第三章

16 「　神愛世人，甚至將他的獨生子賜給他們，叫一切信他的，不致滅亡，反得永生。 17 因為　神差他的兒子降世，不是要定世人的罪（或譯：審判世人；下同），乃是要叫世人因他得救。 18 信他的人，不被定罪；不信的人，罪已經定了，因為他不信　神獨生子的名。 19 光來到世間，世人因自己的行為是惡的，不愛光，倒愛黑暗，定他們的罪就是在此。 20 凡作惡的便恨光，並不來就光，恐怕他的行為受責備。 21 但行真理的必來就光，要顯明他所行的是靠　神而行。」

默想：

1. 尼哥底母是個法利賽人，他在一個晚上來找耶穌，向他求問。在這晚的問答中，尼哥底母才開始真正地明白耶穌的教導，並得到幫助「出黑暗」進入新生命的「光」中。女作家Kathleen Norris 曾寫道：「我開始明白到，即使我多年來一直把神不知丟到哪裡去，神卻從來沒有丟失我」。我怎麼看自己過去在黑暗中，可能是抗拒得救的那段流蕩的日子？
2. 再讀這段經文，有沒有任何字或句特別觸動我？為什麼？究竟神要對我說什麼
3. 將這段經文中令我困惑，或是令我興奮的詞句告訴神，和神對話。

 

禱告與筆錄：

繼續安靜在神面前，與神對話，並聆聽祂對我說的話。將心中的思想（心得），或是與神的禱告，記錄在「靈程筆記簿」上面。

 

 

Chapter 3:16-21

¹⁶“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

 

Meditation:

1. Nicodemus who was a Pharisee, one night he decided to speak to Jesus and question him. It was through this line of questioning that Nicodemus truly began to understand the teachings of Jesus and was helped “out of the dark” and into a new life of “light.”  Kathleen Norris wrote “I came to understand that God hadn’t lost me, even if I seemed for years to have misplaced God.”  How do I view the time I have spent wandering in darkness, maybe struggling against new birth?
2. Read through the passage. Are there any words or phrases that stand out to me? Why? What do I think God is trying to tell me?
3. Talk to God about both the phrases that confused me and those that really captivated me.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the 2012 “Spiritual Journal” book.