2015年12月2日
玻璃海灘 Glass Beach
读经: 帖撒羅尼迦前書5章23-24節
Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
萬軍之耶和華說：「在我所定的日子，他們必屬我，特特歸我。」-瑪拉基書3章17節
"On the day when I act," says the Lord Almighty, "they will be my treasured possession."- Malachi 3:17
全年读经: 以西結書42-44章;約翰一書1章
Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 42–44; 1 John 1
在二十世紀初，加州布拉格堡的居民總是將垃圾從山崖上丟棄到附近的海灘。瓶瓶罐罐、餐具，還有大型的廢棄家具等，在海灘上累積成龐大噁心的垃圾堆。後來，即使居民不再將垃圾丟棄在這裡，這海灘仍然留下臭名，成為一個看來無法清理的垃圾場。
然而，多年以後，海浪沖走那些垃圾，剩下的玻璃和陶瓷被擊碎。隨著海浪的沖刷，那些稜角尖銳的玻璃碎片在海床上翻滾磨擦，被磨得圓潤光滑，成為寶石般的「海玻璃」，最終又被海水沖上海灘，成了點綴海灘的七彩寶石。海浪創造出了一個有如萬花筒般的美景，令到訪「玻璃海灘」的遊客都讚嘆不已。
或許你覺得你的人生也像是垃圾場般一團糟，沒有一絲希望。如果是這樣，你必須知道有一位愛你的主耶穌，祂正等待你回轉歸向祂，要救贖和改造你。把你的心交給耶穌，求祂煉淨你的心吧！或許祂會稍微顛覆你的生活，可能需要一點時間來磨平你生命中的稜角。但祂永遠不會放棄你，祂會使你成為祂手中的寶石。
主啊，當我們一無所有，單單只有祢，
也許那正是祢的美意。祢能使用任何情況，
使祢名得榮耀，並使我們蒙福。祢永不會放棄我們，
求祢幫助我們在祢的愛中得享平安。
上帝愛我們至深，祂不願我們充滿稜角。
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Early 20th-century residents of Fort Bragg, California, disposed of their trash by throwing it over a cliff and onto a nearby beach. Cans, bottles, tableware, and household garbage accumulated in huge, disgusting piles. Even when residents stopped depositing trash on the beach, it remained an embarrassment—a dump seemingly beyond reclamation.
Over the years, however, wave action broke up the glass and pottery and washed the rubbish out to sea. The pounding surf rolled and tumbled the glass fragments in the sand on the ocean floor, frosting and smoothing the surface and creating gemlike "sea glass," which it then deposited back onto the beach. The surf created a kaleidoscopic beauty at which visitors to Glass Beach now stare in wonder.
Perhaps you feel as though your life has become a dump—a mess beyond hope. If so, you need to know that there is someone who loves you and waits to redeem and reclaim you. Give Jesus your heart and ask Him to make you pure and clean. He may tumble you a bit, and it may take time to smooth away the rough edges. But He will never give up on you. He will make you into one of His jewels!
Lord, when we have nothing left but You, we are right where You want us. You can use any situation for Your glory and our good. You never give up on us. Help us to relax in Your love.
God loves us too much to let us remain as we are.