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马太福音7章7-11 大胆地祷告

经文:马太福音 7:7-11“你们祈求，就给你们；寻找，就寻见；叩门，就给你们开门。 因为凡祈求的，就得着；寻找的，就寻见；叩门的，就给他开门。 你们中间谁有儿子求饼，反给他石头呢？ 求鱼，反给他蛇呢？ 你们虽然不好，尚且知道拿好东西给儿女，何况你们在天上的父，岂不更把好东西给求他的人吗？

当耶稣教导我们如何祷告时，他教导我们要大胆和坚持地祷告，就像那些三岁的孩子不会接受“不”的回答。我们向天父祈祷的次数再多也不过分。我们永远别错过与全能的上帝见面的机会，因为全能的上帝是我们的阿爸父。

阿爸父只会遗憾聆听我们的祷告太少，而不会因为我们祷告太多而厌烦。

耶稣也用一幅非常形象的画面来为我们阐明。我们决不会给我们的孩子对他们有伤害的东西。我记得我16岁的时候问过我父亲我能不能买一辆摩托车。他说“不能”。他告诉我那太危险了。他可能是对的，谁知道呢？是上帝把我们从可怕的伤害中拯救出来。另外，我父亲知道我会有多鲁莽。我在天上的父也知道！

所以我们祈求。但我们祈求的时候，乃是把我们所求的交在神手里，照着神的旨意成就。我们像耶稣在园中祷告一样:“愿你的旨意成就。”因为我们知道上帝是为了我们得益处而应允我们，所以我们可以大胆而不住地祈求。

祷告：天父啊，谢谢你邀请我向你祈祷，就像亲爱的孩子能向他们的父亲祈求一样。我因信耶稣，就是你的孩子。你必听我一切的祷告，常常将我所需用的赐给我。求你教导我大胆祷告，常常祷告。阿们。

MatthewListen: Matthew 7: 7:  “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

When Jesus teaches us how to pray, he teaches us to pray with boldness and persistence, like those three year old children who won’t take “No” for an answer. We can never pray to our Father in heaven too often. We can never run out of chances to get an audience with our Almighty God, because Almighty God is our Abba Father.  We can pray too little but we cannot pray to much.

Jesus also uses a striking picture to illustrate our . We would never give our children something that would harm them. I remember asking my father if I could buy a motorcycle when I was 16. He said “No.”  He told me they were too dangerous. He was probably right, and who knows but that God was only saving me from terrible injury.  Besides, my father knew how reckless I could be. My FATHER in heaven knew it as well!

So we can ask. But when we ask, we put our request into God’s hands to do what he wills. We pray as Jesus prayed in the garden, “Your will be done.” And because we know that God will only answer for our good, we can ask with boldness and persistence.

Prayer:  Father, thank you for inviting me to pray to you as dear children can ask their fathers. I am your child by faith in Jesus, and you will hear all my prayers and give me always what is good and best for me. Teach me to pray with boldness and to pray often.  Amen.

马太福音7章12节 “黄金法则”

经文:马太福音 7:12 所以，无论何事，你们愿意人怎样待你们，你们也要怎样待人，因为这就是律法和先知的道理。

你可能知道这些话是“黄金法则”。黄金法则反映了出了律法的总结，即爱上帝高于一切，并且爱人如己。有时候，我们常常处于一种不知怎么做的情况下，我们可以问问自己这个问题会有所帮助，“什么是爱的事情”？，或者可以换位思考，“在某种情况发生时，我希望别人怎么对待我”？

这儿有一个例子。如果你在街上遇到一个流浪汉，向你乞讨要钱。首先，你不确定他的需求是否真实。第二，你不知道他是否会用你给他的钱来满足导致他成为流浪汉的习惯。最简单的方法就是从他身边走过，根本不去理会他。

但是，如果你处在他的情况下，你希望你怎么做呢?如果我处在他的处境，我想我会希望有人承认我的存在，有人关心我。所以如果我有时间，我想我能做的最好的事情就是带他去附近的餐馆，跟他一起吃点东西，甚至和他坐下来，了解一下他的真实情况。这可能是我可以和他分享耶稣的一个很好的时刻。

那么，如果我没有时间，我想我会给他一美元，让他把钱花在买食物上，而不是什么别的事情上。当然，他可以对我撒谎，但那是他的事。我要做的就是像爱我自己一样爱我的邻舍。

祷告: 主耶稣，请原谅我与那些需要帮助的人擦肩而过。我经常借口自己没有时间。请原谅我没有抽出时间来帮助那些需要帮助的弟兄，不管是街上的陌生人还是隔壁的寡妇。请你给我一颗能反映你的无私和无条件爱的心。奉主耶稣的名求。阿们。

Matthew 7: 12:  So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

You probably recognize these words as the “golden rule.” The golden rule reflects the summary of the law which is to love God above all things and to love your neighbor as yourself. Sometimes, when we are in a situation where we wonder what we should to, it helps just to ask ourselves the question, “What is the LOVING thing to do,” or “How what would I want others to do for me in this circumstance.”

Here’s an example. You meet a homeless man on the street who is asking for some money. First, you aren’t sure if his need is genuine. Second, you don’t know if he will use the money you give him to feed a habit which caused him to be homeless in the first place. The easiest thing to do is just to pass him by and not bother with him at all.

But what would you want you to do if you were in his circumstances?  If I were in his circumstances, I think I would want someone to acknowledge that I exist and that someone cares.  So if I had the time, I think the best I could do is to take him to a restaurant nearby and by him something to eat, and even sit down with him to find out who he really is. It might be one of those moments where I could end up sharing Jesus with him.

And if I didn’t have the time, I think I would give him a dollar and ask him to spend it on food and nothing else. Sure he can lie, but that’s on him. What’s on me is to love my neighbor as myself.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, forgive me for all the times I’ve passed people by who need my help.  Too often I have used the excuse that I didn’t have the time. Forgive me for not making the time to help my brother in need, whether it’s the man on the street or the widow next door. Give me a heart that reflects your unselfish and unconditional love. I ask this in your name.  Amen.