Daily Devotion - Mar 31 - ¥q¥?‾u‥C?eAF-×(c]) Evening by Evening

司布真每日靈修(夜) Evening by Evening 三月三十一日 經文: 愛雅的女兒利斯巴用麻布，在磐石上搭棚，從動手收割的時候，直到天降雨在屍身上的時候，日間不容空中的雀鳥落在屍身上，夜間不讓田野的走獸前來蹧踐。（撒母耳記下二十一：10） 倘若婦人對她那被殺兒子的愛能使她持續悲哀，徹夜不眠，守護這麼長的時期，我們在思念愛我們的主所受的苦難時，能生出疲倦之心嗎？這個婦人趕走前來攫食的雀鳥。我們不能從沈思中逐去那些屬世的、能污穢我們頭腦的罪惡思想嗎？離開，罪惡之翼的鳥，離開吧！利斯巴忍受著夏天的暑溽、夜晚的露珠和雨水，毫無遮蔽且孤獨一人。睡眠從祂的淚眼中被逐出。看哪，她是如何愛她的兒子！我們遭逢些微不便或試驗時就心生抱怨。我們真是如此懦弱，不能與主同受苦難嗎？這個婦人甚至有無比的勇氣去趕走野獸。為耶穌的緣故，我們是否作好準備去面對每一敵人？她的孩子被殺戮了，她雖哭泣仍然守護者。為我們的罪而被釘十架的主，我們當為祂作什麼？我們的職責是無盡的、我們的愛應該是滿溢的、我們的悔改應該是徹底的。與耶穌一起儆醒應該是我們的責任，保護祂的尊榮應該是我們的職守，與祂的十架同住應該是我們的平安。那些可怖的屍體或許會令利斯巴害怕，尤其是在夜晚。但是在我們受死的主身上沒有一絲可怖，反而能吸引我們。耶穌，我們願與祂一同儆醒，求祂以恩典向我們啓示祂自已，使我們不至坐在麻布底下，而是安坐在祂的宮室之中。 Evening, March 31 Scripture: "And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night."(2 Samuel 21:10) If the love of a woman to her slain sons could make her prolong her mournful vigil for so long a period, shall we weary of considering the sufferings of our blessed Lord? She drove away the birds of prey, and shall not we chase from our meditations those worldly and sinful thoughts which defile both our minds and the sacred themes upon which we are occupied? Away, ye birds of evil wing! Leave ye the sacrifice alone! She bore the heats of summer, the night dews and the rains, unsheltered and alone. Sleep was chased from her weeping eyes: her heart was too full for slumber. Behold how she loved her children! Shall Rizpah thus endure, and shall we start at the first little inconvenience or trial? Are we such cowards that we cannot bear to suffer with our Lord? She chased away even the wild beasts, with courage unusual in her sex, and will not we be ready to encounter every foe for Jesus' sake? These her children were slain by other hands than hers, and yet she wept and watched: what ought we to do who have by our sins crucified our Lord? Our obligations are boundless, our love should be fervent and our repentance thorough. To watch with Jesus should be our business, to protect his honour our occupation, to abide by his cross our solace. Those ghastly corpses might well have affrighted Rizpah, especially by night, but in our Lord, at whose cross-foot we are sitting, there is nothing revolting, but everything attractive. Never was living beauty so enchanting as a dying Saviour. Jesus, we will watch with thee yet awhile, and do thou graciously unveil thyself to us; then shall we not sit beneath sackcloth, but in a royal pavilion. www.glorypress.com