16/03/2008

Streams In the Desert for March 16

"For our profit." (Heb. 12:10.)

IN one of Ralph Connor's books he tells a story of Gwen. Gwen was a wild, wilful lassie and one who had always been accustomed to having her own way. Then one day she met with a terrible accident which crippled her for life. She became very rebellious and in the murmuring state she was visited by the Sky Pilot, as the missionary among the mountaineers was termed.

He told her the parable of the canyon. "At first there were no canyons, but only the broad, open prairie. One day the Master of the Prairie, walking over his great lawns, where were only grasses, asked the Prairie, `Where are your flowers?' and the prairie said, `Master I have no seeds.'

"Then he spoke to the birds, and they carried seeds of every kind of flower and strewed them far and wide, and soon the prairie bloomed with crocuses and roses and buffalo beans and the yellow crowfoot and the wild sunflowers and the red lilies all summer long. Then the Master came and was well pleased; but he missed the flowers he loved best of all, and he said to the Prairie: `Where are the clematis and the columbine, the sweet violets and wind-flowers, and all the ferns and flowering shrubs?'

"And again he spoke to the birds, and again they carried all the seeds and scattered them far and wide. But, again, when the Master came he could not find the flowers he loved best of all, and he said:

"`Where are those my sweetest flowers?' and the prairie cried sorrowfully:

"`Oh, Master, I cannot keep the flowers, for the winds sweep fiercely, and the sun beats upon my breast, and they wither up and fly away.' "Then the Master spoke to the Lightning, and with one swift blow the Lightning cleft the prairie to the heart. And the Prairie rocked and groaned in agony, and for many a day moaned bitterly over the black, jagged, gaping wound.

"But the river poured its waters through the cleft, and carried down deep black mould, and once more the birds carried seeds and strewed them in the canyon. And after a long time the rough rocks were decked out with soft mosses and trailing vines, and all the nooks were hung with clematis and columbine, and great elms lifted their huge tops high up into the sunlight, and down about their feet clustered the low cedars and balsams, and everywhere the violets and wind-flower and naiden-hair grew and bloomed, till the canyon became the Master's favorite place for rest and peace and joy."

Then the Sky Pilot read to her: "The fruit─I'll read `flowers'─of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness─and some of these grow only in the canyon."

"Which are the canyon flowers?" asked Gwen softly, and the Pilot answered: " Gentleness, meekness, longsuffering; but though the others, love, joy, peace, bloom in the open, yet never with so rich a bloom and so sweet a perfume as in the canyon."

For a long time Gwen lay quite still, and then said wistfully, who her lips trembled: "There are no flowers in my canyon, but only ragged rocks."

"Some day they will bloom, Gwen dear; the Master will find them, and we, to shall see them."

Beloved, when you come to your canyon, remember!

我能有一个圣洁的人生吗？

　　
　　假如说人不可能过一个圣洁的人生，上帝也就不会发出这样的诫命——即“你们要圣洁，因为我耶和华你们的上帝是圣洁的”了。成为圣洁是指人在上帝的面前必须分别为圣，上帝的本性表明了他是圣洁的，因此分别为圣属上帝使我们圣洁。

我们不可能靠着做善事变得圣洁。正如我们因信得救那样，我们惟独靠着信靠基督才能成为圣洁。随着我们的灵命在主里一天天得到成长，我们就会变得更加具有主的样式。

保罗说：“我们众人既然敞着脸得以看见主的荣光，好象从镜子里返照，就变成主的形状，荣上加荣，如同从主的灵变成的。”

一当我们察看耶稣、思想耶稣、探究耶稣、祷告耶稣和追随耶稣为楷模时，就能变成他的形状，开始象他一样思想和行动，且分别为圣。这就是圣洁的真实体现。

如果你是个基督徒，十年之后，你的人生同现在相比将有很大的改观。由于你与主的关系日益亲近，你的动机和欲求必将变得愈来愈圣洁。

耶稣在《八福篇》中这样说：“虚心的人有福了！因为他们必得见上帝。”我们在今生中是能够有一个圣洁的人生的，只要我们一天比一天更亲近上帝和更具有他的形象，便能在生活中从上帝那里领受某种程度的圣洁。尽管我们在今生今世无法得到一个完美无瑕的圣洁人生，但我们仍应持之以恒地向着这个目的努力耕耘。

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