2013-04-18 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 舊約人物：亞伯拉罕--憑信獻上最好的 粵語 國語 第18天 讀經：    創世記二十二章1至14節 1這些事以後，神要試驗亞伯拉罕，就呼叫他說：亞伯拉罕！他說：我在這裡。 2神說：你帶著你的兒子，就是你獨生的兒子，你所愛的以撒，往摩利亞地去，在我所要指示你的山上，把他獻為燔祭。 3亞伯拉罕清早起來，備上驢，帶著兩個僕人和他兒子以撒，也劈好了燔祭的柴，就起身往神所指示他的地方去了。 4到了第三日，亞伯拉罕舉目遠遠的看見那地方。 5亞伯拉罕對他的僕人說：你們和驢在此等候，我與童子往那裡去拜一拜，就回到你們這裡來。 6亞伯拉罕把燔祭的柴放在他兒子以撒身上，自己手裡拿著火與刀；於是二人同行。 7以撒對他父親亞伯拉罕說：父親哪！亞伯拉罕說：我兒，我在這裡。以撒說：請看，火與柴都有了，但燔祭的羊羔在那裡呢？ 8亞伯拉罕說：我兒，神必自己預備作燔祭的羊羔。於是二人同行。 9他們到了神所指示的地方，亞伯拉罕在那裡築壇，把柴擺好，捆綁他的兒子以撒，放在壇的柴上。 10亞伯拉罕就伸手拿刀，要殺他的兒子。 11耶和華的使者從天上呼叫他說：亞伯拉罕！亞伯拉罕！他說：我在這裡。 12天使說：你不可在這童子身上下手。一點不可害他！現在我知道你是敬畏神的了；因為你沒有將你的兒子，就是你獨生的兒子，留下不給我。 13亞伯拉罕舉目觀看，不料，有一隻公羊，兩角扣在稠密的小樹中，亞伯拉罕就取了那隻公羊來，獻為燔祭，代替他的兒子。 14亞伯拉罕給那地方起名叫耶和華以勒(意思就是耶和華必預備的意思)，直到今日人還說：在耶和華的山上必有預備。 有人說：「神要基督徒過的成聖生活並不容易輕鬆。」你同意嗎？同樣的，嚴師才能出高徒。要求高的教練往往才是成功的教練，因為好的老師和成功的教練都明白，只有好的成績才算數。 同樣道理，神要造就我們，願意我們在基督裡不斷成長。因此，祂的教室和訓練場地，往往不會是安樂窩。 以撒面對試驗時有多大的年紀？聖經沒有說，我們只知道他娶利百加的時候是40歲。 經文說：「神試驗亞伯拉罕。」（1節）撒但試探我們，是要叫我們跌倒；但神卻利用這些試驗來建立我們的信心。神要亞伯拉罕獻以撒為祭（2節），這個命令既奇怪也似乎沒有甚麼合理的理由。創世記中沒有記載亞伯拉罕當時的感受和思想，甚至也沒有記載他的妻子撒拉是否曉得這件事。 然而，如果細讀經文，你會看到亞伯拉罕卓絕的信心。我們來看第5節他對僕人說的話：「我們去敬拜神，然後便回來」。希伯來書十一章17至19節清楚表明，亞伯拉罕信神會使以撒從死裡復活，並藉以撒使他的後代繁衍。 請同時留意亞伯拉罕和兒子之間的對話。他們一同前往獻祭的地點。在那之後，一個更偉大的父親和一個更偉大的兒子一同走向髑髏地。以撒有神預備好的祭品來替代，但基督卻沒有。祂自己成了我們和我們的罪的替代品。 讓我們來讀第17至18節。它說：「我必賜大福給你……因你聽從了我的話。」讓我們將它的次序倒轉：「因你聽從了我的話……我必賜大福給你。」這個原則永不改變：順服必帶來祝福。 緊記神的心意：我們要經過試驗，信心才能成長。 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OLD TESTAMENT HEROES: Faith Offering Its Best Day 18 Bible Reading:    Genesis 22:1-14 1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 2 Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you." 6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. 7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" 8 And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together. 9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am." 12 And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." 13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided."   Do you agree with the following statement: 'God doesn't make it easy to live as a Christian'? But then a good teacher doesn't make it easy for a good student. A successful coach doesn't make it easy for his players. Both the teacher and the coach know it is the results which count. In the same way God seeks only our good. His desire is to see us grow in Christ. Even so, His 'proving ground' or classrooms are not always comfortable places, are they? How old was Isaac when this test took place? We have no idea - we only know he was 40 when he married Rebekah. 'God tested Abraham.' (v.1) Satan tempts us to pull us down. God allows tests to build up our faith. Yet there seems very little reason for God's strange command (v.2) to sacrifice Isaac. The Genesis record gives us no insight into Abraham's feelings or thoughts at that time. We are not even told if his wife Sarah knew what he was about to do. However, if you read carefully the details, you will see Abraham's incredible faith coming through. Look at verse 5 and his words to the servants, 'We will worship, then we will come back to you.' Hebrews 11:17-19 clearly indicates that Abraham believed God could raise up Isaac from the dead and still fulfill His plans. Notice also the conversation between the father and the son. They went together to the sacrificial spot. A greater Father and a greater Son went to Calvary together. There was a substitution for Isaac. There was none for Christ. He was the substitute for us and for our sin. Look too at the words of verse 17 and 18. Reverse their order and take them to yourself. 'Because you have obeyed me, I will surely bless you.' That principle still holds good. Blessing always follows obedience. REMEMBER GOD'S PLAN: Faith should always grow under testing. 撒母耳記下十九至二十章 重點： 約押勸大衛；大衛返耶城；示巴叛大衛；示巴死。 鑰節： 約押作以色列全軍的元帥。（二十23） 內容：  約押是英勇的戰士，在年青時就與大衛出入。大衛作王後，他是元帥（八16），屢立戰功；現今是大衛作王的末期，約押仍作元帥。 押沙龍叛變平息後，又有示巴之亂。那時，大衛卻沒有將平亂之責任交託元帥約押，而交予亞瑪撒（4節）。亞瑪撒不稱職，耽誤了日期，大衛仍沒有使用約押，且越過元帥約押，派他的下屬亞比篩去平亂（6節）。 約押之所以被「架空」（按職位他應負此責，卻不受託此責），是因為他在平息押沙龍叛變時，沒有聽從王的命令：「寬待那少年人押沙龍。」（十八5） 大衛不能沒有約押，以色列不能沒有約押作元帥。雖然約押跋扈，卻對大衛王忠心耿耿，對國家忠誠。在平亂之時，只針對作亂者，減少不必要之內鬥，傷及百姓。 在大衛陷於他感情之肉體軟弱時，神使用了約押，重新團結國家，鞏固神立大衛作王的旨意。 默想： 在教會中，我們該如何不容「耶和華的產業」（19節）被吞滅毀壞？ 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 勇往直前   腓立比書 3：12-16   「……忘記背後，努力面前的」。（13節） 保羅很明顯已改變成為另一個人，現在他與神的關係是憑著信心而不是依靠行為。然後呢？ 保羅毫不含糊地描述自己的屬靈進程，說道：「不是說我已經得著了！」（12節），因為基督徒的生命不是被動消極的，而是一個不斷前進的過程。保羅用賽跑者的比喻激勵他的腓立比同伴們，勸勉他們要在基督的信心裡勇往直前，跨過所有的障礙。他這比喻是要表明兩點： 忘記過去……逝者如斯。運動員在賽跑中處於領先位置的時候，他是絕對不會回頭看後面的。過去曾帶給我們什麼呢？是罪咎和羞恥之心？還是失敗和挫折？或者是在我們拼搏後完成的目標和取得的成就帶給我們的驕傲？在我所見過的不愉快的人裡面，有些心裡總是懷著苦毒和怨恨，是因為他們老是回顧過去的事情。過分緬懷過去會叫人失去喜樂，因此保羅教導我們要「忘記背後」。讓我們將過去帶到十架跟前，求神監察我們的心。 向前看……邁向標杆。 在這場叫做生命的賽跑裡，我們要用所有的能力和熱情，帶著對未來的盼望，跑過衝刺線，去贏取我們的獎賞。什麼獎賞呢？如同希臘賽跑中的得勝者會贏得一頂花冠一樣，基督徒將贏得永恆的喜樂作為獎賞。保羅說：「我致力要得到這樣的獎賞」（14節）。我們是否也有同樣的目標呢？讓我們一起來奮力向前吧。   天父啊，求你幫助我警惕那些妨礙你努力競賽的東西，幫助我集中精神贏取你要給我的獎賞。

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