双语灵修（葛培理牧师）：11月24日  感恩平安

11月24日 

感恩平安

我的弟兄们，你们落在百般试炼中，都要以为大喜乐。

雅各书1:2

神未曾应许生活一帆风顺，也不曾应许日子里没有烦恼、试炼、磨难和试探。祂从未应许生活完美无缺。他不会呼召祂的儿女们去游乐场，而是呼召他们去战场。

有些人对基督徒的生活有一种扭曲的观念。看到有才华、聪慧过人的基督徒，他们就试图去模仿。对他们来说，邻家的草格外绿，这山望着那山高。当他们发现自己的贡献微不足道、无足轻重时，就灰心丧气，因而忽视了他们面前真正的机会。

要像使徒保罗那样说：“这些事都没有动摇我。”（徒20:24）很少有人像保罗那样受苦，但他却学会了如何处丰富，如何处卑贱；他学会了胜过环境——即使在监狱里。你也可以做到！不要让环境压垮你！在难处中，你将会感到无比喜乐。圣经说：“因为靠主而得的喜乐是你们的力量。”（尼希米记8:10）

不管你信不信，这是通往平安的路。保罗说：“我们四面受敌，却不被困住；心里作难，却不至失望；遭逼迫，却不被丢弃；打倒了，却不至死亡。”（哥林多后书4:8）所有这些品质都是真基督徒的特征。这些品质可以成为你的，使你最终得胜。它们是你与生俱来的权利，去拥有它们吧！

作为神的儿女，你永远不必遭受属灵的失败，你失败的日子已经过去了。从现在起，你要充实地过好每一分钟。当然，你会拥抱每一天，把它当作献给基督的又一个二十四小时。每个新的一天都充满了服事他人的机会，你也会与神一起共度许多美好时光，你会知道你的罪已得赦免，你正走在通往天堂之路。

以这种感恩的“仆人”心态来面对生活中的所有境况，会帮助你像老马太·亨利被抢劫时那样作出反应。他在日记中写道：“首先，我要感恩，因为我以前从未被抢过；其次，虽然他们抢走了我的钱包，但他们没有夺走我的性命；第三，虽然他们拿走了我所有的，但是并不多；第四，幸亏是我被抢，而不是我去抢别人。”

不知道我是否能如此感恩。你能吗？

今日祷告：

父啊，感谢祢！谢谢祢让我们受苦！谢谢祢赐给我们愉快的时光！谢谢祢为我们安排的一切境况！使我们得益，让我们喜乐，叫祢得荣耀；奉耶稣的名，阿们。

November 24

THANKSGIVING AND THE PATH TO PEACE

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations. James 1:2

God promises no easy life or days without troubles, trials, difficulties, and temptations. He never promises that life will be perfect. He does not call His children to a play ground, but to a battleground.

Some people have a warped idea of living the Christian life. Seeing talented, brilliant Christians, they attempt to imitate them. For them, the grass on the other side of the fence is always greener.When they discover that their own contributions are more modest or perhaps invisible, they collapse in discouragement and overlook genuine opportunities that are open to them.

Be like the apostle Paul and say, “None of these things move me. “Few men suffered as Paul did, yet he learned how to abound and how to be abased.He learned to live above his circumstances-even in a prison cell. You can do the same. Refuse to permit circumstances to get you down. In the midst of your difficulties, there will be a deep joy. “For the joy of the Lord is your strength,” says the Bible.

Believe it or not, this is the path to peace. Paul said, “Troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8). All these qualities are characteristic of true Christians. They can be yours, giving you the ultimate victory. They are part of your birthright. Claim them!

As a child of God, you need never suffer spiritual defeat. Your days of defeat are over. From now on, you will want to live every minute to its fullest. Certainly, you will welcome each day as another twenty-four hours to devote to Christ. Every new day will be filled with opportunities to serve others. You will spend many moments with God, and you will know that your sins are forgiven and that you are on the way to heaven.

Taking this“servant” attitude of thankfulness in all of life’s circumstances will help you react as old Matthew Henry did when he was mugged. He wrote in his diary. “Let me be thankful first because I was never robbed before; second, although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much:and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.”

I wonder if I could be that thankful. Could you?

Pray for the Day:

Father, thank You. Thank You for our sufferings. Thank You for our pleasant times. Thank You for all circumstances, which You have arranged for our good, for our joy, and for Your glory; in Jesus’Name, Amen.