7月8日
标 题：圣路
经 节：在那里必有一条大道，称为圣路。污秽人不得经过，必专为赎民行走；行路的人虽愚昧，也不致失迷。（以赛亚书卅五章8节）
以色列这个国家，本来是被预定成为万国敬拜真神的地方。耶路撒冷的圣殿，本来是传播神救恩喜信到世界每个角落的中心点。但那些本来应属神的百姓，却背弃了祂，行各样恶事。他们不但没有作神的使者，反而羞辱神的圣名；不但没有吸引地上万国到神的跟前，反而成为寻道者的绊脚石。以色列人惨痛地失败，与神原先的计划大相径庭，以至于神审判他们，放逐他们。然而，神应许有一天祂的百姓会成为一条大道，带领其他人得着救恩。
哪里有基督徒，神就有法子让人们知道救恩（罗马书十：14～15），这是神的心意。每当未信者遇见基督徒，他应是与所有跟随主的信息面对面。
可悲的是，有些基督徒就像以赛亚时代的以色列人。我们可能深陷罪恶之中，完全背离神，更别提装备自己去指引人。如果我们在生活中假冒为善，我们非但不能帮助人到神的面前，反而害人转离神。如果我们的生活充满疑惑和愤怒，我们会妨碍他人到主的跟前。我们的生活应该是一条圣道，成为周围寻道者的帮助。求神挪去你生命中任何妨碍人认识主的绊脚石。
A Highway of Holiness
A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall
be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it
shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go
astray. (Isaiah 35:8)
The nation of Israel was designed to have a place
where other nations of the world could come to worship the true God. The temple
in Jerusalem was to be the center from which the good news of God’s salvation
would spread to every corner of the world. But those who were supposed to be
God’s people forsook Him and practiced every kind of sin. Rather than being
ambassadors for God, they disgraced His holy name. Rather than attracting the
nations of the earth to God, they became stumbling blocks to those who were
seeking the true God. The Israelites fell so far from God’s original intent
that God judged them and sent them into exile. Yet God promised that one day
His people would be an avenue by which others could find salvation.
It is God’s desire that anywhere there is a
Christian, God has a way for people to learn of His salvation (Rom. 10:14–15).
Whenever an unbeliever meets a Christian, the unbeliever ought to be face to
face with everything he needs to know in order to follow Christ.
Sadly, however, Christians can be like the
Israelites of Isaiah’s day. We can be so involved in our sin that we are
completely disoriented to God, ill-equipped to direct others to Him. If our
lives are filled with hypocrisy, we may turn people away from God, rather than
helping them come to Him. If our lives are filled with doubt or anger, we will
impede others from coming to Christ. Our lives ought to be a highway of
holiness, providing easy access to God for anyone around us who seeks Him. Ask
God to remove any obstacle in your life that hinders others from coming to know
Jesus.
