马太福音25：1-13 信心的灯不灭
马太福音25: “那时，天国好比十个童女拿着灯出去迎接新郎。2其中有五个是愚拙的，五个是聪明的。3愚拙的拿着灯，却不预备油；4聪明的拿着灯，又预备油在器皿里。5新郎迟延的时候，他们都打盹睡着了。6半夜有人喊着说：‘新郎来了，你们出来迎接他！’7那些童女就都起来收拾灯。8愚拙的对聪明的说：‘请分点油给我们，因为我们的灯要灭了。’9聪明的回答说：‘恐怕不够你我用的，不如你们自己到卖油的那里去买吧！’10他们去买的时候，新郎到了，那预备好了的，同他进去坐席，门就关了。11其余的童女随后也来了，说：‘主啊，主啊，给我们开门！’12他却回答说：‘我实在告诉你们：我不认识你们。’13所以你们要警醒，因为那日子、那时辰，你们不知道。”
我们很难想象耶稣时代的婚姻习俗，但是这个故事本身足以说明耶稣想和我们分享的信息。它和上一个故事很相像，讲的是主人离开后仆人发生的故事。在这里耶稣给出同样的建议：“你们要警醒，因为那日子、那时辰，你们不知道。”
在这个故事里，哪些人做好了准备？哪些人没有？那些带够灯油的伴娘做好了准备；而那些没带灯油的伴娘无法参加婚宴，因为她们的蜡烛灭了。我们的信心就像那燃烧的蜡烛，如果得不到再次供给，终会行将耗尽。它会慢慢地消失，直至什么都剩不下。如果我们失去信心，那我们就会错过羔羊的婚宴！
那我们该如何防止信心的消失呢？通过持续不断地阅读上帝的话语并将其反复储存在心中。圣灵正是这样做的。如果你正在阅读这个灵修材料，我其实不是为你写的，而是为我自己。我喜欢每天吸收一小部分上帝的话语，反复咀嚼并牢记在心。我读经的时候就是用这种“写日志”的方式。当信心藉着圣经和圣灵的工作获得持续不断的供给时，信心是不会消失的。
祷告：主耶稣，你保守我在你的话语和信心中。我祈祷我永远不会放弃你的话语。我知道你也不会弃绝我。我可以带着信心祷告：“主耶稣啊，我愿你来！阿们。”
Matthew 25
Matthew 25:1-13: “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ 12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ 13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
It is hard for us to imagine the wedding customs of Jesus’ day, but the story speaks for itself as far as the message Jesus is sharing with us. It’s very similar to the last story that he told about the servants of the master who had gone away. Here he gives us the same application, “Keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”
In the story, who was ready and who was not? The bridesmaids who brought along extra oil were ready, and the ones who brought none were unable to join the wedding party, because their candles had gone out. Our faith is like the burning candles. Eventually, if not resupplied, our faith will run out. It leaks away slowly until there is nothing left at all. And if we have no faith, then we will miss out on the wedding supper of the Lamb!
How do we keep from running out of faith? We do it by continuing in God’s Word and restocking the reservoir in our hearts. This is how the Holy Spirit. If you are reading this devotion, I am not writing it for your sake, but for my own. I like to take a small portion of God’s Word each day and really chew on it and take it to heart. It’s my way of “journaling” when I read the Scripture. Faith that is continually being resupplied by the Scripture and the work of the Spirit will not run out.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you have kept me in your Word and in the faith. My prayer is that I will not give up on your Word. I know that you will not give up on me. With faith in my heart, I can pray, “Even so come, Lord Jesus! Amen.