一月九日 「我想現在的苦楚，若比將來要顯於我們的榮耀，就不足介意了。」羅馬書八章18節 我有一個天蛾的繭兒，差不多藏了一年。牠的結構非常特異，一頭是一條細管，一頭是一個球形的囊，很像試驗室中的細頸瓶。當蛾出繭的時候，牠必須從球形囊那裡爬過那條極細的管兒，然後纔能脫身，飛翔在空中。牠的身體這樣肥大，那條管兒這樣細小，人人都會希奇牠怎樣能殼出來呢？——一定會碰見多少難處，花費多少心機與力氣。據生物學家講：牠在作蛹的時候，翅膀萎縮不發達；脫繭的時候，必須經過這一番掙扎，身體中的體質纔能流到翅脈中去，兩翅纔能有力飛翔空中。 有一天，我恰巧看見那久囚的蟲兒開始活動了。整個的早晨，我忍耐著在牠旁邊看牠在裡面努力、奮門、掙扎，可是還不能進前絲毫。牠似乎再沒有可能出來了，最後我的耐心破產了。我就想我比造物者更智慧、更慈愛，我決意要幫牠一忙。我用我的小剪刀把繭上的絲剪薄了些，讓牠出來得稍為容易一些，這正是我得意之作！看哪！一會兒，我的蛾兒很容易地爬出來了，身體是反常的臃腫，翅膀是反常的萎縮。我守在牠旁邊等牠徐徐地伸展牠的翅膀，顯露牠細巧精緻的彩紋。豈知大失所望。我虛偽的溫柔竟成了禍根。可憐的蟲兒，非但不能撲著牠帶虹的翅翼，飛翔空中，呈現牠完全的美麗，竟很痛苦地爬了一會就不壽而終了。啊，我的智慧和慈愛害了牠！一個沒有發育完全的蛾兒，被我強使流產了！我把這事想了又想。許多時候我們看見人們在憂愁、困苦、艱難中掙扎，我們覺得很是可憐；我們常願意把神的法則變更給他們屬人的幫助。啊，眼光淺近的人啊！我們怎麼知道這些唏噓和呻吟不是他們的必需呢？目光深遠的，完全的愛，為要人們得益，只得不顧憐他們目前暫時的苦楚了。我們父神的愛正是如此。因為祂愛祂的兒女，所以纔施管教，要使他們有分於祂的聖潔。有了這樣榮耀的目的，祂纔不顧他們的眼淚。神使祂的長子在苦難中得榮耀；照樣，也使祂的眾兒女在患難中學習順服，得以進入榮耀。 　　　　　　　　　　─崔克德

January 9 　"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Rom. 8:18.) 　ＩKEPT for nearly a year the flask-shaped cocoon of an emperor moth. It is very peculiar in its construction. A narrow opening is left in the neck of the flask, through which the perfect insect forces its way, so that a forsaken cocoon is as entire as one still tenanted, no rupture of the interlacing fibers having taken place. The great disproportion between the means of egress and the size of the imprisoned insect makes one wonder how the exit is ever accomplished at all─and it never is without great labor and difficulty. It is supposed that the pressure to which the moth's body is subjected in passing through such a narrow opening is a provision of nature for forcing the juices into the vessels of the wings, these being less developed at the period of emerging from the chrysalis than they are in other insects. 　I happened to withness the first efforts of my prisoned moth to escape from its long confinement. During a whole forenoon, from time to time, I watched it patiently striving and struggling to get out. It never seemed able to get beyond a certain point, and at last my patience was exhausted. Very probably the confining fibers were drier and less elastic than if the cocoon had been left all winter on its native heather, as nature meant it to be. At all events I thought I was wiser and more compassionate than its Maker, and I resolved to give it a helping hand. With the point of my scissors I snipped the confining threads to make the exit just a very little easier, and lo! lmmediately, and with perfect ease, out crawled my moth dragging a huge swollen body and little shrivelled wings. In vain I watched to see that marvelous process of expansion in which these silently and swiftly develop before one's eyes; and as I traced the exquisite spots and markings of divers colors which were all there in miniature, I longed to see these assume their due proportions and the creature to appear in all its perfect beauty, as it is, in truth, one of the loveliest of its kind. But I looked in vain. My false tenderness had proved its ruin. It never was anything but a stunted abortion, crawling painfully through that brief life which it should have spent flying through the air on rainbow wings. I have thought of it often, often, when watching with pitiful eyes those who were struggling with sorrow, suffering, and distress; and I would fain cut short the discipline and give deliverance. Short-sighted man! How know I that one of these pangs or groans could be spared? The far-sighted, perfect love that seeks the perfection of its object does not weakly shrink from present, transient suffering. Our Father's love is too true to be weak. Because He loves His children, He chastises them that they may be partakers of His holiness. With this glorious end in view, He spares not for their crying. Made perfect through sufferings, as the Elder Brother was, the sons of God are trained up to obedience and brought to glory through much tribulation. 　　　　　　　　　　─Tract.

一月九日　順服 「你們要聽從我的話……這樣，……我也作你們的神。」耶利米書十一章4節 神賜給以色列人律法的時候，也賜給他們上面所寫的這一條命令。但是以色列人並沒有能力遵守律法，所以神再賜給他們新約，使祂的百姓能活出一個順服的生活來。我們讀耶利米書卅一章33節：「我要將我的……律法寫在他們心上。」卅二章40節：「且使他們有敬畏我的心，不離開我。」以西結書卅六章27節：「我必……使你們……謹守遵行我的典章。」這些奇妙的應許，都使他們確切地相信，順服要成為他們的喜樂。 讓我們敬聽主耶穌對於順服怎樣說：「有了我的命令又遵守的，這人就是愛我的；愛我的必蒙我父愛他，我也要愛他，……並且我們要到他那裡去，與他同在。」（約十四21—23）又說：「你們若遵守我的命令，就常在我的愛裡。」（約十五10）這些話乃是取之不盡，用之不竭的寶庫。信心堅定的信靠基督，能使我們活出一個愛和順服的生活。 除非兒女們肯順服，就沒有一個父親能訓誨他們；若是一個學生一直不肯順服，也沒有一個教師能教導他；若是士兵不立刻順服，也沒有一個將軍能領導他們打勝仗。但願神把信心的生活——就是順服的生活這一句話，銘刻在你的心裡。基督如何向著父是在順服裡生活，照樣我們若要在神的愛裡生活，也需要順服。 可惜有一種思想太普通了，就是「我不能順服，這太不可能了。」是的，順服在你是不可能的，但在神卻不然。祂曾應許說：「我必……使你們……謹守遵行我的典章。」只要禱告神，也默想這些話語，聖靈就會明亮你的眼睛，使你有能力遵行神的旨意。但願你和父神並主耶穌基督的交通，只存著一個盼望和目的，就是決意要活出一個安靜的、堅定的、沒有異議的順服生活。

一月九日　為自己的覺悟祈禱 「又願你們的靈，與魂，與身子，得蒙保守、……完全無可指摘。」帖撒羅尼迦前書五章23節 「你們的靈……」，聖靈唯一偉大而神祕的工作處，是在我們不可捉摸人格的深處。閱讀詩篇一三九篇有這麼一段話，「您是清晨的神，午夜的神，山峰的神，深海的神；但是我的靈性，比清晨還遼闊，比午夜還幽暗，比山峰還峻峭，比大海還深邃──您是這一切的神，求您做我的神。我不能攀上高峰，不能下到海底；有些動機，是我不能探討的，有些夢景，是我不能捉摸的──我的神啊！求您檢查我的心。」 無論我們的想像達到那裡，神都能予以促進，我們相信嗎？「耶穌基督的寶血能洗淨一切的罪」──如果這僅僅指著我們所知道的而言。求神可憐我們，因罪而遲鈍的人必覺悟不到罪。滌罪是在至高至深之境裡，滌洗我們的靈。如果我們常在光中，就如神在光中一樣，這樣，那餵養耶穌基督生命的聖靈也必飼養我們靈性的生命。只有神以聖靈保衛我們，我們的靈魂與身體才能一塵不染。不受神的譴責，直到耶穌基督來到。 我們應當多多注重神的這些要道。

一月九日 「然而，不要照我的意思，只要照您的意思」馬太福音廿六章39節 「立志行事為要成就祂的美意」腓立比書二章13節 對神的意願，我們應該有兩個態度。第一，我們應該有順服的意願，而這也是我們必須開始的起點。唯有交託了屬肉體的意願，神才能管理我們的心意。 神進一步地要我們有得勝的意願，只有在神得著我們坦誠順服的意願之後，祂才能使祂的意願變成我們的，並且將我們裡面為著祂的意願變得更強。也因此我們的意願不再是我們的，而是神的。只要我們順服神的選擇、跟隨祂的方向，祂會將祂的意願深植在我們心中，叫我們能像祂一樣積極、有能力，攻無不克、毫不動搖。 路加福音廿二章42節所提：「然而，不要成就我的意思，只要成就您的意思」，正是我們應有的第一個態度。約翰福音十七章24節說到：「父啊，我在那裡，願您所賜給我的人，也同我在那裡」，此是我們應持的第二個態度。這兩個態度都是神聖、正確的，而且是過豐盛生活、事奉神所不可或缺的。