二月十一日[mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/02/0211.mp3″]
经文: 你把起初的爱心离弃了。（启示录二：4）
我们总该记得第一次见主时，那最美好最光明的时刻。祂挪去我们的重担，我们得到祂的应许，在完备救恩的欢欣中，我们向前平安迈进。寒冬过了，我们的心灵享受温煦的春风。上帝与人和好了。律法不再报复威胁我们，公义不再以惩罚对待我们。在我们心田的花园中鲜花绽放，从泥土中萌芽出盼望、仁爱、平安和忍耐。悔改的风信子、纯洁神圣的白雪花、黄金信心的番红花、初熟之爱的水仙花，全在心灵中盛开了。鸟儿唱歌的时刻来临了，我们欢欣感恩。我们要赞美赦免之上帝的圣名。我们立志：“主啊，我完全属祢；我所是、我所有、皆献予祢。祢以宝血买赎了我，让我献上自己，为服事祢献上自己。或生或死，我皆献身给祢。”我们如何信守此决定？曾经在我们心中燃起向耶稣献身的初爱圣火，现在是否依旧不变？耶稣是否坦白地向我们说：“我对你不满，你把起初的爱心离弃了。”我们为主的荣耀作得太少了。我们的寒冬延续过久了。我们本应该有夏天的温暖，盛开出神圣的花朵时，至今却仍若冰霜。主啊，祢是如此厚待我们，我们岂能忘恩，漠视祢的善意与善工？求祢复兴，使我们回到起初的爱。公义的太阳，求祢赐给我们复苏之泉水。
Evening, February 11
Scripture: “Thou hast left thy first love.”(Revelation 2:4)
Ever to be remembered is that best and brightest of hours, when first we saw the Lord, lost our burden, received the roll of promise, rejoiced in full salvation, and went on our way in peace. It was spring time in the soul; the winter was past; the mutterings of Sinai’s thunders were hushed; the flashings of its lightnings were no more perceived; God was beheld as reconciled; the law threatened no vengeance, justice demanded no punishment. Then the flowers appeared in our heart; hope, love, peace, and patience sprung from the sod; the hyacinth of repentance, the snowdrop of pure holiness, the crocus of golden faith, the daffodil of early love, all decked the garden of the soul. The time of the singing of birds was come, and we rejoiced with thanksgiving; we magnified the holy name of our forgiving God, and our resolve was, “Lord, I am thine, wholly thine; all I am, and all I have, I would devote to thee. Thou hast bought me with thy blood－let me spend myself and be spent in thy service. In life and in death let me be consecrated to thee.” How have we kept this resolve? Our espousal love burned with a holy flame of devoutedness to Jesus－is it the same now? Might not Jesus well say to us, “I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love”? Alas! it is but little we have done for our Master’s glory. Our winter has lasted all too long. We are as cold as ice when we should feel a summer’s glow and bloom with sacred flowers. We give to God pence when he deserveth pounds, nay, deserveth our heart’s blood to be coined in the service of his church and of his truth. But shall we continue thus? O Lord, after thou hast so richly blessed us, shall we be ungrateful and become indifferent to thy good cause and work? O quicken us that we may return to our first love, and do our first works! Send us a genial spring, O Sun of Righteousness.
