双语灵修（葛培理牧师）：2月7日 属上帝的，乃要归还给上帝

2月7日

属上帝的，乃要归还给上帝

凡有世上财物的、看见弟兄穷乏、却塞住怜恤的心、爱神的心怎能存在他里面呢。

——约壹3：17

你知道，最难的事情无非是让你放弃钱财。钱是你时间、精力、才华、人格的货币形式体现。我们常常既无法确定钱的真正价值，又不能把它带到来世，却还是紧攥着钱不撒手。圣经教导说，我们只是上帝的管家，自己毕生所积累的财富，只是神交给我们暂时管理的。如果我们滥用这一职权，就像那个把主人的银子埋藏了的仆人一样，就会遭受上帝最严厉的判决。十份中有一份当归耶和华的。如果你挪为己用，就是抢夺了神的份。我们固然要遵守什一奉献的标准，但超越什一奉献可以表现出我们对上帝恩赐的感激。虽然生活中有忧愁，也有烦恼，但上帝也赐给了我们许许多多多的祝福和愉悦。就连我们爱的能力也是上帝赐予的礼物。通过将属上帝的那一份还给上帝，我们得以 为神赐予的一切献上感恩。

今日祷告：

天父啊，求祢赐我一颗慷慨的心，使我心甘情愿地交还那当属祢的份。奉耶稣的名，阿们。

February 7

Giving Back What Is His

“But if someone who is supposed to be a Christian has money enough to live well, and sees a brother in need, and won’t help him – how can God’s love be within him?”
—1 John 3:17 (TLB)

You know that the hardest thing for you to give up is your money. It represents your time, your energy, your talents, your total personality converted into currency. We usually hold on to it tenaciously, yet it is uncertain in value and we cannot take it into the next world. The Scripture teaches that we are stewards for a little while of all we earn. If we misuse it, as did the man who buried his talent, it brings upon us the severest judgment of God. The tithe is the Lord’s. If you use it for yourself, you are robbing God. We are to take the tithe as a standard, but to go beyond the tithe is an indication of our gratefulness for God’s gifts to us. In the midst of sorrow and trouble, this life has many blessings and enjoyments which have come from the hand of God. Even our capacity for love is a gift from God. We show our gratitude by giving back to Him a part of that which He has given to us.

Prayer for the day:

Give me a generous heart, Father, that does not grudgingly give back to You all that is rightfully Yours. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.