Daily Devotion - Jan 18 - ¯îºz¥Ì¬u Streams in the Desert

荒漠甘泉 Streams in the Desert

火窯

經文: 「感謝上帝，常帥領我們在基督裡誇勝。」（林後二14）

在人顯著的失敗中，上帝得著最完全的勝利。許多時候，仇敵似乎得勝了，上帝也容讓他得勝；可是後來上帝終究剷除他所有的作為，推翻他顯著的勝利，一如經上所說：「使惡人的道路顛倒。」（詩一四六9，直譯）如果上帝不讓仇敵先得勢，上帝就不能給我們更大、更可誇的得勝。

三個希伯來人被擲入火窯的故事，是一個很好的例子。這裡，仇敵顯然勝利了。按事情看來，永活上帝的僕人將陷於一敗塗地的光景中了。（許多時候，我們也有這樣失敗的光景，同時仇敵眞是歡喜。）他們跌在火燄中，他們的仇敵盼望看他們在可怕的火燄中頃刻之間化成飛灰，萬想不到這三個希伯來人竟在火窯中遊行自娛。這眞使仇敵喫驚不小。尼布甲尼撒王叫他們從火中出來，甚至一根頭髮也沒有燒焦，一塊布也沒有變色，也沒有一些火燎的氣味，「因為沒有別神能這樣施行拯救。」（但三29）

顯著的失敗的結果，反是希奇的勝利。

假定這三個希伯來人失去信心和勇氣，在受困之時怨上帝說：「為甚麼上帝不救我們脫離火窯呢？」他們定歸會被火燒死，上帝也得不著榮耀了。親愛的，今天在你的生活中，若是正有一個極大的試煉，不要氣餒，自認失敗，仍要繼續用信心藉著那能使你得勝有餘的主宣告勝利，榮耀的勝利立刻就要來了。我們應當知道：在一切上帝應許我們進入的艱難中，上帝在替我們造成機會，使我們在祂裡面學習信心的功課，藉著主基督誇勝，大大榮耀祂自己的名。──譯自讚美的生命（Life of Praise）


The Fiery Furnace

Scripture: "Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ" (2 Cor. 2:14).

God gets His greatest victories out of apparent defeats. Very often the enemy seems to triumph for a little, and God lets it be so; but then He comes in and upsets all the work of the enemy, overthrows the apparent victory, and as the Bible says, "turns the way of the wicked upside down." Thus He gives a great deal larger victory than we would have known if He had not allowed the enemy, seemingly, to triumph in the first place.
The story of the three Hebrew children being cast into the fiery furnace is a familiar one. Here was an apparent victory for the enemy. It looked as if the servants of the living God were going to have a terrible defeat. We have all been in places where it seemed as though we were defeated, and the enemy rejoiced. We can imagine what a complete defeat this looked to be. They fell down into the flames, and their enemies watched them to see them burn up in that awful fire, but were greatly astonished to see them walking around in the fire enjoying themselves. Nebuchadnezzar told them to "come forth out of the midst of the fire." Not even a hair was singed, nor was the smell of fire on their garments, "because there is no other god that can deliver after this sort."
This apparent defeat resulted in a marvelous victory.
Suppose that these three men had lost their faith and courage, and had complained, saying, "Why did not God keep us out of the furnace!" They would have been burned, and God would not have been glorified. If there is a great trial in your life today, do not own it as a defeat, but continue, by faith, to claim the victory through Him who is able to make you more than conqueror, and a glorious victory will soon be apparent. Let us learn that in all the hard places God brings us into, He is making opportunities for us to exercise such faith in Him as will bring about blessed results and greatly glorify His name. --Life of Praise


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