【译文】

生活中有些事情，不会反映在我们生活的表面，但是，却会激发我们按照自己的方式采取行动和做出反应。焦虑就是其中一个例子。焦虑是内心的一种状态，有时会引起犯罪行为。比如，对财务的焦虑会引起奢望、贪婪、储物症、甚至偷盗。对未实现目标的焦虑会使人们对配偶、孩子、或者他人极端暴躁、粗鲁、乖戾。对他人如何回应的焦虑则会让人掩盖真相并撒谎。事实是，如果焦虑可以被克服，那么许多其它的罪的问题就迎刃而解了。

无论处境如何，神 圣灵都在您的生命中服侍您，并且以神的话语激励您的生活。今天的圣经章节摘自于【约翰福音】第五章第16-18节：“所以犹太人逼迫耶稣，因为他在安息日作了这事。耶稣就对他们说：’我父作事直到如今，我也作事。‘所以犹太人越发想要杀他，因他不但犯了安息日，并且称神为他的父，将自己和神当作平等。”

休憩之时，创造万物的神爱您如眼中的瞳仁，神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

We all have things in our lives that don’t appear on the surface of our lives, but motivate us to act and react the way that we do. One of these is “anxiety.” Anxiety is a condition of the heart that sometimes gives rise to sinful actions. For instance, anxiety over finances can give rise to the sins of covetousness and greed and hoarding and stealing. Anxiety over an unachieved goal can make you irritable and abrupt and crabby with your spouse, your kids, or others. Anxiety about how someone will respond to you can make you cover over the truth and lie about things. The truth is, if anxiety could be conquered, a mortal blow would be delivered to many other sins.

God the Holy Spirit will minister in your situation and inspire the Scripture section to your life. It’s from John 5:16-18, “So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. But Jesus replied, ‘My Father is always working, and so am I.’ So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God.”

Jesus, the Creator God of everything, loves you. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】

您会用哪个词来形容自己以及您对另外一个人的信念呢？我是一个 _ 。我们中的许多人都会用“基督徒”一词来填补这个空白。然而，安迪·斯坦利牧师指出，“基督徒”一词可以代表我们想要表达的任何含义，因为，圣经只使用了3次这个词。耶稣和早期教会都没有使用过它，并且它的含义从未被明确定义过！但是，当我们与别人谈论我们是谁以及我们的价值观时，最常用的词就是“基督徒”。《新约圣经》中，最频繁用来描述耶稣跟随者的词是“门徒”。这个词改变了很多内在的东西。

请敞开您的心怀意念，让神 圣灵带领您来领悟今天的圣经章节【约翰福音】第十三章第34-35节：“我赐给你们一条新命令，乃是叫你们彼此相爱。我怎样爱你们，你们也要怎样相爱。你们若有彼此相爱的心，众人因此就认出你们是我的门徒了。”

休憩之时，愿您在神的恩典和怜悯中安然入梦。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

Is there one word that you would use to describe yourself and your beliefs to another person? I am a _. Many of us would fill the blank in with the word “Christian.” Yet Pastor Andy Stanley has pointed out that the word “Christian” can mean anything we want it to mean because it’s used only three times in the Bible. And neither Jesus nor the early Church used it and it’s never defined! But “Christian” is the word we most often use to describe ourselves when we’re talking to someone about who we are and what we’re about. The word most used in the New Testament to self-describe someone following Jesus is “Disciple.” That changes a lot of things.

Read the Scripture section with an open heart and God the Holy Spirit will inspire you. It’s from John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Rest in the daily grace and mercy from God. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】

奥斯瓦尔德·章伯斯在其基督教灵修集《竭诚为主》中写道：“除非我们完全的投上，否则不能真正体会献上的喜乐。自我的降服是最难的事 – ’如果……我就肯了！‘’或许我也该把生命奉献给神。‘其中是没有丝毫舍己的喜乐。待我们真的完全舍弃了，圣灵就叫我们尝到主耶稣的喜乐。”说白了，上面的表述有两层意思：第一，如果某件事情不值得自我牺牲，那么也就不值得付出。也许您花很多钱买某样东西，但是，如果您不愿为此而死，那么它就不值钱了。第二，您认为值得牺牲的东西，您应该牺牲一切来争取。如果您不为此而牺牲一切，那么，即使当您得到它时，您也不会享受到应得的快乐。

圣灵藉着神的话开启您的心。今天的圣经章节摘自于【马太福音】第四章第13-17节：“后又离开拿撒勒，往迦百农去，就住在那里。那地方靠海，在西布伦和拿弗他利的边界上。这是要应验先知以赛亚的话，说：‘西布伦地，拿弗他利地，就是沿海的路，约旦河外，外邦人的加利利地。那坐在黑暗里的百姓，看见了大光；坐在死荫之地的人，有光发现照着他们。”从那时候，耶稣就传起道来，说：’天国近了，你们应当悔改！‘“

休憩之时，愿您明白，保护您的是耶和华，白日太阳必不伤您，夜间月亮必不害您。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

In My Utmost For His Highest, Oswald Chambers wrote, “We never know of the joy of self-sacrifice until we abandon in every particular. Self-surrender is the most difficult thing – ‘I will if. . . ! Oh, well, I suppose I must devote my life to God.’ There is none of the joy of self-sacrifice in that. As soon as we do abandon, the Holy Spirit gives us an intimation of the joy of Jesus.’ In modern jargon, what that’s saying is two things: Number #1: If something isn’t worth self-sacrifice, then it isn’t worth a whole lot. You may pay a lot of money for something, but if you won’t die for it then its not worth very much. Number #2: If you decide that something is worth sacrificing for, you have to sacrifice everything to get it. If you don’t sacrifice everything to get that something, you won’t have the joy that one has when that something is attained.

The Holy Spirit will speak to your heart about the Scripture section from Matthew 4:13-17, “[Jesus] went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah: ‘In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River, in Galilee where so many Gentiles live, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.’ From then on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.’”

God will watch over you as you rest. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】

繁华流年，终究有些事情，值得您倾其一生。您可以积蓄财富，漫无止境地追求更多更好的东西。据说，已故的马尔科姆·福布斯曾经说过：“死时玩具最多者为赢家。”这个说法有个问题，如果我们终其一生去积攒越来越多的财产，极有可能，我们根本就不会真正感到幸福和满足，因为，我们似乎总是不满意自己拥有的东西。另一种方法则是专注于建立关系，努力结交朋友并且成为他人的朋友。如果您将生活的重点定焦在那些与您同行至生命终点的人的关系上，并且，如果这样的人很多，那么您一定是一位非常富有的人。

神 圣灵爱您，并以神的话语浇灌在您的心里。今天的圣经章节摘自于【马太福音】第三章第13-17节：“当下，耶稣从加利利来到约旦河，见了约翰，要受他的洗。约翰想要拦住他，说：‘我当受你的洗，你反倒上我这里来吗？’耶稣回答说：‘你暂且许我，因为我们理当这样尽诸般的义。’于是约翰许了他。耶稣受了洗，随即从水里上来。天忽然为他开了，他就看见神的灵仿佛鸽子降下，落在他身上。从天上有声音说：’这是我的爱子，我所喜悦的。”

休憩之时，愿您明白，耶和华本为善，他的慈爱存到永远，他的信实直到万代。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

As we go through life there are a couple of things you can give your life to. You can try to accumulate possessions, constantly trying to get more or better stuff. The late Malcolm Forbes is supposed to have said, “He who dies with most toys wins.” The problem with that is, if we spend our lives trying to accumulate more and more possessions, chances are we’ll never truly be happy and fulfilled because we seem to never be satisfied with what we have. Another route is to focus on building relationships, trying to make friends and to be a friend. If you give your life focusing on the relationships you have with the people who’ll show up for your funeral, and if there are lots of them, you’ll have been a rich person indeed.

God the Holy Spirit loves you and will minister into your heart the truth of the Scripture section. It’s from Matthew 3:13-17, “Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to talk him out of it. ‘I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,’ he said, ‘so why are you coming to me?’ But Jesus said, ‘It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.’ So John agreed to baptize him. After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.’”

Know that God loves you very much. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】

我不是一名“技术恐慌者 ”（勒德分子，指反对使用新的工作方法，尤其反对使用新机器的人）。但是，有时候，我很好奇，技术对我们的文化以及我个人的生活带来的影响。医生们发现了一种新的恐慌症，称为“无手机恐慌症”，亦即因为害怕没有手机或者不能使用手机而产生的恐慌感。你们中有多少人，无法关闭生活中的那一部分，我们不断地被手机的铃声和振动分散注意力，无法专注手头的工作，却时刻惦记着铃声和振动要传达的信息。我们中的许多人感到不知所措，也许是因为我们一直处于“在线状态”。您的灵魂需要时间和空间，才能在与神同在的世界中，找到平安和孤独，以便认识神并且与神建立起不断发展的关系。这样，您就可以享受神，并且享受代表神在这个世界上的爱。

圣灵在您里面，藉着神的话将真理应用到您的内心和处境中。今天的圣经章节摘自于【马太福音】第十一章第28-30节：“凡劳苦担重担的人，可以到我这里来，我就使你们得安息。我心里柔和谦卑，你们当负我的轭，学我的样式，这样，你们心里就必得享安息。因为我的轭是容易的，我的担子是轻省的。”

休憩之时，请您明白，无论您的境况如何，神都与您同在。愿您在神的爱中安然入梦。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

I’m not a “Luddite” (Google it if you don’t know what it is). But sometimes I wonder about the effect of technology on our culture and my life. Doctors have identified a new phobia called, nomophobia … the fear of being out of mobile phone contact. How many of you, one of the last things you do in your day is check the phone and one of the first things you do in the morning is check your phone? For many of us … we literally have an inability to shut that part of our life down and we’re constantly being distracted by “bings” and vibrations and we break the concentration of what we’re doing to focus on what those “bings” and vibrations mean. And many of us feel overwhelmed and maybe it’s because we’re always “on.” Your soul requires space and time to find peace and some solitude in the presence of the God who created you to know him and have a thriving relationship with him so you can enjoy him and enjoy representing his love in this world.

The Scripture section is from Matthew 11:28-30. The Holy Spirit is in you to apply the truth to your heart and situation. “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’”

Rest knowing that God’s with you. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】

自从智能手机问世以来，我们所拍摄的图片和视频的数量比以前增加了很多。我们还拍摄所谓的“自拍照”。在拍摄完照片之后，我们按照我们希望那些在图享、抖音、和脸书的粉丝看到的样子，选择性地对图片/视频进行过滤。从文化上来说，我们变得非常擅长过滤我们分享的内容，以及编辑内容的标签和标题，这是因为标题很重要。然后，当我们认为一切都完美时，我们会将其分享到社交平台，以便我们的粉丝和其他人可以肯定我们、并“喜欢”照片所展示出来的我们。我们也许认为这是新生事物，实际上，这一切只不过是技术提供了更多的应用工具，用以完成人类自从一开始就一直在做的事情。我们希望“尽力而为”，并隐藏真实的自我。我们这样做的原因之一，是因为害怕被拒绝。

神 圣灵与您同在，并且通过神的话语来激发您的心怀意念。今天的圣经章节摘自于【希伯来书】第十三章第5-6节：“你们存心不可贪爱钱财，要以自己所有的为足。因为主曾说：‘我总不撇下你，也不丢弃你。’所以我们可以放胆说：‘主是帮助我的，我必不惧怕；人能把我怎么样呢？’”

休憩之时，请您确信，神的爱必将伴随您，直至地极。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

Since the invention of the smartphone, we’ve been taking exponentially more pictures and videos than we were taking before. We’re also taking what we’ve called “selfies.” Then after we’ve taken the picture, we’re given the option of filtering the picture/video to make it look like what we want our followers to see of us on Instagram, Tic Toc, or Facebook. Culturally, we’re becoming very adept at filtering what we want everyone to see and then editing our hashtags and captions because … the caption matters. Then when we think everything’s perfect, we send it out there so our followers and the rest of the world can affirm us and “like” the picture of the person we’re showing we are. We may think this is a new thing, but all that’s happened is technology has given us more tools to use to do what humans have been doing since the beginning of time. We want to “put our best foot forward,” and hide the real person we are. One of the reasons we do that is because of the fear of rejection.

God the Holy Spirit is with you to inspire your heart and mind with the Scripture section. It’s from Hebrews 13:5-6, “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?’”

Be confident in God’s love as you rest. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】

大卫·普拉特牧师写道：“祷告的主要目的不是为了要得到什么，而是为了要了解某人。”有时候，我们可能会忘记，耶稣不仅仅是一位好老师和奇迹创造者，而且还是一位伟大的“祷告者”。与宗教精英们不同的是，耶稣教导他的跟随者，天父应允那些藉着认识神而认识自己的人的祷告。他还教导他们，祷告应该有清晰明确的目标。耶稣给出了一种祷告模式，这种模式成为我们现今的主祷文。请不要把祷告的焦点定在索取，而是要更多地了解他，即我们的神。

圣灵作工，将神的话语如活水般浇灌在您的心中。今天的圣经章节摘自于【马太福音】第六章第9-13节：“所以你们祷告，要这样说：我们在天上的父，愿人都尊你的名为圣。愿你的国降临。愿你的旨意行在地上，如同行在天上。我们日用的饮食，今日赐给我们。免我们的债，如同我们免了人的债。不叫我们遇见试探。救我们脱离凶恶。因为国度、权柄、荣耀，全是你的，直到永远。阿门。”

休憩之时，愿您明白，良善的神视您如珍宝，对您永不离弃。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

Pastor David Platt writes, “The primary purpose of prayer is not to get something, but to know Someone.” Sometimes we may forget that Jesus was not only a master teacher and miracle worker but also a master “pray-er.” Unlike the religious elites, Jesus teaches his followers that their heavenly Father answers the prayer of those who understand who they are in light of who God is. He also taught them that their prayers ought to be purposeful. Jesus gives a pattern of prayer to follow that has come to be known today as the Lord’s Prayer. Make it your aim not to seek things, but to get to know Him more.

The Holy Spirit of God is going to work in your heart to bring the Scripture section alive in you. It’s from Matthew 6:9-13, “Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.”

As you rest, know that God’s with you. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】

您是否注意到，有一些传统在莫名其妙地延续着？威廉·波特在“五旬节使者”中曾经记载过，1903年俄国沙皇尼古拉二世如何注意到克里姆林宫的某个岗哨的位置有点毫无厘头。他想知道，为什么在前不着村后不着店的地方莫名其妙地安排了一个岗哨 。查阅档案后发现，1776年春天，凯瑟琳大帝在该处发现了春天的第一朵花。于是，她命令：“安排一个岗哨在这里，免得有人踩踏脚下的那朵花！”接下来的127年，每天24小时都有一位警卫矗立在那里。

圣灵藉着今天的经文在您的生活中作工。今天的圣经章节摘自于【以赛亚书】第四十三章第19-21节：“看哪，我要作一件新事，如今要发现，你们岂不知道吗？我必在旷野开道路，在沙漠开江河。野地的走兽必尊重我，野狗和驼鸟也必如此。因我使旷野有水，使沙漠有河，好赐给我的百姓、我的选民喝。这百姓是我为自己所造的，好述说我的美德。”

休憩之时，您可以全然信赖神，把一切的愁烦卸下来，放在神手上。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

Have you ever noticed that some traditions keep going without the knowledge of why they’re there? William Poteet wrote in The Pentecostal Minister how in 1903 Russian Czar Nicholas II noticed a sentry posted for no apparent reason on the grounds of the Kremlin. He inquired why there was a sentry posted for no apparent reason out in the middle of nowhere. The archives were consulted and it was discovered that in the spring of 1776, Catherine the Great found the first flower of spring on the Kremlin grounds where the guard was posted. She commanded, “Post a sentry here, so that no one tramples that flower under foot!” and so for the next 127 years, a guard was posted at that spot for 24 hours a day.

The Holy Spirit wants to minister in your life the truth of the Scripture section from Isaiah 43:19-21, “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and owls, too, for giving them water in the desert. Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed. I have made Israel for myself, and they will someday honor me before the whole world.”

God’s trustworthy and you can rest in his love. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】

您是否曾经想过，为什么神有时会花很长时间回答您的祷告？也许，您已经为一些事情祷告了数周、数月、甚至数年，但是，神似乎迟迟不作回应。延迟回应对您关乎神的信仰有什么影响呢？您是否怀疑、或者疑惑您的这个祷告是不是超出了神的能力范围，或者，您祈求的东西是错的？也许您认为祷告只是浪费时间， 只不过是一厢情愿。您是否想，是不是您一直在祈求错误的东西，还是祈求的动机有问题？有可能是神在等待什么吗？也许神在等待合适的时机、或者等待态度的转变、或者在等待时机来传播福音 – 这将给神带来至高无比的荣耀。圣经的真理是：神的延迟并不表明失败。事实上，如果您仔细想想圣经，有关神的计划被延迟的主题始终贯穿其中。请保持信心，恒定祷告。

圣经藉着神的话激励您，并在您心里作工。今天的圣经章节摘自于【哥林多前书】第八章第1-3节：“论到祭偶像之物，我们晓得我们都有知识；但知识是叫人自高自大，惟有爱心能造就人。若有人以为自己知道什么，按他所当知道的，他仍是不知道。若有人爱神，这人乃是神所知道的。”

休憩之时，愿您知晓，神的爱与您同在，因为神视您为眼中的瞳仁。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

Have you ever wondered why God sometimes takes so long to answer your prayers? Maybe there are things you’ve been praying about for weeks, or months, or even years, and still God seems to be delayed in answering. What does that delay do to your faith in him? Do you doubt or wonder whether this prayer is maybe beyond him or whether you’re asking the wrong thing? Maybe you think that prayer is just a waste of time – just wishful thinking. Do you wonder if you’ve been asking the wrong thing or with the wrong motives? Could it also be that God is waiting for something? Maybe he’s waiting for the time to be right or for attitudes to change or for an opportunity to act that will further the gospel – that will bring the greatest glory to God. This is Biblical truth: God’s delays aren’t signs of failure. In fact when you think about the Bible, the theme of God’s plan being delayed runs right through it. Be encouraged and keep on praying.

This Scripture section will minister to your heart as the Holy Spirit inspires you with it. It’s from 1 Corinthians 8:1-3, “Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that ‘we all have knowledge’ about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.”

The love of God is with you as you rest. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】

您相信耶稣吗？我认为这是很有意思的问题，因为，这个问题似乎很抽象，看起来很容易回答：“是的，我相信耶稣。我相信他是神的儿子。要不他怎能行使那些神迹？我相信他死了并且又复活了。”【雅各书】第二章第19节指出，魔鬼也相信类似的事情…而且胆颤心惊 。这里我要说的是，门徒训练是用一辈子的时间去脚踏实地地践行自己的信仰。那么，问题来了：作为耶稣的门徒，您的信仰是不是真的改变了您的世界观呢？或者，您的信仰只不过是一个不错的便捷系统，您可以将自己长期秉承的有关您成长和文化背景的信念依附于此。我认为，经历这次大流行挑战了许多人的信念。但是，神仍然在那里，祂将一路与您风雨同舟，陪伴您共度新冠难关。

当您沉思默想神的话语，圣灵将激发您的内心，并将其应用到您的生活中。今天的圣经章节摘自于【哥林多前书】第六章第12-14节：“凡事我都可行，但不都有益处；凡事我都可行，但无论哪一件，我总不受他的辖制。食物是为肚腹，肚腹是为食物。但神要叫这两样都废坏。身子不是为淫乱，乃是为主；主也是为身子。并且神已经叫主复活，也要用自己的能力叫我们复活。”

休憩之时，愿您明白，在主里，您的未来永恒且满有祝福。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

Do you believe in Jesus? I think this is a very compelling question because as an abstract question it’s probably easy enough to answer, “Yes I believe in Jesus.I believe he’s the Son of God. How else could he have done those miracles? I believe he died and rose again.” James 2:19 indicates that demons believe similar stuff to that … and shudder. Where I’m going with this is that discipleship is a life-long journey of putting feet to what you believe. And here’s the question: As Jesus’ disciple, has your faith actually changed your world-view? Or is it a nice, convenient system you attach to your long-held beliefs about how you grew up and were raised and your culture? I think experiencing this pandemic has challenged the faith of many. But God’s still there and he’ll journey with you through it.

The Holy Spirit inspires your heart as you read the Scripture section and he applies it to your life. It’s from 1 Corinthians 6:12-14, “You say, ‘I am allowed to do anything’—but not everything is good for you. And even though ‘I am allowed to do anything,’ I must not become a slave to anything. You say, ‘Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.’ (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.”

In God, you have a blessed eternal future. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff