4月14日
标 题： 吩咐火从天降
经 节： 祂的门徒雅各、约翰看见了，就说：“主啊，你要我们吩咐火从天上降下来烧灭他们，像以利亚所做的吗？”（路加福音九章54节）
雅各和约翰被称为“雷子”。当他们发现撒马利亚的一个村庄不愿接待耶稣，他们准备要吩咐火从天上降下来灭尽他们！也许他们认为借着这大能的展现，福音能够被广传。他们兄弟俩愿意牺牲整个村民的性命，来换取福音的传播。结果，耶稣斥责他们。
后来，使徒们听说撒马利亚人领受了神的道（使徒行传八：14）。谁被差遣去帮助他们领受圣灵？不就是彼得和约翰！神的目的不是要摧毁那些人，而是要拯救他们。神选择不从天上降火，而由天上降下圣灵的甘霖给那些村民。当约翰看到这些他原想灭命的村民时，脑海中在想什么？当初他想烧灭这些村民，现在却为他们的得救而欢欣。他一定很感激耶稣当初禁止运行他的计划。
人类的思想与神的思想，有何等大的分野啊！人类的想法会毁灭整个村庄，神的计划却是带来救恩。人类由神那里得来的好处，远比你的最佳计划要丰盛多了。人们求助时，你是否只是单单提供自己的对策，以暂时满足他们，却没有提供他们神的计划？
Calling Down Fire
And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord,
do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just
as Elijah did?” (Luke 9:54)
James and John were called the “Sons of Thunder.” When they discovered a
Samaritan village that would not receive Jesus, they were fully prepared to
call down fire to consume the entire community! Perhaps they felt that through
such a show of power, their gospel message might be enhanced. The two brothers
were willing to sacrifice the lives of the villagers in order to further the
cause of the gospel. Jesus rebuked them.
Later, the apostles heard that Samaria had responded to the gospel (Acts
8:14). Who was commissioned to go and help them receive the Holy Spirit but
Peter and John! God’s purpose had not been to destroy those people but to save
them. God chose not to rain down fire on the village, but to shower it with His
Holy Spirit. What must have gone through John’s mind as he saw those same
people, whom he had been ready to destroy, now rejoicing in their salvation?
How grateful he must have been that Jesus had prevented him from carrying out
his plans!
What an enormous contrast between man’s thinking and God’s! Man’s
thinking would have resulted in the destruction of an entire village. God’s
plan brought salvation to it. People will benefit far more from what God wants
to give them than from your best plans. Have you been shortchanging the people around
you by merely giving them your plans instead of God’s?
