8月4日 失去世人的喜爱
失去世人的喜爱
当我们失去世人的喜爱时，却会赢得他们的敬畏与尊重。那些因你圣洁而不肯爱你的人，必定会因同样的缘故而敬畏你、惧怕你。
当我们失去世人的喜爱时，却会得着神的赐福。“人若因我辱骂你们，逼迫你们，捏造各样坏话毁谤你们，你们就有福了！”（太5:11）神的护理犹如我们头顶上一座坚固的遮盖，护卫我们免受世人狂怒风暴的侵袭。然而，当一个圣徒深陷罪中，给不敬虔之人留下毁谤的把柄时，光景便截然不同了：世人辱骂他，神也向他掩面发怒。此时，神的话语不再为他敞开避难之所，使他躲避那毁谤之舌的攻击。但是，当恶人因你的圣洁而恨恶你时，神已藉着祂的应许亲自作了担保，必赐下祂的慈爱来回应世人的仇恨，必倾注祂的赐福来替代世人的咒诅。既然顺服与圣洁能使我们在天上大君王的恩宠中得着更高的尊荣，我们又怎能因世人的轻视而心生抱怨呢？
当我们失去世人的喜爱时，却会赢得他们的敬畏与尊重。那些因你圣洁而不肯爱你的人，必定会因同样的缘故而敬畏你、惧怕你。但是，每当你为了换取罪人虚假的喜爱而放弃一丝圣洁时，你也就失去了他们的良心原本在暗中对你生命所怀的敬意。一个靠着圣洁大能行事为人的基督徒，犹如参孙一般，令恶人深感战兢；但如果罪显露了他里面灵性的软弱无力，他就会被仇敌生擒，落在他们口舌的鞭打与内心的蔑视之中。
只要你依然穿戴着公义的护心镜，贫穷与卑微的地位就无法使你变得令人不齿。即使一颗圣洁的心外表披着褴褛的衣衫，其中依然能散发出君王般的威严。例如，大卫的公义迫使扫罗不得不对他心生敬畏，这位君王竟向自己所放逐的臣民放声大哭，并承认说：“你比我公义。”（撒上24:17）事情本来就当如此：属血气的人不得不承认，圣徒圣洁的生命使他们彻底折服。只要你照着神所要求的那种独特而卓越的方式行事，去做那些甚至连你身边最优秀的非信徒也无法做到的事，这样的敬畏也必同样临到你身上。
麦琴（麦克谦）读经计划进度
家庭敬拜：士18章，徒22章，
个人灵修：耶32章，路1章
AUGUST 4, TUESDAY
LOSING THE WORLD’S LOVE
When we lose the world’s love we gain its reverence and honor. The people who will not love you because you are holy cannot help but respect and fear you.
When we lose man’s love we gain God’s blessing. “Blessed are ye, when men say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my name’s sake” (Matthew 5:11). God’s providence is a perfect roof over our heads to defend us from the storm of man’s rage. But it is a different story when a saint is caught in sin and gives the ungodly opportunity to speak evil of him. Man reviles and God frowns. His Word does not open its shelter then to hide you from the assault of reviling tongues. But when the wicked hate you for your holiness, God is bound by promise to pay you love for their hatred and blessing for their cursing. Can we ever complain about man’s disrespect when obedience and holiness advance us to a higher place in the King’s favor?
When we lose the world’s love we gain its reverence and honor. The people who will not love you because you are holy cannot help but respect and fear you for that same reason. But every time you give up a little holiness to gain false love from sinners, you forfeit the reverence which their consciences secretly paid to your life. Like Samson, a Christian walking in the power of holiness is greatly feared by the wicked; but if sin exposes an impotent spirit, he is captured and falls under the lash of their tongues and the scorn of their hearts.
Poverty and a low class in society cannot make you contemptible as long as you keep on the breastplate of righteousness. Majesty can reign in a holy heart even when it is dressed in rags. For instance, the righteousness of David commanded reverence from Saul, and the king paid homage to his exiled subject: “He wept, and said to David, Thou art more righteous than I” (1 Samuel 24:16, 17). And this is as it should be—carnal men must admit that they are overpowered by the holy lives of saints. And this shall happen as you behave in that distinctive and singular manner called for by God, doing things that even the best of our unbelieving neighbors cannot do.