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(轉簡)
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January 21
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一月二十一日
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“…saying that bonds and afflictions
abide me. But none of these things
move me…”
(Acts20:23-24)
We read in the
book of Samuel that the moment that David was crowned at Hebron, "All the
Philistines came up to seek David."(2 Sam5:17) And the moment we get
anything from the Lord worth contending for, then the devil comes to seek us.
When the enemy
meets us at the threshold of any great work for God, let us accept it as
"a token of salvation," and claim double blessing, victory, and
power. Power is developed by resistance. The cannon carries
twice as far because the exploding power has to find its way through
resistance. The way electricity is produced in the powerhouse yonder is by
the sharp friction of the revolving wheels. And so we shall find some day that
even Satan has been one of God's agencies of blessing. ━ Days of Heaven upon Earth
A hero is not fed on sweets,
Daily his own heart he eats;
Chambers of the great are jails,
And head winds right for royal sails.
━Emerson
Tribulation is the way to triumph. The valley-way opens into the
highway. Tribulation's imprint is on all great things. Crowns are cast in
crucibles. Chains of character that wind about the feet of God are forged in
earthly flames. No man is greatest victor till he has trodden the winepress
of woe. With seams of anguish deep in His brow, the "Man of
Sorrows" said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation" ━ but after this sob comes the psalm of promise,
"Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."(Jn.16:33)The
footprints are traceable everywhere. Bloodmarks
stain the steps that lead to thrones. Sears are the price of scepters. Our
crowns will be wrested from the giants we conquer. Grief has always been the
lot of greatness. It is an open secret.
"The mark of rank in nature.
Is capacity for pain;
And the anguish of the singer
Makes the sweetest of the strain."
Tribulation has always marked the trail of the true reformer. It
is the story of Paul, Luther, Savonarola, Knox, Wesley, and all the rest of
the mighty army. “…These are they who have come out of the great
tribulation….”(Rev.7:14)
Every great book has been written with the author's blood.
"These are they that have come out of great tribulation." Who was
the peerless poet of the Greeks? Homer. But that illustrious singer was
blind. Who wrote the fadeless dream of "Pilgrim's Progress"? A
prince in royal purple upon a couch of ease? Nay! The trailing splendor of
that vision gilded the dingy walls of old Bedford jail while John Bunyan, a
princely prisoner, a glorious genius, made a faithful transcript of the
scene.
Great is the facile conqueror;
Yet haply, he, who, wounded sore,
Breathless, all covered o'er with blood and sweat,
Sinks fainting, but fighting evermore━
Is greater yet.
━Selected
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“…有捆鎖與患難等待我。我卻不以性命為念…” （徒二十：23-24）
我們在撒母耳記裏面看見：當大衛在希伯崙受膏作王的時候，“非利士眾人就上來尋索大衛”（撒下五：17）。照樣，我們在神前受寵蒙愛的時候，仇敵撒但頂不甘心，就上來尋索我們，前來攔阻我們，和我們搗亂。
仇敵的攻擊，破壞，和攔阻，我們應當看為神施行拯救的記號；這時候，就是我們向神支取加倍的祝福，勝利，和能力的機會。能力常是從攔阻中產生的。電力的產生，就是由於發電機的機輪互相摩擦（攔阻）。將來有一天我們會明白撒但也是被神利用的。━譯自地上的屬天生活
甘脂不是英雄的糧食，
他以悲哀充填心胸；
監獄是偉人的第宅，
頂帆最適宜於擋逆風。
━愛默生
患難是勝利的捷徑。山路之後，就是大路。一切偉大的事業上面，都有患難的印跡的。發光的金鍊，必須經過爐火的燒和錘。沒有一個人配算為得勝者，除非他經歷苦楚。額上有刺痕的憂患之子，說：“在世上你們有苦難”━可是在這傷心的一句之後，就來了一句應許，“但你們可以放心，我已經勝了世界”（約十六：33）。主在世上留下的腳蹤，原是叫我們跟隨祂的。那帶血的腳步，是引領我們上寶座的。傷斑是鐵杖的代價。我們的冠冕必須花力爭奪的。這些都是公開的秘密。
造化的標準，以耐苦為度量。
確定人格高低。
最美的聲樂，出於歌者的。
迴腸盪氣，哀惋悲悽。
先聖都曾經過許多患難━保羅，馬丁路得，撒房那羅拉，拿克司，衛斯理以及一切大能的先鋒。他們都從患難進入掌權的地位。將來環繞在寶座前唱詩讚美的人們，他們都是“…從大患難中出來的…”（啟七：14）
每一本偉大的著作都是作者血的結晶。誰是希臘的大詩人？鴻謨。他是一個盲人。誰是寫那部不朽之作“天路歷程”的？是一個穿紫袍，享受安樂的王子嗎？不是！乃是培德福牢獄中的一個囚犯本仁約翰。
偉大的戰士，矯健如游龍。
意外地受了創傷，
混身血汗，屏息再向敵人進攻，
到力竭倒地，還不肯收斂刀鋒。
偉大，偉大，浩氣貫蒼穹。
━選
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January 22
“Into a desert place
apart. ”
(Matt. 14:13)
"There is no music in a rest, but there is the making of
music in it." In our whole life-melody the music is broken off here and
there by "rests," and we foolishly think we have come to the end of
the tune. God sends a time of forced leisure, sickness, disappointed plans,
frustrated efforts, and makes a sudden pause in the choral hymn of our lives;
and we lament that our voices must be silent, and our part missing in the
music which ever goes up to the ear of the Creator. How does the musician
read the "rest"? See him beat the time with unvarying count, and
catch up the next note true and steady, as if no breaking place had come
between.
Not without design
does God write the music of our lives. Be it ours to learn the tune, and not
be dismayed at the "rests." They are not to be slurred over, not to
be omitted, not to destroy the melody, not to change the keynote. If we look
up, God Himself will beat the time for us. With the eye on Him, we shall strike
the next note full and clear. If we sadly say to ourselves, "There is no
music in a 'rest,'" let us not forget "there is the making of music
in it." The making of music is often a slow and painful process in this
life. How patiently God works to teach us! How long He waits for us to learn
the lesson! – Ruskin
"Called aside—
From the glad
working of thy busy life,
From the
world's ceaseless stir of care and strife,
Into the shade
and stillness by thy Heavenly Guide
For a brief
space thou hast been called aside.
"Called aside—
Perhaps into a
desert garden dim;
And yet not
alone, when thou hast been with Him,
And heard His
voice in sweetest accents say:
'Child, wilt
thou not with Me this still hour stay?'
"Called aside—
In hidden paths
with Christ thy Lord to tread,
Deeper to drink
at the sweet Fountainhead,
Closer in
fellowship with Him to roam,
Nearer,
perchance, to feel thy Heavenly Home.
"Called aside—
Oh, knowledge
deeper grows with Him alone;
In secret of
His deeper love is shown,
And learnt in
many an hour of dark distress
Some rare,
sweet lesson of His tenderness.
"Called aside—
We thank thee
for the stillness and the shade;
We thank Thee
for the hidden paths Thy love hath made,
And, so that we
have wept and watched with Thee,
We thank Thee
for our dark Gethsemane.
"Called aside—
Oh, restful thought━He
doeth all things well;
Oh, blessed
sense, with Christ alone to dwell;
So in the
shadow of Thy cross to hide,
We thank Thee,
Lord, to have been called aside."
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一月二十二日
“退到野地裏去” （太十四：13）
在音樂譜中有一種符號，叫做休止符。當音樂奏到休止符時，聲音完全停止；這常是音樂最精采之處。我們的一生，也如音樂一般，時時有休止符，可是我們頂愚昧，以為這些休止符是我們的末路和盡頭，一生就完畢於此。神常叫我們失敗，病痛，挫折，失業，我們就非常悲哀，以為我們的人生音樂從此不能再達到造物者的耳中了。可是讓我們看，音樂家如何對付這些休止符呢？他們照常擊拍，在休止符之後，重奏音樂，一若中間並無甚麼間斷。
神編我們一生的樂章，並非沒有計劃的。我們只管按譜奏樂，不必怕遇見休止符而恐惶。它們是不能刪去的，因為一刪去就會破壞音樂的精采。如果我們仰望我們音樂的導師“神”祂自己正在為我們擊拍，我們的本分只是按照祂的指導奏樂；奏到休止符的時候，雖然音樂停止了，可是請記得：這是音樂的精采處。過了一拍子之久，音樂就要從新奏起。讓我們學習這功課。━羅斯金
招呼你━
離開忙碌緊張的生活，
離開你不斷攪擾的塵世煩膩，
天國的嚮導招呼你暫到一旁，
在寧靜的蔭蔽中作片刻休憩。
招呼你━
雖是一所杳無人跡的荒園
但你並不孤獨，因為祂與你同在，
祂以最柔美的聲調向你問道：
“孩子：你豈不願意與我共此安靜一刻？”
招呼你━
去和主耶穌同步幽深，
溯源一嘗甘泉的清澄，
你和祂影形不離，想攜漫遊，
已經接近了天國的家庭。
招呼你━
和祂單獨相處，增進了淵博智慧，
祂的摯愛常在幽秘中顯明表徵，
在許多寂寞悽涼的夜晚，你將得到
出自祂深情的珍貴良箴。
招呼你━
我們感謝主所賜的寧靜和蔭蔽，
我們感謝主，祢以愛所辟出的蹊徑，
因此我們雖流着淚而注視祢。
感謝主，祢為了我們黑暗的客西馬尼。
招呼你━
想到祂完成了一切，我們就獲得平安，
和基督單獨相處，幸福美好無比，
我們躲在祢十字架的蔭影下，
主啊，感謝祢招呼我們在祢一邊。
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January 23
“Why standest
thou afar off, O Lord? ” (Psalm 10:1)
God is "a very present help in trouble." (Ps.46:1)But
He permits trouble to pursue us, as though He were indifferent to its
overwhelming pressure, that we may be brought to the end of ourselves, and
led to discover the treasure of darkness, the unmeasurable
gains of tribulation. We may be sure that He who permits the suffering is
with us in it. It may be that we shall see Him only when the trial is
passing; but we must dare to believe that He never leaves the crucible. Our
eyes are holden; and we cannot behold Him whom our
soul loveth. It is dark━the
bandages blind us so that we cannot see the form of our High Priest; but He
is there, deeply touched. Let us not rely on feeling, but on faith in His
unswerving fidelity; and though we see Him not, let us talk to Him. Directly
we begin to speak to Jesus, as being literally present, though His presence
is veiled, there comes an answering voice which shows that He is in the
shadow, keeping watch upon His own. Your Father is as near when you journey
through the dark tunnel as when under the open heaven! ━Daily Devotional Commentary
"What though the path be all unknown?
What though the way be drear?
Its shades I traverse not alone
When steps of Thine
are near."
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一月二十三日
“耶和華啊，祢為甚麼站在遠處？”
（詩十：1）
神確然是我們“在患難中隨時的幫助”（詩四十六：1）。但是祂常常一面許可患難追逼我們，一面又自己站在遠處隱藏起來好似不關心我們的樣子，這樣好叫我們自己的幫助告一結束，而看見從患難中能得到無限的教訓和益處。讓我們深信那許可患難臨到我們的神，是和我們一同在患難中。也許要等到試煉過去的時候，我們纔能看見祂；可是我們敢相信祂從來沒有離開過我們。我們的眼睛迷糊了；我們不能看見祂。在黑暗中我們的眼睛似乎是瞎了，不能看見我們大祭司的影踪；但是祂終究和我們同在，和我們深深地接觸着。讓我們不依靠感覺，不憑眼見，惟獨根據於神是信實的；雖然我們看不見祂，讓我們和祂說話。我們一開始和祂說話，深信祂的同在，雖然祂的同在我們看不見，我們就會得到祂答應的聲音，這就證明祂在黑暗中始終眷顧我們。我們無論在黑暗的通道中，無論在光明的天路中，我們的父是一樣偎近我們的。━譯自日誠報
卽使途徑陌生，這有何妨？
卽使道路艱難，又有何妨？
我並非在黑暗中獨自徬徨
因為你的腳步就在近邊。
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January 24
“But
the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto
him...And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was
an olive leaf. ”
(Gen. 8:9-11)
God knows just when to withhold from us any visible sign of encouragement, and when to grant us such a sign. How good
it is that we may trust Him anyway! When all visible evidences that He is
remembering us are withheld, that is best; He wants us to realize that His
Word, His promise of remembrance, is more substantial and dependable than any
evidence of our senses. When He sends the visible evidence, that is well
also; we appreciate it all the more after we have trusted Him without it.
Those who are readiest to trust God without other evidence than His Word
always receive the greatest number of visible evidences of His love. ━C. G. Trumbull
"Believing Him; if storm-clouds gather
darkly 'round,
And even if the heaven seem brass, without a
sound?
He hears each prayer and even notes the
sparrow's fall.
"And praising Him; when sorrow, grief,
and pain are near,
And even when we lose the thing that seems
most dear?
Our loss is gain. Praise Him; in Him we have
our All.
"Our hand in His; e'en
though the path
seems long and drear
We scarcely see a step ahead, and almost
fear?
He guides aright. He has it thus to keep us
near.
"And satisfied; when every path is
blocked and bare,
And worldly things are gone and dead which
were so fair?
Believe and rest and trust in Him, He comes
to stay."
Delays are not
refusals; many a prayer is registered, and underneath it the words: "My
time is not yet come." God has a set time as well as a set purpose, and He who orders the bounds of our habitation
orders also the time of our deliverance. ━Selected
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一月二十四日
“但…鴿子找不着落腳之地就回到…挪亞那裏…到了晚上，鴿子回到他那裏，嘴裏叼着一個…橄欖葉子” （創八：9-11）
神知道甚麼時候該不給我們看得見的憑據，甚麼時候給我們看得見的憑據。我們若能完全信靠祂，這是何等美好的一件事呢？當所有眼見的憑據都收回了的時候，是最美好的時候；因為神的美旨是要我們承認：祂的話語，祂的應許，祂的恩約，比我們眼見的一切憑據更實在，更可靠。神若給我們眼見的憑據，也好；也是可寶貴的。那些只信神的話而不用其他憑據的人們，常得到許多看得見的憑據。━崔倫保
相信祂；卽使暴風欲來，烏雲蓋天，
即使穹蒼如銅號，卻默然無聲，
祂聽清楚你的禱告中的每一句言語，
甚之連麻雀輕輕落地之聲祂都聽聞。
讚美祂，如果憂愁悲痛已到眼前，
卽使連我們以為最親愛的事物遭受損失！
可是損失卽是獲得，
讚美祂，從神那裏什麼都全備。
祂緊握我們的手，
縱使路途遙遠又可怖，
戰兢恐懼前途一步亦看不清，
祂正在引導我，只要我緊緊依附祂！
當人世一切珍貴如浮雲消散，
荒涼寂寞，走頭無路，
你該滿足，因為信靠了祂，
絕對不會使你缺任何。
暫緩不是拒絕。許多禱告上批着：“我的時候還沒有到”。神有規定的旨意也有規定的時間。━選
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January 25
“…Thy
rod and thy staff they comfort me…. ”
(Psa. 23:4)
At my father's house in the country there is a little closet in
the chimney corner where are kept the canes and walking-sticks of several
generations of our family. In my visits to the old house, when my father and
I are going out for a walk, we often go to the cane closet, and pick out our
sticks to suit the fancy of the occasion. In this I have frequently been
reminded that the Word of God is a staff.
During the war,
when the season of discouragement and impending danger was upon us, the
verse, "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is fixed,
trusting in the Lord," (Ps.112:7) was a staff to walk with many dark
days.
When death took
away our child and left us almost heartbroken, I found another staff in the
promise that "weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the
morning."(Ps.30:5)
When in impaired
health, I was exiled for a year, not knowing whether I should be permitted to
return to my home and work again, I took with me this staff which never
failed, "He knoweth the thoughts that he thinketh toward me, thoughts of peace and not of
evil."(Jer.29:11)
In times of
special danger or doubt, when human judgment has seemed to be set at naught,
I have found it easy to go forward with this staff, "……In quietness and
confidence shall be your strength……."(Is.30:15) And in emergencies, when
there has seemed to be no adequate time for deliberation or for action, I
have never found that this staff has failed me, "……He that believeth shall
not make haste."(Is.28:16) ━Benjamin Vaughan
Abbott, in The Outlook.
"I had never
known," said Martin Luther's wife, "what such and such things
meant, in such and such psalms, such complaints and workings of spirit; I had
never understood the practice of Christian duties, had not God brought me
under some affliction." It is very true that God's rod is as the
schoolmaster's pointer to the child, pointing out the letter, that he may the
better take notice of it; thus He pointeth out to
us many good lessons which we should never otherwise have learned. –Selected
"God always
sends His staff with His rod."
"Thy shoes
shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be"
(Deut. 33:25).
Each of us may be
sure that if God sends us on stony paths He will provide us with strong
shoes, and He will not send us out on any journey for which He does not equip
us well. –Maclaren.
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一月二十五日
“…祢的杖，祢的竿，都安慰我…”
（詩廿三：4）
在我父親的家中有一個小房間，裏面藏着我家幾代所用的許多手杖。有的是爬山用的，有的是走平坦大道用的，有的是走泥濘之地用的，有的是雨後雪後行路用的，每種手杖的樣式各不相同。有時我回故鄉去探望父親，他老人家常喜歡和我出外散步；每次出發之前，我們總先到手杖室中去揀選我們那一次所適用的手杖。因此我常常想起神的話語是我們生活中的手杖，會給我無限幫助和安慰。
在打仗的時候，緊急的風聲使我們心慌意亂，神給我們的杖是：“他必不怕兇惡的信息；他心堅定，依靠耶和華”（詩一一二：7）。這杖扶持我們經過許多黑暗的日子。
當死亡奪去我們的孩子，使我們心碎的時候，我在應許中找到另一根安慰的杖：“……一宿雖然有哭泣，早晨便必歡呼”（詩三十：5）
有一次我病倒了，在外養病有一年之久，在這時期中我不知道究竟我是否再會恢復，再能回到我的家中去，再擔任我以前的工作。在這樣沒有指望之中，我始終抓住神的杖。“耶和華說，我知道我向你們所懷的意念，是賜平安的意念，不是降災禍的意念…”（耶廿九：11）
在危險或疑懼的時候，人的評判都說“完了”的時候，我發見了一根帶領我安然過去的杖：“……你們得力在乎平靜安穩……”（賽三十：15）。在遇到意外事情的時候，似乎沒有一點工夫可以設法補救了，我發現了一根從來沒有誤過我的杖：“……信靠的人必不着急“（賽二十八：16）━亞保德便雅憫
馬丁路得的妻子說：“如果神不叫我經過苦難，我永遠不會知道詩篇中這些話語是甚麼意思；我也永遠不會明白基督徒的責任是甚麼。“真的，神的杖好像教員指示孩子識字的教鞭一般，指到某一個字，孩子就注意這一個字；照樣，神指導我們許多有益的功課，是我們在別的地方永不會學到的。━選
“神總是用祂的竿和杖指引我們。”
“你的鞋是銅的，鐵的。你的日子如何，你的力量也必如何”（申三十三：25）
讓我們記得：如果神要我們走在堅固的石路上，祂必先給我們穿上鐵鞋或銅鞋；祂決不會不先替我們預備好了，就差我們出外去走崎嶇的路。━麥克勞
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January 26
“...I have begun to give;...begin to possess. ”
(Deut.
2:31)
A great deal is said in the Bible about waiting for God. The
lesson cannot be too strongly enforced. We easily grow impatient of God's
delays. Much of our trouble in life comes out of our restless, sometimes
reckless, haste. We cannot wait for the fruit to ripen, but insist on
plucking it while it is green. We cannot wait for the answers to our prayers,
although the things we ask for may require long years in their preparation
for us. We are exhorted to walk with God; but ofttimes
God walks very slowly. But there is another phase of the lesson. God often
waits for us.
We fail many times
to receive the blessing He has ready for us, because we do not go forward
with Him. While we miss much good through not waiting for God, we also miss
much through over-waiting. There are times when our strength is to sit still,
but there are also times when we are to go forward with a firm step.
There are many
Divine promises which are conditioned upon the beginning of some action on
our part. When we begin to obey, God will begin to bless us. Great things
were promised to Abraham, but not one of them could have been obtained by
waiting in Chaldea. He must leave
home, friends, and country, and go out into unknown paths and press on in
unfaltering obedience in order to receive the promises. The ten lepers were
told to show themselves to the priest, and "as they went they were
cleansed." (Lk.17:14) If they had waited to see the cleansing come in
their flesh before they would start, they would never have seen it. God was
waiting to cleanse them; and the moment their faith began to work, the blessing
came.
When the
Israelites were shut in by a pursuing army at the Red Sea, they were
commanded to "……Go forward." Their duty was no longer one of
waiting, but of rising up from bended knees and going forward in the way of
heroic faith. They were commanded to show their faith at another time by
beginning their march over the Jordan while the river
ran to its widest banks. The key to unlock the gate into the Land of Promise
they held in their own hands, and the gate would not turn on its hinges until
they had approached it and unlocked it. That key was faith. We are set to
fight certain battles. We say we can never be victorious; that we never can
conquer these enemies; but, as we enter the conflict, One comes and fights by
our side, and through Him we are more than conquerors. If we had waited,
trembling and fearing, for our Helper to come before we would join the
battle, we should have waited in vain. This would have been the over-waiting
of unbelief. God is waiting to pour richest blessings upon you. Press forward
with bold confidence and take what is yours. "I have begun to give,
begin to possess." ━J. R. Miller
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一月二十六日
“……從此起首，……交給你，你要得……為業”
（申二：31）
聖經中常講起信徒該怎樣等待神，這個真理不能太偏於一面。誠然，有許多時候我們頂容易不耐神的遲延。我們生活中多少的煩惱都是出於自己的紛擾，魯莽和焦急。我們不能等果子成熟，只管把青色的果子採下來。我們不能耐心等待我們禱告的答應，不管所求的須有較長時間的預備。我們想和神同行，不料神行得很慢。這些都是我們的失敗，不能耐心等候神。然而聖經中還有另一方面的真理。就是神常等待我們，可惜我們總是耽誤神。
多少時候，我們沒有得到神已經為我們預備好了的祝福，因為我們不上前去接受。雖然有時我們的損失，是因為不等待神；但是多少時候我們的損失，也是因為待得過度了。有的時候，我們應該靜坐；也有時候，我們應該邁步上前。
聖經中有許多的應許都是帶條件的。在我們方面必須先有條件的履行，然後神方面纔有應許的實現。我們開始順服的時候，神就開始祝福我們。神給亞伯拉罕許多的應許；可是這許多應許之中，沒有一個能彀實現，當亞伯拉罕還等在迦勒底的時候。他必須先離開本鄉，本族，本家，以及一切的朋友到一個異鄉去，然後神纔一件一件成就祂的應許。主肯醫治十個長大痲瘋的，對他們說：“你們去把身體給祭司察看；”他們在甚麼時候得醫治的？“他們去的時候就潔淨了”（路十七：14）。如果他們等待，要先看見他們的肉潔淨了，然後再去，他們決不會得到醫治。神等待去潔淨他們，只消他們的信心一開始活動，祝福就來了。
當以色列人被仇敵追逼到紅海的時候，神吩咐他們“……往前走”（出十四：15）。他們的責任不是等待，乃是鼓着勇敢的信心起來往前走。還有一次，當他們渡過泛濫兩岸的約旦河時，他們必須先有信心伸足入水。信心是一把鑰匙一把開入應許之地的門的鑰匙。這把鑰匙是在他們自己的手中，他們若不走近那門，用鑰匙去開門的話，門就決不會自動開啟的。哦，信徒們，今日我們是命定在世爭戰的。當然我們決不能得勝，竟不堪仇敵一擊；然而，我們憑信心沖過前線的時候，就有那唯一的得勝者來到我們身邊，替我們爭戰；靠着祂，我們已經得勝有餘了。如果我們猶疑，戰兢，等候那得勝者先來了，然後向前爭戰。我們定規空等。這就是不信的過度等候。神今天在等待，要厚厚地賜福與我們。我們應該用勇敢的信心前去接受。“從此起首，我要…交給你，你要得…為業。”━密勒
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January 27
“……Stablish,
strengthen, settle you. ”
(1 Peter 5:10)
In taking Christ in any new relationship, we must first have
sufficient intellectual light to satisfy our mind that we are entitled to
stand in this relationship. The shadow of a question here will wreck our
confidence. Then, having seen this, we must make the venture, the committal,
the choice, and take the place just as definitely as the tree is planted in
the soil, or the bride gives herself away at the marriage altar. It must be
once for all, without reserve, without recall.
Then there is a
season of establishing, settling and testing, during which we must "stay
put" until the new relationship gets so fixed as to become a permanent
habit. It is just the same as when the surgeon sets the broken arm. He puts
it in splints to keep it from vibration. So God has His spiritual splints
that He wants to put upon His children and keep them quiet and unmoved until
they pass the first stage of faith. It is not always easy work for us,
"but the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by
Jesus Christ, after that ye have suffered awhile, stablish,
strengthen, settle you." ━A.B. Simpson.
There is a natural
law in sin and sickness; and if we just let ourselves go and sink into the
trend of circumstances, we shall go down and sink under the power of the
tempter. But there is another law of spiritual life and of physical life in
Christ Jesus to which we can rise, and through which
we can counterpoise and overcome the other law that bears us down.
But to do this
requires real spiritual energy and fixed purpose and a settled posture and
habit of faith. It is just the same as when we use the power in our factory.
We must turn on the belt and keep it on. The power is there, but we must keep
the connection; and while we do so, the higher power will work and all the
machinery will be in operation.
There is a
spiritual law of choosing, believing, abiding, and holding steady in our walk
with God, which is essential to the working of the Holy Ghost either in our
sanctification or healing. ━Days of Heaven
upon Earth.
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一月二十七日
“那賜諸般恩典的神，曾在基督裏召你們，得享祂永遠的榮耀，等你們暫受苦難之後，必要親自成全你們，堅固你們，賜力量給你們。”
（彼前五：10）
當我們和基督結合進入新的關係之時，我們首先要有足夠的智慧使自己認識，我們應該始終保持這個關係。在這開頭，任何疑問的陰影，都會破壞我們的親密。看清了這一點之後，我們必須大膽作承擔的抉擇，就象樹木種在泥土中，或新娘在禮壇前許配終身一樣，確定自己的地位。必須永遠不渝，既無保留，亦無反悔的餘地。
然後，要經過一段試煉和培植的時期，在這個期間，我們必須堅毅穩定，直到新的關係變為根深蒂固的常規。臂膊折了骨，使它避免任何震動。神也要給祂的子女按上了精神的夾板，使他們安定不動，直到他們通過信心的第一階段。對於我們，這不一定是容易的，“但賜我們以一切恩典的神，曾在基督裏召你們，得享祂永遠的榮耀，等你們暫受苦難之後，必要親自成全你們，堅固你們，賜力量給你們”。━辛浦生
罪惡和病患，都有一條相通的自然律；如果我們讓自己去陷入它們的不良趨勢之中，我們就會沉淪下去，落入魔鬼的掌握。但在耶穌基督裏，另有一條關於精神生活和肉體生活的定律，可使我們超升，藉此抵制或克服那另一條使我們沉淪的自然律。
但要達到此目的，必須具有真正的精神力量，堅決的志願，安定的情緒，和恒常的信心。這就象我們在工廠裏運用動力一樣。我們必須使輪機繼續運轉。因為動力是存在的，但我們必須保持聯繫，有了這個聯繫之後，動力發生了作用，整個機器也就開動了。
有一條精神生活的定律，要我們在和神同行時，有選擇的決斷，有信仰的恒心，和堅固的執着，聖靈之使我們神聖化和救治我們，這條定律是整個緊要的關鍵。━地上屬天生活
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January 28
“I am
jealous over you with God's own jealousy. ”
(2 Cor. 11:2) (
Weymouth
.)
How an old harper dotes on his harp!
How he fondles and caresses it, as a child resting on his bosom! His life is
bound up in it. But, see him tuning it. He grasps it firmly, strikes a chord
with a sharp, quick blow; and while it quivers as if in pain, he leans over intently
to catch the first note that rises. The note, as he feared, is false and
harsh. He strains the chord with the torturing thumb-screw; and though it
seems ready to snap with the tension, he strikes it again, bending down to
listen softly as before, till at length you see a smile on his face as the
first true tone trembles upward.
So it may be that God is dealing with you. Loving you better than
any harper loves his harp, He finds you a mass of
jarring discords. He wrings your heartstrings with some torturing anguish; He
bends over you tenderly, striking and listening; and, hearing only a harsh
murmur, strikes you again, while His heart bleeds for you, anxiously waiting
for that strain━"Not my will, but thine
be done"(Lk.22:42) ━which is melody
sweet to His ear as angels' songs.
Nor will He cease to strike until your chastened soul shall blend
with all the pure and infinite harmonies of His own being. ━Selected
"Oh, the sweetness that dwells in a harp of many
strings,
While each, all vocal with love in a tuneful harmony
rings!
But, oh, the wail and the discord,
when
one and another is rent,Tensionless, broken and
lost, from the cherished instrument.
"For rapture of love is linked with the pain or fear
of loss,
And the hand that takes the crown,
must ache with many a cross;
Yet he who hath never a conflict,
hath never a victor's palm,
And only the toilers know the sweetness of rest and calm.
"Only between the storms can the Alpine traveller know
Transcendent glory of clearness,
marvels of gleam and glow;
Had he the brightness
unbroken of cloudless summer days,
This had been dimmed by the dust
and the
veil of a brooding haze.
"Who would dare the choice, neither or both to know,
The finest quiver of joy or the agony thrill of woe!
Never the exquisite pain, then never the exquisite bliss,
For the heart that is dull to
that
can never be strung to this."
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一月二十八日
“我為你們起的憤恨，原是神那樣的憤恨”
（林後十一：2）
一個善奏古琴的琴師，何等寵愛他的古琴呢！他把它懷抱在胸中，撫它，親它，偎它！他和它相依為命。可是，你看他怎樣調整弦音。他把它緊緊握住，用力地在弦上撥一下；弦立刻震顫，好似驚痛之下的戰慄；他側耳細聽，覺得弦音粗浮，還未準確。於是他把弦絞緊；彈撥再三，直等到它能發出柔和準確的聲音來。他臉上纔露出笑容，點頭滿意。
親愛的，其實神也是如此對待你。祂愛你遠勝琴師愛琴，祂發現你的聲音不和諧。祂把你緊緊抓住，用力撥你的心弦；祂側耳細聽，豈知你所發的聲音仍是咒詛和怨言；祂只得絞緊你的心弦，再撥，再彈，直等你的聲音是讚美，感謝，和“不要成就我的意思，只要成就你的意思”（路二十二：42）━神所最喜聽的音樂。這是像天使歌唱一樣，祂所最愛聽的音樂。
直到你純潔化了的靈魂，和祂完全一致，乳水交融，否則祂決不停止祂的樂器音階的調整。━選
豎琴有許多琴弦，在愛的旋律中震顫，
一一和諧合拍，流露出蘊蓄的甜美。
忽有一二弦驀地斷裂崩弛，
破壞了緊湊，就如不起波瀾的一泓死水。
愛的狂喜和傷痛相連，
取得王冠的手，必曾受過許多苦難和酸痛；
未曾爭鬬的人，不會有得勝者的榮譽，
經過了辛苦，才能領略休息和平靜的美夢。
阿爾卑斯山的遊客，唯有在兩場風雨之間，
才能欣賞天空的明淨和霞光的奇觀；
如果夏天永遠碧空無雲，
也會有十丈紅塵飛揚迷漫。
悲哀與快樂，誰也不能作分別的選擇，
兩者，必須都有體念，
否則懵懂恍惚，無所知悉，
沒有非常的痛苦，就沒有非常的福祉，
對苦痛麻木的心靈，對福祉也不會敏感。
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January 29
“…God
is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that
right early. ”
(Psa. 46:2, 3,
5)
"Shall not be moved"━what
an inspiring declaration! Can it be possible that we, who are so easily moved
by the things of earth, can arrive at a place where nothing can upset us or
disturb our calm? Yes, it is possible; and the Apostle Paul knew it. When he
was on his way to Jerusalem where he foresaw
that "bonds and afflictions" (Acts.20:23) awaited him, he could say
triumphantly, "But none of these things move me."(verse 24)
Everything in Paul's life and experience that could be shaken had been
shaken, and he no longer counted his life, or any of life's possessions, dear
to him. And we, if we will but let God have His way with us, may come to the
same place, so that neither the fret and tear of little things of life, nor
the great and heavy trials, can have power to move us from the peace that passeth understanding, which is declared to be the
portion of those who have learned to rest only on God.
"Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God; and he shall
go no more out." (Rev.3:12) To be as immovable as a pillar in the house
of our God, is an end for which one would gladly endure all the shakings that
may be necessary to bring us there! ━Hannah Whitall Smith
When God is in the midst of a kingdom or city He makes it as firm
as Mount Zion, that cannot be
removed. When He is in the midst of a soul, though calamities throng about it
on all hands, and roar like the billows of the sea, yet there is a constant
calm within, such a peace as the world can neither give nor take away. What
is it but want of lodging God in the soul, and that
in His stead the world is in men's hearts, that makes them shake like leaves
at every blast of danger? ━Archbishop
Leighton
"They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be
removed, but abideth forever." (Ps.125:1)
There is a quaint old Scottish version that puts iron into our blood:
"Who sticketh
to God in stable trust
As Zion's mount he stands full just,
Which moveth no
whit, nor yet doth reel,
But standeth
forever as stiff as steel!"
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一月二十九日
“…神在其中，城必不動搖；到天一亮，神必幫助這城” （詩四十六：5）
“必不動搖”━這是何等的宣言！像我們這樣最容易給屬地的東西所搖動的人，竟可以到一個地步，沒有一件東西能彀搖動或是顛覆我們？是的，這是絕對可能的事；使徒保羅就懂得這一個秘訣。在他到耶路撒冷去的路上，他已經預見前面“有捆鎖與患難等待”（徒二十：23），可是他能彀坦然說，“這些東西沒有一件可以搖動我”（24節）。保羅一生中間，凡是可以搖動的東西，都已經搖動掉了；他並不以性命為念，也不以他所有的為寶貴。照樣，我們如果願意讓神按照祂的方法對付我們，如同對付保羅一般，我們也能彀達到同樣的地步：沒有一件瑣碎的事情，也沒有一件重大的試煉，能彀搖動我們離開平安了。這樣的平安，只有完全安息在神裏面的人們纔有分的。
“得勝的，我要叫他在我神殿中作柱子，他也必不再從那裏出去”（啟三：12）。在我神殿中作柱子是不能搖動的；這就是歡喜忍受一切環境的震動的結果！━司密斯
當神在一個城中，祂使那城象錫安山一般堅固，不能移動分毫。當祂在我們裏面，雖然四週有駭浪怒濤，狂風暴雨，可是在我們裏面仍有恆久的平安；這種平安，是世界所不能給我們的，也是世界所不能奪去我們的。在我們裏面是神，在世人裏面是世界；這就是為甚麼我們能有平安，而他們當風浪來的時候，就會像葉子那樣飄搖不定。━雷登
“倚靠耶和華的人，好像錫安山，永不動搖”（詩一二五：1）。有一首蘇格蘭古詩，能在我們的血液中注入鐵一般的力量：
以堅定的信心依靠神，
像錫安山那樣站穩腳跟，
永遠屹立，像鋼鐵般的，
不搖撼，也不移動毫分。
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January 30
“I will be as the dew
unto Israel. ” (Hosea 14:5)
The dew is a source of freshness. It is nature's provision for
renewing the face of the earth. It falls at night, and without it the
vegetation would die. It is this great value of the dew which is so often
recognized in the Scriptures. It is used as the symbol of spiritual
refreshing. Just as nature is bathed in dew, so the Lord renews His people.
In Titus 3:5 the same thought of spiritual refreshing is connected with the
ministry of the Holy Ghost━"renewing of the
Holy Ghost."
Many Christian workers do not recognize the importance of the
heavenly dew in their lives, and as a result they lack freshness and vigor.
Their spirits are drooping for lack of dew.
Beloved fellow-worker, you recognize the folly of a laboring man
attempting to do his day's work without eating. Do you recognize the folly of
a servant of God attempting to minister without eating of the heavenly manna?
Nor will it suffice to have spiritual nourishment occasionally. Every day you
must receive the renewing of the Holy Ghost. You know when your whole being
is pulsating with the vigor and freshness of Divine life and when you feel
jaded and worn. Quietness and absorption bring the dew. At night when the
leaf and blade are still, the vegetable pores are open to receive the
refreshing and invigorating bath; so spiritual dew comes from quiet lingering
in the Master's presence. Get still before Him. Haste will prevent your
receiving the dew. Wait before God until you feel saturated with His
presence; then go forth to your next duty with the conscious freshness and
vigor of Christ. ━Dr. Pardington.
Dew will never gather while there is either heat or wind. The
temperature must fall, and the wind cease, and the air come to a point of
coolness and rest━absolute rest, so to speak━before
it can yield up its invisible particles of moisture to bedew either herb or
flower. So the grace of God does not come forth to rest the soul of man until
the still point is fairly and fully reached. ━Selected
"Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease:
Take from our souls the strain and stress;
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.
"Breathe through the pulses of desire
Thy coolness and Thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, its beats expire:
Speak through the earthquake, wind and fire,
O still small voice of calm!"
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一月三十日
“我必向以色列如甘露”
（何十四：5）
露是代表新鮮，朝氣，活潑。神降露原是為着更新大地，滋潤花草。聖經中也常說起露，用來表明屬靈的更新。神常藉聖靈更新祂的子民，猶如用露更新大地一般。在提多三章五章所說的：“聖靈的更新”就是講聖靈有露珠一般的執事。
許多神的僕人不懂得屬靈的露珠在他們生命中的重要。結果，他們沒有活潑，缺乏朝氣。他們的靈性下沉（甚至枯萎）就是因為沒有靈露的更新。
親愛的同工，你想一個工人能不喫東西，而整天作工麼？你想一個神的工人能不喫屬靈的嗎哪，而專一事奉麼？不，絕對不能。偶然喫一次也是不彀的。你必須每天接受聖靈的更新當作你靈性的滋養。怎樣去接受神的靈露呢？安靜，吸收。到了深夜寂靜時，花草葉子的氣孔都張開了，這時候正是他們受露珠的時候；屬靈的露珠也是這樣，當我們在神前安靜等待的時候，我們就會得到更新和滋潤。急躁不會叫你得到甚麼。安靜等待，直到你浸沉在主的同在裏；然後帶着基督的新鮮和活潑到工場裏去。━巴亭登
有風或是有熱的時候，露珠凝結不起來。風必須平靜，熱度必須下降，大氣必須到又靜又冷的一點，露珠纔能凝結在葉子或花瓣上。照樣，神更新的恩典，也是如此；必須等到你的火氣退去，你靈安靜，然後神纔降甘露滋潤你。━選
滴下祢安靜的靈珠，
讓我們也一切寧靜，
卸卻靈魂的緊張與重負，
在生活中反映出祢的美麗和平意境。
為人慾而奔騰的脈搏，
需要一劑鎮定與清涼，
不必再狂跳和慌張，
風火地震的大變動中，依舊寧靜安詳。
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January 31
“He giveth quietness.” (Job 34:29)
Quietness amid the dash of the storm. We sail the lake with Him
still; and as we reach its middle waters, far from land, under midnight skies, suddenly a great storm sweeps down.
Earth and hell seem arrayed against us, and each
billow threatens to overwhelm. Then He arises from His sleep, and rebukes the
winds and the waves; His hand waves benediction and repose over the rage of
the tempestuous elements. His voice is heard above the scream of the wind in
the cordage and the conflict of the billows, "Peace, be still!" Can
you not hear it? And there is instantly a great calm. "He giveth quietness." Quietness amid the loss of inward
consolations. He sometimes withdraws these, because we make too much of them.
We are tempted to look at our joy, our ecstasies, our transports, or our
visions, with too great complacency. Then love for love's sake, withdraws
them. But, by His grace, He leads us to distinguish between them and Himself.
He draws nigh, and whispers the assurance of His presence. Thus an infinite
calm comes to keep our heart and mind. "He giveth
quietness."
"He giveth
quietness." O Elder Brother,
Whose homeless feet have pressed our path of
pain,
Whose hands have borne the burden of our
sorrow,
That in our losses we might find our gain.
"Of all Thy gifts and infinite consolings,
I ask but this: in every troubled hour
To hear Thy voice through all the tumults
stealing,
And rest serene beneath its tranquil power.
"Cares cannot fret me if my soul be
dwelling
In the still air of faith's untroubled day;
Grief cannot shake me if I walk beside thee,
My hand in Thine
along the darkening way.
"Content to know there comes a radiant
morning
When from all shadows I shall find release,
Serene to wait the rapture of its dawning—
Who can make trouble when Thou sendest peace?"
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一月三十一日
“祂使人安靜” （伯三十四：29）
神能在風浪中給人安靜。今天我們仍舊和祂一同在船中；在深夜離岸甚遠，船到了湖中心的時候，忽然起了暴風，甚至船被波浪掩蓋。這時候似乎世人聯絡一致地逼迫我們，地獄張了口等待吞喫我們，每一個波浪威脅我們。在這樣絕望的光景中，主頂鎮靜地起來，斥責風和浪。在祂一揮手之下，祝福來了，風浪去了，風號浪湃，不能混亂祂的聲音，“住了罷，靜了罷”（可四：39）。你聽見祂的聲音麼？“祂使人安靜“。這安靜不是普通的安靜，乃是在失去指望和安慰中的安靜。有時候祂故意把指望和安慰從我們收回，因為我們太注重這些了。我們頂容易專看喜樂，奮心，盼望，安慰，經歷，恩賜，異象等等過於看主。所以為了愛的緣故，主把這些暫時收回；好叫我們靠着祂的恩典，分辨主所賜的和主自己。但是當我們以為失去了一切福份的時候，主就來了，叫我們嘗到祂同在的滋味。這時候我們因為有了祂自己，就忘記了祂所收回的，心中只覺得無限的安靜。“祂使人安靜”。
“祂使人安靜”
基督流浪的腳步，曾踏過我們痛苦的荒徑，
祂的雙手擔承過我們悲愁的重負，
祂使人安寧，喪失之中找到新的生命。
在祢一切的賜予和無盡的安慰中，
我只祈求：在遭遇困難的時際，
聽到祢的聲音隱隱穿過一切喧囂，
使我在它安靜的力量下泰然休憩。
只要我靈魂寓於平靜的信仰，
一切憂慮都不能使我心焦，
只要祢握着我的手，我走在祢身旁，
一切悲痛都不能使我動搖。
光明的早晨將使黑暗消散，
知道了這一點，我已心滿意足，
我將靜待黎明時分的狂喜，
誰還能擾亂祢所賜的安寧平靜？
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