【Daily Bread】To My Dear Friend 致我好友

Encouraging words bring hope to the human spirit.

鼓励的话语能带给人盼望。

The elder, to my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. 3 John 1

作长老的，写信给亲爱的该犹，就是我诚心所爱的。-约翰三书1章1节

What the apostle John did for his friend Gaius in the first century is a dying art in the twenty-first century. John wrote him a letter.

在第一世纪时，使徒约翰写了一封信给他的朋友该犹，而“写信”在现今21世纪，已经是一种快要消亡的艺术了。

One writer for the New York Times, Catherine Field, said, “Letter-writing is among our most ancient of arts. Think of letters and the mind falls on Paul of Tarsus,” for example. And we can add the apostle John.

《纽约时报》的一位撰稿人曾写道：“写信是人类古老的艺术。说到写信，我们就会想到使徒保罗。”其实，使徒约翰也是一个很好的例子。

In his letter to Gaius, John included hopes for good health of body and soul, an encouraging word about Gaius’s faithfulness, and a note about his love for the church. John also spoke of a problem in the church, which he promised to address individually later. And he wrote of the value of doing good things for God’s glory. All in all, it was an encouraging and challenging letter to his friend.

在约翰写给该犹的信中，他写下了对该犹身心灵都健壮的期盼、对该犹忠心服事的鼓励话语，并描述该犹对教会的爱。约翰也提到教会的问题，并允诺之后会和该犹商讨如何处理。此外，约翰还写到为上帝的荣耀行善是宝贵的。总之，那是一封给该犹鼓励和挑战的书信。

Digital communication may mean letter-writing on paper is fading away, but this shouldn’t stop us from encouraging others. Paul wrote letters of encouragement on parchment; we can encourage others in a variety of ways. The key is not the way we encourage others, but that we take a moment to let others know we care for them in Jesus’s name!

电子通讯的发达可能意味着纸本书信将逐渐消逝，但我们却不能因此就不鼓励别人。保罗用羊皮纸写下鼓励同工的书信，我们现今则可以用多种方式让人得激励。重点并不在于我们以什么方式来关怀别人，而是我们愿意付出时间，让别人知道我们是因耶稣的名而付出关怀！

Think of the encouragement Gaius experienced when he opened John’s letter. Could we similarly shine God’s love on our friends with a thoughtful note or an uplifting call?

试想当该犹打开这封约翰写来的书信时，他会得到多么大的鼓励。我们是否也能向人表达关心，藉着纸笔或电话让我们的朋友感受到上帝的爱呢？

Lord, help us know how to encourage others who need a spiritual boost from us.

主啊，有些人在信仰旅程中需要我们的扶持，求祢帮助我们知道如何激励他们。

3 John NIV

1 The elder, To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. 2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3 It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. 7 It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. 8 We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth. 9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. 10 So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. 11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true. 13 I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink.14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.

约翰三书

1 做长老的写信给亲爱的该犹，就是我诚心所爱的。 2 亲爱的兄弟啊，我愿你凡事兴盛，身体健壮，正如你的灵魂兴盛一样。 3 有弟兄来，证明你心里存的真理，正如你按真理而行，我就甚喜乐。 4 我听见我的儿女们按真理而行，我的喜乐就没有比这个大的。5 亲爱的兄弟啊，凡你向做客旅之弟兄所行的，都是忠心的。 6 他们在教会面前证明了你的爱。你若配得过神，帮助他们往前行，这就好了。 7 因他们是为主的名出外，对于外邦人一无所取。 8 所以我们应该接待这样的人，叫我们与他们一同为真理做工。9 我曾略略地写信给教会，但那在教会中好为首的丢特腓不接待我们。 10 所以我若去，必要提说他所行的事，就是他用恶言妄论我们；还不以此为足，他自己不接待弟兄，有人愿意接待他也禁止，并且将接待弟兄的人赶出教会。11 亲爱的兄弟啊，不要效法恶，只要效法善。行善的属乎神，行恶的未曾见过神。12 低米丢行善，有众人给他作见证，又有真理给他作见证。就是我们也给他作见证，你也知道我们的见证是真的。13 我原有许多事要写给你，却不愿意用笔墨写给你， 14 但盼望快快地见你，我们就当面谈论。 15 愿你平安！众位朋友都问你安。请你替我按着姓名问众位朋友安。

整理：于姊妹

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