上帝的兒女

上帝的兒女
聖經閱讀：加拉太書4:1-7 現代中譯本|合和本
2016年1月7日(四)

　我的朋友艾達跟我說了一件她遭遇的特別事情。艾達的妹妹在生下兒子後就去世了，而艾達的妹夫就在孩子出生前死去，所以這個孩子沒有父母。
艾達跟她的先生阿特向法官請求這男孩的監護權，法官答應了他們，然後他做了一件很特別的事，他給了他們孩子的出生證明，上面寫明艾達和阿特是孩子的親生父母──就好像這嬰孩是他們的親生兒子一樣。

上帝也為我們做了特別的事情，今天閱讀的經文跟我們談到上帝為我們所成就的事。上帝差派祂的兒子耶穌來到世上，為什麼上帝要這麼做呢？祂是要 「使我們獲得上帝兒女的名份」（第5b節）。上帝是我們在天上的父，當我們遵從並跟隨耶穌時，我們就成為上帝特別的兒女。

今天就感謝上帝使你可以成為祂的兒女！ —JL*

「這樣，你不再是奴僕，而是兒子；既然是上帝的兒子，上帝就以你為繼承人。」 加拉太書4:7

禱告：天父，謝謝祢賜給我作祢兒女的機會。奉耶穌的名，阿們！

(尤榮輝譯)

God's Children
Bible Reading: Galatians 4:1-7
Thursday January 7, 2016

My friend, Ida, told me about something special that happened in her life. Ida’s sister died right after giving birth to a son. Ida's brother-in-law had died right before the baby was born, so the baby had no parents.
Ida and her husband, Art, asked a judge to give them custody of the baby boy. The judge gave them custody, and then he did something very special. He gave them the baby's birth certificate. Ida and Art were listed on the certificate as the birth parents — just as if the baby boy was their natural-born son.

God has done something special for us, too. The verses in our Bible Reading tell us what God has done for us. God sent His Son, Jesus, to earth. Why did God to that? “God's purpose was to make us his children” (verse 5b). God is our Heavenly Father. When we obey and follow Jesus, we become God's special children.

Thank God today that you can be one of His children! —JL*

“Now you are not slaves like before. You are God's children, and you will receive everything he promised his children.” Galatians 4:7

PRAYER: Father, thank You for giving me the opportunity to be Your child. In Jesus’ name. Amen.