接受福音

作者:每日箴言   来源:普世佳音

“妇人对以利亚说,现在我知道你是神人,耶和华借你口所说的话是真的。” - 王上 17:24

我发现令人惊奇的一件事,神可以差以利亚去很多地方,然而祂偏偏差他去见撒勒法的寡妇。这可能也令以利亚感到惊讶。神将他从自己百姓的地以色列差派出来,这使得以利亚必须依赖一个外邦人的款待。

神指示这个寡妇给以利亚食物,而她自己却十分贫穷。在几个方面——作为一个寡妇,穷人,又住在以色列以外——她是我们最不可能想到被选来招待主的先知的人。从故事中看来,她似乎也不是神的跟随者。

我们对宗教的关注,往往是根据表现来衡量成功的:你多久向神祷告一次?你遵守神的教导吗?你虔诚地敬拜神吗?然而在这个故事中,恩典之神使用的是一个对这些概念完全陌生的人。这就是恩典的奇妙之处——我们不能去挣取。

神去找外邦人。祂去找那些处于边缘的人。那个寡妇和以利亚透过彼此的陪伴和帮助都得到了祝福;这里不存在什么优越和卑贱。只有透过拥抱对方,我们才能互相经历恩典。当我们跟随神的指引时,不仅要与他人分享神的恩典,也要去接受祂的恩典。

祷告

恩典之神啊,我们想要真正地认识祢。求祢引导我们的生活,好使我们不仅能分享祢的恩典,也能接受祢的恩典。阿们。

 

列王纪上 17:7-24

7 过了些日子,溪水就干了,因为雨没有下在地上。
8 耶和华的话临到他说:
9 “你起身往西顿的撒勒法去,住在那里。我已吩咐那里的一个寡妇供养你。”
10 以利亚就起身往撒勒法去。到了城门,见有一个寡妇在那里捡柴,以利亚呼叫她说:“求你用器皿取点水来给我喝。”
11 她去取水的时候,以利亚又呼叫她说:“也求你拿点饼来给我。”
12 她说:“我指着永生耶和华你的神起誓,我没有饼,坛内只有一把面,瓶里只有一点油。我现在找两根柴,回家要为我和我儿子做饼,我们吃了,死就死吧。”
13 以利亚对她说:“不要惧怕。可以照你所说的去做吧,只要先为我做一个小饼拿来给我,然后为你和你的儿子做饼,
14 因为耶和华以色列的神如此说:‘坛内的面必不减少,瓶里的油必不缺短,直到耶和华使雨降在地上的日子。’”
15 妇人就照以利亚的话去行。她和她家中的人并以利亚,吃了许多日子。
16 坛内的面果不减少,瓶里的油也不缺短,正如耶和华藉以利亚所说的话。
17 这事以后,做那家主母的妇人她儿子病了,病得甚重,以致身无气息。
18 妇人对以利亚说:“神人哪,我与你何干?你竟到我这里来,使神想念我的罪,以致我的儿子死呢?”
19 以利亚对她说:“把你儿子交给我。”以利亚就从妇人怀中将孩子接过来,抱到他所住的楼中,放在自己的床上,
20 就求告耶和华说:“耶和华我的神啊,我寄居在这寡妇的家里,你就降祸于她,使她的儿子死了吗?”
21 以利亚三次伏在孩子的身上,求告耶和华说:“耶和华我的神啊,求你使这孩子的灵魂仍入他的身体!”
22 耶和华应允以利亚的话,孩子的灵魂仍入他的身体,他就活了。
23 以利亚将孩子从楼上抱下来,进屋子交给他母亲,说:“看哪,你的儿子活了。”
24 妇人对以利亚说:“现在我知道你是神人,耶和华藉你口所说的话是真的。”  

Living And Receiving The Gospel

The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth.” — 1 Kings 17:24

英语音频 English Audio

I find it amazing that of all the places God could send Elijah, he sent the prophet to a widow in Zarephath. It was probably surprising to Elijah too. God had sent him out of Israel, the land of his people. This caused Elijah to depend on the hospitality of an outsider.

God directed this widow to supply Elijah with food, and yet she herself was very poor. In several ways—being a widow, poor, and from a land outside Israel—she was one of the last people we might expect to be chosen as a host for a prophet of the Lord. From the story, it sounds like she wasn’t a follower of God either.

In our focus on religion, we often gauge success on the basis of performance: How often do you pray to God? Do you follow the teachings of God’s Word? Do you worship God faithfully? In this story, however, the God of grace uses someone who is foreign to all of those ideas. That’s what makes grace so amazing—we can do nothing to earn it.

God goes to the outsider. He goes to people who are on the margins. The widow and Elijah are both blessed by each other’s presence and help. There’s no place for superiority or inferiority. It is through embracing the other that grace can be mutually experienced. When we follow God’s direction, we not only share his grace with others but also receive it.

Prayer

God of grace, we want to know who you truly are. Guide our living so that we not only share the grace you give but also receive it. Amen.

诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳


发布日期:2018-08-12