In God’s Presence 在神的同在中
Dexu Xia
Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! Proverbs 6:6
Today's Scripture Proverbs 6:6 --11
Today's Insights
In Proverbs 6, the reader is warned against folly and receives a call to action: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” (v. 6). God calls us to be active, engaged, and industrious. An ant is all of that. Most of us have seen a line of ants scurrying about their business of searching for food and building their nest. The only other biblical reference to ants also tells us to follow the ant’s example: “Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer” (30:25). Like an ant, God desires for us to be faithful in our everyday activities. In Colossians 3:23, Paul tells us: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” In all we do, we can strive to be faithful and look for His presence throughout the day—even in our mundane tasks.
Today's Devotional
In 1692, Brother Lawrence’s work The Practice of the Presence of God was first published. In it, he described how he invited God into his mundane daily activities. Brother Lawrence’s words still challenge us to prayerfully seek God in everything we do, like mowing the yard, getting groceries, or walking the dog.
Each day, I take our dog, Winston, for a walk. My goal for him is to exercise. Winston’s goal? Sniffing everything. Calling this time “a walk” is a generous fiction. More often, we’re going for a . . . stop. Lately, instead of getting frustrated by a lack of forward progress, I’ve been asking God to help me see these moments as a reminder that life is a lot like walking a dog. We experience God’s presence as we faithfully obey Him in life’s everyday activities, including their unexpected interruptions.
In Proverbs 6, Solomon offers a similar lesson, using the everyday, humble example of the ant to call us to work faithfully: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise” (v. 6). Solomon used ants as an example of everyday, patient labor (vv. 7-8).
Our relationship with God needn’t be compartmentalized into designated “spiritual” times alone, like church or a quiet time. Instead, as we faithfully obey Him, God invites us to see His divine fingerprints throughout each day.
Reflect & Pray
When has God used something mundane to help you see Him better? In what everyday task is He calling you to be faithful?
Dear Father, thank You for reminders everywhere that You’re a part of every moment.
by Adam R Holz
懒惰人哪，你去察看蚂蚁的动作，就可得智慧！箴言 6:6
今日经文： 箴言 6:6-11
今日洞见： 在箴言第6章中，读者被警告要远离愚昧，并被呼召采取行动：“懒惰人哪，你去察看蚂蚁的动作，就可得智慧！”（第6节）。神呼召我们要积极主动、勤奋努力。蚂蚁正是如此。我们大多数人都见过一队蚂蚁忙碌地寻找食物、建造巢穴。圣经中另一处提到蚂蚁的经文也告诉我们要效法蚂蚁的榜样：“蚂蚁是弱小的动物，却在夏天预备食物”（30:25）。就像蚂蚁一样，神希望我们在日常生活中忠心耿耿。在歌罗西书 3:23 中，保罗告诉我们：“无论做什么，都要从心里做，像是给主做的，不是给人做的。”在我们所做的一切事上，我们都可以努力做到忠心，并在一天中寻求神的同在——即使是在我们平凡的日常琐事中。
今日灵修 1692年劳伦斯弟兄的著作《与神同在的操练》首次出版。在书中他描述了如何将神融入他平凡的日常活动中。劳伦斯弟兄的话至今仍在挑战我们，要我们在所做的一切事上，如修剪草坪、购物或遛狗，都以祷告的心寻求神。
每天，我都会带着我的狗温斯顿出去散步。我的目标是让它锻炼身体。温斯顿的目标是什么？嗅遍一切。把这段时间称为“散步”其实是一种夸张的说法，因为更多的时候我们只是停下来等温斯顿嗅遍一切。最近，我不再因为无法前进感到沮丧，而是祈求神帮助我，把这些时刻看作是提醒，让我明白生活就像遛狗一样。当我们忠心地在日常生活中顺服神时，即使遭受意外的阻碍，我们也能体验到神的同在。
在箴言第6章，所罗门也提出了类似的教导，他以日常生活中不起眼的蚂蚁为例，劝勉我们要忠心工作：“懒惰人哪，你去察看蚂蚁的动作，就可得智慧”（6节）。所罗门用蚂蚁来比喻日常生活中耐心勤劳的工（7-8节）。 我们与上帝的关系不必局限于特定的“属灵”时刻，例如去教堂或安静灵修。相反，当我们忠心顺服祂时，上帝邀请我们在每一天从早到晚都能看到祂的作为。
反思与祷告 上帝何时曾用平凡的事物帮助你更好地认识祂？祂在哪些日常事务中呼召你忠心行事？ 亲爱的天父，感谢您随时随在地提醒我们，在我们生命中的每一个时刻，您都与我们同在。 作者：亚当 R 豪尔茨