【双语灵修】天国的降临THE COMING OF THE KINGDOM

马太福音13:31-35

他又设个比喻对他们说：“天国好像一粒芥菜种，有人拿去种在田里。 这原是百种里最小的，等到长起来，却比各样的菜都大，且成了树，天上的飞鸟来宿在它的枝上。”

他又对他们讲个比喻说：“天国好像面酵，有妇人拿来藏在三斗面里，直等全团都发起来。” 这都是耶稣用比喻对众人说的话，若不用比喻，就不对他们说什么。 这是要应验先知的话说：“我要开口用比喻，把创世以来所隐藏的事发明出来。”

10月28日

天国的降临

因为 神的国不在乎吃喝，只在乎公义、和平，并圣灵中的喜乐。 (罗马书14:17)

每周一，我都会为学院的学生带午餐，我们会讨论人生各种话题。有一次我问：“如果让你改变世界上的三件事，会是哪些？”最常见的回答是：我希望改变……金钱被使用和滥用的方式……人们彼此对待的方式……当今世界缺乏真正的信仰。换言之，他们期盼着神的国度更多地临到这个世界。

当耶稣教导门徒祷告“愿你的国降临”（马太福音6:10）时，正是在教导他们祈求神的国度显现在自己的生命和周围世界中。

当我们祷告“愿你的国降临”时，就是在祈求神帮助我们全然顺服于祂。我们祷告将财务与人际关系都忠心地交托给祂，祈求祂帮助我们活出荣耀祂的生命样式。

这祷告意味着：在个人生活中，我们要做天国君王忠心的追随者，在教会群体中我们要共同成为神国度在世间的可见彰显。这同样是祈求：那专为毁坏一切美善而存在的魔鬼及其黑暗国度，终将溃败。

祷告

主啊，尊贵的君王，求你帮助我将自己生命的每个领域，都降服于你。使我忠心为你而活，愿你充满爱与恩典的国度在这世上不断拓展。奉耶稣之名祷告，阿们。

Matthew 13:31-35

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28

THE COMING OF THE KINGDOM

The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. —Romans 14:17

On Mondays I bring lunch for students at the college, and we have discussions about life. I once asked, “If you could change three things in our world, what would they be?” The most common answers went like this: I would change . . . the way money is used and abused . . . the way people treat other people . . . the lack of true religion in our world. In other words, they were hoping for a greater presence of God’s kingdom here on earth.

When Jesus taught his followers to pray, “Your kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10), he was teaching them to ask for the kingdom of God to be present in their lives and in the world around them.

When we pray, “Your kingdom come,” we are asking God to help us submit our lives to him. We are praying that we will faithfully submit our finances and our relationships to him. We are praying that he will help us live in such a way that he is glorified.

This is a prayer that in our personal lives we will be faithful followers of the heavenly King, and that in our life as the church we may together be a visible presence of God’s kingdom in the world. This is also a prayer that the work of the devil and his kingdom of darkness, which seek only to ruin all good things, will be destroyed.

Lord and King, help me to submit every part of my life to you. Help me to live faithfully for you, and may your kingdom of love and grace advance throughout this world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.