五月九日[mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/05/0509.mp3″]
经文: 我的良人，来罢，祢我可以往田间去……看看葡萄发芽开花没有。（雅歌七：11、12）
教会要准备投入积极的工作，并且渴望主与她同往。她不说：“我要去”，而是“我们可以去”。当耶稣在你身旁，工作是一种喜乐。上帝把我们放在祂的园中有一个目的，就像当初第一对夫妻一样，是要我们往田间去。“教会”在为基督工作时，是要期盼能与祂有喜乐的相交。有人以为他们可以不必勤快地服事基督，仍能与祂相交。他们错了。没错，我们是可能轻易地因外在的活动而消耗了内在的属灵生命。我们可能到一种地步，埋怨说：“他们使我看守葡萄园，我自己的葡萄园却没有看守。”（雅一：6）然而，这事的发生全然只是因为我们自己的愚蠢和疏忽。信徒可能不作事却和那些最忙碌的人一样地长大了。但是在属灵的事上却毫无生命。马利亚并不是因为静坐受到称赞，她受到称赞乃因坐在耶稣的脚前（参路十：39～42）。然而，基督徒也不能因虚称与耶稣有暗中之交通，却忽略自己的责任而受到称赞。受赞许的不是静坐，却是静坐在耶稣的脚前。不要以为行动的本身是一种罪，相反地那却是一项大祝福，也是我们蒙恩的途径，那些与基督有频繁交通的人，不是那些有许多闲暇的隐士。反之，他们是为耶稣辛劳却不疲乏的人。祂在他们身旁，使他们成为上帝的同工。让我们牢记在我们为耶稣作任何事的同时，我们能，且应该与祂有亲密的相交。
Evening, May 9
Scripture: “Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field … let us see if the vine flourish.”(Song of Solomon 7:11,12)
The church was about to engage in earnest labour, and desired her Lord’s company in it. She does not say, “I will go,” but “let us go.” It is blessed working when Jesus is at our side! It is the business of God’s people to be trimmers of God’s vines. Like our first parents, we are put into the garden of the Lord for usefulness; let us therefore go forth into the field. Observe that the church, when she is in her right mind, in all her many labours desires to enjoy communion with Christ. Some imagine that they cannot serve Christ actively, and yet have fellowship with him: they are mistaken. Doubtless it is very easy to fritter away our inward life in outward exercises, and come to complain with the spouse, “They made me keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept:” but there is no reason why this should be the case except our own folly and neglect. Certain is it that a professor may do nothing, and yet grow quite as lifeless in spiritual things as those who are most busy. Mary was not praised for sitting still; but for her sitting at Jesus’ feet. Even so, Christians are not to be praised for neglecting duties under the pretence of having secret fellowship with Jesus: it is not sitting, but sitting at Jesus’ feet which is commendable. Do not think that activity is in itself an evil: it is a great blessing, and a means of grace to us. Paul called it a grace given to him to be allowed to preach; and every form of Christian service may become a personal blessing to those engaged in it. Those who have most fellowship with Christ are not recluses or hermits, who have much time to spare, but indefatigable labourers who are toiling for Jesus, and who, in their toil, have him side by side with them, so that they are workers together with God. Let us remember then, in anything we have to do for Jesus, that we can do it, and should do it in close communion with him.