你读到这篇文章并不是偶然的

是的，在你出生之前，上帝就知道你会这个时刻读这篇文章。他打算让你把注意力停留仅仅几秒钟，这样他就能对你说:“我已经看到你生活所遭受的每一种伤害，我从未停止爱你。你对我很重要。我对你的爱你元非知晓。我让你去爱你，我一直等着你来爱我。”

“By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus.” (Romans 5:1 MSG)

“我们既因信称义，就借着我们的主耶稣基督，得与上帝相和。”(罗马书5:1)

You’re not reading this by accident.

你读到这篇文章并不是偶然的。

No, God knew before you were born that you would be here in this moment. He planned to get your attention for just a few seconds so he could say this to you: “I’ve seen every hurt in your life, and I’ve never stopped loving you. You matter to me. I love you more than you will ever know. I made you to love you, and I’ve been waiting for you to love me back.”  

是的，在你出生之前，上帝就知道你会这个时刻读这篇文章。他打算让你把注意力停留仅仅几秒钟，这样他就能对你说:“我已经看到你生活所遭受的每一种伤害，我从未停止爱你。你对我很重要。我对你的爱你元非知晓。我让你去爱你，我一直等着你来爱我。”

God is saying, “I want the rest of your life to be the best of your life. I’m with you, and I’m for you. I want to save you from your past. I want to save you for the purpose for which I made you. And I want to save you by my grace. If you’ll let me do that, I will give you peace with me, peace of me, and peace with other people. But you have to open the door and receive the Christmas gift.”  

上帝说:“我希望你自己的余下的生活是你一生中最美好的时光。我和你在一起，我帮助你。我想把你从你的过去中拯救过来。我要救你们的目的是因为我创造了你。我想通过我的恩典来拯救你。如果你会让我做那件事，我将给你平安。愿你与我和好，友好与人相处。但你必须打开门，接收圣诞礼物。”

If you gave me a Christmas gift and I never opened it, you would be disappointed. And it would be a worthless gift, because I don’t receive the benefit of a gift I never opened.  

如果你给我一个圣诞礼物，我从未打开它，你一定会失望的。它将是一个毫无价值的礼物，因为我不接受我从未打开的礼物。

Jesus Christ is God’s Christmas gift to you. Yet some of us have gone Christmas after Christmas and never opened the best gift of all: God’s gift of salvation. Why even celebrate Christmas if you’re not going to open the biggest gift? It doesn’t make sense to leave unwrapped the gift of your past forgiven, a purpose for living, and a home in Heaven.

耶稣基督是上帝送给你的圣诞礼物。但在我们当中有些人渡过一个又一个圣诞节之后，从来没有打开过一件最好的礼物:上帝赐予的救恩。如果你不打算打开最大的礼物，为什么庆祝圣诞节呢?将一个未打开过赦免你过去的、你生活目标的、在家建立天堂的礼物丢弃一旁是没有任何意义的。

Jesus Christ says to you, “I can replace the frustration in your heart with peace. I can replace the guilt, resentment, shame, and grudges with forgiveness. I can replace the worry and anxiety with confidence and faith.  I can replace depression or despair with hope. I can replace emptiness with meaning and purpose. I can replace confusion with clarity. But I’m not going to break down the door of your heart. You have to invite me in.

耶稣基督对你说，“我可以用平安除去你心中的失败感。我可以用宽恕去解除自责、怨恨、羞愧和怨恨。我可以用信心和信念取代担心和焦虑。我可以用希望代替抑郁或绝望。我可以用意义和目标代替空虚。我可以用明晰代替混乱。但是我不会打破你的心门。你要邀请我。

“It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from. If you want me and you are ready to do as I say, the door is open.”

1

“你是谁或你来自哪里都没有差别。如果你想和你已经准备好去照我说的做，门是打开的。”

It doesn’t matter what your religious background is – Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Mormon, Buddhist, Baptist, Hindu, or no religion. This is not about religion. God didn’t send Jesus to give you religion. He sent him so you could have a personal relationship with God. It’s all about relationship.  

3

你的宗教背景无关紧要——天主教、新教，犹太人，穆斯林，摩门教徒，佛教，浸信会，印度教徒，或没有宗教。这与宗教无关。上帝并没有差遣耶稣给你的宗教。他差遣他，这样你就有一个个人跟神的关系。所有这一切都是关于关系。

Below is a prayer I prayed years ago when I stepped across the line and became a friend of God’s. It’s a pretty simple prayer. If these words express the desire in your heart, read them as if you are talking to God.  

2

下面是一个多年前当我踏过界线成为上帝的一个朋友时的一段祈祷。这是一个相当简单的祷告。如果这些话表达你心里的欲望，读他们仿佛你是和上帝交谈。

Prayer:

祈祷:

       Dear God, I’m scared, but I want to get to know you. I don’t understand it all, but I thank you that you love me. I thank you that you were with me even when I didn’t recognize it. I thank you that you are for me, that you didn’t send Jesus to condemn me but to save me.  

亲爱的上帝，我很害怕，但我想了解你。我不明白这一切，但是我感谢你，因为你爱我。我感谢你，因为你和我在一起甚至当我不认识你时。我感谢你，因为你是我的帮助，你没有让耶稣谴责我，反而是来救我。  

I admit I never even realized I needed a Savior, but today I want to receive the Christmas gift of your Son. I ask you to save me from my past, my regrets, my mistakes, my sins, my habits, my hurts, and my hang-ups. Save me from myself.  

我承认我甚至没意识到我需要一个救世主，但今天我想收到圣诞礼物——你的儿子。我求你救我脱离我的过去、我的遗憾，我的错误、我的罪过，我的习惯、我的痛、我的羁绊。求你救我脱离我自己。   

I ask you to save me for your purpose. I want to know why you put me on this planet. And I want to fulfill what you made me to do. I want to learn to love you and trust you and have a relationship with you.  

我请求你要救我来成全你的目的。我想知道你为什么把我放在这颗行星上。我想完成你让我做的事。我想学习去爱你、信任你，和你建立关系。

I need peace with you, God, and I need you to put your peace in my heart. I need you to take away the stress and fill me with your love. Help me be a peacemaker and help others find peace with you and each other. In your name I pray, amen.

上帝，我需要你将平安话在我的心里。我需要你带走压力并且充满你的爱。把我塑造成为和平使者，并且帮助他人找到平安，并且与你同在。奉你的名求，阿们。