The best gift you can give to others may be your time.

送给对方最好的礼物，或许就是你的时间。

Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today. Luke 19:5

撒该，快下来！今天我必住在你家里。-路加福音19章5节

When I was a kid, our family made a monthly excursion from Ohio to West Virginia to visit my maternal grandparents. Every time we arrived at the door of their farmhouse, Grandma Lester would greet us with the words, “Come on in and sit a spell.” It was her way of telling us to make ourselves comfortable, stay a while, and share in some “catching-up” conversation.

记得小时候，我们全家每个月都会从俄亥俄州到西维吉尼亚州，去探望我的外公外婆。每当我们到达他们的农舍，外婆总是在门口迎接我们说：“快进来坐。”这是外婆欢迎我们的方式，她希望我们在那里能感到舒适愉快，也能陪她聊聊近况。

Life can get pretty busy. In our action-oriented world, it’s hard to get to know people. It’s tough to find time to ask someone to “sit a spell” with us. We can get more done if we text each other and get right to the point.

我们的生活常常很忙碌。在这个讲求快速的时代，我们几乎没有时间和朋友联络，更不必说邀请人来家里坐坐。因为以简讯沟通，通常更有效率，也能完成更多事务。

But look at what Jesus did when He wanted to make a difference in the life of a tax collector. He went to Zacchaeus’s house to “sit a spell.” His words, “I must stay at your house” indicate that this was no quick stopover (Luke 19:5). Jesus spent time with him, and Zacchaeus’s life was turned around because of this time with Jesus.

但回想一下，当耶稣要改变税吏撒该的生命时，耶稣为他做了什么。耶稣不但到撒该的家去坐坐，祂还说：“我必住在你家里。”这说明了，耶稣不是短暂的逗留 (路加福音19章5节) ，耶稣还花时间和撒该相处。正因为这段共处的时间，让撒该的生命完全得到改变。

On the front porch of my grandmother’s house were several chairs—a warm invitation to all visitors to relax and talk. If we’re going to get to know someone and to make a difference in their life—as Jesus did for Zacchaeus—we need to invite them to “come sit a spell.”

外婆家的前廊有几张椅子，她欢迎所有的访客进来休息一会儿，并且聊聊天。如果我们想要认识人，并像耶稣对撒该一样，改变他们的生命，就要邀请人们来家里坐坐，一起聊聊天。

Dear Lord, as I look around at those who share this life with me, help me to make time to spend with them—for encouragement, challenge, and perhaps just plain conversation.

亲爱的主，当我环顾身边的朋友，
求祢帮助我愿意花时间和他们相处，
鼓励并激励他们，或与他们聊聊天。

Luke 19:1-9NIV

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him,“Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.

整理：于姊妹