【双语灵修】充满恩典的羊GRACE-FILLED SHEEP

诗篇 23:1-3, 6

耶和华是我的牧者，我必不致缺乏。 他使我躺卧在青草地上，领我在可安歇的水边。 他使我的灵魂苏醒，为自己的名引导我走义路。

我一生一世必有恩惠、慈爱随着我，我且要住在耶和华的殿中，直到永远。

7月27日

充满恩典的羊

“我一生一世必有恩惠、慈爱随着我，我且要住在耶和华的殿中，直到永远。” -诗 23:6

再读《诗篇》第二十三篇时，看到我们的牧羊人不像一个催赶我们往前走，或是用绳索拖着我们走的牛仔。我们的牧羊人乃是在我们前头和在我们中间走的，而当我们迷了路时，祂会寻找我们，并引领我们回来。祂的慈爱、良善、恩典和怜悯围绕着我们。我们不需要寻索牧羊人的爱和关怀，这些都常常与我们同在，因为耶稣是常常与我们同在的。恩典尾随着我们，它不是我们要去赚取的，也不用证明我们是配得的，它乃是那位赐一切美好恩赐的主白白赐给我们的。

《诗篇》第二十三篇以感谢的句子来开始和结束。我们一无所缺，多得以至于满溢，再倾流到每一个在我们中间的人，恩典实在多至我们容纳不下。诗人的意思是无论我们身在那里，那里便充满恩典，在我们与人的关系上，恩典应该像涟漪般扩散出去。

恩典和怜悯不但跟随着我们，我们也与别人分享这些祝福。当我们继续前行时，便把这些祝福留下来。当我们紧随牧羊人，全心投入我们作为羊的呼召时，便会以所领受到的祝福去造福别人，而他们也同样可以这祝福来造福另一些人，这样，祝福便一直源源不绝地传开去了。

祷告

主啊，我们要藉着成为我们家庭和社区的祝福来荣耀祢。求祢叫我们察觉到别人的需要，又愿意去陪伴那些需要经历祢在我们中间的人。阿们。

Psalm 23:1-3, 6

SUNDAY, JULY 27

GRACE-FILLED SHEEP

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. —Psalm 23:6

Looking again at Psalm 23, we can see that the Lord our shepherd is not like a cowboy chasing us to move us along or dragging us along by a rope. Our shepherd walks ahead of us and among us—and if we are wandering, he goes out searching for us to draw us back in. His love, goodness, grace, and mercy surround us. We don’t have to go chasing after the shepherd’s love and care. It is always there because Jesus is always there. Grace pursues us. It is not something we have to earn; nor is it something we have to prove we deserve. It is freely given from the giver of all good gifts.

Psalm 23 begins and ends with notes of gratitude. We have everything we need—so much, in fact, that it overflows to everyone in our midst. We can’t contain it. The psalm writer’s thought here is that wherever we are present, grace should abound. It should have a ripple effect in our relationships with others.

Goodness and mercy not only follow us; we share these blessings with others and leave them behind as we move along. When we follow the shepherd well and lean into our calling as sheep, we take the blessings we receive and bless others, who in turn are able to bless still others, and so on.

Lord, we want to honor you by being a blessing in our families and communities. Make us attentive to the needs of others and open to coming alongside people who need to experience your presence in us. Amen.