July - 6
GOD’S SOLUTION
If we walk in the light . . . [and] have fellowship . . . the blood of Jesus . . . purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
Several years ago I took a practical course in pastoral care. I spent six months on a cancer floor in a hospital. One memory that has stayed with me is that sometimes it’s necessary for something to be destroyed so that healing can occur. For example, treating leukemia often means destroying all of the patient’s red blood cells, trans¬planting new bone marrow, and then waiting to see if that new marrow gives rise to new “clean” blood. When the treatment works, the joy is incredible. Patients who had lived under the threat of death by leukemia were restored to health and given renewed hope.
New, purified blood—when I think about this phrase in connection with Jesus, I begin to understand the gospel.
The Bible says a lot about the role of Jesus in forgiveness. But most powerful for me is that Jesus, through his death and resurrection, offers us his “marrow” of life. If we accept that and are willing to have all our own “red cells of sin” put to death, we are given new life through the transplant he gives to us. The good news is that with Jesus, the marrow never fails to take hold. The question is not what Jesus can do, but whether we understand and accept what God offers us in Jesus.
That, of course, depends on how much we really want to “mix” with God.
How are you doing on that these days?
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, help me to understand my need so that I may understand your gift. Please work the “marrow” of your salvation in my life, and draw me near to God. Amen.
数年前我修读一门教牧学的实习课程，我在医院的癌症病房学习了六个月，有一件事一直留在我记忆中，就是有时我们必须先要消灭某些东西，然后才能有复原的机会。举例说，治疗血癌往往需要破坏病人所有的红血球，再移植新的骨髓。然后等着看看新的骨髓能否制造新的「清洁」血液。治疗若有效，是多么喜乐的事，曾因血癌活在死亡威胁下的病人，因此得到康复并重燃希望。
当我把新造和洗净的血与耶稣连在一起时，我便开始明白福音的意思了。
圣经多处谈到耶稣在赦罪这件事上所扮演的角色，然而印象最深刻的，就是耶稣借着祂的受死和复活，把祂生命的「骨髓」赐给我们，我们若肯接受，又愿意把我们自己全部的「罪的红血球」置诸死地，我们便能透过移植得到新生命了，还有一个好消息，就是耶稣的骨髓肯定不会被排斥的。问题不是耶稣能做甚么。问题乃是我们是否明白并接受神藉耶稣所赐与我们的。
这个当然取决于我们愿意与神「交往」到甚么地步了。
你最近在这方面做得怎样？
祷告
主耶稣，帮助我明白我的需要，好叫我能明白祢的礼物。求祢以救恩的「骨髓」在我里面动工，又引领我更靠近神。阿们。