一月四日 | |
| 經文: 約瑟認得他哥哥們，他們卻不認得他。（創世記四十二：8） | |
| 我們都期望與主耶穌的關係能增長，也期望能更明白祂的旨意。今晚，讓我們來思考祂認識我們這一題目。遠在我們對祂有絲毫認識以前，祂就完完全全認識了我們。「我未成形的體質，祢的眼早已看見了。……我被造的肢體尚未有其一，祢都寫在祢的冊上了。」（詩一三九：16）我們存於世上以前，已經存於祂的心中。當我們尚與祂為敵的時候，祂已經認識我們，知道我們的愁煩、我們的狂妄和我們的邪惡。當我們還在悔罪中痛哭流涕，視祂為審判者、執政者時，祂就視我們為祂心愛的弟兄，並從祂心中向我們發出憐憫了。祂永不忘記祂所揀選的人，並視祂們為祂無限之愛的對象。「主認識誰是祂的人」（提後二：19），對在祂家中的兒女，這話是真實的，對餵醏的浪子而言，這話也是真實的。但是我們卻不認識這位作王的長兄，由於如此無知，便生出許多罪孽來。我們不將自己的心交給祂，不讓祂進入我們的愛中。我們不信任祂，不尊重祂的話。我們背叛祂，不以愛向祂效忠。祂如公義的太陽照亮，我們卻看不到祂。天國降臨在地上，世人卻不認識。願上帝得頌讚，那些日子對我們而言，已經成為過去！然而即使是現在，我們對耶穌的認識，較之祂認識我們，仍是何等地不足。我們只是開始去研究祂，祂卻已完全認識了我們。當祂再來要審判世界時，祂不會對我們說：「我不認識你們」，反要在父面前承認我們。 | |
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| Evening, January 4 | |
| Scripture: “And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.”(Genesis 42:8) | |
| This morning our desires went forth for growth in our acquaintance with the Lord Jesus; it may be well to-night to consider a kindred topic, namely, our heavenly Joseph's knowledge of us. This was most blessedly perfect long before we had the slightest knowledge of him. “His eyes beheld our substance, yet being imperfect, and in his book all our members were written, when as yet there was none of them.” Before we had a being in the world we had a being in his heart. When we were enemies to him, he knew us, our misery, our madness, and our wickedness. When we wept bitterly in despairing repentance, and viewed him only as a judge and a ruler, he viewed us as his brethren well beloved, and his bowels yearned towards us. He never mistook his chosen, but always beheld them as objects of his infinite affection. “The Lord knoweth them that are his,” is as true of the prodigals who are feeding swine as of the children who sit at the table. But, alas! we knew not our royal Brother, and out of this ignorance grew a host of sins. We withheld our hearts from him, and allowed him no entrance to our love. We mistrusted him, and gave no credit to his words. We rebelled against him, and paid him no loving homage. The Sun of Righteousness shone forth, and we could not see him. Heaven came down to earth, and earth perceived it not. Let God be praised, those days are over with us; yet even now it is but little that we know of Jesus compared with what he knows of us. We have but begun to study him, but he knoweth us altogether. It is a blessed circumstance that the ignorance is not on his side, for then it would be a hopeless case for us. He will not say to us, “I never knew you,” but he will confess our names in the day of his appearing, and meanwhile will manifest himself to us as he doth not unto the world. | |
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