7月19日

標　　題：認識神

經　　節：神曉諭摩西說：「我是耶和華。我從前向亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各顯現為全能的神；至於我名耶和華，他們未曾知道。」（出埃及記六章2∼3節）

歷世歷代神與祂的百姓同行，祂依照自己的目的與百姓的需要，漸漸地顯示祂自己。亞伯拉罕、以撒和雅各都認識祂是全能的神，因為祂的大能保護他們不受敵人的侵襲。摩西與以色列百姓學到祂是主，祂統管所有國家及所有的事物。神不僅拯救他們脫離世界最強大的統治者，也帶領他們進入應許之地。他們因而體驗到祂是主，祂的大能遠遠超過當代的邪教假神。

神會根據你的需要與祂的目的，不斷向你顯明祂的個性。當你順服祂，你會愈來愈認識祂。當你哀傷時，祂會是你的安慰者。當你有所需時，祂會是你的供應者。當你面對一個重大挑戰時，祂會向你顯示祂是全能的神。

你現在對神個性的瞭解，應該比初信時更多。你對祂今日的認識，應該比五年前更深刻。遺憾的是，有些基督徒年復一年，對基督的認識與剛開始與神同行時沒有兩樣。不管你現在的處境如何，要相信神會藉著環境來教導你更認識祂。以這種態度面對自己的處境，將使你大開眼界，看到你過去從未見過祂的一面。

Knowing God

And God spoke to Moses and said to him: "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them. (Exodus 6:2-3)

As God has walked with His people through the generations, He has progressively revealed His nature according to His purposes and the needs of His people. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew Him as God Almighty, because they needed His mighty power to protect them from their enemies. Moses and the Israelites learned that God was Lord, Master over every nation and every thing. God not only delivered them from the most powerful ruler in the world, but also brought them into the Promised Land. They came to experience Him as Lord, preeminently powerful over the pagan gods of their day.

God will continue to reveal His character to you according to your needs and according to His purposes. You will come to know more and more about Him as you obey Him. When you grieve, He will come to you as Comforter. When you are in need, He will demonstrate that He is the Provider. When you face a serious challenge, He will reveal that He is God Almighty.

Your understanding of God’s character ought to be greater now than when you first became a Christian. You ought to know Him today better than you did five years ago. Sadly, some Christians continue to live year after year with the same basic knowledge of God that they had when they first began walking with him. Whatever your present situation, view it in the light of what God is teaching you, through circumstances, about Himself and you will come to know God in dimensions you have never known Him before.