Daily Devotion - May 2 - ¥q¥?‾u‥C?eAF-×(c]) Evening by Evening

司布真每日靈修(夜) Evening by Evening 五月二日 經文: 這些人都是存著信心死的。（希伯來書十一：13） 請看所有蒙福聖徒的墓誌銘。他們都是在主再來以前離世的。不論他們是如何離開的，或因年老或因暴力，他們的共同點，也是最值得記載的就是：「這些人都是存著信心死的」。他們活在信心中，信心是他們的安慰、他們的引導、他們的動力、也是他們的支持力量。在同樣的屬靈恩典中他們死了，以他們一生所唱的美妙曲調結束了自己的一生。他們的死非因為肉體的關係，或自己的成就。他們從不放棄起初對上帝的委身，堅持信心到最後。靠著信心死，和靠著信心活是同樣的珍貴的。存著信心是對過去切實的確據。他們相信上帝以前所立的應許，也確信藉上帝的憐憫，他們的罪已被塗抹。存著信心死與目前有關。這些聖徒確信自已蒙上帝悅納。他們享受祂愛的光輝，並安息在祂的信實中。存著信心死也看到將來。他們安睡了，確信彌賽亞必定再來。當祂於末日顯現在地上時，他們要從墳墓中起來與祂相見。對他們而言，死亡的痛苦只不過是比生產之劇痛還好一點的痛苦。當你讀此墓誌銘時，願你得著激勵。你這一生的旅程是信心的旅程，雖然環境常常不帶給你喜樂。在這途徑上，隨後而來的是最光明、最美好的。仰望耶穌，祂是你信心的創始成終者。感謝祂賜你寶貴的信心，這信心與那些已在榮耀中之靈魂的信心是相同的。 Evening, May 2 Scripture: "These all died in faith."(Hebrews 11:13) Behold the epitaph of all those blessed saints who fell asleep before the coming of our Lord! It matters nothing how else they died, whether of old age, or by violent means; this one point, in which they all agree, is the most worthy of record, "they all died in faith." In faith they lived—it was their comfort, their guide, their motive and their support; and in the same spiritual grace they died, ending their life-song in the sweet strain in which they had so long continued. They did not die resting in the flesh or upon their own attainments; they made no advance from their first way of acceptance with God, but held to the way of faith to the end. Faith is as precious to die by as to live by. Dying in faith has distinct reference to the past. They believed the promises which had gone before, and were assured that their sins were blotted out through the mercy of God. Dying in faith has to do with the present. These saints were confident of their acceptance with God, they enjoyed the beams of his love, and rested in his faithfulness. Dying in faith looks into the future. They fell asleep, affirming that the Messiah would surely come, and that when he would in the last days appear upon the earth, they would rise from their graves to behold him. To them the pains of death were but the birth-pangs of a better state. Take courage, my soul, as thou readest this epitaph. Thy course, through grace, is one of faith, and sight seldom cheers thee; this has also been the pathway of the brightest and the best. Faith was the orbit in which these stars of the first magnitude moved all the time of their shining here; and happy art thou that it is thine. Look anew to-night to Jesus, the author and finisher of thy faith, and thank him for giving thee like precious faith with souls now in glory. www.glorypress.com