When you enroll in the “school of faith,” you never know what may happen next. Visit Abraham one day and you find him settling a boundary dispute. Visit him another day and you see him gearing up for a battle. Why is this so? For one thing, God wants us to mature in every area of life, but maturity doesn’t come easily. There can be no growth without challenge, and there can be no challenge without change. If circumstances never changed, everything would be predictable; and the more predictable life becomes, the less challenge it presents. Let’s see what awaits Abraham.
当你加入“信心之校”时，你不会知道接下来将发生什么事。这天亚伯拉罕在解决边界的争端，另一天又在摩拳擦掌准备迎战。为什么会这样呢？就因为，神希望我们在生活的各个方面能够成长起来，但想要成熟并不容易。没有挑战就不能成长，没有改变就没有挑战。如果情况从不改变，一切就好预测了；越是平定的生命，挑战就会越少。让我们来看看有什么挑战等待着亚伯拉罕。
- A Victory Over Lot 战胜罗得
It would have been easy for Abram to let Lot suffer the sad consequences of his own foolish decision. But a man of faith is called “to be a blessing,” so Abram went to the rescue. Lot was not a very dedicated believer, but he was still a brother and needed help. When a brother or a sister creates problems for you, remember Abram and the words of Romans 12:21. Lot went right back into Sodom, but Abram did what he did for the Lord; and that’s what really counts.
亚伯兰本来可以轻易地让罗得因自己愚蠢的决定而遭受悲惨后果。但是，一个有信心的人应该是别人的“祝福”，因此亚伯兰就前往救援。罗得不是一个十分虔诚的信徒，但他仍然是一位需要帮助的弟兄。当一个弟兄或姊妹给你添麻烦时，请记得亚伯兰以及《罗马书》12章21节的话。虽然罗得随后马上回去所多玛，但亚伯兰已做他该做的了，这是首要的。
- A Victory Over The Kings 战胜国王
Abram the pilgrim would never have gotten involved in the war except to rescue Lot. Abram did not have a large army, but he battled by faith; that is what gave him the victory (1 Sam. 14:6; 1 John 5:4–5).
要不是为了拯救罗得，作世界客旅的亚伯拉罕是绝不会卷入战争中。亚伯兰并没有一支庞大的军队，但他凭信心作战，这便使他得胜了（撒上14:6；约翰一书5:4-5）。
- A Victory Over Himself 战胜自己
“Let us be as watchful after the victory as before the battle,” said Andrew Bonar. Abram was tempted to use God’s victory for personal gain, but he refused the offer. The king of Sodom came with a bargain, but the king of Salem (a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ [Heb. 7:1–3]) came with a blessing. Even a shoelace from Sodom would have defiled Abram’s godly walk! After every battle, give God the glory; and beware the devil’s bargains. If you aren’t careful, you may win the war and lose the victory.
安德鲁·博纳说：“战斗胜利后，让我们如战前一样保持警惕。”亚伯兰受到诱惑，即使用神的胜利来满足个人的利益，但他成功抵挡了。所多玛王前来交易，但撒冷王却带着祝福前来（即象征主耶稣基督【来7:1-3】）。就算是所多玛的一条鞋带也会玷污亚伯兰虔诚的脚步！ 当每一场战斗结束后，请把荣耀归于神，也要提防魔鬼的交易。一旦不小心，你有可能赢得斗争却输掉大战。
Praying the Scripture 用经文祷告
- The Bible says, “Bad company ruins good morals.”(1 Cor 15:33) Lot lived near Sodom and Gomorrah and when they got into troubles, Lot was not spared (Gen 14:12). If we keep bad company, we will be affected by their sinful outlook and desires as well. Let’s pray that we choose our friends and companies wisely. This is also the reason the Lord wants us to join a local church and surround ourselves with God’s people.
圣经说：“滥交是败坏善行的。”（林前15:33）罗得居住在所多玛和蛾摩拉附近，所以当他们陷入困境时，罗得也必卷入其中（创14:12）。如果我们与滥交的为伍，我们将受到他们罪恶和私欲的影响。让我们祈求神让我们能明智地选择身边的朋友。这也是主为什么希望我们加入一个教会，常常以神的子民为伍。
- The Lord chose Abraham and blessed him (12:1). God’s intention wasn’t to bless only Abraham but to bless others through him as well (Gen 12:3). Although Lot is not a very spiritual or committed believer yet Abraham went to rescue him and became his blessing. Let’s pray that we will be a blessing to the people around us especially Christian brothers and sisters.
耶和华拣选亚伯拉罕，并赐福于他（12:1）。神的心意不单只要祝福亚伯拉罕，也要亚伯拉罕成为别人的祝福（12:3）。虽然罗得不是十分属灵或虔诚，但亚伯拉罕仍前去营救他，并成为罗得的祝福。让我们祷告，叫我们能成为周围人的祝福，尤其是主内的弟兄姊妹。
- Abraham was an upright man with a pure motive. His motive was not material gain but to rescue Lot. When the Lord granted him victory he did not take credit nor take advantage of the situation. Let’s pray that we serve God with one single motive: to glorify Him and Him alone.
亚伯拉罕是一个纯洁正直的人。他的出发点并不是获得物质利益，而是要拯救罗得。当神赋予亚伯拉罕胜利时，他没有将功劳归于自己或利用当下的情况利己。让我们祷告神能使我们有一个单一心来事奉神，唯独荣耀神。
