第二十八天（03/09/12)

当人跟我们分享神的话时，我们是否会看着对方的身份、地位、学历等而决定听从不听从？有些人身份地位可能低于我们，但他们与神的关系、对神的信心，与对神的话语的认识和体会，是很值得我们尊敬和听从的。

昨天我们看到那为奴小女子勇于把自己所相信的真神分享给尊贵的元帅听，至于元帅听不听、信不信又是另外一回事。
病重的人也不见得谁的话都听，更何况是从比你更卑贱的人口中出来的话。然而，元帅选择相信这为奴小女子的话，这何尝不是一个谦卑？何尝不是单纯的相信？而这单纯的信也的确救了他自己一命。

很多时候，对神的话单纯一点、谦卑一点、信靠一点，最终蒙福的还是自己本身。。。

“⁴ 乃缦进去，告诉他主人说：“以色列国的女子如此如此说。” ⁵ 亚兰王说：“你可以去，我也达信于以色列王。”。。。”
～ 王下 5:4-5 ～

Day 28 (03/09/12)

When someone shares the word of God with us, would we look at their status, position and academic background etc, before we decide whether to listen or not? Some people’s status and position might be lower than ours, but their relationship with God, faith in Him and their knowledge and experiences with God’s Word really deserve our respect and listening to.

Yesterday we saw how that young slave girl was so bold in sharing her faith in her true God with the honourable commander of the army, as for whether or not the commander was going to listen or believe was another matter.
People who are seriously ill may not necessarily just listen to anyone’s advice too, what more to say from the mouth of someone much lower in status than you are. However, the commander chose to believe in the words of this slave girl, this was also a kind of humility, and a kind of simplicity of faith. And this simplicity indeed saved his own life too.

Many times, a little simpler, a little more humble, and a little more trusting in God’s Word, would ultimately bring blessings to our own selves…

^“4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. ⁵ “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”…”
~ 2 Kings 5:4-5 ~

第二十七天（02/09/12)

有时候我们会因为自卑感，或轻看自己，或自哀自怜，而不敢荣耀神，或做该做的事；事实上，上帝非常愿意使用我们任何一个人，无论我们背景地位如何。当面对比我们更强大有势力的人时，我们要思想我们的神比任何人都大；当我们担心所讲的真理没有人会相信时，我们要知道神喜悦我们分享就足够了。

今天的经文提到的小女子，只不过是一位被掳到外邦为奴的无名小女子，她却没有对上帝苦毒或忘记神的伟大，反而对上帝信心坚定，也有勇气把福音传给国王的元帅，而救了元帅一命！在一般情况，我们往往会认为一个大元帅根本对一个小奴隶的劝告毫无兴趣，所以若我们是那奴隶，大概会闭口不言。。。

“亚兰王的元帅乃缦在他主人面前为尊为大，因耶和华曾借他使亚兰人得胜。他又是大能的勇士，只是长了大麻风。 ² 先前亚兰人成群地出去，从以色列国掳了一个小女子，这女子就服侍乃缦的妻。 ³ 她对主母说：“巴不得我主人去见撒马利亚的先知，必能治好他的大麻风。” ”
～ 王下 5:1-3 ～

Day 27 (02/09/12)

Sometimes due to our inferiority complex, or despising ourselves, or self-pity, we do not dare to glorify God or do what we ought to. In actual fact, God is very willing to use anyone regardless of your background and status. When facing people “greater” or more powerful than us, we must consider our God is bigger than anyone else; and when worrying about nobody listening to the Truth we are going to share, we must remember it is enough as long as God is pleased with what we are sharing.

The young girl the passage mentions today was no more than a nameless slave girl who was a captive in a foreign land. Despite that, she did not harbour bitterness toward God or forget God’s greatness, instead her faith was still firm and strong and she even had the boldness to share the good news with the king’s commander of the army and saved the commander’s life! In normal circumstances, we would tend to think a powerful commander would not be bothered with what a young slave girl had got to advise at all; so if were that slave girl, we would probably just keep our mouth shut…

“Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.² Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. ³ She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.””
~ 2 Kings 5:1-3 ~

第二十六天（01/09/12)

以斯帖原是在波斯帝国无地位、身份卑贱的“外族人”，却能神迹般成为王后。可是正当她享有荣华富贵的时候，她的本族以色列人却面对灭族的威胁。国王亚哈随鲁在历史记载是一个残暴无比的王，以斯帖是否要放弃她所有荣华富贵，违例冒死透露自己身份去向国王求情呢？

圣经记载以斯帖不只光是一位美貌王后，她可不是美貌懦弱，爱慕虚荣的弱质女流；当她看清楚神给她的地位的使命时，她宁可失去一切，包括失去生命也在所不惜，只为完成神托付在她身上的使命和呼召！

而我们呢？我们又曾或愿意为神的旨意摆上什么？

^“以斯帖就吩咐人回报末底改说： ¹⁶ “你当去招聚书珊城所有的犹大人，为我禁食三昼三夜，不吃不喝，我和我的宫女也要这样禁食，然后我违例进去见王。我若死就死吧！””
～ 斯4:15-16 ～

Day 26 (01/09/12)

Esther was a lowly insignificant “foreigner”in the Persian kingdom, but miraculously became the queen. However, while she was enjoying the luxury and pleasure of being a queen, her own people, the Israelites were facing extermination. King Xerxes (Ahasuerus) was recorded in history as a very cruel and merciless king, should Esther give up all her luxury defying the law to plead with the king revealing her identity and risking death as well?

The Bible shows us that Esther was not just a beautiful queen, she was not a weak and helpless beauty who was interested in luxury and vanity. When she saw clearly the mission God had for her in her position, she was willing to risk all including her life without regret, just to fulfill the mission and calling God had given her!

What about us? What have we ever offered up or are we willing to offer anything to accomplish the will of God?

“Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ¹⁶ “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.””
~ Esther 4:15-16 ~