We’ve been created to share God’s love through giving His gifts.

我们从上帝所得的一切，都当与人分享。

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works. Ephesians 2:10

我们原是祂的工作，在基督耶稣里造成的，为要叫我们行善。-以弗所书2章10节

My friend was waiting to pay for her groceries when the man in front of her turned around and handed her a voucher for ￡10 ($14) off her bill. Short on sleep, she burst into tears because of his kind act; then she started laughing at herself for crying. This unexpected kindness touched her heart and gave her hope during a period of exhaustion. She gave thanks to the Lord for His goodness extended to her through another person.

我的朋友在超市排队付款时，没想到排在她前面的男士转过身来，给了她一张10英镑（14美元）的优惠券。她原本就因为睡得不好而比较情绪化，这位男士善良的举动马上让她感动流泪。但一会儿，她又嘲笑自己竟会因此喜极而泣。这位男士意外的仁慈之举，令我朋友深受感动，让她在情绪低潮时得着希望。她感谢上帝，透过别人让她感受到上帝的美善。

The theme of giving was one the apostle Paul wrote about in his letter to gentile Christians in Ephesus. He called them to leave their old lives behind and embrace the new, saying that they were saved by grace. Out of this saving grace, he explained, flows our desire to “do good works,” for we have been created in God’s image and are His “handiwork” (2:10). We, like the man at the supermarket, can spread God’s love through our everyday actions.

在使徒保罗写给以弗所这些外邦信徒的书信中，其中一个主题就是给予。保罗说他们是因恩典而得救，呼吁他们离弃以往的生活方式，活出新的生命。保罗更进一步阐明，救赎的恩典会使我们渴望“行善”，因我们是按上帝的形象所造，“是祂的工作”（2章10节）。就如超市里那位男士一样，我们也可以藉由每日的行为传扬上帝的爱。

Of course, we don’t have to give material things to share God’s grace; we can show His love through many other actions. We can take the time to listen to someone when they speak to us. We can ask someone who is serving us how they are. We can stop to help someone in need. As we give to others, we’ll receive joy in return (Acts 20:35).

当然，我们与人分享上帝的恩典时不一定要给予物资，我们可以采用其他的方式展现祂的爱，例如：花时间聆听别人的倾诉；问候那些提供服务的人员；停下脚步去帮助有需要的人。当我们给予他人，就会得着喜乐作为回报（使徒行传20章35节）。

Dear Father, You created us in Your image, and we rejoice that we can share Your love and life. Help us to see the opportunities to give to others today.

亲爱的天父，祢按照祢的形象创造我们，我们欢欣喜乐，因我们能与人分享祢的爱与生命。求祢帮助我们，今天就能把握机会与人分享。

Ephesians 2:1-10    NIV

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time,gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Jesus Christ. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

以弗所书 2:1-10

2 你们死在过犯罪恶之中，他叫你们活过来。 2 那时你们在其中行事为人，随从今世的风俗，顺服空中掌权者的首领，就是现今在悖逆之子心中运行的邪灵。 3 我们从前也都在他们中间，放纵肉体的私欲，随着肉体和心中所喜好的去行，本为可怒之子，和别人一样。 4 然而，神既有丰富的怜悯，因他爱我们的大爱， 5 当我们死在过犯中的时候，便叫我们与基督一同活过来。你们得救是本乎恩。 6 他又叫我们与基督耶稣一同复活，一同坐在天上， 7 要将他极丰富的恩典，就是他在耶稣基督里向我们所施的恩慈，显明给后来的世代看。 8 你们得救是本乎恩，也因着信。这并不是出于自己，乃是神所赐的； 9 也不是出于行为，免得有人自夸。 10 我们原是他的工作，在基督耶稣里造成的，为要叫我们行善，就是神所预备叫我们行的。

INSIGHT

灵粮透视

For believers, the foundation for loving others is because we’ve been loved by God. But loving others like Christ loved us doesn’t come naturally to many of us. In fact, aren’t we sometimes much harder on others than we are on ourselves? Knowing all of us share a common fallen human nature, however, can help us be more patient.

对于信徒来说，我们爱他人是因为上帝先爱了我们。但要以基督对我们的爱去爱人，对很多人来说都不是自然而然的 。事实上，我们往往都是“严以律人，宽以待己”，不是吗？不过，如果我们谨记每个人都同样是罪人，那么我们对人就能更加宽容。

On our own, we’d all naturally live out the empty “ways of this world”—the kind of selfish, ugly lives that deserve God’s condemnation (Ephesians 2:2–3). This means none of us can take credit for any good in our lives (vv. 8–9). And it means that whomever we encounter, we can offer not only God’s truth but His love and grace.

坦白说，我们的本性就是会随从“今世的风俗”，过着自私、邪恶的生活，本该被上帝定罪（以弗所书2章2-3节）。换言之，没有任何人可以因自己在生活中的好行为而自夸（8-9节）。这也表示，无论遇到什么人，我们不仅可以向对方讲述上帝的真理，还可以分享上帝的爱和恩典。

整理：于姊妹