[今日經文 Today’s Reading: 創世記 Genesis 4-7]
7:1 耶和華對挪亞說：「你和你的全家都要進入方舟，因為在這世代中，我見你在我面前是義人。
創世記 Genesis 7:1
7:1 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.
當“耶和華見人在地上罪大惡極，終日心裏所想的盡都是惡事”（創世記 6:5），上帝的心因人的罪而憂傷。 他決定用洪水毀滅地球，只救了挪亞和他的家人。 我們注意到，上帝不僅拯救了一個人，還拯救了這個人和他的整個家庭。 而且，上帝把挪亞從洪水中救出來，並不是因為挪亞智商高，而是因為他是一個義人、敬畏上帝。 我們生活在一個與挪亞時代非常相似的世界：“世界在上帝面前敗壞，地上滿了強暴。” （創世記 6:11）現在我們該如何生活？
不幸的是，教會和政府往往試圖以不首先建立家庭或什至破壞家庭的方式來解決社會問題。 我們開辦兒童主日學和青年團契的初衷是好的，但如果沒有認識到在家庭中建立好土壤的重要性，我們的孩子將很難有面對今天的挑戰。
上帝呼召信徒“建造方舟”來拯救他們的家人。 世界可能會嘲笑我們甚至鄙視我們，但我們必須分享福音，不是變得像世界一樣，而是呼籲人們悔改並與我們一起進入方舟。 家庭仍然是上帝對抗邪惡攻擊的基本武器。 讓我們與家人一起“建造方舟”，拯救更多的家庭進入神的國度！正如查爾斯·科爾森所說：
每個基督徒父母都被呼召將家庭變成一個事工。 這意味著以聖經的世界觀教育我們的孩子，並裝備他們對世界產生影響。 從長遠來看。 這是基督徒恢復和救贖周圍文化的最佳方式。
禱告：親愛的神，願祢呼召更多的父母，尤其是像挪亞的父親們一樣起來“建造方舟”，不僅拯救自己的家人，也拯救別人！ 奉耶穌的名，阿們。
When God “saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5), God’s heart was grieved by the sins of man. He decided to use a flood to wipe out the earth, saving only Noah and his family. We note that God saved not just the one man but saved the man along with his entire family. Moreover, God did not save Noah from the floodwaters because Noah had a high IQ; God saved Noah because he was a righteous, God-fearing man. We are living in a world very similar to that of Noah’s time: “the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and the earth was filled with violence.” (Gen. 6:11) How now shall we live?
Unfortunately, the church and the government often try to solve the problems of society in ways which do not first build up families or which even work to destroy families. We conduct Children’s Sunday School and Youth Group programs with good intentions, but without recognizing the importance of building up good soil in the family, our children will have little chance of standing up against today’s challenges.
God is calling believers to “build an ark” to save their families. The world may laugh at us or even despise us, but we must share the gospel, not becoming like the world but calling people to repentance and to come into the ark with us. The family is still God’s foundational weapon to counter the attacks of the evil one. Let us “build an ark” together with our families and in this way help save more families into the Kingdom of God! As Charles Colson stated:
Every Christian parent is called to make the home a ministry. That means educating our children in a biblical worldview and equipping them to have an impact on the world. In the long run. This is the best way that Christians can restore and redeem the surrounding culture.
Prayer: Dear God, may You call on more parents, especially fathers, to rise up like Noah to “build an ark”, not only to save their own families but also to save others! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
