1月27日 警惕仇敌
警惕仇敌
当撒但看见一个火热的基督徒时，牠会说：“这股热心肯定不会长久。”
士兵驻守何处，就当在该处屹立不倒，除非接到解散的命令，否则既不可擅离职守，也不可沉睡。当基督再来之时，惟有那些被祂发现仍在坚守岗位的灵魂，才能蒙祂的赐福。
基督为何如此坚持要祂的士兵保持警醒？因为撒但的诡计迫使我们必须如此。若撒但得以能在我们的属灵美德沉睡之时发动攻击，牠便占尽优势。当初，魔鬼发现基督随时预备好了抵挡试探，牠就很快败下阵来。经上说：“魔鬼用完了各样的试探，就暂时离开耶稣。”（路4:13）然而，即使在牠羞愧退却之际，似乎仍怀着一种企图，指望在更有利的时机出其不意地突袭基督；后来我们也确实发现牠卷土重来，并挑选了最可能得手的时机——但这唯有在祂仅仅是凡人而非神人二性的救主时，撒但才可能得逞（太 27:42）。
既然这胆大妄为的试探者窥探基督尚且如此密切，难道牠不会也同样侦察你，盼着有朝一日发现你里面的属灵美德正在打盹吗？牠如今因你的警醒而无机可乘，日后却可能借你的疏忽而大得便利；事实上，牠甚至巴不得你因持续的尽责而精疲力竭，好让牠反过来讥笑你为基督所付出的真诚努力。当撒但看见一个火热的基督徒时，牠会说：“这股热心肯定不会长久。”而当牠见那人对圣灵极其敏锐、在行为上格外谨慎时，牠又说：“这只是暂时的，他撑不了多久；很快他就会松开弓弦、解下盔甲，到那时我就能收拾他了。” 但是，只要我们不断向神支取力量，撒但的计谋就绝不会得逞。
除了撒但，我们自身的属灵美德也使得殷勤儆醒成为必要。若不严加看管，这些属灵美德就会像逃学的孩子一样擅离职守；而一个长期离开顺服这所学校的灵魂，是绝不会急着回去重修旧课的。
麦琴（麦克谦）读经计划进度
家庭敬拜：创28章，太27章，
个人灵修：斯4章，徒27章
JANUARY 27, TUESDAY
ALERT FOR THE ENEMY
“Surely,” says Satan when he sees a fervent Christian, “this will not last long.”
Where the soldier is placed, there he stands and must neither stir nor sleep till he is discharged. When Christ comes, only that soul whom He finds so doing shall have His blessing.
Why is Christ so insistent that His soldiers remain on alert? Because Satan’s actions demand it. Satan’s advantage is great when he catches our graces napping. When the devil found Christ so ready to repel his temptation, he soon had enough. It is said, “He departed … for a season” (Luke 4:13). But in his shameful retreat it seems he comforted himself with the hopes of surprising Christ unawares at another time more advantageous to his design. And we do find him coming again at the most likely time to have had his way—but only if his enemy had been man and not God (Matthew 27:42).
Now if this bold tempter watched Christ so closely, does it not seem likely he will scout you, too, hoping sooner or later to find your graces slumbering? What he misses now by your watchfulness he may gain later by your negligence. In fact, he hopes you will push yourself to exhaustion with continual duty. What fiendish pleasure he would derive from turning the tables on your sincere efforts for Christ. “Surely,” says Satan when he sees a fervent Christian, “this will not last long.” When he finds him most sensitive to the Spirit and scrupulous in conduct, he says, “This is but for a while; he cannot keep it up for long. Soon he will unbend his bow and unbuckle his armor, and then I will have at him.” But this can never happen as long as we are continually applying to God for our strength.
Satan is not the only pitfall; the nature of our graces makes diligence essential. If not watched closely, they will play the truant. And a soul long absent from the school of obedience will not be eager to return and take up his old assignments.