Destruction Destroyed 除灭毁坏
Dexu Xia
The Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:9
“The baby birds will fly tomorrow!” My wife, Cari, was elated about the progress a family of wrens was making in a hanging basket on our front porch. She’d watched them daily, taking pictures as the mother brought food to the nest.
Cari got up early the next morning to look in on them. She moved some of the greenery aside covering the nest but instead of seeing baby birds, the narrow eyes of a serpent met hers. The snake had scaled a vertical wall, slithered into the nest, and devoured them all.
Cari was heartbroken and angry. I was out of town, so she called a friend to remove the snake. But the damage was done.
Scripture tells of another serpent who left destruction in his path. The serpent in the garden of Eden deceived Eve about the tree God had warned her against eating from: “You will not certainly die,” he lied, “for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4–5).
Sin and death entered the world as a result of Eve and Adam’s disobedience to God, and the deception wrought by “that ancient serpent, who is the devil” continues (Revelation 20:2). But Jesus came “to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8), and through Him we’re restored to relationship with God. One day, He’ll make “everything new” (Revelation 21:5).
By: James Banks
How has Jesus destroyed the devil’s work in your heart and life? What do you look forward to in Him?
Please deliver me, Jesus, from the devil’s deception. Saving God, give me grace to live for You!
耶和华上帝呼唤那人，对他说：“你在哪里？”—创世记3章9节
“鸟宝宝明天就会飞了！”我们家的前廊挂了一个篮子，有一对鹪鹩和雏鸟住在里面，我妻子卡莉为雏鸟的成长开心不已。她每天都盯着它们，还会拍下鸟妈妈带食物回巢的照片。
隔天，卡莉起了个大早去看小鸟。她将覆盖在鸟窝上的一些枝叶拿开，但没看到鸟宝宝，只看到一条蛇的细长眼睛。原来这条蛇沿着直立的墙向上爬，溜进鸟窝，把鸟全都吞掉了。
卡莉既伤心又生气。当时我出门在外，所以她请一位朋友来移走那条蛇，但伤害已经造成了。
圣经也提到一条蛇在所经之处造成破坏。虽然上帝早已警告夏娃，不可吃分别善恶树上的果子，但伊甸园里的那条蛇竟欺骗夏娃，说：“你们不一定死，因为上帝知道，你们吃的日子眼睛就明亮了，你们便如上帝能知道善恶。”（创世记3章4-5节）
亚当和夏娃违逆上帝，导致罪恶和死亡进入世界。那条“古蛇，又叫魔鬼”（启示录20章2节），至今依然在编织谎言。但耶稣来是“为要除灭魔鬼的作为”（约翰一书3章8节），而且藉着祂，我们得以与上帝恢复关系。有朝一日，祂必“将一切都更新”（启示录21章5节）。
作者： 庞雅各
耶稣如何在你心里和生命中除灭魔鬼的作为？
在耶稣基督里面，你有哪些期盼？
耶稣，求祢帮助我不被魔鬼欺骗。
主啊，求祢赐我恩典，让我能为祢而活