How can the truth that you belong to God impact how you live?

知道你是属上帝的，会如何影响你的生活？

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Romans 8:16

圣灵与我们的心同证我们是上帝的儿女。-罗马书8章16节

It doesn’t take much to notice that getting “inked” is very popular these days. Some tattoos are so small that one barely notices them. Others—from athletes to actors to everyday people—have opted to cover much of their bodies with multicolored inks, words, and designs. The trend seems like it’s here to stay, a trend that netted $3 billion in revenue in 2014—and an additional $66 million for tattoo removal. 

我们不难发现，刺青在现今社会非常流行。有些人的刺青图案很小，小到几乎没有人会注意到。但有些人，包括运动员、演员，甚或普通人，会选择大面积的刺青，以不同颜色的墨水，刺上各式各样的文字和图案，这股流行趋势似乎会一直延续。在2014年，美国刺青行业的净收入就有30亿美元，还有额外六千六百万美元的收入则来自清除刺青的图案。

Regardless of how you may feel about tattoos, Isaiah 44 speaks metaphorically about people writing something on their hands: “The L’s” (v. 5). This “self-tattoo” is the climax of an entire paragraph that speaks of the Lord’s care for those He had chosen (v. 1). They could count on His help (v. 2); and their land and descendants were marked for blessing (v. 3). Two simple, powerful words, “The’s,” affirmed that God’s people knew they were His possession and that He would take care of them.

不论你对刺青有何看法，以赛亚书44章就以比喻的手法，讲论人们在他们的手上写着：“我是属耶和华的”（5节，新译本）。这段经文提到上帝看顾祂拣选的子民（1节），而百姓在自己手上“刺青”是其中的高峰。这表示他们能倚靠上帝的帮助（2节），他们的土地和后裔带着蒙福的印记（3节）。这强有力的句子“我是属耶和华的”，肯定了上帝的子民知道自己是上帝的产业，祂必看顾他们。

Those who come to God through faith in Jesus Christ can confidently say of themselves, “The ord’s!” We are His people, His sheep, His offspring, His inheritance, His dwelling. These are the things we cling to in the varied seasons of life. While we may have no external mark or tattoo, we can take heart that we have the witness of God’s Spirit in our hearts that we belong to Him (see Romans 8:16–17).

那些因信耶稣基督来到上帝面前的人，都可以充满信心地说：“我是属耶和华的！”我们是祂的子民、祂的羊、祂的后裔、祂的产业，也是祂的居所，这是我们在不同的人生境遇中能紧紧抓住的确据。或许我们没有外在的印记或刺青，但尽管放心，圣灵与我们的心同证，你我都归属于上帝（参阅罗马书8章16-17节） 。

Father, the expressions of Your love and care are all around me and Your Spirit lives within me. Thank You!

天父，祢透过我身边的一切来表达祢对我的爱与关怀，并让祢的灵住在我里面，我感谢祢！

Isaiah 44:1-5    NIV

44 “But now listen, Jacob, my servant, Israel, whom I have chosen. 2 This is what the Lord says—he who made you, who formed you in the womb,and who will help you:Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant,Jeshurun,whom I have chosen. 3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground;I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. 4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow,like poplar trees by flowing streams. 5 Some will say, ‘I belong to the Lord’;others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;still others will write on their hand, ‘The Lord’s,’ and will take the name Israel.

以赛亚书 44:1-5 

44 “我的仆人雅各，我所拣选的以色列啊，现在你当听！ 2 造做你，又从你出胎造就你，并要帮助你的耶和华如此说：‘我的仆人雅各，我所拣选的耶书仑哪，不要害怕！ 3 因为我要将水浇灌口渴的人，将河浇灌干旱之地，我要将我的灵浇灌你的后裔，将我的福浇灌你的子孙。 4 他们要发生在草中，像溪水旁的柳树。 5 这个要说“我是属耶和华的”，那个要以雅各的名自称，又一个要亲手写“归耶和华的”，并自称为以色列。’

INSIGHT

灵粮透视

Isaiah was the most prolific of the writing prophets, but the great size of his book is eclipsed in importance by its content. Commentator John Gill wrote: “He should rather be called an evangelist than a prophet . . . certain it is that no one writes so fully and clearly of the person, offices, grace, and kingdom of Christ; of his incarnation and birth of a virgin; of his sufferings and death, and the glory that should follow, as [Isaiah] does.” Isaiah’s focus on Messiah and His mission was vital to preparing the way for Christ’s coming, for it provided Israel with critical identifiers of Christ and certain hope in His promised victory.

在留下著作的众先知中，以赛亚所写的书卷篇幅最长，而其内容更是格外重要。圣经注释家约翰．吉尔（John Gill）写道：“以赛亚不只是位先知，他更应被称为传道人……诚然没有人像他那样，能如此全面而清晰地描绘出基督的特质、使命、恩典和国度；祂的道成肉身和由童女所生；祂遭受的苦难和死亡，以及随后应得的荣耀。”以赛亚专注于弥赛亚及其使命，为基督的降临做了至关重要的预备。这为以色列提供了基督的重要标记，让他们对基督所应许的得胜有切实盼望。

整理：于姊妹