本週默想分享2008/10/26

Spiritual Thought for the Week
Today is our church’s 47th anniversary Sunday. We thank God for the strength and steadfastness that has ever been growing here since we joined the United Church of Canada 47 years ago. If you ask me where will this church be 47 years from now? I can assure you there will still be a strong and growing Chinese United Church in Ottawa for an indefinite number of years. Why? It is because we believe in Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 3:8)
Who can stand for ever without change? What can exist without end? No one! Nothing! All people, things and events are changing. There is not one person or thing or event we can grasp hold of and never let go. If we put our hopes on things and people that change we will end up in vanity and despair.
Jesus Christ is the only One who is the same yesterday and today and forever. He never changes himself. His relationship with us never changes. His steadfast love, faithfulness and loyalty never changes. His strength, might and power never changes. He is our Lord. The one we can trust and have hope and have relationship with. Apart from Him, all others are fake, temporal and meaningless. If we look at eternity, who can promise us things that are everlasting? No one but Him.
From olden times to contemporary ones, tens of thousands of believers have proved that the Lord is reliable and trustworthy and never changes. Other things and people are not reliable. They are not worthy to be trusted. They do not deserve our time and energy to pursue after. Once we have found the one who is true and can be trusted for eternity all the rest are not important any more. Let the world change, the sky shake, the mountain collapse, the sea overflow, when the Lord is with me I am not afraid. There is peace in me, for He will not be moved. I have sheltered. I am protected under His everlasting arms. As for the world and my foes in the flesh I fear them nothing, because the Lord will take control. He will be in charge. He will take care of me to the end.
Our church’s only one foundation is Jesus Christ our Lord.
O where are kings and empires now of old that went and came?
But, Lord, your church is praying yet, A thousand years the same.
本週默想分享
今天是教會47週年紀念主日。感謝主自從47年前本教會加入聯合教會後，我們每年都在生根建造，信心堅固。若問47年後，這教會可仍然這樣嗎？我可以肯定的回答，一定可以。為甚麼？因為我們所相信的主耶穌基督，昨天今天一直到永遠是一樣的。（來3：8）
有誰是永遠不改變的呢？有甚麼事是無變化的呢？沒有。一切人，事，物都在變化。所以不能依靠誰，抓住甚麼東西，將盼望放在任何的事務上，因為不久就都要改變，消逝，就如捉影捕風一般，落得完全虛空，無所存留，即或在今生暫時存留片刻，也都必歸於無有，在來世和永遠裏更是毫無關係了。
主耶穌基督是昨日今日一直到永遠是一樣的，祂自己是不改變的，祂和我們的關係也總是不改變的，他對我們的心不變，昨日今日和永遠是一樣的，祂的慈愛，信實，忠誠是不改變的，祂的能力和權柄，地位是永不改變的。只有祂是我們的主，我們仰望的對象，我們追求的目標，和我們唯一有真正關係的神。此外都是虛假的，暫時的，毫無意義的，尤其是從永遠的觀點來看，一切都是毫無所值，唯獨得到基督才是真的，只有與祂發生關係，作在祂的身上才是永存的。
自古以來，千萬信徒都證實主的信實，可靠，永不改變。其他人事都是虛幻易變，極不可靠，沒有追求的價值，我們得到了真實的，永恒的就夠了。任憑世界變化，甚至天搖地動，山崩海嘯，有主同在可以無所懼怕，在主裏面必有平安，在他沒有改變，在主手中永遠安全。對於世界屬血氣如草的人，更不必害怕，主必管理，主必保守，主必看顧到底。
我們的教會唯一的根基，是主耶穌基督。
邦國帝皇興亡代謝，回首如今安在？
唯我們的教會千年一日，禱聲依舊不衰。