5月31日
标 题：先信靠神
经 节：耶和华如此说：倚靠人血肉的膀臂，心中离弃耶和华的，那人有祸了！（耶利米书十七章5节）
耶利米时代的以色列人，认为可以相信自己的军队、国王的外交手腕及联军兵团，来保护他们免受强盛的巴比伦王国所侵犯。他们以嘴唇的事奉，来表达自己对神的信任，但是他们的行动透露出他们真正的信心：靠军事武力和经济势力。神借着耶利米警告百姓，祂不会祝福那些倚靠其他人事物，离弃耶和华的人。
把信心放置于神以外的任何人事物上，就是拜偶像。你怎能知道自己不是真的信任神？问你自己以下的问题：当我有危机时，我去哪里寻求帮助？当我心里受伤或害怕，我去找谁呢？当我有经济问题，我先告诉谁？当我面对压力或灰心沮丧时，我到哪里寻找安慰？
你可不可能嘴巴说相信主，但做出来的又是另一回事？神通常使用其他人来供应你的需求。要谨慎，免得不小心地让祂的供应替换了神自己，成为我们全心的注意力。神可能会借着你的朋友满足你的需求，然而，你最终应该相信的是神。
以色列人太顽固，他们宁可靠自己的能力，也不愿意信靠神。就算巴比伦军队已经迫近耶路撒冷，他们仍然拚命地寻求个人、国家或其他军队的力量，好解救他们。当他们领悟到自己应该信任那惟一能拯救他们的真神，却为时已晚。
不要犯与以色列人同样的错误。有需要时，直接找神。祂是你惟一的供应。
Trusting God First
Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who
trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the
Lord.” (Jeremiah 17:5)
The Israelites of Jeremiah’s day believed they
could trust in their army, the diplomacy of their king, and their foreign
alliances to protect them from the powerful Babylonian empire. They gave lip
service to their trust in God, but their actions showed where their faith
really was: in their military and financial might. God spoke through Jeremiah
to warn them that He would not bless those who trusted in anyone or anything
instead of Him.
Placing your ultimate trust in anything other than
God is idolatry. How can you know if your faith is not truly in God? Ask
yourself these questions: Where do I turn when I experience a crisis? When I am
hurting or afraid, to whom do I go? When I have a financial problem, whom do I
want to tell first? Where do I seek comfort when I am under stress or
discouraged?
Could it be that you are saying you trust in God
but your actions indicate otherwise? God often uses other people as His method
of providing for you. Be careful lest you inadvertently misdirect your faith
toward His provision instead of toward the Provider. God may meet your need
through your friends, but ultimately your trust must be in God.
The Israelites were so stubbornly committed to trusting
in human strength instead of God that, even as the Babylonian army approached
Jerusalem, they continued to desperately seek for a person, or a nation, or an
army that could rescue them. They realized too late that they had neglected to
trust in the only One who could deliver them.
Don’t make the same mistake as the Israelites. Go
straight to the Lord when you have a need. He is the only One who can provide
for you.
