我的女儿和女婿正在为我们的一个孙儿选择一头治疗犬，他们一直都在讨论和研究狗的哪一个品种最好和多大体型才合适。 在这个过程中， 为了要家人体验如何适应新成员的加入， 他们的另一个儿子也在学习帮助邻居遛狗。 他们全家都一起参与，来共同作出一个明智的选择。
然而更重要的，就是明白神已经定意要我们加入衪的大家庭。神以创造我们并与衪相交为乐，你会因此受到激励吗？神知道，藉着耶稣的牺牲，我们可以成为衪的儿女。衪对我们的人生规划是要让我们参与衪的故事。神照衪的形像创造我们，但还不止如此；衪更爱我们并愿意与我们建立关系。
当我们的生命反映出这些实质时，我们便能彰显神的荣耀和慈爱，而我们的心也随之改变了。我们的行事为人显明我们知道我们属于神的家，也是神家的一员了。
成为神家的一员意味着什么？这意味着我们彼此负责。神已将衪的爱赐给我们，使我们有能力一起同心生活、彼此分享我们真实蒙神拣选的生命故事。
父啊，感谢你，因为你创造并拣选了我们。求你帮助我们看到成为神家的成员究竟意味着什么，又能以你爱我们的方式仁慈待人。阿们。
以弗所书 1:3-5
3愿颂赞归于我们主耶稣基督的父神！他在基督里曾赐给我们天上各样属灵的福气，
4就如神从创立世界以前在基督里拣选了我们，使我们在他面前成为圣洁，无有瑕疵；
5又因爱我们，就按着自己意旨所喜悦的，预定我们藉着耶稣基督得儿子的名分，
"He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. . . ." - Ephesians 1:5
My daughter and son-in-law are in the process of choosing a therapy dog for one of our grandsons. They have been discussing and studying about which breed is best and which size is right. During this time, their other son has been helping to walk the neighbor's dog to get a sense of how this addition to the family will work. The family is invested together to make a good choice.
Even more important is understanding that God has decided that he wants us to join his family. Does it inspire you that God has been pleased to create us for fellowship with him? God knew that through the sacrifice of Jesus we would become sons and daughters of God. His plan for our lives is to include us in his story. It wasn't enough that God created us and made us his imagebearers; he also loves us and wants to live in relationship with us.
When our lives reflect the realization of all this, we display God's glory and his love, and something changes in us. We carry ourselves with the knowledge that we belong and are part of God's family.
What does it mean to be part of this family? It means we are responsible for one another. Because of the love God has given us, we have the ability to live in unity together, sharing in the story that God has indeed chosen us.
Thank you, Father, that you have created us and have chosen us. Help us to see what it means to be in your family and to treat others with the same love you have shown us. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
