试验我们的信心
在这件事上，亚伯拉罕的信心受到严厉的试探。他凝视着他挚爱的儿子以撒的面容、想到这个多年之前蒙神应许梦想成真所得到的孩子将要成为祭物，亚伯拉罕的心必定是万分不舍的。然而，亚伯拉罕深信，当人似乎到了绝路时，神总有办法提供一条出路的。亚伯拉罕对大能、良善、和守约的神显示了出人意外和坚定不移的信心。
在这里，神要亚伯拉罕经历对信心极限的考验。神想和道，究竟谁在亚伯拉罕的心中居首位，而亚伯拉罕也需要知道，他可以完全信靠神。所以，神便吩咐亚伯拉罕把他最珍贵的财产献给衪。
什么是你最珍贵的财产？对你来说，有什么东西被看得比生命本身更重要、以致你会紧紧抓住不放呢？我猜它大概是一件价值不菲的东西吧。不过，纵使是有价值的东西，如果它令我们分心和离开神，就可能沦为我们的偶像，那样就没有益处了。
神有时需要忍痛把我们牢牢抓住那件财宝的手指撬开、好让我们把本来属于衪的东西归还给衪的。我们若不肯交出和献上给神，那么没有什么东西在我们手中是真正安全或牢固的。
父啊，求你帮助我们放手把我们的财宝交在你手中。惟愿我们轻轻拿着你赐给我们的东西、同时紧紧抓着你自己，又引领我们在你里面找到真正持久的喜乐，阿们。
创世记 22:8-12
8亚伯拉罕说：“我儿，神必自己预备做燔祭的羊羔。”于是二人同行。
9他们到了神所指示的地方，亚伯拉罕在那里筑坛，把柴摆好，捆绑他的儿子以撒，放在坛的柴上。
10亚伯拉罕就伸手拿刀，要杀他的儿子。
11耶和华的使者从天上呼叫他说：“亚伯拉罕！亚伯拉罕！”他说：“我在这里。”
12天使说：“你不可在这童子身上下手，一点不可害他。现在我知道你是敬畏神的了，因为你没有将你的儿子，就是你独生的儿子，留下不给我。”
Testing Our Faith
"Do not lay a hand on the boy. . . . Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." - Genesis 22:12
Abraham's faith is severely tested in this episode. How it must have pained him to look into the face of the son he loved so dearly, knowing that this long-promised child was to become a sacrifice. Yet Abraham trusted that God would somehow make a way when there seemed to be no way out. Abraham displayed a surprising, unshakeable faith in the almighty, good God, who keeps his promises.
Here God put Abraham to the ultimate test of faith. God needed to know who really held first place in Abraham's heart. And Abraham needed to know that God could be completely trusted. For this reason Abraham was asked to surrender his most precious treasure to God.
What is your most precious treasure? What might you be holding on to because it's more important to you than life itself? My guess is that it's probably a very good thing. But if a good thing becomes a distraction that pulls you away from God, it can become an idol, and that is a bad thing.
Sometimes God has to do the painful work of prying our fingers off that treasure so that we can give back to him what belongs to him in the first place. Nothing is truly safe or secure until it is surrendered and dedicated to God.
Father, help us to release our treasures into your hands. May we hold loosely what you have given us while holding tightly to you. Guide us to find our true joy in you. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
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