5月4日
标 题：神带你归向祂
经 节：我向埃及人所行的事，你们都看见了，且看见我如鹰将你们背在翅膀上，带来归我。（出埃及记十九章4节）
神拯救以色列的儿女脱离埃及，并不是叫他们能够享受应许之地。祂释放他们的捆绑，好叫他们能够认识神与敬拜神。在他们离开埃及三个月后，祂提醒他们，祂像鹰一样将他们背在翅膀上、拯救他们的原因。祂的目的是为了带领他们归向祂。也就是神拯救他们，为了要让他们享受与自己亲密的关系。那些以色列人一直是奴隶，没有敬拜神的自由。现在，在自己的土地上，他们可以自由地认识与敬拜上帝。神的呼召不是要毁灭迦南地那些拜偶像的国家，也不是要他们安居于自己所征服之地，更不是要创建一个新的国家──虽然这一切也都被成就了。更确切地说，神呼召他们成为一个爱祂、敬拜祂的民族。因着祂的拯救，他们认识祂是全能且富怜悯的神。他们现在可以自由地回应祂。
我们往往是行动取向，常假设自己得救是为了运行某项事工，而不是享受关系。祂使用我们的活动或环境，把我们带到祂的面前。倘若神交付我们只有神能解决的重任，我们会脱离亲近祂及倚靠祂的轨道。相反地，倘若神允许我们经历危难，我们会更亲近祂。
如果不小心，我们可能会不自觉地忽略与神的关系，好能够继续我们的活动。当你忙于神的事工时，要记得神要给你的是要领你更亲近祂的体验。
God Brings You to Himself
You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how
I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. (Exodus 19:4)
God did not deliver the children of Israel out of
Egypt so that they could enjoy the Promised Land. He freed them from their so
they could come to know and worship Him. Three months after they left Egypt,
God reminded His people why He had delivered them “on eagles’ wings.” It was to
bring the people to Himself. That is, God saved them so that they could enjoy
intimate fellowship with Him. The Israelites had been slaves with no freedom to
worship God. Now, with their own land, they could come to know and serve God
freely. God’s call was not to destroy the idolatrous nations in Canaan, not to
settle the lands they conquered, and not to establish a new nation, although
all of these would be accomplished. Rather, God called them primarily to be a
people who loved and worshiped Him. Through God’s act of deliverance they came
to know Him as an almighty and compassionate God, and they were now free to
respond_to Him.
We are so activity oriented that we assume we were
saved for a task we are to perform rather than for a relationship to enjoy. God
uses our activities and circumstances to bring us to Himself. When He gives us
a God-sized assignment, its sheer impossibility brings us back to Him for His
enabling. When God allows us to go through crises, it brings us closer to Him.
If we are not careful, we can inadvertently bypass
the relationship in order to get on with the activity. When you are busy in
your activity for God, remember that God leads you to the experiences in order
to bring you to Himself.
