双语灵修（葛培理牧师）：3月25日 荣归天路

3月25日

荣归天路

“他已经吞灭死亡直到永远。主耶和华必擦去各人脸上的眼泪，又除掉普天下他百姓的羞辱，因为这是耶和华说的。”

以赛亚书25:8

我曾经在伦敦观看女王出访回国的欢迎仪式。我看到有盛大的游行、行进的乐队、精锐的部队、挥舞的旗帜，热闹非凡。我亲眼目睹了女王归来时的隆重和热烈。

然而，这些都比不上一个真正的基督徒告别这个苦难的世界回到天家，众天使围绕，救主耶稣在天国张开双臂欢迎。

基督徒不应当把死亡当成悲剧。他们应当和天使一样，看到回永恒天家的喜乐。这标志着从今生到达了永恒的旅程。永生之路要经过死亡幽谷，但一路都有得胜的记号。天使纵情欢呼，借着主耶稣复活的大能，我们也将得到复活的生命，平安地进入天堂。

我们不应该只是在从今生进入永恒之时才满怀喜乐。已故作家陶恕这样描述真正的基督徒生活方式：

“乔治·穆勒不会等到开心回天家时才布道；十九世纪的神秘主义者卢斯布鲁克不会等到生命最后一刻才有感动写下他的著作；卫斯理不会等到临终才真正地皈信。”

正如一首伟大的赞美诗所唱：“当我们回到天家，那日期真欢喜，极大福气；当我们见耶稣，我们要唱得胜凯歌！”是啊，当我们回到天家时，岂不一样会受到热烈欢迎吗？

今日祷告：

父啊，我们热切期待着祢的独生爱子主耶稣基督再来的日子。求你让我们得胜，成为耶稣福音的见证，直到主来；奉耶稣的名，阿门。

March 25

OUR HOMECOMING PARADE

He will swallow up death in victory;and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces.Isaiah 25:8

Once I stood in London to watch Queen Elizabeth return from an overseas trip.I saw the parade of dignitaries,the marching bands,the crack troops,the waving flags.I saw all the splendor that accompanies the homecoming of a queen.However,that was nothing compared to the homecoming of a true believer who has said good-bye here to all of the suffering of this life and been immediately surrounded by awaiting angels who carry him upward to the glorious welcome awaiting the redeemed in heaven.

The Christian should never consider death a tragedy.Rather he should see it as the angels do:They realize that joy should mark the journey from time to eternity.The way to life is by the valley of death,but the road is marked with victory all the way.Angels revel in the power of the resurrection of Jesus which assures us of our resurrection and guarantees us a safe passage to heaven.

Joy should mark our lives not just at the point of transition from this life to the next.The late A.W.Tozer describes the authentic Christian lifestyle this way:

“George Mueller would not preach until his heart was happy in the grace of God;Jan Van Ruysbroeck,the fourteenth century mystic,would not write while his feelings were low,but would retire to a quiet place and wait on God till he felt the spirit of inspiration.It is well-known that the elevated spirits of a group of Moravians convinced John Wesley of the reality of their religion,and helped to bring him a short time later to a state of true conversion.”

As that great hymn says,“When we all get to heaven,what a day of rejoicing that will be;when we all see Jesus we’ll sing and shout the victory.”And why not?Shouldn’t the guest of honor receive a homecoming parade?

Pray for the Day:

Father,we look forward with great anticipation the Day of the return of Your Son,the Lord Jesus Christ,and we pray that You will give us victory in bearing witness to the Good News of Jesus until that Day comes;in Jesus’Name,Amen.