our daily bread

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Dexu Xia

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Apr 12, 2017, 2:27:39 AM4/12/17

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A Journey of Belief

These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31

Since its first publication in 1880, Lew Wallace’s novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ has never been out of print. It has been called the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century, and it continues to draw readers today as it weaves the true story of Jesus with that of a fictional young Jewish nobleman named Judah Ben-Hur.

Amy Lifson, writing in Humanities magazine, said that the writing of the book transformed the life of the author. “As Ben-Hur guided readers through the scenes of the Passion, so did he lead the way for Lew Wallace to believe in Jesus Christ.” Wallace said, “I have seen the Nazarene . . . . I saw him perform works which no mere man could perform.”

The Gospels’ record of the life of Jesus allows us to walk alongside Him, witness His miracles, hear His words, and see His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday. At the conclusion of John’s gospel, he wrote, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30–31).

Just as Lew Wallace’s research, reading of the Bible, and writing led him to believe in Jesus, so God’s Word draws us to a transformation of mind and heart by which we have eternal life in and through Him.

Lord, may the record of Your life be written on our minds and hearts so that we may have ever-increasing faith in You.

Many books can inform, but only the Bible can transform.

引至相信

但记这些事，要叫你们信耶稣是基督，是上帝的儿子，并且叫你们信了祂，就可以因祂的名得生命。-约翰福音20章31节

小说家卢·华莱士所创作的《宾汉：基督故事》，自1880年首次出版后，至今从未绝版。这部小说被称为十九世纪最具影响力的基督教著作，而且故事内容直到今日仍吸引许多读者。因为这本书是以耶稣真实的事迹，交织着虚构的年轻犹太贵族犹大·宾汉所写成的。

艾美·立弗森曾在《人文杂志》里提到，华莱士在撰写《宾汉：基督故事》这本书时，他的生命得着改变。艾美写道：“一如宾汉引导读者走过耶稣受难的场景，宾汉也引领作者华莱士相信了耶稣基督。”华莱士也说：“我已经见过那位拿撒勒人……我见到祂施行超凡的奇事。”

四本福音书记录了耶稣的生平，让我们能跟随祂的脚步，见证祂所行的神迹，以及聆听祂的话语。正如约翰所说：“耶稣在门徒面前另外行了许多神迹，没有记在这书上。但记这些事，要叫你们信耶稣是基督，是上帝的儿子，并且叫你们信了祂，就可以因祂的名得生命。”（约翰福音20章30-31节）

正如卢·华莱士所做的查考、读经以及写作，将他引至相信耶稣。同样地，上帝的话语也会引导我们的心思意念得以更新变化，使我们能藉由耶稣得着永生。

主啊，愿祢的生平事迹就刻画在我们的心版上，
好让我们对祢的信心能不断加增。