五月二日
我不求你叫他们离开世界……（约17：15）
在神所定的时候，与耶稣一同回家，是最甜蜜、最有福的事。再过几年为主打“那美好的仗”的兵丁，就必结束战事，进入主的欢乐中。虽然基督为他的民祈求说，他在那里也叫他的民在那里，但他并不是求神叫他们立即离世升天。他愿意他们在这里。但现在疲倦了的走天路的人却常祷告说：“愿我有鸽子的翅膀！那末我好飞去得安息”；可是基督并不是那样祷告，他把我们交在他父的手里，直到成熟的时候，我们都必被收在主的仓里。耶稣并不祈求叫我们借着死马上离开世界，因为我们住在肉体之中虽于己无益，但为别人也当活着。他求神保守我们，但他却并不求神叫我们未到时候就去承受荣耀。基督徒每当遇见难处的时候就想一死了之，如果问他们为什么，他们就回答说：“因为我们愿意离世与基督同在。”我们恐怕他们并非真正切慕与主同在，而是为了要脱离他们的难处；不然的话，当他们没有患难压迫的时候也该有同样的死的愿望。他们愿意回家，其实愿意与救主同在的成分，并不如愿意得安息的成分多。若我们的心能像保罗一样，那末我们才可有离世的心愿，因为与基督同在是好得无比的一件事，但如果是为了逃避困难那就是自私了。我们乃要按著神所喜欢的甘心愿意在这里借着我们的生活荣耀神，就是在劳苦、争战和苦难当中，也要耐心等候，让他说：“已经够了。”
May 2
“I pray not that Thou
shouldst take them out of the world.” — John 17:15
It is a sweet and
blessed event which will occur to all believers in God’s own time–the going
home to be with Jesus. In a few more years the Lord’s soldiers, who are now
fighting “the good fight of faith” will have done with conflict, and
have entered into the joy of their Lord. But although Christ prays that His
people may eventually be with Him where He is, He does not ask that they may be
taken at once away from this world to heaven. He wishes them to stay here. Yet
how frequently does the wearied pilgrim put up the prayer, “O that I had
wings like a dove! for then would I fly away and be at rest;” but Christ
does not pray like that, He leaves us in His Father’s hands, until, like shocks
of corn fully ripe, we shall each be gathered into our Master’s garner. Jesus
does not plead for our instant removal by death, for to abide in the flesh is
needful for others if not profitable for ourselves. He asks that we may be kept
from evil, but He never asks for us to be admitted to the inheritance in glory
till we are of full age. Christians often want to die when they have any
trouble. Ask them why, and they tell you, “Because we would be with the
Lord.” We fear it is not so much because they are longing to be with the
Lord, as because they desire to get rid of their troubles; else they would feel
the same wish to die at other times when not under the pressure of trial. They
want to go home, not so much for the Saviour’s company, as to be at rest. Now
it is quite right to desire to depart if we can do it in the same spirit that
Paul did, because to be with Christ is far better, but the wish to escape from
trouble is a selfish one. Rather let your care and wish be to glorify God by
your life here as long as He pleases, even though it be in the midst of toil,
and conflict, and suffering, and leave Him to say when “it is
enough.”
