四月五日[mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/04/0405.mp3″]
经文: 尊荣以前,必有谦卑。(箴言十五:33)
心灵之谦卑常带来祝福。我们若将心中的自我倒空,上帝要以祂的爱充满我们。期盼与基督有亲密交通的人应当记住主的话:“我所看顾的就是虚心痛悔、因我话而战兢的人。”(赛六十六:2)唯有谦卑的心灵才能享受与上帝有最甜美的相交。上帝不会不降福于完全谦卑的心灵。“虚心的人有福了,因为天国是他们的。”(太五:3)上帝的全部财富将赐给那些够谦卑,并且不会因领受而变得骄傲的心灵。上帝在不会威胁到祂的范围内将福气赏赐我们。你若没有得到祝福,乃因这祝福对你不安全。我们天上的父若容许你尚未谦卑之灵在祂的圣战中赢得胜利,你便会为自己攫取那冠冕。再遇到新的敌人时,你就会被击败。因此,让你卑下是为了你的安全。当一个人诚心谦卑,永不敢沾取一丝称赞时,上帝在他生命中所作的将是永无止境的。谦卑使我们蒙受从恩典之上帝而来的祝福。也使我们能与人相处。真正的谦卑是装饰花园的花朵,是可以用作生活中每一道菜的调味品。无论是祈祷或赞美、作工或受苦,真正谦卑的盐永不会过量的。
Evening, April 5
Scripture: “Before honour is humility.”(Proverbs 15:33)
Humiliation of soul always brings a positive blessing with it. If we empty our hearts of self God will fill them with his love. He who desires close communion with Christ should remember the word of the Lord, “To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” Stoop if you would climb to heaven. Do we not say of Jesus, “He descended that he might ascend?” so must you. You must grow downwards, that you may grow upwards; for the sweetest fellowship with heaven is to be had by humble souls, and by them alone. God will deny no blessing to a thoroughly humbled spirit. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” with all its riches and treasures. The whole exchequer of God shall be made over by deed of gift to the soul which is humble enough to be able to receive it without growing proud because of it. God blesses us all up to the full measure and extremity of what it is safe for him to do. If you do not get a blessing, it is because it is not safe for you to have one. If our heavenly Father were to let your unhumbled spirit win a victory in his holy war, you would pilfer the crown for yourself, and meeting with a fresh enemy you would fall a victim; so that you are kept low for your own safety. When a man is sincerely humble, and never ventures to touch so much as a grain of the praise, there is scarcely any limit to what God will do for him. Humility makes us ready to be blessed by the God of all grace, and fits us to deal efficiently with our fellow men. True humility is a flower which will adorn any garden. This is a sauce with which you may season every dish of life, and you will find an improvement in every case. Whether it be prayer or praise, whether it be work or suffering, the genuine salt of humility cannot be used in excess.