双语灵修（葛培理牧师）：6月25日 奇异恩典

6月25日

奇异恩典

“妇人说：「我没有丈夫。」耶稣说：「你说没有丈夫是不错的。你已经有五个丈夫，你现在有的并不是你的丈夫。你这话是真的。」”

约翰福音4:17-18

在富裕的美国，无数基督徒变得过于安逸了。我们的日子太轻松了。我们不再挑战我们所处的环境。如果神要在我们这个时代做什么大事，我们可能不会被祂使用。约翰福音4:9说，“…犹太人和撒马利亚人没有来往。”门徒们可能认为，撒马利亚人不在神的国度范围里。他们可能认为，这些外邦人不可接近，也不会接触到福音。

多少基督徒，已经放弃把邻居、同事、校友带到基督面前？他们认为这些人根本不会有兴趣。

而你的朋友和邻居也许正在仔细观察你，看你是不是一个真的基督徒。

我们有些人已经认定神并不在意他们，因为他们太刚硬，对信仰毫无兴趣，太看重物质，他们满身罪恶、贪欲、骄傲，根本不可救药。

同样，当这个曾经有六个丈夫的叙加妇人归信基督时，门徒们并没有被神所使用。

历史上很多被神使用的人，都曾经是罪大恶极的人，似乎不可救药的。约翰·牛顿（John Newton）是诗歌《奇异恩典》的作者。他曾经是非洲的黑奴贩子，也是有史以来最坏的人之一。谁能相信，他有一天会成为圣公会的牧师、成为史上最伟大的赞美诗作者之一。

甚至连保罗都曾经是逼迫基督徒的扫罗。很多时候，因着神的恩典、怜悯和保守，祂会把最不可能的人变成神最得力的仆人。不要放弃任何人。因为，没有一个人在神的恩典之外。

今日祷告：

我知道有很多人都需要祢，主啊，求祢赐予我智慧和勇气，让我不断与他们分享福音，绝不放弃。奉耶稣基督的圣名，阿们！

June 25

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

Jesus said to her,“You are right in saying,‘I have no husband’;for you have had five husbands,and he whom you now have is not your husband;this you said truly.”John 4:17-18,RSV

In affluent America thousands of us Christians have become too comfortable.We are too much at ease in this world.We have ceased to challenge the world in which we move;and if God wanted to do a great work in our time,we would probably be bypassed.

In John 4:9 we read,“…The Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.”The disciples might have thought that the Samaritans were totally outside the kingdom of God.Perhaps they thought these“outsiders”were unreachable and untouchable by the Message.

How many Christians have given up trying to win their neighbors,their business associates,or their school friends to Jesus Christ”They think they are totally uninterested.

Perhaps that friend or neighbor is watching you very carefully to determine whether you back up your belief with your life.

Some of us have already made up our minds that God has no intention of reaching this person and that-they are too hard;they are not interested;they are so materially minded;they are so filled with sin,lust,and pride that they are unreachable.

Thus,when the woman of Sychar who had had six“husbands”was converted to Christ,the disciples were not used.

Many people in history who have been used of God were great sinners and seemed unreachable.John Newton,who wrote the hymn“Amazing Grace,”was a slave dealer in Africa and one of the worst sinners who ever lived.Who could ever have believed that he would one day be a clergyman in the Anglican Church and become one of the greatest hymn writers of all time!

Even Paul the apostle was Saul the persecutor.Many times God takes the absolutely impossible person and transforms him by His own grace and mercy and providence to become a mighty servant of God.Don’t give up on anyone.There is no person beyond the grace of God.

Pray for the Day:

Father,I can think of many people whom I know who need You.I pray,Lord,that You will give me the wisdom and the boldness to persevere in sharing the Good News with them,not to give up;in Jesus’Name.