双语灵修（葛培理牧师）：9月10日 两种需求

9月10日

两种需求

感谢神，因祂有说不尽的恩赐！

哥林多后书9:15

人有两大精神需求，一个是赦免，另一个是良善。有意无意间，内心深处总渴望得到这两样。有时人在焦躁、困惑、孤独、恐惧和压力中呼求，可能不知道自己为了什么而呼求，事实上就是为这两样。

神听到了第一个求助的呼求，是请求赦免的呼求，这呼求在加略山得到了回应。神差祂的独生子来到世上，为我们的罪而死，使我们罪得赦免。这是神赐给我们的礼物——救赎的礼物。这是一份赐给每个真心承认自己“不足”和犯罪的人的永久的遗产，是神为每一个愿意接受主耶稣基督为救主的人所预备的礼物。保罗称之为神“说不尽的恩赐”。

但神也垂听了我们的第二个呼求，是对良善的呼求，这呼求在五旬节得到了回应。神不希望我们因信来到基督面前，却过着一种失败、沮丧和纷争的生活。相反的，祂要“用大能成就你们一切所羡慕的良善，和一切因信心所作的工夫；叫我们主耶稣的名，在你们身上得荣耀”（帖撒罗尼迦后书1:11-12）。

如果我们想要在现代世界中过完全和得胜的生活，就需要神赐给我们的这两方面的礼物：第一，神的儿子为我们所成全的工；第二，神的灵在我们心中所作的工。神以这种方式回应了人类的两大呼求：赦免和良善。

正如我的一位朋友所说：“我的永生生命需要耶稣基督，我的内在生命需要神的圣灵。”他大概还补上一句，“……这样我就能够充分享受我的外在生活了。”

今日祷告：

天父，赐给祢所有儿女都有乐意奉献和乐意为祢的国事奉的心，好使我们活出更丰盛的生命；祷告奉耶稣的名，阿们。

September 10

LIFE ETERNAL AND INTERNAL

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!2 Corinthians 9:15,NIV

Man has two great spiritual needs.One is for forgiveness.The other is for goodness.Consciously or unconsciously,his inner being longs for both.There are times when man actually cries for them,even though in his restlessness,confusion,loneliness,fear,and pressures he may not know what he is crying for.

God heard the first cry for help,that cry for forgiveness,and answered it at Calvary.God sent His only Son into the world to die for our sins,so that we might be forgiven.This is a gift for us-God’s gift of salvation.This gift is a permanent legacy for everyone who truly admits he has“fallen short”and sinned.It is for everyone who reaches out and accepts God’s gift by receiving Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.Paul calls it God’s“indescribable gift”.

But God also heard our second cry,that cry for goodness,and answered it at Pentecost.God does not want us to come to Christ by faith,and then lead a life of defeat,discouragement,and dissension.Rather,He wants to“fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power;in order that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you”(2 Thessalonians 1:11-12,NAB).

If we are to live a life of sanity in our modern world,if we wish to be men and women who can live victoriously,we need this two-sided gift God has offered us:first,the work of the Son of God for us;second,the work of the Spirit of God in us.In this way God has answered mankind’s two great cries:the cry for forgiveness and the cry for goodness.

As a friend of mine has said,“I need Jesus Christ for my eternal life,and the Holy Spirit of God for my internal life.”He might have added,“…So I can live my external life to the fullest.”

Pray for the Day:

Father,please empower all Your people both to contribute joyfully and to do the work of Your Kingdom joyfully,so that we can live our life to the fullest;in Jesus’Name,Amen.