Daily Devotion - Dec 10 - ¥q¥¬¯u¨C¤éÆF­×(©]) Evening by Evening

司布真每日靈修(夜) Evening by Evening

十二月十日

經文: 主就開導她的心。（使徒行傳十六：14）

呂底亞的轉變是發生在上帝所安排的環境中。她是在推雅推喇城賣紫色布疋的人，卻剛好來到腓立比，正趕上保羅講道的時刻。上帝的安排，就是恩典的助手，引導她來到恰當的地點。恩典預備了她的心來領受祝福。雖尚未認識救主，但由於她是猶太人，早已瞭解許多真理，而這正成為她認識耶穌的踏腳石。在安息日，她來到一個禱告的地方，在該處禱告蒙垂聽。我們雖不在上帝的殿中，但祂一樣可以祝福我門，尤其是當我們與眾聖徒相交時，更有充份理由期待祂會祝福。請注意這話：「主開導她的心。」她並不是自己把心門打開。並不是她的禱告作成這事，也不是保羅所作成的。主親身開導人的心去接受那能賜我們心靈平安的事。祂是人人的主，因為人心是祂造的。順服是證明人心已開啓的第一個外證。呂底亞一信耶穌就領了洗。當上帝的兒女願意接受祂的命令時，雖然這命令於人的救恩並非必要的，而且是因為害怕定罪之自私心態而被迫接受的。然而這仍是謙卑破碎之心的甜美記號。呂底亞的領洗是領受的單純表現，也是與她的主相交的行動。第二個證據是愛，顯明在她對使徒的感恩行動上。對聖徒的愛常是真正轉變的記號。那些不為基督、不為祂的教會工作的人，實在難以證明他們有敞開的心。主啊，給我一顆向您開放的心。

Evening, December 10

Scripture: "Whose heart the Lord opened."(Acts 16:14)

In Lydia's conversion there are many points of interest. It was brought about by providential circumstances. She was a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, but just at the right time for hearing Paul we find her at Philippi; providence, which is the handmaid of grace, led her to the right spot. Again, grace was preparing her soul for the blessing—grace preparing for grace. She did not know the Saviour, but as a Jewess, she knew many truths which were excellent stepping-stones to a knowledge of Jesus. Her conversion took place in the use of the means. On the Sabbath she went when prayer was wont to be made, and there prayer was heard. Never neglect the means of grace; God may bless us when we are not in his house, but we have the greater reason to hope that he will when we are in communion with his saints. Observe the words, "Whose heart the Lord opened." She did not open her own heart. Her prayers did not do it; Paul did not do it. The Lord himself must open the heart, to receive the things which make for our peace. He alone can put the key into the hole of the door and open it, and get admittance for himself. He is the heart's master as he is the heart's maker. The first outward evidence of the opened heart was obedience. As soon as Lydia had believed in Jesus, she was baptized. It is a sweet sign of a humble and broken heart, when the child of God is willing to obey a command which is not essential to his salvation, which is not forced upon him by a selfish fear of condemnation, but is a simple act of obedience and of communion with his Master. The next evidence was love, manifesting itself in acts of grateful kindness to the apostles. Love to the saints has ever been a mark of the true convert. Those who do nothing for Christ or his church, give but sorry evidence of an "opened" heart. Lord, evermore give me an opened heart.

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