Daily Devotion - Jan 7 - ¯îºz¥Ì¬u Streams in the Desert

荒漠甘泉 Streams in the Desert

知足

經文: 「我無論在甚麼景況，都可以知足，這是我已經學會了。」（腓四11）

保羅輕看了一切的福樂，在監獄中寫上面的幾句話。有一個故事講到一個國王，一天早晨獨自到他的花園中去散步，他發現所有的花草樹木都枯萎凋謝了。園中充滿了死象，一無生氣，國王非常詫異，就問園門口的一棵橡樹；它們中間究竟了甚麼岔子。後來他纔知道，橡樹因為自怨沒有那松樹高大俊秀，所以就生出厭世之心，不想活了。松樹又恨自己，不能像葡萄藤那樣多結果子。葡萄藤也將自盡，因為它終日匐伏於地，不能直立，又不能像桃樹那樣開美麗可愛的花。牽牛花也病倒了，因為它嘆自己沒有紫丁香那樣芬芳。其餘的都垂頭喪氣，怨自己不如人，只有一枝頂小的心安草（Heart's-ease堇屬），國王見它仍在噴香吐豔，維持原狀。國王高興極了，對它說：「心安草，我眞歡喜，別的都悲觀厭世，只有你這枝小草，這樣勇敢，你似乎一點都沒有沮喪。」小草兒回答說：「王阿，我絕對沒有，連一絲的灰心，一毫的失望，也沒有。我雖然算不得甚麼，但是我知道如果你要一棵橡樹，或者一棵松樹，或葡萄藤，或者桃樹，或者牽牛花，或者紫丁香，你就會去種植；我知道你要我作一枝小的心安草，所以我就心滿意足地盡力作一枝小的心安草。」

那些不為自己留下絲毫地位的奉獻者，在萬事上都能知足；因為他們只願意上帝所願意的，只作上帝所要他們作的。他們剝奪他們自己的一切，在這樣的赤裸中，上帝在今世償還他們百倍。──選


Contentment

Scripture: "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content" (Phil. 4:11).

Paul, denied of every comfort, wrote the above words in his dungeon. A story is told of a king who went into his garden one morning, and found everything withered and dying. He asked the oak that stood near the gate what the trouble was. He found it was sick of life and determined to die because it was not tall and beautiful like the pine. The pine was all out of heart because it could not bear grapes, like the vine. The vine was going to throw its life away because it could not stand erect and have as fine fruit as the peach tree. The geranium was fretting because it was not tall and fragrant like the lilac; and so on all through the garden. Coming to a heart's-ease, he found its bright face lifted as cheery as ever. "Well, heart's-ease, I'm glad, amidst all this discouragement, to find one brave little flower. You do not seem to be the least disheartened." "No, I am not of much account, but I thought that if you wanted an oak, or a pine, or a peach tree, or a lilac, you would have planted one; but as I knew you wanted a heart's-ease, I am determined to be the best little heart's-ease that I can."
They who are God's without reserve, are in every state content; for they will only what He wills, and desire to do for Him whatever He desires them to do; they strip themselves of everything, and in this nakedness find all things restored an hundredfold.


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