【双语灵修】得着安息HAVE A REST

出埃及记 20:8-11

“当记念安息日，守为圣日。 六日要劳碌做你一切的工，但第七日是向耶和华你神当守的安息日。这一日你和你的儿女、仆婢、牲畜，并你城里寄居的客旅，无论何工都不可做。因为六日之内，耶和华造天、地、海和其中的万物，第七日便安息，所以耶和华赐福于安息日，定为圣日。

8月9日

得着安息

“神赐福给第七日，定为圣日；因为在这日，神歇了他一切创造的工，就安息了。” - 创世记 2:3

在漫长而忙碌的一周工作之后，周五晚上，我常常带着一种解脱感倒在床上。我真的预备好要休息了！

创造天地之后，神为我们留下了安息的榜样，并赐福给一周的第七日，定为圣日。这是否表示神像我们一样，在工作一周后精疲力竭呢？不，神拥有无限的能力与能量，祂并不像我们这样需要休息。神停工，是因为祂完成了创造。然而，我们的能力与能量是有限且微小的，因此我们都需要从工作中歇息。为了帮助我们，神在创造万物的规律中设立了这份礼物—一个身体与灵魂皆得安息的日子。

神赐下安息日，是否表示我们可以随心所欲地使用这段休息时间？不，安息的核心在于有意识地停下脚步，去承认神是我们的创造者、扶持者与供应者。第四诫提醒我们，唯有仰赖神才能获得安息。然而，若我们仅仅为了个人的享乐而使用这安息之日，这行为就像是把它据为己有，误以为这是凭自己的功劳应得的一样。当我们遵照诫命的指引，看重神所赐的安息之恩时，我们便是承认：唯有在神里面，我们才能找到那份灵魂需要的真正安息。

祷告

神啊，感谢你创造了这奇妙的世界。也感谢你在我们忙碌的生活中，赐下每周安息的礼物。求你帮助我们在领受这份安息恩典时，全然仰望信靠你。阿们。

Exodus 20:8-11

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9

HAVE A REST

God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. —Genesis 2:3

On Friday night, after a long, busy workweek, it’s not unusual for me to fall into bed with a sense of relief. I am so ready for a rest!

After creating the heavens and the earth, God gave us the example of taking a rest, and he blessed the seventh day of the week as holy. Does that mean God was exhausted like we can be at the end of a week of work? No, God has infinite power and energy; he doesn’t need rest as we do. God paused because he was finished creating. We are limited and finite in our power and energy, however, so we all need to rest from our work. To help us, God built into the rhythm of our world the gift of a day of physical and spiritual rest.

Does God’s gift of a day of rest mean that we can use this rest for whatever purpose we like? No, at the very heart of taking a day of rest is the deliberate pause to confess that God is our Creator, sustainer, and provider. The fourth commandment reminds us that we depend on God to provide rest for us. However, if we use that day of rest merely for our own delight, we act as if the day belongs to us because we have earned it. When we honor God’s gift of rest as the commandment directs us to, we acknowledge that only in God do we find the rest we truly need.

Thank you, God, for the wonderful world you have made. Thank you also for the gift of weekly rest in our busy lives. Help us to trust in you as we honor your gift of rest. Amen.