一月九日[mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/01/0109.mp3″]
“当乐意侍奉耶和华。”（诗一〇〇2）
一个人是否乐意服侍神，可从他是否满心喜乐看出来。当人带着愁苦的面孔侍奉祂时，就表示他们在从事一项自己不喜欢的工作，这不算真正的服侍。他们有敬虔的外表，却缺乏实际的生命。我们的神不需要靠奴仆来增添祂宝座的荣耀，祂所统管的是爱的国度，祂喜悦仆人披着喜乐的衣裳来服侍祂。天使是以歌声而非呻吟声来侍奉祂。埋怨或叹息是背逆的表现；不甘心的顺服实际等于不顺服，因为我们的神是鉴察人心的。若祂看到我们勉强服侍祂，不是因为爱祂而服侍祂，祂会拒绝我们的奉献。喜乐的服侍是内心的侍奉，也是真正的侍奉。若把甘心乐意从基督徒身上取去，他就失去考验真诚的准则。一个人若被迫去上战场，必不是爱国之士；但如果他目光炯炯，神情焕发，高唱“为国捐驱何等光荣”，这就证明他是具有爱国热诚的国民。喜乐能产生力量，在神的欢乐中我们必要刚强。喜乐具有移山倒海的力量。在我们的侍奉中，喜乐像加在轮轴上的机油，缺了它，轮轴就会摩擦发热而生意外。照样，假如我们侍奉的轮轴缺乏喜乐的膏油，我们势必疲惫、颓废。以喜乐的心侍奉神的人，证明他有顺服的心，他也就能因此高唱：“愿我走在你命令的道上，这正是欢乐的途径。”容我们问问自己——你是否乐意侍奉耶和华呢？让我们向世人——就是那些视我们信仰为奴隶制度的人表现出侍奉的喜乐和欢欣。让我们用喜悦的心证明，我们是侍奉一位良善的主人。
Evening, January 9
Scripture: “Serve the Lord with gladness.”(Psalm 100:2)
Delight in divine service is a token of acceptance. Those who serve God with a sad countenance, because they do what is unpleasant to them, are not serving him at all; they bring the form of homage, but the life is absent. Our God requires no slaves to grace his throne; he is the Lord of the empire of love, and would have his servants dressed in the livery of joy. The angels of God serve him with songs, not with groans; a murmur or a sigh would be a mutiny in their ranks. That obedience which is not voluntary is disobedience, for the Lord looketh at the heart, and if he seeth that we serve him from force, and not because we love him, he will reject our offering. Service coupled with cheerfulness is heart-service, and therefore true. Take away joyful willingness from the Christian, and you have removed the test of his sincerity. If a man be driven to battle, he is no patriot; but he who marches into the fray with flashing eye and beaming face, singing, “It is sweet for one’s country to die,” proves himself to be sincere in his patriotism. Cheerfulness is the support of our strength; in the joy of the Lord are we strong. It acts as the remover of difficulties. It is to our service what oil is to the wheels of a railway carriage. Without oil the axle soon grows hot, and accidents occur; and if there be not a holy cheerfulness to oil our wheels, our spirits will be clogged with weariness. The man who is cheerful in his service of God, proves that obedience is his element; he can sing,
“Make me to walk in thy commands,
’Tis a delightful road.”
Reader, let us put this question—do you serve the Lord with gladness? Let us show to the people of the world, who think our religion to be slavery, that it is to us a delight and a joy! Let our gladness proclaim that we serve a good Master.