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(转繁)
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March 11
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三月十一日
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“Now it came to pass after the death of Moses, the servant of the
Lord, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, the son of
Nun, Moses' minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now, therefore arise,
go over this Jordan, thou and all this people.”
(Joshua
1:1, 2)
Sorrow came to you yesterday, and emptied your home. Your first
impulse now is to give up, and sit down in despair amid the wrecks of your
hopes. But you dare not do it. You are in the line of battle, and the crisis
is at hand. To falter a moment would be to imperil some holy interest. Other
lives would be harmed by your pausing, holy
interests would suffer, should your hands be folded. You must not linger even
to indulge your grief.
A distinguished
general related this pathetic incident of his own experience in time of war.
The general's son was a lieutenant of battery. An assault was in progress.
The father was leading his division in a charge; as he pressed on in the
field, suddenly his eye was caught by the sight of a dead battery-officer
lying just before him. One glance showed him it was his own son. His fatherly
impulse was to stop beside the loved form and give vent to his grief, but the
duty of the moment demanded that he should press on in the charge; so,
quickly snatching one hot kiss from the dead lips, he hastened away, leading
his command in the assault.
Weeping
inconsolably beside a grave can never give back love's banished treasure, nor
can any blessing come out of such sadness. Sorrow makes deep scars; it writes
its record ineffaceably on the heart which suffers. We really never get over
our great griefs; we are never altogether the same
after we have passed through them as we were before. Yet there is a
humanizing and fertilizing influence in sorrow which has been rightly
accepted and cheerfully borne. Indeed, they are poor who have never suffered,
and have none of sorrow's marks upon them. The joy set before us should shine
upon our grief as the sun shines through the clouds, glorifying them. God has
so ordered, that in pressing on in duty we shall
find the truest, richest comfort for ourselves. Sitting down to brood over
our sorrows, the darkness deepens about us and creeps into our heart, and our strength changes to weakness. But, if we
turn away from the gloom, and take up the tasks and duties to which God calls
us, the light will come again, and we shall grow stronger.
━J. R. Miller.
Thou knowest that through our tears
Of hasty,
selfish weeping
Comes surer
sin, and for our petty fears
Of loss thou
hast in keeping
A greater gain
than all of which we dreamed;
Thou knowest that in grasping
The bright
possessions which so precious seemed
We lose them;
but if, clasping
Thy faithful
hand, we tread with steadfast feet
The path of thy
appointing,
There waits for
us a treasury of sweet
Delight, royal
anointing
With oil of
gladness and of strength.
━Helen Hunt Jackson.
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“耶和华的仆人摩西死了以后，耶和华晓谕摩西的帮手嫩的儿子约书亚，说，我的仆人摩西死了；现在你要起来，和众百姓过这约但河。”
(书一：1-2)
当忧愁和损失同时临到你的时侯，你第一个冲动就是想放弃一切，坐在失望中伤心。但是你决不能这样。须知你是在战场的前线，正当胜败关头。如果你踌躇一刻，同胞就要丧胆，神就要受着亏损。所以你不该稍有耽延，连痛哭一场的时间也不能。
某名将常述说他在战争时所遭遇的一段伤心的经历：将军的儿子是一个陆军中尉。一次，父子各率一军，开拔前线。不久，总攻击开始，将军身先士卒，向敌阵冲锋；在战场上，他偶然瞥见一个本国的战死军官躺在地上。跑近一看，乃是他自己的儿子。他第一个意念就是抱了尸身痛哭一场，但是转念之间，他想到身负重责，战争的胜败就在这一仗，岂可因个人私事贻误大事；于是在死者灰白的冷唇上抢了一个热吻，鼓着勇气，急忙率领军兵向前冲去。
如果约书亚在摩西的墓旁一直哀哭，是哭不活摩西的，也哭不出神的祝福来。忧愁哀痛留下深深的伤痕，在哀痛者的心上，刻划着不可磨灭的记录。我们从来无法真正去解脱大悲哀；经历了大悲痛之后，决不会和经历之前完全一样。然而，倘能正确和欣然去接受悲哀，它能发挥培养人格的丰富影响力。那些从未受过痛苦，心上从未留下过悲哀烙印的人，才是可怜虫。我们未来的欢乐，一定要像穿过乌云的阳光，才能倍见光明。神既如此吩咐了。我们要从履行任务中，去找寻最真切最丰富的安慰。如果坐下悲哀，会使我们四围的环境更艰难，我们的心更痛苦，我们的力量衰弱。只要我们不去理会痛苦，立即负起神的使命，光明就会随着来到,我们也会发挥刚强的力量了。━密勒
轻率的啼哭，自私的泪珠，
将招来深的罪过。
我们忧虑那微不足道的损失，
祢却给我准备了梦想不到的收获；
我们若不肯放下自以为珍贵的一切，
结果还是丧失，何能持到永久？
但若紧握着祢的手，
坚定步伐走在祢指示的道路
前途是浸润着快乐与丰富，
充满了幸福和尊容的宝库。
━杰克逊
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March 12
“The Lord
brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when
it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts....Then Pharaoh called for
Moses and Aaron in haste....And the Lord turned a mighty strong west wind,
which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained
not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.”
(Exod. 10:13, 19)
See how in the olden times, when the Lord fought for Israel
against the cruel Pharaoh, the stormy winds wrought out their deliverance;
and yet again, in that grandest display of power━the last blow that
God struck at the proud defiance of Egypt. A strange, almost cruel thing it
must have seemed to Israel to be hemmed in by such a host of dangers━in front the wild
sea defying them, on either hand the rocky heights cutting off all hope of
escape, the night of hurricane gathering over them. It was as if that first
deliverance had come only to hand them over to more certain death. Completing
the terror there rang out the cry: "The Egyptians are upon us!"
When it seemed
they were trapped for the foe, then came the glorious triumph. Forth swept
the stormy wind and beat back the waves, and the hosts of Israel marched
forward, down into the path of the great deep━a way arched over with God's protecting love.
On either hand
were the crystal walls glowing in the light of the glory of the Lord; and
high above them swept the thunder of the storm. So on through all that night;
and when, at dawn of the next day, the last of Israel's host set foot
upon the other shore, the work of the stormy wind was done.
Then sang Israel unto the Lord the
song of the "stormy wind fulfilling his word."
"The enemy
said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil...Thou didst
blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty
waters."
One day, by God's
great mercy, we, too, shall stand upon the sea of glass, having the harps of
God. Then we shall sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song
of the Lamb: "Just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints." We
shall know then how the stormy winds have wrought out our deliverance.
Now you see only
the mystery of this great sorrow; then you shall see how the threatening
enemy was swept away in the wild night of fear and grief.
Now you look only
at the loss; then you shall see how it struck at the evil that had begun to
rivet its fetters upon you.
Now you shrink
from the howling winds and muttering thunders; then you shall see how they
beat back the waters of destruction, and opened up your way to the goodly
land of promise.━Mark Guy Pearse.
"Though
winds are wild;
And the gale
unleashed,
My trusting
heart still sings:
I know that
they mean
No harm to me,
He rideth on their wings."
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三月十二日
“那一昼一夜，耶和华使东风刮在埃及地上，到了早晨，东风 把蝗虫刮了来。…于是法老急忙召了摩西亚伦来，…耶和华转了极大的西风，把蝗虫刮起，吹入红海，在埃及的四境连一个也没有留下。” (出十：13，16，19)
我们看神怎样利用暴风来拯救以色列人脱离残酷的法老；还有，神在表显他最大的神权时━神最后一次对付埃及的军队━也利用大东风(十四：21)。当时以色列人都以为他们的处境太危急，太残酷了━前面是红海，后面是追兵，两旁都是高耸的山岩，断绝了一切逃生的希望。以色列人在这时侯只能够仰望耶和华的拯救了。可是他的拯救是大东风。这真出他们意外。可怕的风声加增他们的惊慌，四周的寒冷冻得他们战栗。他们怨神的拯救无非催逼他们死得快一点。恐怕中那时他们全营的呼声是：“我们死啦！埃及人追及我们了”。
正在绝望的时侯，荣耀的胜利来了。吼声可怕的东风把浪击退，把海吹干，以色列人向前走去，进入神的保护和慈爱中。两旁是水晶的墙，前面是耶和华的荣光。终夜都是这样；到了天一亮，最后一个以色列人也上了岸，大东风的使命便完成了。
于是以色列人向耶和华唱歌说:“成就祂命的狂风…都当赞美耶和华”(诗一四八：8，12)。
“仇敌说，我要追赶，我要追上，我要分掳物…祢叫风一吹，海就把他们(埃及军兵)淹没，他们如铅沉在大水之中”(出十五：9-10)。
到有一天，我们要站在玻璃海上，拿着神的琴；与众圣徒一同唱神仆人摩西的歌和羔羊的歌说：“众圣之王啊，祢的方法义哉，诚哉”━(启十五：3直译)。━披尔斯
如今你只觉得大风暴的不可思议；将来你必看见威胁你的敌人，在战栗恐怖的夜里，歼灭净尽。
如今你只注意到损失；将来你必见到祂为何打击那已经开始桎梏你的罪恶。
如今你因风啸雷鸣而畏缩；将来你必知道祂如何击退那灭绝生命的洪水，为你们开辟道路，通往那应许的福地。━披尔斯
风虽猖狂奔放，
我的信心仍在歌唱。
我知道这不会伤害我，
神附在它的翅膀之上。
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March 13
“Just and true are thy
ways, thou King of saints.”
(Rev.
15:3)
The following incident is related by Mrs. Charles Spurgeon, who was
a great sufferer for more than a quarter of a century:
"At the close
of a dark and gloomy day, I lay resting on my couch as the deeper night drew
on; and though all was bright within my cozy room, some of the external
darkness seemed to have entered into my soul and obscured its spiritual
vision. Vainly I tried to see the Hand which I knew held mine, and guided my
fog-enveloped feet along a steep and slippery path of suffering. In sorrow of
heart I asked,
"'Why does my
Lord thus deal with His child? Why does He so often send sharp and bitter
pain to visit me? Why does He permit lingering weakness to hinder the sweet
service I long to render to His poor servants?'
"These
fretful questions were quickly answered, and through a strange language; no
interpreter was needed save the conscious whisper of my heart.
"For a while
silence reigned in the little room, broken only by the crackling of the oak
log burning in the fireplace. Suddenly I heard a sweet,
soft sound, a little, clear, musical note, like the tender trill of a robin
beneath my window.
"'What can it
be? surely no bird can be singing out there at this
time of the year and night.'
"Again came
the faint, plaintive notes, so sweet, so melodious, yet mysterious enough to
provoke our wonder. My friend exclaimed,
"Perchance he
had garnered up this song in the days when all was well with him, when birds
twittered merrily on his branches, and the soft sunlight flecked his tender
leaves with gold. But he had grown old since then, and hardened; ring after
ring of knotty growth had sealed up the long-forgotten melody, until the
fierce tongues of the flames came to consume his callousness, and the
vehement heart of the fire wrung from him at once a song and a sacrifice.
'Ah,' thought I, 'when the fire of affliction draws songs of praise from us,
then indeed we are purified, and our God is glorified!'
"Perhaps some
of us are like this old oak log, cold, hard, insensible; we should give forth
no melodious sounds, were it not for the fire which kindles around us, and
releases notes of trust in Him, and cheerful compliance with His will.
"Singing in
the fire! Yes, God helping us, if that is the only way to get harmony out of
these hard apathetic hearts, let the furnace be heated seven times hotter
than before."━Selected.
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三月十三日
“众圣之王啊，祢的方法义哉，诚哉。”
(启十五：3)
在患难中经历顶深的司布真师母说：
有一天阴沉的晚上，我独自坐在椅子上休息；虽然室中很光亮，但是我心灵中有一层黑暗罩着，使我不能看见什么。我也不觉得主的手搀住我，我好似滑跌在伤痛中。我忧忧愁愁地自问说：
“为什么我的神如此待祂的孩子呢？为什么祂一直把锐利的痛苦加给我呢？为什么祂应许缠绵的软弱来拦阻我去事奉祂呢？”
这些烦恼的问题立即得到了答复；顶希奇，答复我的一个特异的声音；用不着翻译的人，神在我心中轻轻地替我解释。
室内寂静了好久，我忽然听见一声清幽悦耳的乐音，很像窗下知更雀的歌声。
这是什么声音？决不会是知更雀在那里唱歌，因为这是寒冷的晚上。
又是一声。这次我才发现：原来是壁炉中一根橡树枝，正被猛烈的火焰焚烧着，从裂口中发出那个好听的音乐来！
此时，我发生了一些感想：当这根树枝嫩绿青翠的时侯，许多歌鸟游歇其上，唱出美丽的调儿来，它就把那些歌声收集起来，含蓄在里面。后来它渐渐老了，树枝渐渐硬了；那声音便永久被封住在里面了，直到猛烈的火焰烧毁了它的坚硬，久囚的音乐才被释放。啊，照样，神用痛苦的火焰燃烧我们，原是要从我们久寂的心中抽出赞美的歌声来，叫我们的神得着荣耀！就在此时，我得了安慰。
恐怕我们中间有几个很像这根橡树枝━老，冷，硬，麻木；我们不会发出赞美的声音来，如果没有火的催逼。
如果苦难的火焰会叫无情的冷心得到温暖，愿炉中的火焰较前加旺“七倍”！━选
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March 14
“Moses
drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.”
(Exod. 20:21)
God has still His hidden secrets, hidden from the wise and
prudent. Do not fear them; be content to accept things that you cannot
understand; wait patiently. Presently He will reveal to you the treasures of
darkness, the riches of the glory of the mystery. Mystery is only the veil of
God's face.
Do not be afraid
to enter the cloud that is settling down on your life. God is in it. The
other side is radiant with His glory. "Think it not strange concerning
the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened
unto you; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's
sufferings." When you seem loneliest and most forsaken, God is nigh. He
is in the dark cloud. Plunge into the blackness of its darkness without
flinching; under the shrouding curtain of His pavilion you will find God
awaiting you. ━Selected.
"Hast thou
a cloud?
Something that
is dark and full of dread;
A messenger of
tempest overhead?
A something
that is darkening the sky;
A something
growing darker bye and bye;
A something
that thou fear'st will burst at last;
A cloud that
doth a deep, long shadow cast,
God cometh in
that cloud.
Hast thou a
cloud?
It is Jehovah's
triumph car: in this
He rideth to thee, o'er the wide abyss.
It is the robe
in which He wraps His form;
For He doth
gird Him with the flashing storm.
It is the veil
in which He hides the light
Of His fair
face, too dazzling for thy sight.
God cometh in
that cloud.
Hast thou a
cloud?
A trial that is
terrible to thee?
A black
temptation threatening to see?
A loss of some
dear one long thine own?
A mist, a
veiling, bringing the unknown?
A mystery that
unsubstantial seems:
A cloud between
thee and the sun's bright beams?
God cometh in
that cloud.
Hast thou a
cloud?
A sickness━weak old age━distress and
death?
These clouds
will scatter at thy last faint breath.
Fear not the
clouds that hover o'er thy barque,
Making the harbour's entrance dire and dark;
The cloud of
death, though misty, chill and cold,
Will yet grow
radiant with a fringe of gold.
GOD cometh in
that cloud."
As Dr. C. stood on
a high peak of the Rocky Mountains watching a storm raging below him, an
eagle came up through the clouds, and soared away towards the sun and the
water upon him glistened in the sunlight like diamonds. Had it not been for
the storm he might have remained in the valley. The sorrows of life cause us
to rise towards God.━Selected.
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三月十四日
“摩西就挨近神所在的幽暗之中。”
(出二十：21)
神今天仍有祂隐藏的秘密，向聪明通达人藏起来。可是你不必怕它们；尽管在神面前接受你所不解的东西；忍耐等候。不久祂要指示你黑暗中的宝贝，隐密中的荣耀。
不要怕进前面的黑云。神在其中。“有火炼的试验临到你们，不要以为奇怪，(似乎是遭遇非常的事)倒要欢喜；因为你们是与基督一同受苦”(彼前四：12-13)。当你感到孤单的时侯，须知神在咫尺。祂在黑云中，等候你进去亲近祂。━选
黑云罩上了你的生命，
这种遭遇，可怕阴沉，
它预示风雨来临，
云渐渐迷漫开来，
一阵紧一阵，地暗天昏，
云中却隐藏着天上的神。
黑云罩上了你的生命，
这是耶和华的凯旋车，
载着祂前来给你温存，
云是祂的面纱，祂的衣襟。
你受不住那样的光辉，
所以要遮掩祂的圣容。
黑云罩上了你的生命，
何等可怕的考验，
如失去了可爱的亲人，
又如威胁更如诱惑，
你将不知所措，心迷神昏，
但云中却隐藏着天上的神。
黑云罩上了你的生命，
你是否遇上了衰老病痛和死亡的阴云？
这些云将皆在你奄奄一息时来到，
正像驾舟归航，别怕港口黑暗；
死亡之云虽然寒冷阴沉，
终将镀上金边，逐渐光明，
神就在这云里来临。
某医师一天站在一座高山顶上，观看山下的阵雨；他看见一头鹰冲出黑云，向上高飞，身上带着的水珠，在日光下闪烁，好似金钢钻一般美丽。如果山下没有阵雨，它必是仍在谷中。人生的苦难使我们向上近神。━选
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March 15
“Fear not, thou worm
Jacob...I will make thee a threshing instrument with teeth.” (Isa. 41:14, 15)
Could any two things be in greater contrast than a worm and an
instrument with teeth? The worm is delicate, bruised by a stone, crushed
beneath the passing wheel; an instrument with teeth can break and not be
broken; it can grave its mark upon the rock. And the mighty God can convert
the one into the other. He can take a man or a nation, who has all the
impotence of the worm, and by the invigoration of His own Spirit, He can
endow with strength by which a noble mark is left upon the history of the
time.
And so the
"worm" may take heart. The mighty God can make us stronger than our
circumstances. He can bend them all to our good. In God's strength we can
make them all pay tribute to our souls. We can even take hold of a black
disappointment, break it open, and extract some jewel of grace. When God
gives us wills like iron, we can drive through difficulties as the iron share
cuts through the toughest soil. "I will make thee," and shall He
not do it? ━Dr. Jowett.
Christ is building
His kingdom with earth's broken things. Men want only the strong, the
successful, the victorious, the unbroken, in building their kingdoms; but God
is the God of the unsuccessful, of those who have failed. Heaven is filling
with earth's broken lives, and there is no bruised reed that Christ cannot
take and restore to glorious blessedness and beauty. He can take the life
crushed by pain or sorrow and make it into a harp whose music shall be all
praise. He can lift earth's saddest failure up to heaven's glory. ━J. R. Miller.
"Follow
Me, and I will make you"…
Make you speak
My words with power,
Make you
channels of My mercy,
Make you
helpful every hour.
"Follow
Me, and I will make you"…
Make you what
you cannot be━
Make you
loving, trustful, godly,
Make you even
like to Me.
━L. S. P.
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三月十五日
“你这虫雅各…不要害怕…我已使你成为有快齿打粮的新器具。” (赛四十一：14-15直译)
虫与快齿的器具怎样可以相比呢？虫是多么软弱，给我们石头或车轮一压，就会压得稀烂；快齿的器具是多么坚强；甚至能“把山岭打得粉碎，使冈陵如同糠秕”(十五节)。但是全能的神能使虫成为有快齿的器具。神能使个人或民族，藉着祂的灵，从虫的软弱变到快齿器具的刚强，在历史上留着很深的痕迹。
所以我们这些虫不要丧胆。全能的神能使我们在四围患难的环境中变成刚强。靠着祂的力量，我们能叫我们的环境向我们屈服，向我们进贡。我们甚至能随便抓住一个黑色的失望，把它劈开来，从其中抽出恩典的宝石来。神也能给我们像铁那般的意志，所有的难处都能迎刃而解，犹如坚土遇到铁犁那样松散。神既说：“我要使你…”，祂岂会不如此行呢？━乔怀德
基督建造祂的国度，都是用地上破碎的东西建造的。人们所要的是强健的，成功的，胜利的，不碎的；但是神所要的乃是在地上不成功的，失败的，伤心的，软弱的。天上充满着地上破碎的生命，没有一根压伤的芦苇是基督所不能恢复的。祂能使一个被痛苦忧愁所压伤的生命变成一架弹出赞美的音乐来的古琴。祂把地上的失败变成天上的荣耀。━密勒
跟从我，我要范铸你们，
有力地传布我的福音，
成为流出慈恩的沟洫，
使你们成为有用之人。
跟从我，我要范铸你们，
脱胎换骨，重新做人，
有信，有爱，忠实虔诚，
不愧为神的子民。
━L. S. P.
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March 16
“For our profit.” (Heb.
12:10)
In one of Ralph Connor's books he tells a story of Gwen. Gwen was
a wild, wilful lassie and one who had always been accustomed
to having her own way. Then one day she met with a terrible accident which
crippled her for life. She became very rebellious and in the murmuring state
she was visited by the Sky Pilot, as the missionary among the mountaineers
was termed.
He told her the
parable of the canyon. "At first there were no canyons, but only the
broad, open prairie. One day the Master of the Prairie, walking over his
great lawns, where were only grasses, asked the Prairie, 'Where are your
flowers?' and the Prairie said, 'Master I have no seeds.'
"Then he
spoke to the birds, and they carried seeds of every kind of flower and
strewed them far and wide, and soon the prairie bloomed with crocuses and
roses and buffalo beans and the yellow crowfoot and the wild sunflowers and
the red lilies all summer long. Then the Master came and was well pleased;
but he missed the flowers he loved best of all, and he said to the Prairie:
'Where are the clematis and the columbine, the sweet violets and
wind-flowers, and all the ferns and flowering shrubs?'
"And again he
spoke to the birds, and again they carried all the seeds and scattered them
far and wide. But, again, when the Master came he could not find the flowers
he loved best of all, and he said:
"'Where are those
my sweetest flowers?' and the Prairie cried sorrowfully:
"'Oh, Master,
I cannot keep the flowers, for the winds sweep fiercely, and the sun beats
upon my breast, and they wither up and fly away.'
"Then the
Master spoke to the Lightning, and with one swift blow the Lightning cleft
the Prairie to the heart. And the Prairie rocked and groaned in agony, and
for many a day moaned bitterly over the black, jagged, gaping wound.
"But the
river poured its waters through the cleft, and carried down deep black mould,
and once more the birds carried seeds and strewed them in the canyon. And
after a long time the rough rocks were decked out with soft mosses and
trailing vines, and all the nooks were hung with clematis and columbine, and
great elms lifted their huge tops high up into the sunlight, and down about
their feet clustered the low cedars and balsams, and everywhere the violets
and wind-flower and maiden-hair grew and bloomed, till the canyon became the
Master's favorite place for rest and peace and joy."
Then the Sky Pilot
read to her: "The fruit━I'll read 'flowers'━of the Spirit are
love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness━and some of these grow only in the
canyon."
"Which are
the canyon flowers?" asked Gwen softly, and the Pilot answered: "Gentleness,
meekness, longsuffering; but though the others, love, joy, peace, bloom in
the open, yet never with so rich a bloom and so sweet a perfume as in the
canyon."
For a long time
Gwen lay quite still, and then said wistfully, while her lips trembled:
"There are no flowers in my canyon, but only ragged rocks."
"Some day
they will bloom, Gwen dear; the Master will find them, and we, too, shall see
them."
Beloved, when you
come to your canyon, remember!
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三月十六日
“生身的父都是暂随己意管教我们，惟有万灵的父管教我们,是要我们得益处，使我们在祂的圣洁上有份。” (来十二：10)
康诺氏所写的书中，说有一个山野少女葛文的故事。葛文顽皮任性，她在某一日不幸遇到了意外，成了残废。卧病在床第中，性情更加暴躁，当她在怨天尤人的时候,“天的响导”来看她，所谓“天的响导”，是山中居民对传教士的尊敬称呼。
传教士给她讲了一个峡谷的寓言，他说：地球最初的时候，只有一望无际的原野，并没有峡谷。原野的主人，有一天出外散步，看见大地上只长着青草，就问原野道:“你的花在哪里?”，原野回答说：“主人，我没有种子”。
于是主人吩咐禽鸟把各类花的种子带来，四处播种。不久原野上就开出了番红玫瑰，水豆花，毛莨花，向日葵，红钤兰，以及一些耐热的夏季花卉。主人看了很高兴，但他找不到他最心爱的几种花，于是他对原野说：“还有铁线莲,缕斗菜，紫罗兰，白头翁，各种凤尾草和开花的灌木在哪里呢?”
他又吩咐禽鸟把所有的种子带来，四处播种。但主人再来的时候，还是找不到他最心爱的几种花，于是他说：“那些最可爱的花在哪里?”
原野悲哀地说：“主人，我无法保存这些花，因为狂风拼命的吹刮，烈阳炙烤着我的胸膛，这些花忍不住原野的气候，它们都零落凋萎了。”
于是主人吩咐闪电劈开原野的胸怀,原野在剧痛中颤抖哀号,为那黝黑而凹凸不平的裂口，悲痛呻吟了许多日子。
由于河水涌进了裂口，把深黑色的泥土带了进来，禽鸟再把种子带来，在那峡谷中播种。过了很长一段的时间之后，粗糙的岩石上，铺满了柔软的青苔和绵延的藤蔓，各处角落，都垂挂着铁线莲和缕斗菜，硕壮的榆树，仰起粗大枝干，升向高空的阳光，树根附近盘屈着矮杉和凤仙花，到处都有紫罗兰，白头翁和孔雀草在生长开花，峡谷终于成了主人所寻求的安息，平安和快乐的心爱之地了。
传教士讲完了故事之后，就对她说：“圣灵所结的果子，也可以称之谓圣灵之花，包括爱，喜乐，平安，坚忍，温和等等，其中有些只能在峡谷中生长”。
“只能在峡谷里生长的是什么花呢?”葛文轻声问。传教士答道：“温和，谦卑，忍耐，其它如爱，喜乐，和平安，虽能在原野开放，但若生长在峡谷里，它们将更美丽，更芬芳。”
葛文默默地躺了好一会，然后嘴唇颤抖地自言自语道：“在我的峡谷里没有花，只有粗陋的岩石”。
“亲爱的葛文，总有一天它们会开出花来，主会发现，我们也会看到”。
亲爱的，当你沦入你的峡谷时，请记着这句话！
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March 17
“Be thou there till I
bring thee word.” (Matt.
2:13)
"I'll stay
where You've put me; I will, dear Lord,
Though I wanted
so badly to go;
I was eager to
march with the 'rank and file,'
Yes, I wanted to
lead them, You know.
I planned to
keep step to the music loud,
To cheer when
the banner unfurled,
To stand in the
midst of the fight straight and proud,
But I'll stay
where You've put me.
"I'll stay
where You've put me; I'll work, dear Lord,
Though the
field be narrow and small,
And the ground
be fallow, and the stones lie thick,
And there seems
to be no life at all.
The field is Thine own, only give me the seed,
I'll sow it
with never a fear;
I'll till the
dry soil while I wait for the rain,
And rejoice
when the green blades appear;
I'll work where
You've put me.
"I'll stay
where You've put me; I will, dear Lord;
I'll bear the
day's burden and heat,
Always trusting
Thee fully; when even has come
I'll lay heavy
sheaves at Thy feet.
And then, when
my earth work is ended and done,
In the light of
eternity's glow,
Life's record
all closed, I surely shall find
It was better
to stay than to go;
I'll stay where
You've put me."
"Oh restless
heart, that beat against your prison bars of circumstances, yearning for a
wider sphere of usefulness, leave God to order all
your days. Patience and trust, in the dullness of the routine of life, will
be the best preparation for a courageous bearing of the tug and strain of the
larger opportunity which God may some time send you." ━Selected.
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三月十七日
“住在那里，等我吩咐你 ” (太二：13)
亲爱的主，我愿留在祢安置我的地方；
我虽渴想离此远扬；
我有意和大队一起前进，
是的，祢知道我要做他们的领导人。
为了鲜明的旗帜而欢呼，
把脚步配合着军乐的悠扬，
光荣地身先士卒，驰骋疆场，
但我愿留在祢安置我的地方。
亲爱的主，我愿留在祢安置我的地方；
地的面积虽狭小，而又是一片荒凉，
石砾既多，土质更是浇薄，
似乎不会有生命在此滋长。
这是祢的土地，只要给我种子，
我将放胆去播种插秧，
我愿耕耘，等待雨水沛降，
一旦绿苗抽茁，我将欣喜若狂！
我愿留在祢安置我的地方。
亲爱的主，我愿留在祢安置我的地方，
我永远敬虔忠诚来信靠祢；
白日的辛劳和炎热，我都愿一尝，
夜间我可伏卧在祢的脚旁。
当我把尘世工作一一做完，
将可沐浴在永世的荣光，
来结束我一生的全部记录，那时
我必发觉留着比离开更为适当；
我愿留在祢安置我的地方。
哦，不安定的心哪，你跳得多么厉害，撞在环境的铁栏上，想冲出去到外面更宽大的场地去工作。静下来罢，让神替你安排你的日子罢。今天的忍耐和信靠，就是将来神差你出去作大事业的预备。━选
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March 18
“He answered nothing.” (Mark 15:3)
There is no spectacle in all the Bible so sublime as the silent
Savior answering not a word to the men who were maligning Him, and whom He could
have laid prostrate at His feet by one look of Divine power, or one word of
fiery rebuke. But He let them say and do their worst, and He stood in THE
POWER OF STILLNESS ━ God's holy silent Lamb.
There is a
stillness that lets God work for us, and holds our peace; the stillness that
ceases from its contriving and its self-vindication, and its expedients of
wisdom and forethought, and lets God provide and answer the cruel blow, in
His own unfailing, faithful love.
How often we lose
God's interposition by taking up our own cause, and striking for our defense.
God give to us this silent power, this conquered spirit! And after the heat
and strife of earth are over, men will remember us as we remember the morning
dew, the gentle light and sunshine, the evening breeze, the Lamb of Calvary,
and the gentle, holy heavenly Dove. ━A. B. Simpson.
The day when
Jesus stood alone
And felt the
hearts of men like stone,
And knew He
came but to atone
That day
"He held His peace."
They witnessed
falsely to His word,
They bound Him
with a cruel cord,
And mockingly
proclaimed Him Lord;
"But Jesus
held His peace."
They spat upon
Him in the face,
They dragged
Him on from place to place,
They heaped
upon Him all disgrace;
"But Jesus
held His peace."
My friend, have
you for far much less,
With rage,
which you called righteousness,
Resented
slights with great distress?
Your Saviour "held His peace."
━L. S. P.
I remember once
hearing Bishop Whipple, of Minnesota, so well known as
"The Apostle of the Indians," utter these beautiful words:
"For thirty years I have tried to see the face of Christ in those with
whom I differed." When this spirit actuates us we shall be preserved at
once from a narrow bigotry and an easy-going tolerance, from passionate
vindictiveness and everything that would mar or injure our testimony for Him
who came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them. ━W. H. Griffith
Thomas.
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三月十八日
“耶稣仍不回答。” (可十五：5)
圣经中顶希奇的一幕，就是创造天地的主，一声不响地站在诽谤祂的人面前受冤枉。祂可以运用祂的能力向他们一看，或者向他们出一声责备，就使他们倒在祂的脚前。但是祂不动声色，任凭他们作恶妄为。祂站着是表显神镇静的能力━神无声的羔羊！
我们也当有这样的镇静。这样的镇静可以给神机会替我们工作，给我们平安；这样的镇静就是停止自己的谋画和活动，摒除自己的智慧和成见，让神单独去应付人们的攻击。
多少时侯，我们失败，就是因为没有神的镇静。我们顶会用自己的智慧和力量来自卫，因此失去了神爱的力量，以致落入急躁慌乱。因为这正是神所赐下的缄默和自制力量。当尘世的扰攘过去之后，人们将怀念我们，好像我们怀念露珠，曙光和太阳，那晚风和各各他的羔羊，和那至善至尊至福的天堂。━宣信
这一天，耶稣形单影只，
体验到人心硬如铁石，
但知道祂之降临人世，
祂缄默为了救赎众生。
他们以假见证对祂毁谤，
用绳索残酷地把祂捆绑，
讥嘲祂为犹太人的王；
但耶稣缄默着，不作反抗。
唾沫污辱了祂的脸，
把耶稣拖东拉西任意磨折，
使祂受尽了屈辱与轻蔑；
但耶稣保持缄默。
为了远逊于此的轻微小事，
你曾否发怒，自以为理直气壮，
小小的龃龉，当作了大侮辱？
救世主却保持缄默。
━L.S.P.
在明尼苏达州的威波主教，众人都称他为印地安人的使徒，我记得他曾说过这样一句动人的话：“叁十年来，当我与人龃龉不合的时候，我总是想法从对方的脸上见到基督的圣容”。假若我们亦被这种美德所感动，我们立刻化褊狭为谦容，不至有报复的冲动，而损伤了我们为主作见证人的立场，因为祂来到尘世，不是要毁灭生命，乃是要拯救人类。━汤麦斯
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March 19
“Beloved, do not be
surprised at the ordeal that has come to test you…you are sharing
what Christ suffered; so rejoice in it. ”
(1 Peter
4:12)
Many a waiting hour was needful to enrich the harp of David, and
many a waiting hour in the wilderness will gather for us a psalm of
"thanksgiving, and the voice of melody," to cheer the hearts of
fainting ones here below, and to make glad our Father's house on high.
What was the
preparation of the son of Jesse for the songs like unto which none other have
ever sounded on this earth?
The outrage of the
wicked, which brought forth cries for God's help. Then the faint hope in
God's goodness blossomed into a song of rejoicing for His mighty deliverances
and manifold mercies. Every sorrow was another string to his harp; every
deliverance another theme for praise.
One thrill of
anguish spared, one blessing unmarked or unprized,
one difficulty or danger evaded, how great would have been our loss in that
thrilling Psalmody in which God's people today find the expression of their
grief or praise!
To wait for God,
and to suffer His will, is to know Him in the fellowship of His sufferings,
and to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. So now, if the vessel is to
be enlarged for spiritual understanding, be not affrighted at the wider
sphere of suffering that awaits you. The Divine capacity of sympathy will
have a more extended sphere, for the breathing of the Holy Ghost in the new
creation never made a stoic, but left the heart's affection tender and true. ━Anna Shipton.
"He tested
me ere He entrusted me." (1 Tim. 1:12) ( Way's
Trans.)
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三月十九日
“亲爱的啊，有火炼的试验临到你们，不要以为奇怪…倒要欢喜；因为你们是与基督一同受苦。” (彼前四：12-13)
大卫的遭难使他的古琴发出更悦耳的音乐来，他的遇险使他发出“感谢，和歌唱的声音”(赛五十一：3)来；他的诗篇直到今天仍能叫地上的许多软弱信徒得到帮助，叫天上的父神得到快乐。
究竟什么东西使耶西的儿子有这般属灵的修养呢？
仇敌的吼叫，逼他发出向神的呼吁来。神大能的拯救，丰富的恩慈，使他唱出感谢和欢乐的赞美来。所以，每一次的苦难在他琴上添一根弦；每一次的拯救给他一个赞美的新题目。
一次痛苦躲过，一次祝福扣留；一次危难避去，一次荣耀失去。平稳度日的人不懂得依靠，所以他们不会看见神的荣耀，也不会唱出赞美来。
如果我们要多明白属灵的奥秘，我们就不能惧怕在前面等待我们的苦难；因为有许多宝贝的功课，是必须在苦难中方能学到的。━薛伯登
“祂试验我，为要派我服事祂”(提前一：12韦氏译本)。
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March 20
“As sorrowful, yet always
rejoicing.” (2 Cor. 6:10)
The stoic scorns
to shed a tear; the Christian is not forbidden to weep. The soul may be dumb
with excessive grief, as the shearer's scissors pass over the quivering
flesh; or, when the heart is on the point of breaking beneath the meeting
surges of trial, the sufferer may seek relief by crying out with a loud
voice. But there is something even better.
They say that
springs of sweet fresh water well up amid the brine of salt seas; that the
fairest Alpine flowers bloom in the wildest and most rugged mountain passes; that
the noblest psalms were the outcome of the profoundest agony of soul.
Be it so. And thus
amid manifold trials, souls which love God will find reasons for bounding,
leaping joy. Though deep call to deep, yet the Lord's song will be heard in
silver cadence through the night. And it is possible in the darkest hour that
ever swept a human life to bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Have you learned this lesson yet? Not simply to endure God's will, nor only
to choose it; but to rejoice in it with joy unspeakable and full of glory. ━Tried as by Fire.
I will be
still, my bruised heart faintly murmured,
As o'er me
rolled a crushing load of woe;
The cry, the
call, e'en the low moan was stifled;
I pressed my
lips; I barred the tear drop's flow.
I will be
still, although I cannot see it,
The love that
bares a soul and fans pain's fire;
That takes away
the last sweet drop of solace,
Breaks the lone
harp string, hides Thy precious lyre.
But God is
love, so I will bide me, bide me━
We'll doubt not,
Soul, we will be very still;
We'll wait till
after while, when He shall lift us━
Yes, after
while, when it shall be His will.
And I did
listen to my heart's brave promise;
And I did
quiver, struggling to be still;
And I did lift
my tearless eyes to Heaven,
Repeating ever,
"Yea, Christ, have Thy will."
But soon my
heart upspake from 'neath
our burden,
Reproved my
tight-drawn lips, my visage sad:
"We can do
more than this, O Soul," it whispered.
"We can be
more than still, we can be glad!"
And now my
heart and I are sweetly singing—
Singing without
the sound of tuneful strings;
Drinking
abundant waters in the desert,
Crushed, and
yet soaring as on eagle's wings.
━S. P. W.
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三月二十日
“似乎忧愁，却是常常快乐的。”
(林后六：10)
主张苦行主义者，连流泪也在禁止之列；基督徒却不然。许多时候，我们忧闷得发昏；当剪毛的剪刀碰在颤抖的肉上时，当仇敌的欺侮达到顶点时，当我们的心几乎碎裂时，最自然我们巴不得寻找机会痛哭一场，释出胸中的忧郁。但是还有一个比痛哭更好的方法。
航海者知道甘泉是在苦且咸的海水中找到的；旅行家知道阿尔卑斯山最美丽的花是开在最荒僻，最崎岖的山路上的；属灵人知道最宝贵的诗篇是在最痛苦的时候写成的。
所以让我们在黑暗中赞美神我们主耶稣基督的父。试炼越深，愿我们的歌声越高。亲爱的，你有没有学会这个功课呢？我们不只要忍受神的旨意，拣选神的旨意，遵行神的旨意，并且要用赞美来欢迎神的旨意。━译自火中的试验
当我辗转于祸患的重负之下，
伤痛的心却喃喃说，要安详；
不必叫喊号哭，也不用呻吟，
紧闭嘴唇，不让泪珠流出眼眶。
这爱使我灵魂无所掩蔽，
苦痛与煎熬，如煽沸汤，
最后一丝的安慰也化为乌有，
我虽不明究竟，我仍愿安详。
这爱是神的爱，因此我要忍耐，
灵魂啊，我们切莫疑怀，安详等待，
是的，等一会，祂会照着祂的美意，
把我们从苦难中提拔出来。
我听从心给我这个应许，
会在战抖中竭力保持安静，
曾向天举起无泪的眼睛，
我说：“主啊，照祢的旨意去行”。
过不久，我心又在重负下，
斥责我的嘴唇绷紧，满脸愁哀。
它轻声说，“我们还要更进一步”，
“不但安定，还要乐以忘忧！”
如今我和我心都在欢唱，
用不着弦乐伴奏的声响，
在荒漠中畅饮甘泉，
受了挫折，仍如振翅翱翔。
━S.P.M.
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