A Beginner’s Guide to Life 入门指南
Dexu Xia
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
After my mother’s sudden death, I was motivated to start blogging. I wanted to write posts that would inspire people to use their minutes on earth to create significant life moments. So I turned to a beginner’s guide to blogging. I learned what platform to use, how to choose titles, and how to craft compelling posts. And in 2016, my first blog post was born.
Paul wrote a “beginner’s guide” that explains how to obtain eternal life. In Romans 6:16–18, he contrasts the fact that we’re all born in rebellion to God (sinners) with the truth that Jesus can help us be “set free from [our] sin” (v. 18). Paul then describes the difference between being a slave to sin and a slave to God and His life-giving ways (vv. 19–20). He continues by stating that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life” (v. 23). Death means being separated from God forever. This is the devastating outcome we face when we reject Christ. But God has offered us a gift in Jesus—new life. It’s the kind of life that begins on earth and continues forever in heaven with Him.
Paul’s beginner’s guide to eternal life leaves us with two choices—choosing sin, which leads to death, or choosing Jesus’ gift, which leads to eternal life. May you receive His gift of life, and if you’ve already accepted Christ, may you share this gift with others today!
How would you describe what it means to receive the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ? What’s the difference between being a slave to sin and a slave to God and His life-giving ways?
Jesus, thank You for loving me and forgiving me. You paid a debt I couldn’t pay and gave me a gift I couldn’t buy.
因为罪的工价乃是死；惟有上帝的恩赐，在我们的主基督耶稣里，乃是永生。—罗马书6章23节
母亲骤然离世后，我开始写博客。我想写一些文章激励人们善用自己有限的时日，去创造人生的重要时刻。因此，我参考了博客入门指南，学会使用什么平台、如何选择标题，以及如何撰写吸引人阅读的文章。2016年，我的第一篇博客文章诞生了！
在罗马书6章16-18节，保罗似乎也写了“入门指南”，让人明白如何获得永生。他陈述一个事实，我们生来就会背逆上帝、就是罪人，但耶稣却使我们“从罪里得了释放”（18节）。然后，保罗详述作罪的奴仆，以及作上帝和公义生活的奴仆之间的区别（19-20节）。他接着说：“罪的工价乃是死；惟有上帝的恩赐，……乃是永生”（23节）。死亡意味着与上帝永远隔绝，这是我们拒绝基督时，所面临的毁灭性后果。然而，上帝却在耶稣基督里赐给我们新的生命。现在，我们在这世上就已拥有这样的生命，而且还会一直延续到与祂同在天上！
在保罗所写的初学者入门指南中，提供了两种选择：选择罪恶──导致死亡；选择耶稣的救恩──引至永生。愿你领受耶稣所赐的生命，如果你已经接受了基督，盼望你今天能与人分享这份救恩！
你如何描述藉着耶稣基督白白领受永生的含意？
作罪的奴仆与作上帝和公义生活的奴仆有何不同？
耶稣，感谢祢爱我并赦免我。
祢偿还了我无法弥补的罪债，
又赐给我那买不到的恩典！
God’s Plans for You
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
For six years, Agnes tried to make herself the “perfect minister’s wife,” modeling herself after her adored mother-in-law (also a pastor’s wife). She thought that in this role she couldn’t also be a writer and painter, but in burying her creativity she became depressed and contemplated suicide. Only the help of a neighboring pastor moved her out of the darkness as he prayed with her and assigned her two hours of writing each morning. This awakened her to what she called her “sealed orders”—the calling God had given her. She wrote, “For me to be really myself—my complete self—every . . . flow of creativity that God had given me had to find its channel.”
Later, she pointed to one of David’s songs that expressed how she found her calling: “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). As she committed her way to God, trusting Him to lead and guide her (v. 5), He made a way for her not only to write and paint but to help others to better communicate with Him.
God has a set of “sealed orders” for each of us, not only that we’ll know we’re His beloved children but understand the unique ways we can serve Him through our gifts and passions. He’ll lead us as we trust and delight in Him.
How does Agnes’ story of living someone else’s life resonate with you? What has God put in your “sealed orders”?
Creator God, You’ve made me in Your image. Help me to know and embrace my calling that I might better love and serve You.
Explore how your identity is rooted in Christ