承認我們的公民身分Acknowledging Our Citizenship
[每日靈修] 9/11/2018, 駱鴻銘編譯
幾年前，我和妻子和另一對夫婦一起在東歐旅行。當我們越過匈牙利到羅馬尼亞的邊境時，三名身材魁梧，看上去粗魯的士兵登上火車檢查我們的護照並檢查行李。他們的隊長表示，他想看我們的護照。當我們遞給他時，他指著我們的行李。當我站起來拿一個大行李箱時，他突然攔住了我。他用蹩腳的英語說到，「等等！你不美國人！（You not American！）」然後他看著跟我們一起旅行的女人說：「你不美國人。」
我必須承認我陷入了恐慌之中。那人指著我們朋友在她旁邊座位上的紙袋。 「那是什麼？」他指著從紙袋頂部露出的書的邊緣問道。她拿出她的聖經。我嚥了一下口水，心裏想著，「這下好了，我們遇到了麻煩了。」
士兵拿起聖經開始翻閱它的頁面。他翻開以弗所書第二章，並指著第19節。他下令：「讀。」我們大聲朗讀，「這樣，你們不再作外人和客旅，是與聖徒同國，是神家裡的人了。」
當他說到：「你不美國人，我不羅馬尼亞人。我們是天堂的公民」時，士兵的臉上立刻露出一抹仁慈的笑容。然後他轉向他的同伴，並說：「這些人還好。」他把護照還給我們，並祝我們一路順風。
活在神的面光中（在神面前禱告）：
為你在天上的公民身分感謝上帝。
進一步研讀：
詩一三三1～2 看哪，弟兄和睦同居是何等的善，何等的美！ 這好比那貴重的油澆在亞倫的頭上，流到鬍鬚，又流到他的衣襟；
弗四4～5 身體只有一個，聖靈只有一個，正如你們蒙召同有一個指望。一主，一信，一洗。
腓三20 我們卻是天上的國民，並且等候救主，就是主耶穌基督從天上降臨。
Acknowledging
Our Citizenship
My
wife and I were traveling in Eastern Europe with another couple several years
ago. When we crossed the border from Hungary to Romania, three burly,
rough-looking soldiers boarded the train to check our passports and examine our
luggage. Their leader indicated that he wanted to see our passports. As we
handed them to him, he pointed to our luggage. As I rose to reach for a large
suitcase, he suddenly stopped me. In broken English, he said, “Wait! You not
American!” Then he looked at the woman who was traveling with us and said, “You
not American.”
I
must confess I was gripped by a vise of fear. The man pointed to a paper bag
our friend had on the seat beside her. “What is that?” he asked, pointing to
the edges of a book that protruded out of the top of the bag. She pulled out
her Bible. I gulped, thinking to myself, “Now, we are in real trouble.”
The
soldier took the Bible and began to leaf through its pages. He opened to the
second chapter of Ephesians and pointed to verse 19. He ordered: “Read.” We
read aloud, “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but
fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”
Instantly,
the soldier’s face radiated with a benevolent smile as he said: “You not
American. I not Romanian. We are citizens of heaven.” Then he turned to his
fellow troops and said, “These people okay.” He returned our passports and bade
us Godspeed.
Coram
Deo
Thank
God for your citizenship in heaven.
Passages
for Further Study
Psalm
133:1–2
Ephesians
4:4–5