十二月一日 [mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/12/1201.mp3″]
经文: 但愿人因耶和华的慈爱，和祂向人所行的奇事，都称赞他。（诗篇一○七：8）
我们若减少抱怨却增加赞美，将会活得更愉快，上帝也因此得荣耀。愿我们能为寻常的祝福天天赞美上帝。虽然我们称之为寻常，然而那却是无价的，因为一旦失去那些祝福，我们就要灭亡。让我们为自己的眼睛能看到阳光、为我们的健康和力量，为日用的饮食，为穿着的衣服称颂上帝。赞美祂，因为祂没有将我们撇在绝望之中，没有教我们因罪恶受捆绑。为我们的自由、为我们的朋友、我们的家庭、为我们的安逸感谢祂。为从祂丰富的手中所收受的感谢祂，因为我们原不配得，祂却慷慨地赐予。我们赞美歌声中最甜美、最宏亮的音符应该救赎的大爱。我们若明白救赎的意义，就不要吝于献上感恩之歌。上帝已将我们从罪恶的深渊中举起，将我们引至基督的十字架前，破除我们受捆锁的桎梏。我们不再是奴仆，而是永活真神的儿女。我们能预尝而那日站在宝座前的时光。即使现在，凭信心，我们也能挥动棕树枝并穿上那将成为我们永远服饰的细麻衣。我们不该永无休止地向我们的救赎主献上感谢吗？儆醒吧，荣耀的后嗣，与大卫一同欢唱：“我的心哪，你要称颂耶和华。凡在我里面的，也要称颂祂的圣名。”（诗一○三：1）
Evening, December 1
Scripture: “O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.”(Psalm 107:8)
If we complained less, and praised more, we should be happier, and God would be more glorified. Let us daily praise God for common mercies－common as we frequently call them, and yet so priceless, that when deprived of them we are ready to perish. Let us bless God for the eyes with which we behold the sun, for the health and strength to walk abroad, for the bread we eat, for the raiment we wear. Let us praise him that we are not cast out among the hopeless, or confined amongst the guilty; let us thank him for liberty, for friends, for family associations and comforts; let us praise him, in fact, for everything which we receive from his bounteous hand, for we deserve little, and yet are most plenteously endowed. But, beloved, the sweetest and the loudest note in our songs of praise should be of redeeming love. God’s redeeming acts towards his chosen are for ever the favourite themes of their praise. If we know what redemption means, let us not withhold our sonnets of thanksgiving. We have been redeemed from the power of our corruptions, uplifted from the depth of sin in which we were naturally plunged. We have been led to the cross of Christ－our shackles of guilt have been broken off; we are no longer slaves, but children of the living God, and can antedate the period when we shall be presented before the throne without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Even now by faith we wave the palm-branch and wrap ourselves about with the fair linen which is to be our everlasting array, and shall we not unceasingly give thanks to the Lord our Redeemer? Child of God, canst thou be silent? Awake, awake, ye inheritors of glory, and lead your captivity captive, as ye cry with David, “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” Let the new month begin with new songs.
