四月二十二日

神且用右手將他高舉……（徒5:31）

耶穌，我們的主，曾被釘死而又埋葬了，現在卻坐在榮耀的寶座上。天上最高的寶座是專為他所預備的。基督在天上被高舉乃是代表信徒被高舉。他被高舉到神的右邊，雖然他像耶和華一樣滿有大榮耀，乃是常人所不能享受的，但因他是中保，所以耶穌在天上所得的一切尊榮，也是一切聖徒的基業。每逢看到基督與屬他之人的親密關係，真叫人感到無限快樂。我們實際上與他是一體的，我們是他身上的肢體，因此他被高舉就是我們被高舉。他要叫我們坐在他的寶座上，像他得勝之後與他的父同坐寶座一樣；他有冠冕，他也賜我們冠冕；他有寶座，但他不以賜我們寶座為滿意，在他的右邊必須有他的王后，佩戴“俄斐金飾”，他若沒有新婦就不能得榮耀。信徒啊！現在仰望耶穌吧。用你的信眼看他頭上所戴的許多冠冕，要知道有一天當你得見他的真體時你也必像他；你沒有他那末偉大，你沒有他那末神聖，但你仍可與他同享尊榮，同享他所有的快樂和尊貴。現在我們默默無聞，然而我們要知足，因為我們雖然疲乏地走在貧窮的路上，或是攀登苦難的山嶺，但這都是頃刻之間的事；你終必與基督同掌王權，他“使我們作君王，作祭司，歸於我們的神，在地上掌王權直到永永遠遠”。（改譯）你看神的子民能夠這樣是多麼好的事呀！我們現在有基督在天庭裡作我們榮耀的代表，不久他必親自來接我們與他同在一起，瞻仰他的榮耀，分享他的快樂。

April 22

"Him hath God exalted." --Acts 5:31

Jesus, our Lord, once crucified, dead and buried, now sits upon the throne of glory. The highest place that heaven affords is His by undisputed right. It is sweet to remember that the exaltation of Christ in heaven is a representative exaltation. He is exalted at the Father's right hand, and though as Jehovah He had eminent glories, in which finite creatures cannot share, yet as the Mediator, the honours which Jesus wears in heaven are the heritage of all the saints. It is delightful to reflect how close is Christ's union with His people. We are actually one with Him; we are members of His body; and His exaltation is our exaltation. He will give us to sit upon His throne, even as He has overcome, and is set down with His Father on His throne; He has a crown, and He gives us crowns too; He has a throne, but He is not content with having a throne to Himself, on His right hand there must be His queen, arrayed in "gold of Ophir." He cannot be glorified without His bride. Look up, believer, to Jesus now; let the eye of your faith behold Him with many crowns upon His head; and remember that you will one day be like Him, when you shall see Him as He is; you shall not be so great as He is, you shall not be so divine, but still you shall, in a measure, share the same honours, and enjoy the same happiness and the same dignity which He possesses. Be content to live unknown for a little while, and to walk your weary way through the fields of poverty, or up the hills of affliction; for by-and-by you shall reign with Christ, for He has "made us kings and priests unto God, and we shall reign for ever and ever." Oh!, wonderful thought for the children of God! We have Christ for our glorious representative in heaven's courts now, and soon He will come and receive us to Himself, to be with Him there, to behold His glory, and to share His joy.