[今日經文 Today’s Reading: 約書亞記 Joshua 22-24]
若你們認為事奉耶和華不好，今日就可以選擇所要事奉的：是你們列祖在大河那邊所事奉的神明，或是你們所住這地亞摩利人的神明呢？至於我和我家，我們必定事奉耶和華。」
約書亞記 Joshua 24:15
And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
在他生命的盡頭，在他“要走世人必走的路”之前，約書亞挑戰以色列人選擇他們要事奉的神。 但他也表達了自己的決心，無論百姓如何選擇，他的選擇都是：“至於我和我家，我們必定事奉耶和華。” 今天，我們周圍有一場風暴，摧毀了許多基督徒家庭。 我們迫切需要今天的“約書亞”，不僅要自己站穩腳跟，還要帶領他的家人站穩腳跟。 家庭是上帝在風暴時期維護基督教信仰和抵御風暴的工具。
正如喬什·馬爾維希爾在他的書《按照做聖經祖父母 Biblical Grandparenting》中所說：
如果教會想影響年輕人的信仰，最大的投資回報策略將來自於裝備父母和祖父母在自己的家中成為門徒製造者 (disciple-maker)。
當每一個基督徒家庭逆浪而行事奉主時，我們就會掀起新的浪潮！
禱告：親愛的上帝，願你給每位父母像約書亞的心志：無論別人做什麼，我們都立志 – “至於我和我家，我們必定事奉耶和華。” 奉耶穌的名，阿們。
At the end of his life, before he was to “go the way of all the earth”, Joshua challenged the Israelites to choose which god they would serve. But he also expressed his resolve that, no matter what the people’s choice would be, his choice was the following: “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Today there is a storm around us which has been wiping out many Christian homes. We are desperately in need of today’s “Joshuas” not only to stand firm for themselves but also for their families. The family is God’s vehicle for preserving the Christian faith in times of storm and also to counter the storm.
As Josh Mulvihill says in his book, Biblical Grandparenting:
“If churches want to impact the faith of young people, strategically, the greatest return on investment will come from equipping parents and grandparents to be disciple-makers within their own families.”
When every Christian family stands against the waves to serve the Lord, we will create a new wave!
Prayer: Dear God, May You give each parent the resolve of Joshua: No matter what others do, we will determine that “as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”, In Jesus name, Amen.
