8月2日靈修禱文

Galatians 4:19

I have read a little humor, a pregnant wife saw her husband sitting at the desk and groaning, she then joked to him, "I heard you keep groaning.  Is it harder for you to write a paper than I being pregnant?" Unexpectedly, the husband promptly responded, "Of course it's harder for me than you. You are pregnant because you have a baby in your tummy, but I'm so empty in my heart at the moment, nothing in my tummy!".  Apostle Paul painstakingly exhorted the brothers and sisters of the Galatia church, until Christ is formed in their hearts.  We should also ask ourselves deep in heart before God.  Is Christ formed in our hearts?  Do we have Christ living in our hearts?  Either yes or no, there is no grey area here, it should not be as if yes or as if no.  Apostle Paul compares our bodies to pottery, the Christ who lives in our hearts is a precious treasure (refer to 2 Corinthians 4:7).  It is Christ who lives in our hearts, it is Christ who speaks in our hearts, and it is Christ's life that gradually renews and replaces the life of the old self.  Regardless of one's race color in the world, or one's success, failure, wealthy or poor before others, even whether it's male or female.  When we believe in Jesus Christ, we are all sons of God (refer to Galatians 3:26 & 28).  No wonder in the letter that Apostle Paul wrote to the brothers and sisters in the church, he just called "brothers".  Thank God, after being born again and saved, we find the true meaning and direction of life, that is knowing the Christ living inside me, loving what He loves and doing what He does for the rest of my life.  Amen!

Dear Father, thank you for your choosing and salvation, that "everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life" (John 6:40), "Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:12).  We pray for the Holy Spirit Advocate to enlighten and guide, because "for all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" (Romans 8:14).  May we no longer question our identity of being saved by grace, no longer questioning Father’s love for us, "for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.  It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?" (Hebrews 12:6-7).   Thank you for Father's discipline, because you don't want us to continuously be babies.  You want us to grow healthily, run and follow your beloved son, our precious Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen!

Rev. Jun Cai

加拉太書4:19

讀到過一個小幽默，懷孕的妻子看到丈夫坐在書桌前唉聲嘆氣，打趣他“聽你一直長吁短嘆的，難道你寫一篇論文要比我生孩子還難嗎？”，不料，丈夫隨即回嘴“我當然比你難啦，你生孩子因為肚子裡有孩子，可我此刻心中空空如也、腹中無貨呀！”。使徒保羅苦口婆心地勸勉加拉太教會的弟兄姊妹，直等到基督成形在他們心裡。我們也當在神面前捫心自問，基督成形在我們心裡了嗎？我們的心裡有基督的內住嗎？有就是有，沒有就是沒有，在這裡沒有灰色地帶，不應該好像有又好像沒有。使徒保羅把我們的身體比作瓦器，內住在我們心裡的基督是寶貝（參哥林多後書4:7），是基督在我們心裡活著，是基督在我們心裡說話，是基督的生命逐漸更新替換老我的生命。無論一個人在世上的種族膚色，在人前的成功失敗、富貴貧窮，甚至無論是男或是女，當我們因信基督耶穌，都是神的兒子（參加拉太書3:26,28），難怪使徒保羅在寫給教會弟兄姊妹的書信中，他只是稱呼“弟兄們”。感謝神，重生得救之後，我們找到真實的人生意義和方向，那就是認識內住的基督，余生愛祂所愛、行祂所行。阿們！

親愛的天父，感謝您的揀選和救贖，讓我們這些見子而信的人得著永恆的生命（參約翰福音6:40），“人有了神的兒子就有生命；沒有神的兒子就沒有生命（約翰一書5:12）”。求聖靈保惠師光照引導，“因為凡被神的靈引導的，都是神的兒子（羅馬書8:14）”，願我們不再質疑自己蒙恩得救的身份，不再質疑天父對我們的愛，“因為主所愛的他必管教，又鞭打凡所收納的兒子。你們所忍受的，是神管教你們，待你們如同待兒子。焉有兒子不被父親管教的呢？（希伯來書12:6-7）”謝謝天父的管教，因為您不要我們一直作嬰孩，您要我們健康地長大，快跑跟隨您的愛子，我們心中的至寶主耶穌基督。阿們！

蔡軍 牧師