神会记念我们
在新约书信的某些地方，我们会清楚地发现我们是在读别人的信件。
如果你在祖母去世以后清理她的房间，发现一个装满信件的鞋盒，你可能会读到“哈利叔叔的困难”或“路易莎堂姐如何获得巨大成功”。但你可能并不怎么认识他们任何人，你可能永远也不会知道他们经历过怎样的困难或成功。
保罗推荐以巴弗提背后是有故事的，腓立比会众知道保罗在说什么。而我们不知道。圣经中以巴弗提这个人只有在腓立比书中被提到。听起来好像保罗让他去送这封信给腓立比的教会。并且看起来以巴弗提从腓立比带给保罗一个礼物，并且他为了福音的缘故几乎至死。其它我们就不得而知了。
但从某些角度，我们可以把以巴弗提当作我们所有人的代表。我们都有故事。我们甚至可能为神做了委身奉献。但，我们并不出名。在我们死后很少有人记得我们的名字。但神知道我们每个人的名字。神会记念。神会因我们为祂国度的服事而记念我们。这对我们所有人来说，可不是一点点鼓励！
主啊，感谢祢，在祢至高的知识中，祢看见并注意到每个人，正如祢已经把我们的名字写在了祢的生命册上。奉基督的名，阿们。
腓立比书 2:25-30
25 然而，我想必须打发以巴弗提到你们那里去，他是我的兄弟，与我一同做工一同当兵，是你们所差遣的，也是供给我需用的。
26 他很想念你们众人，并且极其难过，因为你们听见他病了。
27 他实在是病了，几乎要死，然而神怜恤他，不但怜恤他，也怜恤我，免得我忧上加忧。
28 所以我越发急速打发他去，叫你们再见他就可以喜乐，我也可以少些忧愁。
29 故此，你们要在主里欢欢乐乐地接待他，而且要尊重这样的人，
30 因他为做基督的工夫几乎至死，不顾性命，要补足你们供给我的不及之处。
The Remembering God
"I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs." — Philippians 2:25
In some parts of the letters in the New Testament we find clear reminders that we are reading someone else’s mail.
If you are cleaning out your grandmother’s house after her death and you find a shoebox full of letters, you might read passing references to “Uncle Harry’s difficulties” or how “cousin Louisa hit it big.” But you may not know much about either person, and you may never know what difficulties or successes they had.
There’s a story behind Paul’s references to Epaphroditus, and the Philippians knew what Paul was talking about. But we don’t. In the Bible this man, Epaphroditus, is mentioned only in Philippians. It sounds like Paul had him hand-deliver this very letter to the church in Philippi. It also appears that Epaphroditus had brought Paul a gift from Philippi and that he nearly worked himself to death for the cause of the gospel. More than that we do not know.
But in some ways we can think of Epaphroditus as a stand-in for us all. We all have stories. We may even have done devoted work for God. No, we’re not famous. Few people will remember our names after we are gone. But God knows each of us by name. God remembers. God honors us for the service we have done for his kingdom. And that is more than a little encouragement for us all!
Thank you, Lord, that in your sovereign knowledge you see and notice everybody, even as you have already written our names into your book of life. In Christ, Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳
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