安息日下午 12月27日
Memory Text:
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
KJV — Philippians 4:4, Matthew 5:10-12
人若因人子的缘故恨你们，拒绝你们，辱骂你们，弃绝你们的名，以为是恶的，你们就有福了！当那日，你们要欢喜跳跃，因为你们在天上的赏赐是大的。他们的祖宗待先知也是这样。”（路加福音 6:22-23）
“你们敬畏耶和华话语的人哪，当听他的话！你们的弟兄曾恨你们，因我的名赶出你们，说：‘愿耶和华得荣耀！’但他必显现，使你们欢喜，他们必蒙羞。”（以赛亚书 66:5）
“君王必作你的乳父，王后必作你的乳母。他们必俯伏在地，向你下拜，舔你脚上的尘土。你就知道我是耶和华，等候我的必不羞愧。强者岂能夺回掳物？强盗岂能解救被掳的？耶和华如此说：就是强者的掳物，也必被夺回；强暴者的掳物，也必被解救。与你相争的，我必与他相争；你的儿女，我必拯救。我必使欺压你的，吃自己的肉；他们必喝自己的血，如喝甘酒。凡有血气的，都必知道我耶和华是你的救主，是你的救赎主，是雅各的大能者。”（以赛亚书 49:23-26）
“Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.” KJV — Luke 6:22, 23
“Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.” KJV — Isaiah 66:5
“And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.” KJV — Isaiah 49:23-26
12月28日，星期日
保罗，耶稣的囚徒
阅读以弗所书3:1和腓利门书1章。保罗如何描述他的囚禁经历，这有何意义？
Read Ephesians 3:1 and Philemon 1. What is the significance of how Paul characterizes his imprisonment?
“‘因此，我保罗为你们外邦人作了基督耶稣的囚徒。’——他完全可以这么说。正是向外邦人传道才使他成为囚犯。” 16LtMs, Ms 179, 1901, par. 1
将这些话读给听众听，并牢记在心。也要读以弗所书第四章。务必极其严肃地阅读这些章节。其中的教导对我们意义重大。许多人变得心硬，是因为他们与圣灵的运行实在疏远。信徒的生命，包括他们的言语、行为和属灵的理解，都需要彻底的改变。我们需要领受天庭天使的启示。我们需要每日呼吸天国的气息。21LtMs, Lt 60, 1906, par. 11
“哦，我的心为我们所有人战栗。除非耶稣基督的恩典融化我们心中的铁石心肠，否则我们永远无法知晓天堂的真谛。当我看到和感受到人们如此铁石心肠地对待主的产业时，我感到无比痛心。当我看到人们对祂宝血所赎买的生命如此缺乏敬畏和尊重时，我为基督感到羞愧。21LtMs, Lt 60, 1906, par. 12
“对于那些如此自由地行使人间权柄的人，我奉命说：在你们明白如何处理基督宝血的救赎之前，不要再继续下去了。每个家庭都需要上帝的转化能力。如果这种能力存在，就不会出现缺乏同情心的情况；相反，将会看到人们以最热切的态度接受基督的恩典，并将其传递给他人。21LtMs，Lt 60，1906，第13段
“务必将心中一切苦毒的根除。务必彻底反省自身。身居要职者务必将心置于圣灵的掌管之下。切不可将人视作尘土，如同对待一袋燕麦——那些心思意念蒙神感动的人。务必谨慎行事。若蒙神悦纳，他们不可随意拆毁、连根拔起、移植那些明白蒙神教导和感动之人。21LtMs, Lt 60, 1906, par. 14
“如今身居要职之人，其生活中竟充斥着如此粗鲁无礼、如此缺乏基督徒应有的礼貌，令我心痛不已，我只能潸然泪下。他们对待上帝的儿女——祂用独生子宝血所赎买的儿女——如此缺乏基督的温柔慈爱。” 21LtMs, Lt 60, 1906, par. 15
“‘For this cause I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,’—He can well say that. It was the preaching to the Gentiles that made him a prisoner.” 16LtMs, Ms 179, 1901, par. 1
“Read these words to your hearers and impress them upon their minds. Read also the fourth chapter of Ephesians. Read most solemnly these chapters. The instruction they contain means so much to us. Many have become hard-spirited because they are verily strangers to the working of the Holy Spirit. There needs to be a great reformation in the lives of believers, in their words and works and spiritual understanding. We need to catch the inspiration of the angels in the heavenly courts. We need daily to breathe the atmosphere of heaven. 21LtMs, Lt 60, 1906, par. 11
“O how my heart trembles for us all. Unless the hardheartedness is melted away by the grace of Jesus Christ, we shall never know what heaven is. I am pained beyond measure when I see and feel the hardhearted methods of dealing with the Lord’s heritage. I feel so ashamed in behalf of Christ, as I see how little respect and reverence are shown toward the purchase of His blood. 21LtMs, Lt 60, 1906, par. 12
“To those who are so free to exercise their human authority, I am charged to say: Go no further until you know how to deal with the purchase of the blood of Christ. There is need of the converting power of God in every family. Were this power present, there would not be seen a lack of sympathy; instead, there would be seen a most earnest receiving of the grace of Christ to impart to others. 21LtMs, Lt 60, 1906, par. 13
“Let every root of bitterness be weeded out of the heart. Let most thorough work be done with self. Let the men who are in office keep their hearts under the control of the Holy Spirit. Let them not treat men as if they were hardly a sack of oats—men who have minds that God has been and is working. Let them be careful of their actions. They cannot with God’s approval pull down, uproot, and transplant men who understand what it means to be taught and moved by the Spirit of God. 21LtMs, Lt 60, 1906, par. 14
“So much coarseness, such a lack of Christian politeness, has come into the lives of men who stand in official positions that my heart is sick and sore, and I can but weep to see how little of the tenderness of Christ they bring into their dealing with the children of God, the purchase of the blood of His only begotten Son.” 21LtMs, Lt 60, 1906, par. 15
12月29日，星期一
保罗身陷囹圄
阅读哥林多后书4:7-12。这段经文揭示了保罗是如何
忍受他所面临的种种磨难的？他生活的重心似乎是什么？
Read 2 Corinthians 4:7–12. In this passage, what reveals how Paul was able to endure the trials he faced? What seems to be the focus of his life?
“他的能力并非源于自身，而是源于圣灵的同在和运行，圣灵充满他的灵魂，使他的每一个念头都顺服于基督的旨意。先知宣告说：‘坚心倚赖你的，你必保守他十分平安，因为他信靠你。’（以赛亚书 26:3）保罗脸上所显出的那来自天上的平安，使许多人归向福音。（AA 510.1）
“保罗身上散发着天国的气息。所有与他交往的人都能感受到他与基督联合的影响。他以自己的生命活出他所宣扬的真理，这使他的讲道极具说服力。真理的力量就在于此。圣洁生活不经意间、不自觉的影响，是为基督教所作的最有力的宣讲。论证，即便无懈可击，也可能只会招致反对；但敬虔的榜样却拥有着一种令人无法完全抗拒的力量。”（AA 510.2）
“His sufficiency was not in himself, but in the presence and agency of the divine Spirit that filled his soul and brought every thought into subjection to the will of Christ. The prophet declares, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.” Isaiah 26:3. The heaven-born peace expressed on Paul's countenance won many a soul to the gospel. AA 510.1
“Paul carried with him the atmosphere of heaven. All who associated with him felt the influence of his union with Christ. The fact that his own life exemplified the truth he proclaimed, gave convincing power to his preaching. Here lies the power of truth. The unstudied, unconscious influence of a holy life is the most convincing sermon that can be given in favor of Christianity. Argument, even when unanswerable, may provoke only opposition; but a godly example has a power that it is impossible wholly to resist.” AA 510.2
阅读哥林多后书 6:3-7。保罗有哪些属灵资源可以帮助他面对这些困难？
Read 2 Corinthians 6:3–7. What spiritual resources did Paul have available to help him face these difficulties?
“保罗心中充满着一种深沉而持久的责任感；他与那位公义、怜悯和真理的源泉——基督——保持着密切的交通。他紧紧抓住基督的十字架，视之为他成功的唯一保障。救主的爱是他永不磨灭的动力，支撑着他与自我冲突，与邪恶作斗争；在服事基督的过程中，他克服了世人的冷漠和仇敌的反对，勇往直前。”（GW 61.1）
“在如今危难之际，教会需要的是一支像保罗一样，自学成才、对神之事有深刻体验、充满热忱和诚意的工人队伍。我们需要的是圣洁、舍己的人；是勇敢真诚的人；是心中有基督——“荣耀的盼望”（歌罗西书 1:27）——的人；是口中充满圣火、要“传讲神的话语”（提摩太后书 4:2）的人。正因为缺乏这样的工人，神的事业才会衰落，致命的谬误如同剧毒，玷污着许多人的道德，摧毁着他们的希望。”（GW 61.2）
“Paul’s heart was filled with a deep, abiding sense of his responsibility; and he labored in close communion with Him who is the fountain of justice, mercy, and truth. He clung to the cross of Christ as his only guaranty of success. The love of the Saviour was the undying motive that upheld him in his conflicts with self and in his struggle against evil, as in the service of Christ he pressed forward against the unfriendliness of the world and the opposition of his enemies. GW 61.1
“What the church needs in these days of peril, is an army of workers who, like Paul, have educated themselves for usefulness, who have a deep experience in the things of God, and who are filled with earnestness and zeal. Sanctified, self-sacrificing men are needed; men who are brave and true; men in whose hearts Christ is formed, “the hope of glory,” [Colossians 1:27.] and who with lips touched with holy fire will “preach the word.” [2 Timothy 4:2.] For the want of such workers the cause of God languishes, and fatal errors, like a deadly poison, taint the morals and blight the hopes of a large part of the human race.” GW 61.2
12月30日，星期二
保罗在腓立比
“福音要传到小亚细亚以外的地方，时机已到。保罗和他的同工们正准备前往欧洲。在地中海沿岸的特罗亚，保罗在夜间看见异象：有一个马其顿人站着，求他说：‘请你到马其顿来帮助我们。’”（《使徒行传》211.1）
Read Joshua 1:4–6 and Hebrews 6:17, 18. At that moment, the Promised Land was exactly that, a promise. Yet, God calls it an inheritance. What does it mean to be the heirs of God’s promises?
“这呼召迫在眉睫，不容耽搁。”与保罗、西拉和提摩太一同前往欧洲的路加写道：“他看见异象之后，我们立刻努力往马其顿去，确信是主呼召我们去向他们传福音。于是，我们从特罗亚出发，径直来到撒摩特拉基，第二天到了那阿波利；然后从那里到了腓立比，腓立比是马其顿那边的首府，也是一座殖民地。”（《使徒行传》211.2）
“‘在安息日，’路加继续说，‘我们出城到了河边，那里素常有人祷告；我们就坐下，对聚集在那里的妇女讲道。有一个妇人名叫吕底亚，是推雅推喇城的人，卖紫色布匹，敬拜上帝。她听见了主的话，主就开导她的心。’吕底亚欢然接受了真理。她和她全家都归信受了洗，并恳求使徒到她家里住宿，把她的家当作他们的住处。”
——《使徒行传》（AA）212.1
“使徒们并没有认为他们在腓立比的劳作是徒劳的。他们遭遇了许多反对和迫害；但神的眷顾，以及狱卒及其家人的悔改，远远弥补了他们所遭受的耻辱和苦难。他们蒙冤入狱和奇迹般获救的消息传遍了整个地区，使许多原本无缘得见使徒福音的人也知道了他们的工作。”（使徒行传 218.2）
保罗在腓立比的辛勤工作促成了教会的建立，教会成员人数稳步增长。他的热忱和奉献，尤其是他甘愿为基督受苦的精神，对信徒产生了深远而持久的影响。他们珍视使徒们为之付出巨大牺牲的宝贵真理，并全心全意地奉献自己，为救赎主的事业而奋斗。（AA 218.3）
“The time had come for the gospel to be proclaimed beyond the confines of Asia Minor. The way was preparing for Paul and his fellow workers to cross over into Europe. At Troas, on the borders of the Mediterranean Sea, “a vision appeared to Paul in the night: There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.” AA 211.1
“The call was imperative, admitting of no delay. “After he had seen the vision,” declares Luke, who accompanied Paul and Silas and Timothy on the journey across to Europe, “immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis; and from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony.” AA 211.2
“‘On the Sabbath,’ Luke continues, ‘we went out of the city by a riverside, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshiped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened.’ Lydia received the truth gladly. She and her household were converted and baptized, and she entreated the apostles to make her house their home.” AA 212.1
“The apostles did not regard as in vain their labors in Philippi. They had met much opposition and persecution; but the intervention of Providence in their behalf, and the conversion of the jailer and his household, more than atoned for the disgrace and suffering they had endured. The news of their unjust imprisonment and miraculous deliverance became known through all that region, and this brought the work of the apostles to the notice of a large number who otherwise would not have been reached. AA 218.2
“Paul's labors at Philippi resulted in the establishment of a church whose membership steadily increased. His zeal and devotion, and, above all, his willingness to suffer for Christ's sake, exerted a deep and lasting influence upon the converts. They prized the precious truths for which the apostles had sacrificed so much, and gave themselves with wholehearted devotion to the cause of their Redeemer.” AA 218.3
12月31日，星期三
保罗与歌罗西书
阅读腓利门书15-16章。另见歌罗西书4:9。保罗温和地劝腓利门如何对待阿尼西母？
Read Philemon 15, 16. See also Colossians 4:9. What course did Paul gently urge Philemon to pursue with Onesimus?
在那些因保罗在罗马的服事而归信上帝的人中，有一位名叫阿尼西母的异教奴隶。他曾得罪了歌罗西的基督徒主人腓利门，逃到了罗马。保罗出于善心，尽力帮助这位可怜的逃亡者摆脱贫困和苦难，并努力将真理之光照进他昏暗的心灵。阿尼西母听从了生命的话语，认罪悔改，归信了基督。”（AA 456.1）
阿尼西母的虔诚和真诚，以及他对使徒的悉心关怀和对福音事业的热忱，都赢得了保罗的喜爱。保罗认为他具备成为传教士得力助手的品格，便劝他立即返回腓利门那里，请求他的原谅，并为未来做好打算。使徒承诺会承担腓利门被盗的款项。他正要派遣推基古给小亚细亚各教会送信时，也派阿尼西母同行。对于这位仆人来说，要回到自己曾得罪过的主人那里，无疑是一次严峻的考验；但他已经真心悔改，没有背弃自己的职责。（AA 456.2）
“保罗让阿尼西母给腓利门送信，信中，使徒保罗以他一贯的委婉和友善，为这位悔改的奴隶求情，并表达了希望将来继续聘用他的愿望。信的开头亲切地问候腓利门，称他为朋友和同工。”（AA 456.3）
使徒提醒腓利门，他所拥有的一切良善的志向和品格都源于基督的恩典；唯有这一点，才使他与悖逆和罪恶之人截然不同。同样的恩典也能使堕落的罪犯成为神的儿女，成为福音的得力工人。（《使徒行传》457.1）
保罗本可以敦促腓利门履行基督徒的职责，但他却选择了恳求的语气：“我年迈的保罗，如今又为耶稣基督被囚，恳求你为我的儿子阿尼西母，就是我在囚禁中生的。这孩子从前对你毫无益处，如今却对你我都有益处。”（《使徒行传》457.2）
“使徒的工作并非随意或突然地推翻既定的社会秩序。这样做会阻碍福音的传播。但他所教导的原则直击奴隶制的根基，如果付诸实践，必将瓦解整个制度。正如他所宣告的：“主的灵在哪里，哪里就有自由。”（哥林多后书 3:17）奴隶一旦归信基督，就成为基督身体的一员，理应被爱护，被当作弟兄对待，与主人一同承受神的祝福和福音的特权。（以弗所书 6:6）” AA 459.3
“Among those who gave their hearts to God through the labors of Paul in Rome was Onesimus, a pagan slave who had wronged his master, Philemon, a Christian believer in Colosse, and had escaped to Rome. In the kindness of his heart, Paul sought to relieve the poverty and distress of the wretched fugitive and then endeavored to shed the light of truth into his darkened mind. Onesimus listened to the words of life, confessed his sins, and was converted to the faith of Christ. AA 456.1
“Onesimus endeared himself to Paul by his piety and sincerity, no less than by his tender care for the apostle's comfort, and his zeal in promoting the work of the gospel. Paul saw in him traits of character that would render him a useful helper in missionary labor, and he counseled him to return without delay to Philemon, beg his forgiveness, and plan for the future. The apostle promised to hold himself responsible for the sum of which Philemon had been robbed. Being about to dispatch Tychicus with letters to various churches in Asia Minor, he sent Onesimus with him. It was a severe test for this servant thus to deliver himself up to the master he had wronged; but he had been truly converted, and he did not turn aside from his duty. AA 456.2
“Paul made Onesimus the bearer of a letter to Philemon, in which, with his usual tact and kindness, the apostle pleaded the cause of the repentant slave and expressed a desire to retain his services in the future. The letter began with an affectionate greeting to Philemon as a friend and fellow laborer:” AA 456.3
“The apostle reminded Philemon that every good purpose and trait of character which he possessed was due to the grace of Christ; this alone made him different from the perverse and the sinful. The same grace could make the debased criminal a child of God and a useful laborer in the gospel. AA 457.1
“Paul might have urged upon Philemon his duty as a Christian; but he chose rather the language of entreaty: ‘As Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ, I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds; which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me.’” AA 457.2
“It was not the apostle's work to overturn arbitrarily or suddenly the established order of society. To attempt this would be to prevent the success of the gospel. But he taught principles which struck at the very foundation of slavery and which, if carried into effect, would surely undermine the whole system. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,” he declared. 2 Corinthians 3:17. When converted, the slave became a member of the body of Christ, and as such was to be loved and treated as a brother, a fellow heir with his master to the blessings of God and the privileges of the gospel. Ephesians 6:6.” AA 459.3
1月1日，星期四
腓立比和歌罗西的教会
阅读腓立比书1:1-3和歌罗西书1:1-2。腓立比和歌罗西的教会是如何被描述的？这种描述有何意义？
Read Philippians 1:1–3 and Colossians 1:1, 2. How are the churches in Philippi and Colossae described, and what significance does the depiction have?
让我们都效法这种精神。使徒保罗为腓立比人归信基督而心存感激，在祝福他们之后，他表达了自己的关切：“我每逢想念你们，就感谢我的神；每次祷告祈求的时候，总是欢欢喜喜的。”（第3-4节）这应当是牧者对待新近归信教会的态度；这应当也是教会在善行和基督品格上的态度，使为他们辛勤劳作的牧者能够欢欢喜喜地为他们向神祈求。使徒保罗认为，鉴于他们信心的真诚，我们有理由相信，那在他们里面动了善工的，必成全这工，直到耶稣基督的日子。他们时刻盼望基督的日子。这应当是我们的工作。13LtMs, Ms 187, 1898, par. 46
“我们应当用笔墨和言语鼓励那些新近归信的教会。保罗和提摩太与这些新信徒之间充满了和谐、基督徒的团契和亲密的联系。对他们而言，能够继续从事那已为他们开启的美好工作，无疑是令人振奋的。“我为你们众人这样想，是理所应当的，因为你们常在我心里。你们无论是在我被捆绑的时候，还是在为福音辩护和证实福音的时候，都一同领受了我的恩典。”[第7节] 他用自己深切的感情将新近归信的信徒紧紧地联系在一起。13LtMs, Ms 187, 1898, par. 47
在保罗被囚禁于罗马期间，他写给“歌罗西的圣徒和在基督里有忠心的弟兄们”的信中，提到他因他们在信仰上的坚忍而欢欣鼓舞。这消息是由以巴弗带来的，使徒保罗写道：“以巴弗向我们宣告了你们在圣灵里的爱心。因此，”他继续写道，“自从我们听到这消息以来，就不断地为你们祷告，愿你们满心明白神的旨意，在一切属灵的智慧悟性上，得以完全，好叫你们行事为人对得起主，凡事蒙他喜悦，在一切善事上结果子，渐渐多知道神；照他荣耀的大能，得以在各方面刚强起来，以致凡事忍耐宽容，欢欢喜喜地存这样的心。”（AA 471.1）
保罗以此表达了他对歌罗西信徒的期盼。这些话语在基督的追随者面前树立了何等崇高的理想！它们展现了基督徒生活的奇妙可能性，并清楚地表明，神的儿女所蒙受的祝福是无穷无尽的。他们不断加深对神的认识，在基督信仰中不断成长，不断攀登高峰，直到藉着“祂荣耀的大能”，得以“与圣徒一同承受光明中的基业”。（AA 471.2）
“Let us all make this spirit ours. The apostle feels grateful that the Philippians have become converts to the faith, and after giving them his benediction, he expresses his interest, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request with joy.” [Verses 3, 4.] This should be the attitude of the ministers to the churches newly come to the faith; and this should be the attitude of the churches in good works and Christlike character, that the ministers who have labored for them may be able to make request to God for them with joy. The apostle sees reason, because of the sincerity of their faith, to have confidence that He which has begun a good work in them will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. They were keeping the day of Christ constantly in view. This is to be our work. 13LtMs, Ms 187, 1898, par. 46
“By pen and voice we are to encourage the churches newly come to the faith. There was harmony, a Christian fellowship, a tender union between Paul and Timotheus for those newly converted Christians. To them the prospect was cheering that they would continue in the good work begun for them. “Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart: inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.” [Verse 7.] He binds up his newly converted with his own heart’s affections. 13LtMs, Ms 187, 1898, par. 47
“In his letter to “the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse,” written while he was a prisoner in Rome, Paul makes mention of his joy over their steadfastness in the faith, tidings of which had been brought him by Epaphras, who, the apostle wrote, “declared unto us your love in the Spirit. For this cause,” he continued, “we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness.” AA 471.1
Thus Paul put into words his desire for the Colossian believers. How high the ideal that these words hold before the follower of Christ! They show the wonderful possibilities of the Christian life and make it plain that there is no limit to the blessings that the children of God may receive. Constantly increasing in a knowledge of God, they may go on from strength to strength, from height to height in Christian experience, until by ‘His glorious power’ they are made ‘meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” AA 471.2
1月2日，星期五
进一步思考
“你会发现，这封信的语气并非抱怨，而是对上帝的感恩和赞美。这封信是写给‘歌罗西的圣徒，就是在基督里有忠心的弟兄们’的。愿恩惠、平安从我们的父神和主耶稣基督归与你们！我们感谢我们主耶稣基督的父神，常常为你们祷告，因为我们听见了你们在基督耶稣里的信心，和你们对众圣徒的爱心，是因那为你们存在天上的盼望，这盼望就是你们从前在福音真理的道上所听见的。”（歌罗西书 1:2-5）15LtMs, Ms 88, 1900, par. 2
“这里列举了我们应当始终心怀感恩、培养对上帝的爱，并在为圣徒献上的每一次祈祷中表达这份爱的最重要原因。这意味着我们应当时刻铭记福音的教诲，这真理来到我们中间，是为了软化、驯服并融化我们的心，使我们变得温柔，用言语表明我们心中拥有那因爱而生、净化灵魂的信仰。15LtMs, Ms 88, 1900, par. 3
“这福音传到你们那里，正如传到普天下一样；并且结果子，正如在你们中间一样，自从你们听见福音，真知道神的恩典以来，就一直在你们中间结出果实。正如你们从我们亲爱的同工以巴弗那里所学的，他为你们作了基督忠心的执事，也把你们在圣灵里的爱心告诉我们。”（第6-8节）15LtMs, Ms 88, 1900, par. 4
“这是主期望每个人都结出的果实：对基督的爱；基督对祂所拯救的灵魂所表达的这份爱，我们也必须珍视并体现在我们的生活和品格中。如此，我们便不会有任何抱怨、指责和批评。表达不满会伤害每一个说出令人沮丧话语的人。我们有太多值得我们关注的，那些令人振奋、鼓舞和振奋人心的事。15LtMs, Ms 88, 1900, par. 5
“使徒因那些真正认识神恩典的人，因着圣灵的爱而产生的美好见证而受到鼓舞；这信心是真实的。它如同好的酵，正如福音的真理，当带着它宝贵的恩典被人领受时，总是会产生奇妙的效果。15LtMs, Ms 88, 1900, par. 6
“人人若能敞开心灵的窗户，仰望天国，紧闭心灵的窗户，就能成就何等奇妙的见证！因为尘世的污秽和垃圾会透过这些窗户飘入人心，玷污主为每一位信徒预备的属灵经历！我们有幸得以默想一切属天的事物，并以信心的眼光去看待它们。” 15LtMs, Ms 88, 1900, par. 7
“You will see that the tenor of this letter is not marked with complaining but with thankfulness and praise to God. This letter is addressed “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be with you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.” Colossians 1:2-5. 15LtMs, Ms 88, 1900, par. 2
“Here is presented the greatest reasons why we should always be full of gratitude, cultivating love for God and always expressing that love in every prayer offered for the saints. This means that we should be ever mindful of the words of the gospel, the truth which has come to us to soften, to subdue, and melt our hearts into tenderness, giving evidence in words that we have that faith in our hearts that works by love and purifies the soul. 15LtMs, Ms 88, 1900, par. 3
‘Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: as ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.’ Verses 6-8. 15LtMs, Ms 88, 1900, par. 4
“This is the fruit the Lord expected everyone to bear, a love for Christ; and the same love that Christ has expressed for the souls He came to save we must all cherish and express in our lives and in our characters. Then we shall not have any murmuring, any faultfinding, any criticism. The expression of dissatisfaction hurts every soul who speaks disheartening words. We have so much to dwell upon that is cheering, encouraging, uplifting. 15LtMs, Ms 88, 1900, par. 5
“The apostle was encouraged by the good report, born of the love in the Spirit of those who knew the grace of God in truth; the faith was a genuine article. It worked like the good leaven as the truth of the gospel always works when received with all its precious grace into the heart. 15LtMs, Ms 88, 1900, par. 6
“What a testimony every one can bear if he will only open the windows of the soul heavenward and close fast the windows of the soul earthward—windows through which are wafted into the heart the earthly dust and rubbish which mar the experience that the Lord designs every believer in Christ to have! We are privileged to contemplate all heavenly things and to behold them with the eye of faith.” 15LtMs, Ms 88, 1900, par. 7