Bible Reading Companion 所写的文章

在 TikTok 上漫无目的地刷视频时（别学我！），我看到一个老电视剧的视频，里面有一位和蔼可亲的年长法官，在他的小法庭里处理案件。 站在他面前的人总有一些有趣的理由说明他们为何被起诉，而他如何处理每一个案件，也非常令人着迷。 有一集特别让人印象深刻——他的童年好友站在他面前，被指控犯了罪。整个法庭屏住了呼吸。
这位法官会施予怜悯吗？还是会执行法律？ 他两者都做了。 他宣判那人有罪——因为他确实有罪。
但随后他从审判席上走下来，脱下法袍，亲自为那人支付了罚款。 公义。怜悯。一个行动。一颗心。 这个故事正呼应着罗马书3:25-26： “神设立耶稣作挽回祭，是凭着耶稣的血，借着人的信，要显明神的义；因为他用忍耐的心宽容人先时所犯的罪，好在今时显明他的义，使人知道他自己为义，也称信耶稣的人为义。” 请你安静地思想这一切。 神 是审判官。他也是那位承担刑罚的人。 律法必须被满足。罪必须被处理。
如果神无视罪恶，祂就不公义。
但如果祂因罪而毁灭我们，我们又怎能认识祂的爱呢？ 因此，在一个至今仍令天使惊叹的行动中，神做了两件事：他维护了公义，也施行了怜悯。
他差耶稣来到法庭—— 不是作为辩护律师，而是作为替你受罚的人。 你能想象那个法庭的场景吗？ 法槌敲响。有罪。 你的指控清单很长：骄傲、嫉妒、没有耐心、在堵车时翻白眼、再一次拒绝饶恕…… 律法是明确的。罚金是沉重的。判决是死亡。 但就在你被带走之际，耶稣站了出来。 他说， “我来承担”。
而法官——也就是你的天父——允许了祂这么做。 公义得到了满足。怜悯被放大了。 而你？自由地走了出去。 谁会这样做？谁能既是审判官，又是称人为义者？ 唯有神。 唯有恩典。 你曾有罪。 但耶稣站在了你的位置。 你曾被定罪。现在你被称为义——因为法官替你承担了刑罚，把他的儿子赐给了你。 这一切，彻底改变了你的人生。

在我的办公室里，有一位同事。他总能发现别人身上的缺点——却从没看见镜子里的那一个。 我们叫他瑞克吧。瑞克就是那种人，总能指出你方案中的问题，自己却提不出任何新点子。他批评每个人的工作——除了他自己的。如果有人开会迟到了，他会觉得这是不尊重人。但瑞克自己迟到呢？“交通堵塞！”当然啦！ 我们都认识一个“瑞克”。 有时候，我们自己就是“星期二版的瑞克”。 保罗在《罗马书》第二章中，对这样的事有话说：“你这个论断人的，无论你是谁，也无可推诿。你在什么事上论断人，就在什么事上定自己的罪。因你这论断人的，自己所行却和别人一样。”（罗马书2:1） 这就像是神举起一面镜子——不是为了羞辱我们，而是为了让我们看清自己。他不是要我们陷入内疚或自我厌恶，而只是单纯地说：看，一个真实的。没有滤镜，没有借口，只有真理。 而最关键的是：神举起镜子，不是为了嘲笑你，而是为了释放你。 我们总是用别人的行为来评断他们，但希望别人用我们的“动机”来评断我们。 我对妻子发脾气时，会说：“对不起，我今天很累。”但当别人对我发脾气时？“哦，他今天早上肯定没祷告。” 我们对自己充满宽容，却像英国达人秀的评委一样严厉地评判别人。罗马书第二章告诉我们，当我们审判别人时，就是在定自己的罪，因为我们也在做同样的事——也许只是没那么明显。 这让我想起有一次，被女儿抓到我正在偷喝着我告诉她那对她身体不好的可乐。她挑起眉毛问我：“爸爸，你嘴巴是不是有一罐可乐？” “我只是有点渴。”我小声嘀咕着。 被逮个正着。镜子，请认识一下这位父亲。 神要我们成为完全人，也要我们成为诚实人。 他知道，评判别人会筑起高墙，而省察自己能搭起桥梁。 神要个不一样的我们：那放下“大道理”，用爱说话的我们；那选择谦卑胜过虚伪的我们；那承认神所需要动工的不是“他们”，而是“我”。 当我们读《罗马书》2章1至3节时，不要把它当成一根指向你的手指，而要看见一只向你伸出的手。 神的慈爱不是揭发你来羞辱你，神揭发，为要拯救你。 祂带真理来，不是为了“戳痛你”，而是为了“抹去”你的罪。 那么当我们不再试图改正别人，而是让神纠正我们呢？那就是神迹的开始。 所以，下次当你想要评判别人时，记住这一点：也许你看的是窗外，但神举起的，是一面镜子。 令人感恩的是，在那面镜子里，神看到的不只是错误，更是祂所要纠正的人。

From Chapter 40, it marks the start of the vision shown to Ezekiel of a new temple that is to be built in Jerusalem. Did your eyes glaze over as you read the 2 chapters?   Imagine you were Ezekiel and you were told to pay close attention to everything that he was being shown and then go and tell the people everything he had seen.   4 And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and fix your mind on everything I show you; for you were brought here so that I might show them to you. Declare to the house of Israel everything you see.”  ~ Ezekiel 40:4 ~ What follows is Ezekiel being first led to see the Eastern Gateway of the Temple, then the Outer Court, Northern and Southern Gateway to the Temple, Gateways to the Inner Courts, where the sacrifices were made, the chambers for the priests and singers.  And then, very careful recordings of the dimensions of the different parts of the temple were specified and recorded down. Why do you think this was done? Being a person who is not very detail oriented, I cannot quite understand the need for all the exact measurements to be spelled out.  What’s wrong if the measurements are out by an inch or two? Then it struck me.  God cares for His people so much that He does not want to leave any stone unturned for His people.  In our daily lives many things happen - big or small.  Some are blessings and some are trials.  Some are good things, some are bad.  God is interested in us, His People.  Even to the most minute detail! And He has given us specific instructions in His Holy Word for many areas of our life.  The question is, do our eyes glaze over the Words from the Bible.  Or do we, like Ezekiel, listen carefully and then tell it to others? Last night I had a dream and in that dream, I had a very big pain in my leg and could not figure it out.  And for some reason, a Deacon of the church was examining me as if he was a doctor.  And then after he diagnose that there was some issue with my leg (could not remember what was said), his conclusion was this… “This is why you need to get better and after that, go out and preach the Gospel!” Tears welled up as I recall this and am writing this now.   Was this a rebuke?  Areminder?  A warning?  An admonishment?  An encouragement? God through His infinite wisdom. Mercy and grace has given us all the details (truth) of Salvation. Should we not go and tell others about it so that they also know of it? And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ~ Mark 16:15-16 ~ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ~ Romans 1:16 ~ Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. ~ 2 Timothy 4:2 ~ May we be interested in all the little details that God reveals to us and after listening carefully to it, tell it to others as well.