7月5日
标 题：选择喜乐
经 节：约在半夜，保罗和西拉祷告，唱诗赞美神，众囚犯也侧耳而听。（使徒行传十六章25节）
身为基督徒，我们的喜乐不应该取决于环境。喜乐乃是从神而来，不应被外在环境所影响。不要愚蠢地任由他人的行为举止，来决定你的喜乐。真正的喜乐乃是不管外在环境如何，确实知道神自己住在我们心里与我们相交。真喜乐是清楚了解圣洁的神已经完全饶恕我们的罪，甚至祂已经在天上为我们安排了一个住处，让我们能够永远与祂在一起（约翰福音十四：3）。你生活的环境并不能够改变这些真理！
保罗和西拉面对的是你所能想像到最困难的环境。他们被诬告，被拘捕下监。他们被棍打，并且被上了脚镣，关在监狱中最黑暗、最寒冷的牢房。然而，他们拒绝让可怖的环境减少自己的喜乐！他们没有责怪神让这些事发生在他们身上，相反地，他们赞美祂的美善！在黑暗的夜晚，他们祷告、唱诗、赞美神。神施行了一个神迹，他们的锁炼都松开，然而，最大的神迹也许是圣灵即使在他们痛苦入监时，仍然充满他们，使他们的喜乐满溢！
不要让困难的事物抵消你作神儿女的喜悦。选择让圣灵以洋溢的喜乐充满你。对那些看你面对试炼的人而言，你的生命会是个神迹。
Choose to
Rejoice
But at
midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the
prisoners were listening to them. (Acts 16:25)
Your
joy as a Christian should not depend on your circumstances. Joy comes from God,
and therefore it cannot be affected by what is outside of you. Don’t be fooled
into letting the actions of others determine your joy. True joy comes from
knowing that God Himself lives within you and has fellowship with you,
regardless of your environment. Real joy lies in the knowledge that holy God
has completely forgiven you of every sin, and even now, He has a home prepared
in heaven where you can spend eternity with Him (John 14:3). The circumstances
of your life cannot change these truths!
Paul
and Silas faced some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable. They were
falsely accused, arrested, and imprisoned. They were beaten and shackled in the
darkest, coldest section of the prison. But they refused to allow their
horrific situation to dampen their joy! They did not blame God for allowing
these things to happen to them. Instead, they praised Him for His goodness! In
the darkness of the night, they prayed and they sang. God brought a miracle
that released them from their chains, but perhaps the greater miracle was that
His Holy Spirit could so fill them that even in their painful imprisonment they
could overflow with joy!
Do
not allow difficult events to cancel the joy of knowing you are a child of God.
Choose to allow God’s Spirit to fill you with His unquenchable joy, and your
life will be a miracle to those who watch you face the trials that come.
