决定，决定
许多许多的人在断定谷，因为耶和华的日子临近断定谷。——约珥书 3:1
在弯曲的乡村道路上遇到松鼠是很常见的。当你开车时，你可能会突然注意到前面的路上有什么东西。它似乎在动。然后你意识到那是一只松鼠。
上帝赋予了这只可爱的小啮齿动物很多生存意识，但迅速避开接近的车辆似乎不是其中之一！随着车辆越来越近，松鼠来回奔跑，试图决定往哪个方向跑。等它下定决心时，它要么安全地夹在车辆的两个轮胎之间，要么被压在其中一个轮胎下面。哎哟！
我的妻子最近就有过这样的经历。她遇到的那只松鼠很幸运，躲过了轮胎下的必死无疑的命运。但下次它会这么幸运吗？
这种情况很像决定是否跟随基督。人除非呼求主的名，否则无法逃脱即将到来的审判。但有些人像松鼠一样犹豫不决，一次又一次地推迟对救恩作出决定。这样他们就只能在某一天陷入上帝审判的“车轮”之下——然后上帝会为他们做出决定。在哥林多后书 6:2 中，主说：“看哪，现在正是悦纳的时候；看哪，现在正是拯救的日子。”如果上帝在召唤你，而你还没有为基督做出决定，请不要像使徒行传 26:1-29 中的亚基帕那样耸耸肩。那些未能做出决定的人，不会像松鼠有时可以幸运地逃脱。
唐·里德——田纳西州格林维尔
无论你决定与否，都将有着永恒的决定性。
—— 译自《溪水边》第二十五日（样本）, 阿米什人灵修。
Decisions, Decisions
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. – Joel 3: 14
It is common to encounter squirrels on curvy rural roads. As you drive along you might suddenly notice something in the road ahead. It seems to be moving. Then you realize it’s a squirrel.
God gave this cute little rodent a lot of survival sense, but making a quick get-out-of-the-way decision for approaching vehicles seems not to be one of them! As the vehicle gets closer and closer, the squirrel scampers back and forth, trying to decide which way to run. By the time it makes up its mind, it is either safe between two tires of the vehicle or crushed beneath one of them. Ouch!
My wife had this kind of experience recently. The squirrel that she encountered was fortunate and escaped certain death under a tire. But will it be so fortunate next time?
This scenario is much like deciding whether to follow Christ. There is no escaping the oncoming judgement except to call upon the name of the Lord. But some people vacillate back and forth like the squirrel, putting off the decision for salvation time after time. This will get them nowhere but under the “tire” of God’s judgement someday – and then the decision will be made for them. In 2 Corinthians 6: 2 the Lord said, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” If God is calling you, and you have not made a decision for Christ, please don’t shrug it off as Agrippa did in Acts 26: 1-29. Those who fail to decide will not escape as the squirrels sometimes do.
Don Reid – Greeneville, TN
Whether you decide or don’t decide will be eternally decisive.
Cited from Day 25, Beside the Still Water(Sample Issue), Amish Devotion.
