Least Likely 最不可能
Dexu Xia
For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below…Joshua 2:11.
Hollywood gives us larger-than-life spies who are dashing drivers of flashy Aston-Martins and other luxury sports cars. But Jonna Mendez, a former CIA chief, paints an opposite picture of the real thing. An agent must be “the little gray man,” she says, someone nondescript, not flashy. “You want them to be forgettable.” The best agents are those least likely to appear like agents.
When two of Israel’s spies slipped into Jericho, it was Rahab who hid them from the king’s soldiers (Joshua 2:4). She was seemingly the least likely person for God to employ as an espionage agent, for she had three strikes against her: she was a Canaanite, a woman, and a prostitute. Yet Rahab had started to believe in the God of the Israelites: “Your God is God in heaven” (v. 11). She hid God’s spies under flax on the roof, assisting in their daring escape. God rewarded her faith: “Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family” (6:25).
Sometimes we might feel we’re the least likely to be used by God. Perhaps we have physical limitations, don’t feel “flashy” enough to lead, or have a tarnished past. But history is filled with “nondescript” believers redeemed by God, people like Rahab who were given a special mission for His kingdom. Be assured: He has divine purposes for even the least likely of us.
By: Kenneth Petersen
In what ways do you feel “in the background”? What do you think might be the mission God has for you?
Dear God, please help me be ready for Your calling, for the mission You might have for me.
耶和华你们的上帝，本是上天下地的上帝。—约书亚记2章11节
好莱坞电影里的特务往往就像无敌英雄，潇洒帅气地开着酷炫名贵的跑车四处奔驰。但美国前中情局局长乔娜·门德斯（Jonna Mendez）描绘的真实情况却是完全相反。她说：“特务必须像个低调的普通人，平凡而不起眼，让人过目即忘。”最强的特务，往往看起来最不可能是个特务！
当以色列的两名探子潜入耶利哥城时，喇合将他们藏起来不让耶利哥王的士兵发现（约书亚记2章4节）。喇合似乎是最不可能被上帝雇用的特务，因为她有三个不利的条件：她是迦南人、是个女人且是个妓女。然而，喇合相信以色列人的上帝，她说：“你们的上帝是天上地下的上帝”（11节，和合本修订版）。她将两名探子藏在屋顶上的麻秆堆里，协助他们冒险逃脱。最终，喇合因着信而得到上帝的奖赏，因约书亚遵守承诺，“放过妓女喇合和她的父家”（6章25节，新译本）。
有时，我们会觉得自己是最不可能被上帝使用的人。或许我们觉得能力不足，不够出色，不能领导他人，或曾有不光彩的过去。但历史上处处可见被上帝拯救的“平凡”信徒，就像喇合一样，因上帝的国度而被赋予独特的使命。我们可以确定，上帝在我们当中最不可能被祂使用的人身上，都有祂神圣的计划。
作者： 毕恺腾.
你在哪些方面觉得自己并不起眼？
你认为上帝给你的使命是什么？
亲爱的上帝，请帮助我预备好自己，回应祢的呼召，并完成祢所赋予的使命