新舊兩約連結 - 每日靈糧 七月廿二日 要記得用仁慈,甘心, 樂意, 善待旅居外地的陌生人 ！ 撒母耳記下 9:1 大衛問說：「掃羅家還有剩下的人沒有？我要因約拿單的緣故向他施恩。」2 掃羅家有一個僕人，名叫洗巴，有人叫他來見大衛，王問他說：「你是洗巴嗎？」回答說：「僕人是。」3 王說：「掃羅家還有人沒有？我要照神的慈愛恩待他。」洗巴對王說：「還有約拿單的一個兒子，是瘸腿的。」4 王說：「他在那裡？」洗巴對王說：「他在羅底巴，亞米利的兒子瑪吉家裡。」5 於是大衛王打發人去，從羅底巴亞米利的兒子瑪吉家裡召了他來。6 掃羅的孫子、約拿單的兒子米非波設來見大衛，伏地叩拜。大衛說：「米非波設！」米非波設說：「僕人在此。」7 大衛說：「你不要懼怕，我必因你父親約拿單的緣故施恩與你，將你祖父掃羅的一切田地都歸還你；你也可以常與我同席吃飯。」8 米非波設又叩拜，說：「僕人算什麼，不過如死狗一般，竟蒙王這樣眷顧！」9 王召了掃羅的僕人洗巴來，對他說：「我已將屬掃羅和他的一切家產都賜給你主人的兒子了。 10 你和你的眾子、僕人要為你主人的兒子米非波設耕種田地，把所產的拿來供他食用；他卻要常與我同席吃飯。」洗巴有十五個兒子，二十個僕人。11 洗巴對王說：「凡我主我王吩咐僕人的，僕人都必遵行。」王又說：「米非波設必與我同席吃飯，如王的兒子一樣。」12 米非波設有一個小兒子，名叫米迦。凡住在洗巴家裡的人都作了米非波設的僕人。13 於是米非波設住在耶路撒冷，常與王同席吃飯。他兩腿都是瘸的。 （撒母耳記下 9:1～13） 務要牧養在你們中間神的群羊，按著神旨意照管他們；不是出於勉強，乃是出於甘心；也不是因為貪財，乃是出於樂意（彼得前書 5:2 ） July 22: Showing Kindness to a Stranger 2 Samuel 9:1–10:11; 1 Peter 5:1–14 When I was a teenager, I became serious about showing unsolicited kindness while working through a 30-day intensive devotional. The devotional required me to record an act of kindness each day. My efforts included things as mundane as taking out the trash before being asked and closing schoolmates’ lockers to prevent them from becoming the victims of pranks. Although the acts were simple, and mostly meaningless, the effort taught me a discipline. Kindness should be intentional, not random. But what if your kindness stems from guilt? In 2 Samuel 9, King David shows intentional kindness to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, by offering them Saul’s land after Saul and Jonathan have died. It’s hard to know why David does this, especially since it puts him at risk—his association with the previous regime could anger his warriors, who fought against Saul. Is David merely being a good guy? Does he feel guilty because Jonathan, who had been so loyal to him, died in battle? Is he trying to establish that he is a merciful ruler? Does he have other political motives? The question of David’s motive evokes another one: Why do we treat others well? Peter addressed this question of motive in his first letter, in which he exhorts ministers to “Shepherd the flock of God among you [being the people of the church], exercising oversight not by compulsion but willingly, in accordance with God” (1 Pet 5:2). He points out that if we are moved by compulsion, our motives are probably wrong. There are times I wonder whether I treat others well because I subconsciously think that it will earn me points with them or with God. I battle this—it’s something we should all fight against. The state of the heart when helping others is every bit as important as the act itself. What motivates your acts of kindness? What pure, kind, and intentional act can you perform today? JOHN D. BARRY Barry, J. D., & Kruyswijk, R. (2012). Connect the Testaments: A Daily Devotional. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Jul 2013 17:15:27 +0000
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