God And Freedom
自由与上帝
LISTEN TO ODB RADI Real | MP3 | WMA
READ: Psalm 100
读经: 诗篇100篇
全年读经: 约伯记28-29章 使徒行传13章1-25节
Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people. —Psalm 100:3
金句: 「你们当晓得耶和华是上帝!我们是他造的,也是属他的;我们是他的民。」(诗篇100篇3节)
When members of the US Second Continental Congress approved the remarkable document known as the Declaration of Independence, they plainly declared their belief in God. The drafters of this noble proclamation knew that the sweeping freedoms they were proposing could work well only in a society where the Creator is acknowledged. They affirmed that God has “endowed” all people with the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” because He values each of us.
当初美国在举行第二届大陆会议,与会成员通过著名的「独立宣言」时,他们在该文件中明白宣告了对上帝的信仰。在起草这份理想崇高的宣言时,他们知道宣言中所提出充分的自由,必须在承认独一真神的社会中才能落实。他们也认定,上帝之所以赐下「生命、自由与追求幸福」的权利,正是因为他看重我们每一个人。
Thomas Jefferson, who would become the third president of the new nation, was distressed by the sin he saw. He wrote, “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.” If he trembled then, he would have a violent seizure now!
就在当时,日后成为这个新兴国家第三任总统的杰佛逊,正因目睹种种罪恶的发生而深感困扰。他写道:「思及上帝的公义时,我为我的国家感到惴惴不安。」就连当时他都有这样的感觉,若换成今日,恐怕杰佛逊更要惊惶失措了。
The founding fathers of the US loved the concept of individual freedom, but they did not have in mind a permissive lifestyle that allows us to do anything we please. True freedom can never be enjoyed by people who refuse to fear God.
对这群美国开国元老来说,个人自由的理念固然可喜,但他们心中所想的却绝不是毫无限制、随心所欲的生活方式。人若不敬畏上帝,就不可能享受自由。
The psalmist said, “Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves” (Psalm 100:3). We are responsible to God, because He has created us in love.
诗人说:「你们当晓得耶和华是上帝!我们是他造的,也是属他的。」(诗篇100篇3节)我们所做的一切都要向上帝负责,因他是以慈爱创造我们的那一位。
Today, recommit yourself to living as one of God’s people. That’s the way to enjoy true freedom. —Herbert Vander Lugt
让我们今日再次献身,活出上帝子民的样式。唯有如此,才可享真自由。HVL
Every blessing in our nation Is a gift from God above, But we cannot know true freedom Till we trust His grace and love. —Hess
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. —Psalm 33:12
国家所受一切祝福, 来自天父所赐礼物; 信靠他的恩典慈爱, 真正自由方能永驻。Hess 以耶和华为上帝的,那国是有福的!──诗篇33篇12节 |