十一月十日[mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/11/1110.mp3″]
经文: 仆人和主人一样,也就罢了。(马太福音十:25)
没有人能反驳这一句话,仆人若高过他的主人就错了。我们的主在世上时,祂受到怎样的对待?“祂被藐视,被人厌弃。”(赛五十三:3)祂无帐棚可居,祂的工作是背负十字架。世界曾给祂任何安慰与安息吗?“狐狸有洞,天空的飞鸟有窝,只是人子没有枕头的地方。”(路九:58)这个冷漠的世界抛弃祂,并将祂钉在十字架上。你若是耶稣的跟随者,并且一直与基督同行,你的属灵生命必将受到别人的注意。他们将如对待基督般地对待你──他们要藐视你。不要期盼当你越圣洁、越像基督时,别人会越尊重你。他们既不珍视磨光的钻石,如何能明白未琢磨之宝石的价值呢?“人既骂家主是别西卜,何况他的家人呢?”(太十:25)我们越像基督,祂的敌人就越恨我们。上帝的儿女若受世人欢迎,实在是令人忧伤并且也是不光荣的。听到邪恶的世界为基督徒鼓掌并且高呼:“作得好!”实在是十分危险的。他必须开始省察自己的行为,并鉴察他在何事上作错了,以至于不公义的人会赞同他。但愿我们对主忠诚,不与这个瞎眼的罪恶世界为友,因为它藐视厌弃祂。我们不要寻求尊贵的冠冕,因为我们的主所得到的是荆棘的冠冕。
Evening, November 10
Scripture: “It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master.”(Matthew 10:25)
No one will dispute this statement, for it would be unseemly for the servant to be exalted above his Master. When our Lord was on earth, what was the treatment he received? Were his claims acknowledged, his instructions followed, his perfections worshipped, by those whom he came to bless? No; “He was despised and rejected of men.” Outside the camp was his place: cross-bearing was his occupation. Did the world yield him solace and rest? “Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” This inhospitable country afforded him no shelter: it cast him out and crucified him. Such-if you are a follower of Jesus, and maintain a consistent, Christ-like walk and conversation-you must expect to be the lot of that part of your spiritual life which, in its outward development, comes under the observation of men. They will treat it as they treated the Saviour-they will despise it. Dream not that worldlings will admire you, or that the more holy and the more Christ-like you are, the more peaceably people will act towards you. They prized not the polished gem, how should they value the jewel in the rough? “If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?” If we were more like Christ, we should be more hated by his enemies. It were a sad dishonour to a child of God to be the world’s favourite. It is a very ill omen to hear a wicked world clap its hands and shout “Well done” to the Christian man. He may begin to look to his character, and wonder whether he has not been doing wrong, when the unrighteous give him their approbation. Let us be true to our Master, and have no friendship with a blind and base world which scorns and rejects him. Far be it from us to seek a crown of honour where our Lord found a coronet of thorn.