八月十八日[mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/08/0818.mp3″]
经文: 拿没药调和的酒给耶稣，祂却不受。（马可福音十五：23）
从救主拒绝喝没药调和酒的这一事中，启示了一项黄金的真理。上帝的儿子早已从天上俯视这个世界，估量了下降到人间所将受的痛苦有多深。祂已经累积了赦罪所需付出的痛苦，故不会拒绝其中任何一小部份。祂严肃地决定要献上一个够用的赦罪祭物。祂必须走完全程，从最高荣耀的宝座到最深苦难的十字架。没药之杯有麻醉的影响，可以减轻一些痛苦，因此被祂拒绝了。当我们从伤害的忧伤中被释放出来以后，中间有多少个人憔悴了！你是否急躁、强烈、急切地祈求免除辛劳的服事或受苦？倘若有人对你说：“如果你愿意，你可以保留你所爱的，但上帝因此要被羞辱了。”你是否能摆脱试探，说：“愿祢的旨意成就。”你若能说：“我的主啊，能免除受苦是我所愿，但是若因我受苦使祢得到更大的荣耀，若我在地上一切的损失能荣耀祢，让这事成就。我拒绝安逸，若这安逸妨碍祂得荣耀。”这是何等美好！当自我的想法和安逸干扰到祂所交付我们的工作时，但愿我们能立即并乐意摆脱自我！
Evening, August 18
Scripture: “And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.”(Mark 15:23)
A golden truth is couched in the fact that the Saviour put the myrrhed wine-cup from his lips. On the heights of heaven the Son of God stood of old, and as he looked down upon our globe he measured the long descent to the utmost depths of human misery; he cast up the sum total of all the agonies which expiation would require, and abated not a jot. He solemnly determined that to offer a sufficient atoning sacrifice he must go the whole way, from the highest to the lowest, from the throne of highest glory to the cross of deepest woe. This myrrhed cup, with its soporific influence, would have stayed him within a little of the utmost limit of misery, therefore he refused it. He would not stop short of all he had undertaken to suffer for his people. Ah, how many of us have pined after reliefs to our grief which would have been injurious to us! Reader, did you never pray for a discharge from hard service or suffering with a petulant and wilful eagerness? Providence has taken from you the desire of your eyes with a stroke. Say, Christian, if it had been said, “If you so desire it, that loved one of yours shall live, but God will be dishonoured,” could you have put away the temptation, and said, “Thy will be done”? Oh, it is sweet to be able to say, “My Lord, if for other reasons I need not suffer, yet if I can honour thee more by suffering, and if the loss of my earthly all will bring thee glory, then so let it be. I refuse the comfort, if it comes in the way of thine honour.” O that we thus walked more in the footsteps of our Lord, cheerfully enduring trial for his sake, promptly and willingly putting away the thought of self and comfort when it would interfere with our finishing the work which he has given us to do. Great grace is needed, but great grace is provided.