三月四日

我的恩典夠你用的。（林後12:9）

若屬神的聖徒沒有一個受苦受窮的，我們就不會明瞭神安慰之恩。當我們看到一個枕首無所、流離在外的人，還在說道：“我仍依靠耶和華”；當我們看到一個忍饑受餓的窮人，仍在榮耀耶穌；當我們看到一個喪夫的寡婦落在苦難之中，仍能信靠基督。呵！這種情形真叫福音得了很大的榮耀！神的恩典因信徒的貧窮和苦難就更顯為大，更顯得完全。聖徒在失望中仍隱忍如恒，相信萬事互相效力都是為了他們的益處，困苦艱難終必湧出真實的福份——他們的神或者馬上把他們救出來，或是按著他所喜悅的旨意使他們在患難中得到他的扶持。聖徒這種忍耐精神足以證明神恩的力量。大海裡有一個燈塔，在平穩的夜裡，我就不知它是否穩固，而當波濤洶湧時，我就知道它牢靠穩妥了。聖靈的工作也是這樣：若狂潮猛浪不常環繞著它的周圍，我們就不知道它是否真實穩固；若暴風不吹著它，我們就不知道它是否牢靠穩妥。神的最偉大的工作便是使那些在困難之中的人仍能屹立不動，並且坦然無懼，深信終必得勝。若人要榮耀神，就當堅決地面向一切患難。若人不經過許多戰鬥就不能顯出主的能力來。若你現在的路非常困苦，那麼要高興快樂地走在其中，因為你更能表現出神足夠的恩典。你不要夢想他會使你失望——你要憎恨這種思想。直到現在神仍是足夠的，所以應當依靠到底。

March 4

"My grace is sufficient for thee." --2 Corinthians 12:9

If none of God's saints were poor and tried, we should not know half so well the consolations of divine grace. When we find the wanderer who has not where to lay his head, who yet can say, "Still will I trust in the or, when we see the pauper starving on bread and water, who still glories in Jesus; when we see the bereaved widow overwhelmed in affliction, and yet having faith in Christ, oh! what honour it reflects on the gospel. God's grace is illustrated and magnified in the poverty and trials of believers. Saints bear up under every discouragement, believing that all things work together for their good, and that out of apparent evils a real blessing shall ultimately spring--that their God will either work a deliverance for them speedily, or most assuredly support them in the trouble, as long as He is pleased to keep them in it. This patience of the saints proves the power of divine grace. There is a lighthouse out at sea: it is a calm night--I cannot tell whether the edifice is firm; the tempest must rage about it, and then I shall know whether it will stand. So with the Spirit's work: if it were not on many occasions surrounded with tempestuous waters, we should not know that it was true and strong; if the winds did not blow upon it, we should not know how firm and secure it was. The master-works of God are those men who stand in the midst of difficulties, stedfast, unmoveable,--

"Calm mid the bewildering cry,

Confident of victory."

He who would glorify his God must set his account upon meeting with many trials. No man can be illustrious before the Lord unless his conflicts be many. If then, yours be a much-tried path, rejoice in it, because you will the better show forth the all-sufficient grace of God. As for His failing you, never dream of it--hate the thought. The God who has been sufficient until now, should be trusted to the end.