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

或許你的時間就是給予他人最好的禮物。

Come down immediately. I must stay at your house today. Luke 19:5

快下來！今天我必住在你家裡。-路加福音19章5節

Rima, a Syrian woman who had recently moved to the United States, tried to explain to her tutor with hand motions and limited English why she was upset. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she held up a beautifully arranged platter of fatayer (meat, cheese, and spinach pies) that she had made. Then she said, 「One man,」 and made a swishing sound as she pointed from the door to the living room and then back to the door. The tutor pieced together that several people from a nearby church were supposed to visit Rima and her family and bring some gifts. But only one man had shown up. He had hurried in, dropped off a box of items, and rushed out. He was busy taking care of a responsibility, while she and her family were lonely and longed for community and to share their fatayer with new friends.

利瑪是一位剛移居美國的敘利亞婦女，她正試著以手勢及有限的英語，向她的家教解釋自己為何傷心難過。她端出一盤精心製作的中東肉餡餅，眼淚從她臉頰潸然滴下。她說：「一個人。」她先指向門口，接著又指向客廳，再指回門口，嘴裡發出嗖嗖的聲音。這位家教把她表達的意思拼湊起來，才知道原來有好些鄰近教會的弟兄姐妹，說好要帶些禮物來探訪利瑪和她的家人。但結果只來了一個人，而那人匆忙擱下一箱東西之後，就飛快地趕去處理別的事務。然而，利瑪與她的家人正覺得孤單無助，他們渴望能接觸人群，並與新朋友分享他們的中東肉餡餅。

Taking time for people is what Jesus was all about. He attended dinner parties, taught crowds, and took time for interaction with individuals. He even invited Himself to one man』s house. Zacchaeus, a tax collector, climbed a tree to see Him, and when Jesus looked up, He said, 「Come down immediately. I must stay at your house today」 (Luke 19:1–9). And Zacchaeus』s life was changed forever.

為人們付出時間，正是耶穌所做的。祂出席餐宴、教導群眾，並付出時間與人個別交談。祂甚至主動去別人家做客。稅吏撒該為要看見耶穌而爬到樹上，當耶穌抬頭看見他時，便對他說：「快下來！今天我必住在你家裡」（路加福音19章1-9節）。於是，撒該的生命被改變，從此不再一樣。

Because of other responsibilities, we won』t always be able to take the time. But when we do, we have a wonderful privilege of being with others and watching the Lord work through us.

我們常因一些責任的纏累，不能全心付出我們的時間。但當我們為人付出的時候，就享有美好的特權能與人相聚，並看見主正透過我們動工。

Dear heavenly Father, please help us to invest time in people, Lord, Following Jesus"s example and letting them know they are loved.

親愛的天父，求主幫助我們為別人付出時間，效法耶穌的榜樣，讓他們知道自己是被愛的。

Luke 19:1-10NIV

19Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.3He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd.4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, 「Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.」6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.7All the people saw this and began to mutter, 「He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.」8But 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.」9Jesus said to him, 「Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.」

路加福音 19:1-10

19耶穌進了耶利哥，正經過的時候，2有一個人名叫撒該，做稅吏長，是個財主，3他要看看耶穌是怎樣的人。只因人多，他的身量又矮，所以不得看見。4就跑到前頭，爬上桑樹，要看耶穌，因為耶穌必從那裡經過。5耶穌到了那裡，抬頭一看，對他說：「撒該，快下來！今天我必住在你家裡。」6他就急忙下來，歡歡喜喜地接待耶穌。7眾人看見，都私下議論說：「他竟到罪人家裡去住宿！」8撒該站著對主說：「主啊，我把所有的一半給窮人，我若訛詐了誰，就還他四倍。」9耶穌說：「今天救恩到了這家，因為他也是亞伯拉罕的子孫。10人子來，為要尋找、拯救失喪的人。」

INSIGHT

靈糧透視

Jesus』s ministry is a remarkable contrast to our tendency to live a fast-paced life pulled in countless directions. Even though everyone needed Him, Jesus never seemed to rush. In Luke 8, while on the way to a dying child, Jesus lingers to heal a woman in the crowd (vv. 43–48), even though the child dies in the meantime (v. 49). Similarly, in John 11, after hearing His beloved friend was sick (v. 3), Jesus lingers (vv. 5–6). And in Luke 19, Jesus notices and takes the time to reach out to a man who had climbed a tree just to see Him (v.4).

我們往往追尋沒有定向的快節奏生活，而耶穌的服事正好相反。即使每個人都需要祂的幫助，但耶穌行事卻從不匆忙。在路加福音第8章，耶穌正要前往醫治一個垂死的女孩，但耶穌卻在途中逗留，讓人群里的一個婦女得了醫治（43-48節），而在此期間，那個女孩死了（49節）。與此類似的還有約翰福音第11章，耶穌聽說祂所愛的人病了（3節），卻仍停留在所居之地（5-6節）。在路加福音第19章，耶穌留意到一個爬樹要見祂的人（4節），特意花時間引領他悔改。

Jesus』s example reminds us that we don』t love others best through harried attempts to meet everyone』s needs, but rather when we』re fully present to those around us.

耶穌的榜樣提醒我們，關愛他人最好的方式，並非匆忙地滿足每個人的需要，而是願意花時間關心你身邊的人。

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