第二十一天（27/08/12)

有时候我们真的需要学习同理心，也需要向神求怜悯的心肠；因为有时候看到别人落难或面对问题，我们不但不同情或体会他们的感受，反而还落井下石，在背后议论纷纷，批评人落到此下场的原因等等。

当然也有很多状况是个人的罪和愚昧带来的，那在适当的时候当然要好好教导和纠正；但太多时候我们是需要有怜悯心肠去体会人的感受和真正帮助他们解决问题，引领他们归向神，而至终会荣耀神。

“耶稣过去的时候，看见一个人生来是瞎眼的。 ² 门徒问耶稣说：“拉比，这人生来是瞎眼的，是谁犯了罪？是这人呢，是他父母呢？” ³ 耶稣回答说：“也不是这人犯了罪，也不是他父母犯了罪，是要在他身上显出神的作为来。”
～ 约 9:1-3 ～

Day 21 (27/08/12)

Sometimes we do really need to empathize with people and also ask God for a merciful heart; because there are times when people encounter troubles or face problems, instead of showing sympathy or understanding their feelings, we might instead rub salt into wounds by gossiping behind their backs, concluding the reasons they have fallen into such predicaments etc.

Of course there are also many situations where personal sins or foolishness are the cause, in those cases of course people need to be properly taught or corrected at the right time; but too many times we really need to have a merciful heart to appreciate people’s feelings and to truly help them solve their problems, and to lead them back to God and ultimately bringing glory to God.

“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”
~ John 9:1-3 ~

第二十天（26/08/12)

^“耶和华说：“我所要做的事，岂可瞒着亚伯拉罕呢？”
～ 创 18:17 ～

上帝不只看亚伯拉罕是他的仆人，他确实把亚伯拉罕当作朋友，这是何等大的荣幸！如果一个很有名、很有势力的人把我们当作朋友，我们可感到多特别和满足，更何况是上帝！耶稣也告诉我们身为朋友的身份和感情的特殊点：

“¹⁴ 你们若遵行我所吩咐的，就是我的朋友了。 ¹⁵ 以后我不再称你们为仆人，因仆人不知道主人所做的事。我乃称你们为朋友，因我从父所听见的，已经都告诉你们了。”（约15:14-15)

他所指的这个要我们遵行的这吩咐，其实是叫我们身为他门徒的要彼此相爱，这样你也可以成为神的朋友了。。。

Day 20 (26/08/12)

^“Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?”
~ Genesis 18:17 ~

God did not just regard Abraham as a servant, He did indeed regard Abraham as a friend, this is such a great honour! If a very famous and powerful person regards us as a friend, we would feel so special and satisfied, what more to say if it is God! Jesus also told us the uniqueness of having the identity and relationship of a friend:

“¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”
(John 15:14-15)

The “command” here that Jesus wants us, His disciples to do is this: to love one another, if you could do that, you can become a friend of God…

第十九天（25/08/12)

担心衰老是人之常情，但老化却是无法改变与避免的事实。。。
人再怎样照顾健康、运动、保养，人终久敌不过岁月的摧残，尽管外在保养得宜，里面的器官和身体操作能力也会逐渐衰残。

但年纪大或老化并不表示你一定要“人老不中用”，圣经给我们清楚看到：我们这些蒙恩得救的义人，若成长在神的同在里，常与主亲密，我们依然可以很有效率，依然可以结出很多生命的果子祝福身边的许多人。所以我们身为主的门徒的，年纪越大不应当倚老卖老、哀声叹气、无奈等待痴呆症的到来！我们是可以到死都结满果子的！

^“12 义人要发旺如棕树，生长如黎巴嫩的香柏树。
¹³ 他们栽于耶和华的殿中，发旺在我们神的院里。
¹⁴ 他们年老的时候仍要结果子，要满了汁浆而常发青”
～ 诗篇 92:12-14 ～

Day 19 (25/08/12)

It is quite normal for ordinary people to worry about growing old, but aging is a fact we cannot change or avoid…
No matter how one takes care of his health, exercises, preserves, he still cannot fight the cruel reality of time; even if the outward appearance is well-taken care of, the organs inside and functioning of the body will deteriorate still.

But as you get older or age does not mean you must becomes a “useless old man”, the Bible shows us clearly: For us, the righteous saved by grace, if we grow in the presence of God and always keep our intimacy with God, then we can still be very productive, and we can still bear a lot of fruit of life to bless many people around us.So, as the disciples of the Lord, we should not be whining about getting old and complaining about old age or waiting helplessly for senility to set in! We can still be bearing much fruit till the day we die!

“¹² The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
    they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
¹³ planted in the house of the Lord,
    they will flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴ They will still bear fruit in old age,
    they will stay fresh and green”
~ Psalm 92:12-14 ~