九月二十日 [mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/09/0920.mp3″]
经文: 晚上也不要歇你的手。（传道书十一：6）
夕阳西下，黄昏来临，仍有许多为基督作见证的机会。整天劳碌的人们返家了，迫切争取灵魂的工人有机会了，此时，正是向他们述说那稣之爱的时刻。我们是否在黄昏为耶稣作工？若没有，也勿让我环抱双臂。有一工作需要付出极大的努力。罪人因缺乏知识而灭亡。闲荡的人会发现他的双手被灭亡灵魂的血所染红。耶稣伸出双手被钉。我怎能对祂的圣工袖手旁观？祂夜以断日为我辛劳、为我祈求。我怎能浪费分秒放纵自己贪图肉体的暑华安逸？起来吧，怠惰的心！伸出你的手去作工或高举双手祈祷吧！天堂与地狱都在迫切工作。让我也辛勤地工作，今晚为王播下一颗好种吧！生命是如此短促。无人能虚掷一日。倘若有一位国王在我们面前置放一堆金子，告诉我们只要数多少，就可以拿多少，我们必不停地从清晨数到夜尽。我们必然从晨曦微露开始，到黄昏降临也不会歇手。赢取灵魂是更高贵的工作。为何我们这么快就停工了呢？有人到了晚年仍然善用晚上的时光。若我能作到，我要用自己所有的才能去事奉我所称颂的信实之主，直到最后一刻。靠着祂的恩典，我愿在事奉中逝世，唯有当我的躯体躺下时，我才放下工作。晚上，我也不愿歇手。
Evening, September 20
Scripture: “In the evening withhold not thy hand.”(Ecclesiastes 11:6)
In the evening of the day opportunities are plentiful: men return from their labour, and the zealous soul-winner finds time to tell abroad the love of Jesus. Have I no evening work for Jesus? If I have not, let me no longer withhold my hand from a service which requires abundant labour. Sinners are perishing for lack of knowledge; he who loiters may find his skirts crimson with the blood of souls. Jesus gave both his hands to the nails, how can I keep back one of mine from his blessed work? Night and day he toiled and prayed for me, how can I give a single hour to the pampering of my flesh with luxurious ease? Up, idle heart; stretch out thy hand to work, or uplift it to pray; heaven and hell are in earnest, let me be so, and this evening sow good seed for the Lord my God.
The evening of life has also its calls. Life is so short that a morning of manhood’s vigour, and an evening of decay, make the whole of it. To some it seems long, but a four-pence is a great sum of money to a poor man. Life is so brief that no man can afford to lose a day. It has been well said that if a great king should bring us a great heap of gold, and bid us take as much as we could count in a day, we should make a long day of it; we should begin early in the morning, and in the evening we should not withhold our hand; but to win souls is far nobler work, how is it that we so soon withdraw from it? Some are spared to a long evening of green old age; if such be my case, let me use such talents as I still retain, and to the last hour serve my blessed and faithful Lord. By his grace I will die in harness, and lay down my charge only when I lay down my body. Age may instruct the young, cheer the faint, and encourage the desponding; if eventide has less of vigorous heat, it should have more of calm wisdom, therefore in the evening I will not withhold my hand.
