Distance ’Til Empty 汽油用完前的距离
Dexu Xia
Today's Scripture Exodus 20:1, 8-17
Today's Insights The Israelites arrived at the base of Mount Sinai two months after escaping bondage in Egypt (Exodus 19:1). It was there that Moses climbed up the mountain to meet with God and receive the Ten Commandments (the law). These commandments were meant to guide Israel to a life of holiness, a life pleasing to God. The first four commands focused on their relationship with God, and the last six concerned their relationship with each other. Note the fourth commandment’s wording: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (20:8). The people were to remember that after creating the world, God rested on the Sabbath, or seventh day (Genesis 2:2-3)—and they were to do likewise. This commandment wasn’t meant to be a burden or restrictive but instead to provide needed rest from labor. It was a holy day set aside for their bodies and souls to be refreshed. Today, we also need rest from our work and to trust God to provide for our needs.
Today's Devotional My tired minivan has a digital readout with initials DTE: Distance ’Til Empty. It gives me a precise mileage countdown. Most newer cars these days have this feature. It’s a handy one: Knowing exactly how far I can go before I need to fill the gas tank is important data to avoid being stranded! Did you know the Ten Commandments offer something of an ancient analog to the DTE feature? It’s called Sabbath. In Exodus 20, God tells us that after six days, we’re out of metaphorical gas: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work” (vv. 8-10).
We might be tempted to ignore this commandment. After all, the prohibitions against lying, stealing, murder, adultery, coveting, and idolatry (vv. 1-17) seem pretty obvious. But resting for a day each week? Is it really that important? We might think we can “cheat” here. But the gift the Sabbath offers is an invitation to rest. To cease laboring. To remember that God provides for us, not our own constant labor.
Distance ’til empty? Six days. And on the seventh, God graciously invites us to rest, recharge, and to relinquish the notion that it’s all up to us.
Reflect & Pray When do you find it easy or hard to rest from your work? What are some things you need to do to enable you to rest?
Dear Father, it’s so tempting to believe it’s all up to me. Thank You for the Sabbath, Your invitation to cease from my work and to trust Your provision.
By Adam Holz
今日经文：出埃及记 20:1, 8-17
今日心得：以色列人逃离埃及的奴役两个月后，抵达西奈山脚下（出埃及记 19:1）。摩西在那里登上山与上帝会面，领受十诫（律法）。这些诫命旨在引导以色列人过圣洁的生活，过蒙上帝喜悦的生活。前四条诫命是关于他们与上帝的关系，后六条诫命则关注他们彼此之间的关系。请注意第四条诫命的措辞：“当记念安息日，守为圣日”（20:8）。百姓要记住，上帝创造世界后，在安息日，即第七日安息了（创世记 2:2-3），他们也要照样行。这条诫命并非要成为负担或限制，而是要让他们从劳作中得到必要的休息。这是一个为他们的身体和灵魂得到恢复而设立的圣日。今天，我们也需要从工作中休息，并相信上帝会满足我们的需要。
今日灵修 我那辆破旧的面包车上有一个数字读数器，上面写着首字母缩写词 DTE：剩余里程数。它可以给我精确的里程数倒计时。现在大多数新款汽车都有这个功能。它很方便：准确地知道在需要加满油之前我还能跑多远，是避免抛锚的重要数据！
你知道吗？十诫中提供了与 DTE 功能类似的古老概念？它被称为安息日。在出埃及记 20章中，上帝告诉我们，劳作六天我们的汽油就用完了：“当记念安息日守为圣日。六日要劳碌作你一切的工，但第七日是向耶和华你上帝当守的安息日，这一日你什么工都不可作。”（8-10 节）我们可能会忍不住忽略这条诫命。毕竟，禁止撒谎、偷窃、谋杀、奸淫、贪婪和拜偶像等罪（1-17节）似乎显而易见。但每周必须休息一天？真的那么重要吗？
我们或许认为可以“作弊”。但安息日提供的礼物是邀请我们休息。让我们停止劳作。让我们记住，是上帝在供应我们的一切，而不是靠我们自己持续的劳作。什么时候距离为零？六天后。在第七天，上帝仁慈地邀请我们休息、恢复元气，并放弃我们以为一切都取决于自己的想法。
反思与祷告：你什么时候觉得从工作中休息容易或困难？你需要做些什么才能让自己休息？ 亲爱的天父，我很容易以为一切都取决于我自己。感谢祢赐下安息日，祢邀请我停止工作，信靠祢的供应。 作者：亚当·霍尔兹