2016年3月30日
大吃一驚 Surprised by Grace
读经: 使徒行傳9章1-19節
Reading: Acts 9:1-19
我作了這福音的執事，是照上帝的恩賜。-以弗所書3章7節
I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace.- Ephesians 3:7
全年读经: 士師記9-10章;路加福音5章17-39節
Bible in a Year: Judges 9–10; Luke 5:17-39
一個夜黑風高的晚上，在密西根州大湍市一間屋子裡，男主人已經就寢，女主人卻在沙發上睡著了。他們忘了鎖門，讓一名小偷潛入了屋內。小偷躡手躡腳地進入臥室，抱起了電視機，誰知竟驚動了熟睡中的男主人。男主人睡眼惺忪地看見一個身影站在那兒，輕聲說道：「親愛的，快睡吧！」小偷嚇得立即放下電視機，隨手從梳妝台抓了一疊紙鈔就奪門而出。
小偷仔細翻看紙鈔時卻大吃一驚！因為那些「紙鈔」其實是一疊福音單張，一面是印有二十元美金的圖樣，另一面則是解釋上帝給予人們的愛和赦免。小偷原本期待得到現鈔，沒想到卻得到上帝愛他的信息。
當掃羅知道在往大馬士革的路上是耶穌向他顯現時，我很好奇那時他心裡會怎麼想。因為他那時正不斷迫害，甚至殺害耶穌的跟隨者（使徒行傳9章1-9節）。這位後來被稱為保羅的掃羅，對於上帝給他的恩典必定大吃一驚，因此他稱之為「恩賜」，他說：「我作了這福音的執事，是照上帝的恩賜，這恩賜是照祂運行的大能賜給我的。」（以弗所書3章7節）
當上帝向你展現祂的愛與赦免，你是否對祂所賜下的恩典大吃一驚呢？
主啊，祢的恩典真是奇妙無比。
我感謝祢，即使我充滿罪污，祢卻仍然愛我。
不要用有限的眼光，限制上帝無窮的大能。
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A woman from Grand Rapids, Michigan, fell asleep on the couch after her husband had gone to bed. An intruder sneaked in through the sliding door, which the couple had forgotten to lock, and crept through the house. He entered the bedroom where the husband was sleeping and picked up the television set. The sleeping man woke up, saw a figure standing there, and whispered, "Honey, come to bed." The burglar panicked, put down the TV, grabbed a stack of money from the dresser, and ran out.
The thief was in for a big surprise! The money turned out to be a stack of Christian pamphlets with a likeness of a $20 bill on one side and an explanation of the love and forgiveness God offers to people on the other side. Instead of the cash he expected, the intruder got the story of God's love for him.
God's gift of grace shows us His love and forgiveness.
I wonder what Saul expected when he realized it was Jesus appearing to him on the road to Damascus, since he had been persecuting and even killing Jesus' followers? (Acts 9:1-9). Saul, later called Paul, must have been surprised by God's grace toward him, which he called "a gift": "I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power" (Eph. 3:7).
Have you been surprised by God's gift of grace in your life as He shows you His love and forgiveness?
Lord, Your grace is amazing to me. I'm grateful that in spite of my sinfulness, You offer Your love to me.
Never measure God's unlimited power by your limited expectations..