五月三日

在世上你們有苦難……（約16：33）

信徒啊！你要問為什麼嗎?向上看你的天父，看他多聖潔光明。你知道有一天你也要像他嗎?你願意輕而易舉地像他嗎?你不需要患難的爐來鍛煉你嗎?除去你的敗壞、完全像你的天父那樣完全是一件容易的事嗎?基督徒呀！你再往下看：你知道你腳下的仇敵是什麼樣的仇敵嗎?你以前是撒但的臣僕，世上沒有一個王願意喪失他的臣民的。你想撒但會任憑你嗎?不，他要追逐你，因為他像“吼叫的獅子，遍地尋找可吞吃的人”。因此，基督徒呀！當你往下看的時候，你就等待著困難吧。你再往周圍看：你在什麼地方呢?你乃是在敵人的陣地之中，是過客，是羈旅。世界並非你的朋友。若是的話，你就不是神的朋友了，因為與世為友就是與神為敵。要確實知道你到處都會遇到敵人的。當你睡覺時，要想到你是在戰場上；當你走路時，要留心敵人的埋伏。俗話說“江邊蚊子吃客”，或“店裡臭蟲吃客”，本地人反不大受滋擾，所以世上的苦難對你特別尖厲。最後，要向內看：向你心裡看，看裡面有些什麼?罪和自己仍在那裡。嗐，若你不受魔鬼的誘惑，不受仇敵的攻擊，不受世界的陷害，但你仍可發現你自己的邪惡是你極大的苦痛，因為“人心比萬物都詭詐，壞到極處”。那末，要迎接著困難，但不要在意，因為神必幫助你，加力量給你。他曾說：“你在急難中，我要與你同在。我要搭救你，使你尊貴（或譯並尊重你）。”

May 3

"In the world ye shall have tribulation." -- John 16:33

Art thou asking the reason of this, believer? Look upward to thy heavenly Father, and behold Him pure and holy. Dost thou know that thou art one day to be like Him? Wilt thou easily be conformed to His image? Wilt thou not require much refining in the furnace of affliction to purify thee? Will it be an easy thing to get rid of thy corruptions, and make thee perfect even as thy Father which is in heaven is perfect? Next, Christian, turn thine eye downward. Dost thou know what foes thou hast beneath thy feet? Thou wast once a servant of Satan, and no king will willingly lose his subjects. Dost thou think that Satan will let thee alone? No, he will be always at thee, for he "goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." Expect trouble, therefore, Christian, when thou lookest beneath thee. Then look around thee. Where art thou? Thou art in an enemy's country, a stranger and a sojourner. The world is not thy friend. If it be, then thou art not God's friend, for he who is the friend of the world is the enemy of God. Be assured that thou shalt find foe-men everywhere. When thou sleepest, think that thou art resting on the battlefield; when thou walkest, suspect an ambush in every hedge. As mosquitoes are said to bite strangers more than natives, so will the trials of earth be sharpest to you. Lastly, look within thee, into thine own heart and observe what is there. Sin and self are still within. Ah! if thou hadst no devil to tempt thee, no enemies to fight thee, and no world to ensnare thee, thou wouldst still find in thyself evil enough to be a sore trouble to thee, for "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." Expect trouble then, but despond not on account of it, for God is with thee to help and to strengthen thee. He hath said, "I will be with thee in trouble; I will deliver thee and honour thee."