9月8日          

標　　題：不要迷失在人群中

經　　節：耶穌到了那裡，抬頭一看，對他說︰「撒該，快下來！今天我必住在你家裡。」（路加福音十九章5節）

在這廣大的世界裡，我們常覺得自己只不過是群眾中一個微不足道的小人物罷了。世界的趨勢是要除去我們個人的特質，要我們認同周圍的人。然而，神以祂獨特的方式來愛我們。耶穌正前往耶路撒冷的路上，要完成祂在十字架上的任務。群眾蜂擁而至地包圍祂，矮小的撒該非得爬上一棵樹，才看得到耶穌。撒該原想，只要看最偉大的教師一眼，就心滿意足，但耶穌居然停下來，抬頭直視他！那時撒該在人群中根本不受注意，就這樣，撒該開始一段與耶穌同處的時光，而這個際遇徹底地改變了他的生命。

耶穌會以獨特的方式與你相交。祂知道你的過去、你將會面對的將來，以及你生命的每個細節，祂賜給你的話語會完美地切合你生活的環境。你可能處於一群聆聽神話語的基督徒當中，也可能是你周遭唯一聽見神話語的人。如果旁人並沒有像你一樣因神的真理興奮激動，不要感到灰心失望。如果他們沒有像你一樣，把神的話應用在自己的身上，不要沒有耐性。神會使祂的話語個人化。祂也會以祂自己的方式，滿足你每個朋友的需要。

Not Lost in the Crowd

And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." (Luke 19:5)

In our large world it’s easy to feel that we are nothing more than an insignificant speck in the midst of a multitude. Our world tends to depersonalize us, seeking to make us like everyone else, but God loves us in specific ways that are particular to us.

Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem to fulfill His assignment on the cross. The multitudes thronged around Him in such numbers that the diminutive Zacchaeus could not see Jesus unless he climbed a tree. Zacchaeus would have been satisfied simply to catch a glimpse of the great Teacher. But Jesus stopped, turned, and looked directly at him! In that moment, Zacchaeus was oblivious to the crowd around him. Thus began a special time with Jesus that radically changed his life.

Jesus will relate to you in ways that are unique to you. He knows your past; He knows what you will face in the future. Because He knows everything about you, His word to you will perfectly fit the circumstances of your life. You may be in a group of Christians who are listening to God’s Word, and you may hear things from Him that no one else hears. Don’t become frustrated with others if they are not as excited about a truth from God as you are. Don’t be impatient with them if they are not implementing God’s word in their actly as you are. God will personalize His word to you. He will relate to each of your friends in a way that specifically meets their needs as well.