双语灵修（葛培理牧师）：10月22日 逼迫之中

10月22日

逼迫之中

……甚至我们在神的各教会里为你们夸口，都因你们在所受的一切逼迫患难中，仍旧存忍耐和信心。

帖撒罗尼迦后书1:4

对于基督徒来说，受欢迎和被奉承远比受逼迫危险性更大。不幸的是，当一帆风顺时，我们很容易失去平衡感和判断力。我们必须像保罗一样学习“怎样处丰富”和“怎样处卑微”。我们必须学会“无论在什么景况”“都可以知足”（腓立比书4:11）。

正如我们在本书的另一处所说，重要的是与基督同行，为基督而活，并满怀热枕讨祂喜悦。然后，无论发生什么，我们都知道，祂允许我们经历这些，要让我们学一些无价的功课，使我们能更加完美来服事祂。藉着与我们的同在，祂会更加丰富我们的境遇，无论是令人愉快的还是不愉快的。明天使我们充满恐惧。约翰福音10:4说，他“放出自己的羊。”无论等待我们的是什么，都会先临到祂。就像东方的牧羊人总是走在羊群前面一样——任何对羊的攻击都必须先经过牧羊人——我们生命中的所有明天都必须先经过祂，然后临到我们！

三个希伯来少年被扔进熊熊燃烧的火窑中，王说：“看哪，我见有四个人，并没有捆绑，在火中游行，也没有受伤，那第四个的相貌，好像神子”（但以理书3:25）。在逼迫中，我们的上帝与我们同在。

有一个虚构的故事讲述了一位宣教士带领的第一个归信者，因信仰被折磨致死。几年后，这位宣教士离世了。他在天堂遇到了那第一个归信者，就问他当时因信仰被折磨致死是什么感觉。那人耸耸肩，看起来有点困惑地答道：“我都不记得了。”

今日祷告：

天父，我们感谢祢，因为祢给了我们在基督里一切所需，让我们能够忍受临到我们的试炼和逼迫。藉着我们荣耀祢的名。奉耶稣的名，阿们。

October 22

PERSECUTION OR POPULARITY?

…We ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure.2 Thessalonians 1:4

Popularity and adulation can be far more dangerous for the Christian than persecution.It is,unfortunately,easy when all goes well to lose our sense of balance and our perspective.We must learn like Paul“how to abound”and“how to be abased.”We must learn in“whatsoever state”we are“therewith to be content”(Philippians 4:11).

As we have said elsewhere in this book,the important thing is to walk with Christ,to live for Christ,and to have one consuming passion to please Him.Then,whatever happens,we know that He has permitted it to teach us some priceless lesson and to perfect us for His service.He will enrich our circumstances,be they pleasant or disagreeable,by the fact of His presence with us.The tomorrows fill us with dread.John 10:4 says,“He putteth forth his own sheep.”Whatever awaits us is encountered first by Him.Like the oriental shepherd always went ahead of his sheep-therefore any attack on sheep has to deal first with the shepherd-all the tomorrows of our lives have to pass Him before they get to us!

Three Hebrew children were cast into the burning fiery furnace,but the king said,“Lo,I see four men loose,walking in the midst of the fire,and they have no hurt;and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God”(Daniel 3:25).Our God is with us in the midst of persecution.

An apocryphal story tells of the first convert of a certain missionary who was tortured to death for his faith.Years later,the missionary died.In heaven he met that first convert and asked him how it felt to be tortured to death for his faith.“You know,”the man replied with a shrug and looking a bit bewildered,“I can’t even remember.”

Pray for the Day:

Father,we thank You that You have given us all that we need in Christ to endure any trial or persecution that might come our way.Glorify Your Name through us,in Jesus’Name,Amen.