你渴吗?
约翰福音七章37至44节
37节期的末日,就是最大之日,耶稣站着高声说:人若渴了,可以到我这里来喝。
38信我的人就如经上所说:从他腹中要流出活水的江河来。
39耶稣这话是指着信他之人要受圣灵说的。那时还没有赐下圣灵来,因为耶稣尚未得着荣耀。
40众人听见这话,有的说:这真是那先知。
41有的说:这是基督。但也有的说:基督岂是从加利利出来的么?
42经上岂不是说基督是大卫的后裔,从大卫本乡伯利恒出来的么?
43于是众人因着耶稣起了分争。
44其中有人要捉拿他,只是无人下手。
信息分享
到了节期的最后一天,人们都开始拆卸帐棚,收拾物件,准备回家。就在这个节期的尾声,我们的主似乎觉察到,许多人的心灵仍是空虚和失落的。宗教活动和节期纪念,都未能真正满足人的心灵。
就在这一刻,在喧闹的人声中间,传来了祂的呼喊:「人若渴了,可以到我这里喝。」人们都骤然止步,静下来聆听呼声,有些人更接受了基督的邀请。但另一些人,却嗤笑这个出身加利利的人,有啥本事为他们做些甚么。
基督究竟发出了甚么邀请?「人若渴了」--即人若认识到自己的最深切需要--「可以到我这里来」。我们先要认识自己是个罪人,和承认自己需要救赎。
我们要到哪里去?--就是来到耶稣基督的面前。只有祂才能满足我们的需要。任何人都可以去到祂的面前,祂欢迎所有人;可是,邀请却十分明确:「不是到别的地方去,却是只到耶稣基督那里去。」
耶稣基督邀请我们去做甚么?--去「喝」。接受基督的邀请,祂就会满足你的需要。
将会有何结果?--基督所赐的新生命,会像活水江河一样在你里面涌流不息,让别人也可以分享得到。这幅图画岂不是很美丽吗?你和我的生命像这个样子吗?基督不仅要满足我们的需要,且要使用我们满足别人的需要。祂要借着我们去把活水分给别人。祂一直等待,要将祂那涌流不息的灵先充满我们,然后再由我们分给别人;我们是否愿意接受祂的邀请呢?
反思:
我若想帮助别人,就必须先饱喝基督的活水。
ARE YOU THIRSTY?
John 7:37 - 44
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit it was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
40 Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.”
41 Others said, “This is the Christ.”
But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee?
42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?”
43 So there was a division among the people because of Him.
44 Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.
Message
Now it was time to take down the tents and to pack up and go home. Soon it would be all over for another year. As the ceremonies ended, it seems that our Lord sensed there were many people whose hearts were still empty and unsatisfied. Religion and its ceremonies do not really satisfy the human hearts.
Right at that moment, a voice was heard above the noise of the crowd, 'If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.' The people stopped and listened and some of them accepted Christ's invitation. Others laughed at the whole idea of a man from Galilee being about to do anything for them.
What did Christ say? 'If any man thirst'; if any man realizes his own deep need, 'let him come unto me'. Here is where we begin, when we acknowledge our own need as sinners.
Who do we come to? To Jesus Christ. He is the only one who can meet our needs. Anyone can come. Everyone is welcome, but the invitation says, 'Come to Jesus Christ and to no-one else'.
What do we do? 'Drink'. Take what Christ offers, he will meet our need.
The result? The new life Christ gives is like a flowing stream of water from which others can drink too. Isn't that a wonderful picture? Is your life and mine like that? Christ not only wants to meet our needs, he wants to use us to help meet the needs of others too. He wants to reach others through us. He is always waiting to so fill us with his Spirit that there will be a continuous overflow to others. Are we allowing him to do this?
TOUGHT FOR TODAY:
I need to drink deeply myself if I am to help anyone else.

