靈命日糧 - 2005年3月21日
讀經: 腓立比書1章27-30節

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金句: 「因為你們蒙恩，不但得以信服基督，並要為他受苦。」（腓立比書1章29節）

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全年讀經: 士師記9-12章  

當人們告訴我活著真不容易時，我總是說：「肯定是這樣的。」除此之外，沒有更好的答案。作家查爾斯．威廉（Charles Williams）曾說：「這個世界總是令人痛苦，但如果有人認為，我們應該喜歡這樣的世界，那實在讓人無法忍受。」
上帝帶領我們走的道路，似乎常與我們所認定好的道路有所偏差，使我們深信自己已錯過一些路口並走上了錯路。因為我們聽到很多錯誤的教導，認為若行在上帝恩典的路上，我們的生活自然會無憂無慮。

那是一個遠離聖經觀點的白日夢，在屬世的安慰不能滿足我們時，上帝的愛會帶領我們走過低潮。使徒保羅說過：「因為你們蒙恩，不但得以信服基督，並要為他受苦」（腓立比書1章29節）。當我們走過所有死蔭幽谷後將會瞭解，每個情況都是為我們那終極好處而允許發生的。

「沒有其他路徑會比我們所行的路更安全保險」。聖經教師梅爾博士（F. B. Meyer）說過：「如果我們能用上帝的眼光看待我們的道路，我們一定也會選擇它。」DHR


若黑暗之地於我有益，
主啊，請教導我忍受；
憂傷、痛苦或是孤獨，
必能使我的靈性潔淨。Irons


若知試煉是上帝所允許的，它就不會使我沮喪。
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A Bumpy Road



Read:Philippians 1:27-30
To you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake. —Philippians 1:29


Bible In One Year: Judges 9-12

When people tell me life is hard, I always reply, "Of course it is." I find that answer more satisfying than anything else I can say. Writer Charles Williams said, "The world is painful in any case; but it is quite unbearable if anybody gives us the idea that we are meant to be liking it."

The path by which God takes us often seems to lead away from what we perceive as our good, causing us to believe we've missed a turn and taken the wrong road. That's because most of us have been taught to believe that if we're on the right track God's goodness will always translate into a life free of trouble.

But that's a pipe dream far removed from the biblical perspective. God's love often leads us down roads where earthly comforts fail us. Paul said, "To you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake" (Philippians 1:29). When we come to the end of all our dark valleys, we'll understand that every circumstance has been allowed for our ultimate good.

"No other route would have been as safe and as certain as the one by which we came," Bible teacher F. B. Meyer said. "If only we could see the path as God has always seen it, we would have selected it as well." —David Roper


If some darker lot be good,
Lord, teach us to endure
The sorrow, pain, or solitude
That makes the spirit pure. —Irons

No trial would cause us to despair if we knew God's reason for allowing it.