八月十日

基督是我們的生命。（西3：4）

保羅常用奇妙而豐富的說法，提到基督是我們生命的來源：“你們死在過犯罪惡之中，他叫你們活過來。”使拉撒路從墳墓裏出來的聲音也使我們復活得到新生的樣式。他現在是我們生命的本體。我們因他的生命而生；他在我們裏面，是我們榮耀的盼望，行動的源泉，是推動我們一切思想的中心思想。基督是我們生命的飲食：除了耶穌的血肉之外，有什麽能養活基督徒呢？“這是從天上降下來的糧叫人吃了就不死。”在罪的曠野中疲倦的路人，除了到他裏面，怎能滿足心靈的饑渴呢？基督是我們生命的安慰。我們一切真正的快樂都是來自他；在困難之中，有他同在就有安慰。除了爲他而活再沒有一件值得我們活的事了，他的慈愛比生命更好。基督是我們生命的目標：船隻怎樣開足馬力向著港口行進，信徒也這樣急急地向著救主懷中的海港疾駛；箭怎樣飛向標的，基督徒也這樣直趨基督耶穌，與他有完全的相交；兵丁怎樣爲官長奮戰，與他同得勝利的榮冠；信徒也是這樣爲基督爭戰，幷因他主的得勝而獲勝。“因我活著就是基督”（或譯因我活著是爲基督；或，因基督使我活著）。

基督是我們生活的模範：內心既有這生命，外面也必有相同的發展；若我們的生活靠近主耶穌，我們就必像他。我們要把他當作我們神聖的藍本，我們要照著他的脚步走，直到他在榮耀中成爲我們生命的冠冕。基督徒是多麽安全，多麽尊榮，多麽快樂呀！因爲基督是我們的生命！

August 10

"Christ, who is our life." -- Colossians 3:4

Paul's marvellously rich expression indicates, that Christ is the source of our life. "You hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins." That same voice which brought Lazarus out of the tomb raised us to newness of life. He is now the substance of our spiritual life. It is by His life that we live; He is in us, the hope of glory, the spring of our actions, the central thought which moves every other thought. Christ is the sustenance of our life. What can the Christian feed upon but Jesus' flesh and blood? "This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die." O wayworn pilgrims in this wilderness of sin, you never get a morsel to satisfy the hunger of your spirits, except ye find it in Him! Christ is the solace of our life. All our true joys come from Him; and in times of trouble, His presence is our consolation. There is nothing worth living for but Him; and His lovingkindness is better than life! Christ is the object of our life. As speeds the ship towards the port, so hastes the believer towards the haven of his Saviour's bosom. As flies the arrow to its goal, so flies the Christian towards the perfecting of his fellowship with Christ Jesus. As the soldier fights for his captain, and is crowned in his captain's victory, so the believer contends for Christ, and gets his triumph out of the triumphs of his Master. "For him to live is Christ." Christ is the exemplar of our life. Where there is the same life within, there will, there must be, to a great extent, the same developments without; and if we live in near fellowship with the Lord Jesus we shall grow like Him. We shall set Him before us as our Divine copy, and we shall seek to tread in His footsteps, until He shall become the crown of our life in glory. Oh! how safe, how honoured, how happy is the Christian, since Christ is our life!