣做呢？他還有其他路可走嗎？不要忘記，亞伯拉罕身邊有一大群人需要他供養。 亞伯拉罕作了一個頗為衝動的決定：舉家遷往埃及，離開神帶領他去的地方。 這之後發生的事，就如我們讀到的，亞伯拉罕為了保護自己而撒謊，最終導致法老下逐客令，送他們離開。處境有多麼尷尬！一位信心偉人被一個異教君王下了逐客令！ 當亞伯拉罕離開埃及，返回迦南的時候，他的心情怎樣呢？ 他心裡無疑極為羞愧，這次教訓令他變得謙卑。當他回到迦南，他馬上到先前築的一座壇，向神獻祭。第4節對此記述美妙：「他又求告耶和華的名。」他終於重拾對神的信心。 然而，埃及的經歷禍患仍存。他和羅得在埃及累積的羊群（十三2），不久便引發了一個嚴重的問題。羅得的墮落，便植根於此。而夏甲可能是亞伯拉罕在埃及帶回來的一個僕婢。我們知道，後來悲劇便是在亞伯拉罕和撒拉、夏甲及後以實瑪利之間發生。選擇踏足埃及（敗壞世界的代表），你就難以避免它的影響，甚至成為多年的禍患。 反思： 神必饒恕我們的過錯，但過錯造成的烙印卻保留一生。 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OLD TESTAMENT HEROES: TESTING FOLLOWS BLESSING Day 15 Bible Reading:    Genesis 12:10 to 13:4 10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you." 14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17 But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, 'She is my sister'? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way." 20 So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had. 1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. 2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD. Two tests faced Abraham on his arrival in Canaan. First the land which God had promised to him was not vacant as might have been expected. It was filled with Caananites. (v.6) How was Abraham (or his descendants) going to claim it? Secondly (v.10), in that land to which God had led him, there was insufficient food. In fact, it was in the grip of a serious famine. What was Abraham to do? What alternatives did he face? Remember he had a very large household to cater for. Abraham took what seems to have been an impulsive step. He moved his household down to Egypt, leaving the land to which God had led him. Then followed the sad story of deceit and self interest on Abraham's part which you have just read. Finally Pharaoh asked his police force to escort Abraham out of the country. What a situation! A man of faith was asked to leave by a heathen king! What would have been Abraham's emotions as he travelled east out of Egypt, back to Canaan? No doubt he had serious guilty feelings. It must have been a humbling experience. But when he arrived in Canaan, he went back to one of the altars he had built some time before. Verse 4 expresses it beautifully: 'There Abraham called on the name of the Lord.' What a wonderful restoration for the man of faith. The marks of Egypt were still with him however. The flocks he and Lot had accumulated in Egypt (13:2) became a serious problem soon afterwards. In Lot's case, it was the beginning of his downfall. One person Abraham seems to have acquired in Egypt was Hagar. You remember the tragedy involving Abraham, Sarah and Hagar and later Ishmael. It is a sad story. You can't go to Egypt (a type of the world) and not have it influenced your life for years afterwards. A THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: God forgives. But the scars can remain. 撒母耳記下十三至十四章 重點： 暗嫩姦污妹妹他瑪；押沙龍為妹報仇；押沙龍逃避父怒；約押安排押沙龍回家。 鑰節： 大衛王聽見這事，就甚發怒。（十三21） 內容：  大衛犯了姦淫、但大衛所行的這事，耶和華甚不喜悅（撒下十一27）。他的兒子暗嫩也犯了淫亂，用巧計污辱了妹妹；大衛王聽見這事，就甚發怒。 神不喜悅大衛所行的，就向他顯出公義和審判，宣判他當受的懲罰；在大衛悔罪以後，又向他顯出慈愛和饒恕。他的兒子暗嫩犯了淫亂後，大衛只是不悅，只是發怒，卻沒有管教。 或許是大衛有錯在身，不宜首先拿石頭打死犯亂淫的人。但是從另一角度來看，大衛犯罪而受神審判，正好管教犯同樣罪的人，作他們的鑑戒，只是大衛沒有這樣行，也誘發了押沙龍私下報復。 這樣看來，神和人相差太遠了。神的慈愛和公義彰顯得完美無瑕，人卻是非模糊，喜怒無常，應當愛的時候不敢愛，應恨的時候不敢恨，要審判罪惡的時候沒有力量。 感謝主，從哥林多前書，我們看見保羅對教會裡犯罪的人非常嚴厲；從哥林多後書，又看見保羅對教會是何等的慈愛。願我們被主模造，有主的性情，事事顯出神的愛和聖潔。 默想： 我們的舊生命乏善可陳，感謝主賜下祂的生命，我們如何在新生命裡活著？如何除舊立新？ 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 力求證明自己   腓立比書 3：1-6   「我們乃……不靠著肉體的。」（3節） 在崇尚個人主義的社會裡，人們越來越看重成就。因此，我們為了得到認可和更高的回報而拼搏、追求更好的薪水和更高的職位。我們變得無止境的渴求成就，而這樣的價值觀也很容易侵蝕我們的屬靈生命，令我們以為要拼命工作才能討神的喜悅和證明我們的價值。保羅曾經就是如此。 在他生命轉變之前，他以自己法利賽人的身份而自豪，如果當時有報章的話，標題一定會這樣寫：「保羅，這年代的宗教狂熱者」。他可能會贏取最大的成就獎盃，並豪情萬丈，拼命工作來贏取上帝的好印象。我很想知道，在他寫下「不靠肉體」的時候，是否記得他曾多麼靠自己，他相信自己的家族背景、宗教信仰和努力是讓他夠資格站在神面前的要素。但是與復活耶穌的相遇徹底改變了他的生命，上帝的恩典拯救了他。所以保羅教導腓立比的信徒「不要依靠肉體」，因為他現在已知道他的自信和價值，是來自上帝白白賜予的赦罪的愛。 在我心理輔導的工作中，我曾遇見很多工作狂和獲取顯赫成就的人，他們都沒有內心的平安和持久的喜樂。為什麼呢？因為他們害怕面對失敗，也恐懼心裡那種無價值的痛苦。他們掙扎於尋找自己在基督裡的身份和價值。他們為了證明他們不是失敗者，總是拼命地追求能力和完美。 你的生命有沒有在哪一方面竭力證明你自己？   天父啊，原諒我不斷竭力在您及他人面前證明自己是個不錯的人，求你幫助我追尋在您裡面的價值。阿們。

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