our daily bread

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Dexu Xia

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Jul 20, 2018, 12:46:25 AM7/20/18

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Once you were alienated from God . . . . But now he has reconciled you. Colossians 1:21–22

A boy born with cerebral palsy was unable to speak or communicate. But his mother, Chantal Bryan, never gave up, and when he was ten years old she figured out how to communicate with him through his eyes and a letter board. After this breakthrough, she said, “He was unlocked and we could ask him anything.” Now Jonathan reads and writes, including poetry, by communicating through his eyes. When asked what it’s like to “talk” with his family and friends, he said, “It is wonderful to tell them I love them.”

Jonathan’s story is profoundly moving and leads me to consider how God unlocks us from the prison of sin. As the apostle Paul wrote to the Christians at Colossae, once we were “alienated from God” (Colossians 1:21), our evil behavior making us His enemy, but through Christ’s death on the cross we are now presented to God as “holy in his sight” (v. 22). We may now “live a life worthy of the Lord” as we bear fruit, grow in the knowledge of God, and are strengthened in His power (vv. 10–11).

We can use our unlocked voices to praise God and share His good news that we are no longer bound to a life of sin. As we continue in our faith, we can hold firm to our hope in Christ.

Lord God, You have released us from our chains of unbelief and given us words to praise You. May we share this freedom with others for Your glory.

The Lord unlocks us from our prison of sin.

被释放

你们从前与上帝隔绝，……但如今……叫你们与自己和好。-歌罗西书1章21-22节

一个生来就罹患脑性麻痺的男孩无法说话，也无法与人沟通。但他的母亲从未放弃，当他十岁时，他母亲想出了办法，透过他的目光和一个字母板与他沟通。有了这样的突破，他母亲说：“他被释放了，我们什么事都可以问他了。”现在，乔纳森能以目光与人交流，甚至能读写诗歌。当被问及与家人和朋友“交谈”是什么感受的时候，他表示：“能告诉他们，我很爱他们，真是妙极了！”

乔纳森的故事深深感动了我，并让我再次思想，上帝如何让我们从罪恶的牢笼中被释放。正如使徒保罗曾告诉歌罗西的基督徒，我们从前“与上帝隔绝”（歌罗西书1章21节），因着恶行而与上帝为敌，但藉着基督在十字架上为我们受死，现在你我在上帝面前乃“成了圣洁”（22节）。如今我们能“行事为人对得起主”，在一切善事上多结果子，更加认识上帝，并在各方面都力上加力（10-11节）。

我们可以用被释放的声音来赞美上帝，并与人分享上帝的好消息：祂已经让我们得释放，不再受罪的束缚。当我们继续走在这条信心的道路时，我们可以持守在基督里的盼望。

主啊，祢已把我们从不信的锁链中释放出来，
赐给我们话语来赞美祢。
求祢让我们能与人分享这自由，荣耀祢的名。