[今日經文 Today’s Reading: 撒母耳記上 1 Samuel 30-31]
8 大衛求問耶和華說：「我追趕這羣人，是否追得上呢？」耶和華對他說：「你可以追，一定追得上，也一定救得回來。」
撒母耳記上 1 Samuel 30:8
8 And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.”
當大衛和他的部下出去打仗時，敵人來襲擊了他們的家，擄走了他們的妻子和孩子。 這也生動地描述了當今社會，甚至是我們自己家中正在發生的事情。 當我們做父母的一直忙於追求事業、個人興趣，甚至各種事工時，我們無意間敞開了家門，讓仇敵進來。 世俗主義和個人主義已經通過公立學校、社交媒體和大眾娛樂進入了我們孩子的思想。
本週在田納西州發生的槍擊事件再次為我們所有人敲響了警鐘，尤其是對父母和教會領袖而言，真正的問題是屬靈和道德問題。 當上帝和祂的話語被我和人的想法所取代時，沒有人能免於敵人的攻擊。 教會早就應該將其所有資源投入到追趕和拯救我們的下一代——在他們迷失之前！
教會必須專注於裝備父母履行上帝賦予他們的責任，即殷勤地門訓自己的孩子信仰，而不是提供有效取代父母的計劃。 我們需要鼓勵和加強家庭單位，而不是像我們按年齡分組時那樣在家庭成員之間製造距離。
當戰場上的美軍地面部隊幾乎被殲滅時，指揮官的最後手段就是發出緊急信息“斷箭行動”。 司令部接到消息後，須立即調集一切可用的力量去營救地面部隊。
願我們的父母和教會聽到我們面前緊急的“斷箭行動”呼聲，並在為時已晚之前採取行動！
禱告：親愛的上帝，我們祈求你能激起我們所有人的心，包括父母和教會領袖，去追趕和拯救即將被殲滅的下一代。 奉耶穌的名，阿們！
When David and his men went out to fight, the enemy came and raided their homes, taking their wives and children captive. This, too, vividly describes what is happening today in our society, even in our own homes. While we parents haven been busy, pursuing careers, personal interests, or even various ministries, we have unintentionally left the doors of our homes open wide for the enemy to enter. Secularism and individualism have come into the minds of our children through government schools, social media, and popular entertainment.
The shooting in Tennessee this week is another wake up call for all of us, especially for parents and church leaders, the underlying problem being a spiritual and a moral one. When God and His Word are replaced with ME and with man’s ideas, no one is exempt from the enemy’s attacks. It is long overdue for the church to pour all of its resources into the pursuit and rescue of our next generation – before they are lost!
The church must focus on equipping parents to fulfill their God-given responsibility, that of diligently discipling their own children in the faith, rather than that of providing programming which effectually replaces parents. We need to encourage and strengthen the family unit rather than to create distances between family members as is done when we form groups according to age.
When America’s ground troops in the battle field have almost been overrun, the last resort of the commander is to send out the urgent message “Broken Arrow”. When the officers at the army’s headquarters receive the message, they must immediately mobilize all available forces to rescue the ground troops.
May we parents and churches heed the urgent “Broken Arrow” cry before us and take action before it is too late!
Prayer: Dear God, we pray that You will stir the hearts of all of us, both parents and church leaders, to pursue and rescue the next generation which is close to being overrun. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
