疏割人的首领对神的恩典视而不见，真是不可思议。耶和华使用基甸和一支没有受过训练的小型军队，打垮了强盛的米甸地居民；而更奇怪的，就是疏割的首领竟然拒绝拿饼给基甸的士兵吃。基甸继续前进和擒拿了敌人，跟着，他“捉住那城内的长老，用野地的荆条和枳棘责打疏割人”（士师记 8:16）。不忠心的人必然会自食其果的。
我们的救主耶稣，已经拯救我们脱离罪和死亡，祂是神赐给我们最宝贵的礼物；可是，得到这位救主和祂所赐的怜悯和恩典后，我们当怎样善用这份礼物呢？
耶稣对祂的门徒讲了一个关于天国的才干的比喻；神预期祂给的恩赐会被欣赏和善用，而不是被忽视或埋藏起来，例如被埋藏在地里的。我们有没有感恩和善用神赐的怜悯和恩典-抑或懒散地把它们埋藏起来呢？
不忠于神的恩赐表示我们拒绝这些恩赐：耶稣告诉祂的门徒，凡不善用天国的恩赐的，将会失去这些恩赐。
惟愿耶稣基督的赐与激励我们，叫我们因祂拯救我们而感恩。忠心和尽力善用神所赐的恩典怜悯，能使恩赐倍增，叫那些在我们生命中见到神的良善的人得益。感谢神！
主啊，求你帮助我，藉着圣灵的能力，叫你所赐的恩典怜悯倍增。阿们。
士师记 8:1-6; 马太福音25:29-30
1以法莲人对基甸说：“你去与米甸人争战，没有招我们同去，为什么这样待我们呢？”他们就与基甸大大地争吵。
2基甸对他们说：“我所行的岂能比你们所行的呢？以法莲拾取剩下的葡萄不强过亚比以谢所摘的葡萄吗？
3神已将米甸人的两个首领俄立和西伊伯交在你们手中。我所行的岂能比你们所行的呢？”基甸说了这话，以法莲人的怒气就消了。
4基甸和跟随他的三百人到约旦河过渡，虽然疲乏，还是追赶。
5基甸对疏割人说：“求你们拿饼来给跟随我的人吃，因为他们疲乏了。我们追赶米甸人的两个王西巴和撒慕拿。”
6疏割人的首领回答说：“西巴和撒慕拿已经在你手里，你使我们将饼给你的军兵吗？”
29因为凡有的，还要加给他，叫他有余；没有的，连他所有的也要夺过来。
30把这无用的仆人丢在外面黑暗里，在那里必要哀哭切齿了。’
“Whoever has will be given more... ” - Matthew 25:29
It’s strange that the leaders of Sukkoth were blind to God’s gifts. The Lord had used Gideon and a small, untrained army to rout the powerful hosts of Midian. It’s even stranger that the Sukkoth officials refused to feed Gideon’s troops. Gideon pressed on and captured the enemy. Then “he took the elders of the town and taught the men of Sukkoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers” (8:16). Disloyalty brings its own reward.
The greatest gift of God is Jesus, our Savior, who has rescued us from sin and death. But what do we do with the gift of this Savior and the accompanying gifts of mercy and grace?
Jesus told his disciples a parable about the gifts of the kingdom; God expects his gifts to be appreciated and used, not ignored and hidden, as if buried in the ground. Are we grateful for and using God’s good gifts of mercy and grace—or are we disloyally hiding them away?
Disloyalty demonstrates a rejection of God’s gifts: whoever does not live out the gifts of the kingdom will lose them, Jesus told his disciples.
May the gift of Jesus Christ move us to gratitude for our rescue. Loyalty and dedication to God for his gifts of grace and mercy multiply those gifts—for all who witness God’s goodness in our lives. Thanks be to God!
Help me, Lord, to multiply your gifts of mercy and grace by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
