十二月十五日[mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/12/1215.mp3″]
经文: 以蓝宝石立定你的根基。（以赛亚书五十四：11）
地基是人所看不见的，只要地基仍稳固，常常是不为人所注意的。但是在耶和华的工作中，每一样都是重要的。恩典工作中的深厚根基如同蓝宝石般珍贵。人的思想无法测度其荣耀。我们在恩典之约的根基上建造，这根基比混凝土更稳固，比珍珠更耐久。蓝宝石的根基是永恒的，恩典之约随着全能者的生命也是永远的。另一个根基是主耶稣，祂是清洁、无瑕疵、永远的，并且是美丽的，如同蓝宝石一般。它将地球永远翻腾之海洋的深蓝与环抱一切之天空的蔚蓝掺和成为我们的本体。我们的主以祂自己的宝血遮盖罪恶时，我们也能以红宝石来比喻祂，但此刻我们看见祂散发出来丰富的、深沉的、并永恒之爱的柔蓝光辉。我们的盼望建立在上帝的公义和信实之上，那也是清澈无雾的，如蓝宝石一般。主亲自为祂百姓的盼望立下根基。善事与礼仪并不是蓝宝石的根基，却是草木禾秸。这些不是由上帝所立，乃是奠基在我们的自夸上。不久以后，所有根基都要受试验。那些建造在蓝宝石上的可以镇静地面对风暴或火焰，因为他必能忍受试验。
Evening, December 15
Scripture: “And lay thy foundations with sapphires.”(Isaiah 54:11)
Not only that which is seen of the church of God, but that which is unseen, is fair and precious. Foundations are out of sight, and so long as they are firm it is not expected that they should be valuable; but in Jehovah’s work everything is of a piece, nothing slurred, nothing mean. The deep foundations of the work of grace are as sapphires for preciousness, no human mind is able to measure their glory. We build upon the covenant of grace, which is firmer than adamant, and as enduring as jewels upon which age spends itself in vain. Sapphire foundations are eternal, and the covenant abides throughout the lifetime of the Almighty. Another foundation is the person of the Lord Jesus, which is clear and spotless, everlasting and beautiful as the sapphire; blending in one the deep blue of earth’s ever rolling ocean and the azure of its all embracing sky. Once might our Lord have been likened to the ruby as he stood covered with his own blood, but now we see him radiant with the soft blue of love, love abounding, deep, eternal. Our eternal hopes are built upon the justice and the faithfulness of God, which are clear and cloudless as the sapphire. We are not saved by a compromise, by mercy defeating justice, or law suspending its operations; no, we defy the eagle’s eye to detect a flaw in the groundwork of our confidence－our foundation is of sapphire, and will endure the fire.
The Lord himself has laid the foundation of his people’s hopes. It is matter for grave enquiry whether our hopes are built upon such a basis. Good works and ceremonies are not a foundation of sapphires, but of wood, hay, and stubble; neither are they laid by God, but by our own conceit. Foundations will all be tried ere long: woe unto him whose lofty tower shall come down with a crash, because based on a quicksand. He who is built on sapphires may await storm or fire with equanimity, for he shall abide the test.