永生与蛋糕

当面临死亡时将是你人生在世最后的一刻，却不是你的心头，乃是进入永生的生日。--标杆人生

在2004年，我写下了如下的文字：
如果我死了……
捐献我的所有器官，如果它们还有用的话
要火葬
我的骨灰要洒在海里，从海里来，回海里去
不需要任何仪式，花圈，挽联，遗像和哀乐
如果有人怀念，那就从家里拿走一盆芦荟吧
不需要用心的照顾它
想起来的时候就浇一点水
，就如一只蜡烛吹灭了
……
灯光亮起
大家共唱生日快乐歌
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
今天读到标杆人生的时候，忽然想起来了。那个时候我却不认识主，对永生却有这种相似的感觉。为什么呢，就如今天同样在标杆人生中读到的---圣经说：“(神)将永生安置在世人心里。”你天生便是有追求永生的本性。

又比如，我们在庆祝生日的时候，我们要关上灯，要点蜡烛，要唱生日歌，要许愿，又要吹灭蜡烛。关上灯，一片漆黑，什么都没有，如同创世之初；要有光，于是蜡烛被点上了；有了生命，所以大家齐唱生日歌；许愿，如同我们在世的日子中，心里的追求；再吹灭蜡烛，灯灭谕示人死……如果到此为止岂不可惜？我们会反问，既然又归于无有，为什么要开始呢？

然而，我们却知道，并不是到此为止。接下来，我们要拉开大灯，屋内一片光明，黑暗无处藏身。并且我们要拿起刀子，一同分享生命的盛宴--生日蛋糕。

没有永生，就比如一个生日宴会没有蛋糕一样。

SILENT NIGHT

Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright.
Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!

Silent night, holy night!
Son of God love's pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth,
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth.

Silent night, holy night!
Wonderous star, lend thy light;
With the angels let us sing,
Alleluia to our King;
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!

MARY'S BOY CHILD

Long time ago in Bethlehem,
So the Holy Bible say,
Mary's boy child, Jesus Christ,
Was born on Christmas day,
Hark, now hear the angels sing,
A newborn King today,
And man will live forevermore,
Because of Christmas day.

Trumpets sound and angels sing,
Listen to what they say,
That man will live forevermore,
Because of Christmas day.
Hark, now hear the angels sing,
A newborn King today,
And man will live forevermore,
Because of Christmas day.

While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
They saw a bright new shining star,
They heard a choir sing a song,
The music seemed to come from afar,
Now, Joseph and his wife, Mary,
Come to Bethlehem that night,
They found no place to bear her child,
Not a single room was in sight.

By and by, they find a little nook,
In a stable all forlorn,
And in a manger cold and dark,
Mary's little Boy was born!

JOY TO THE WORLD

Joy to the world! The Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King.
Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the world! The Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders of His love.

侠义军人

金句: 「温温和和……，用温柔劝戒那抵挡的人。」（提摩太后书2章24-25节）
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全年读经: 但以理书8-10章 约翰三书

在征召加入北方联军参加美国内战之前，张伯伦是一位谦虚朴实的大学教授。在盖茨堡战役中，有一次严酷的战斗，他英勇地守住小圆顶阵线，后来授颁国会荣誉勋章。

为了表彰张伯伦对联军胜利的贡献，格兰特（Ulysses S. Grant）将军委派他在阿波马托克斯郡府所在地接受南方的第一面降旗。战败的南方士兵原以为会遭到嘲弄和羞辱，可是，张伯伦向他们显出恩慈和尊重。为 此，南军指挥官在他的回忆录中写道，张伯伦是「联邦军队中的一位侠义军人。」

身为一个虔诚的基督徒，张伯伦彰显出了基督的恩慈。我们需要站稳信仰的立场，也要向立场不同的人显出恩慈。使徒保罗劝勉提摩太，要作「基督耶稣的精兵…… 温温和和地待众人，善于教导，存心忍耐，用温柔劝戒那抵挡的人」（提摩太后书2章3，24-25节）。不管遇冲突还是和解，我们都当表现出基督侠义之士的 恩慈心肠 。HDF

要像主温柔恩慈，
灵里柔和心谦卑；
日复一日更像主，
时时充满他的灵。Ellsworth

无一物像恩慈之崇高；无一事如真理之尊贵。

------转自《灵命日粮》

作神的光

Gal 2:20 我已经与基督同钉十字架，现在活著的不再是我，乃是基督在我里面活著；并且我如今在肉身活著，是因信神的儿子而活；他是爱我，为我舍己。

早上骑自行车穿过马路的时候，忽然看到天上仍然挂着一轮明月。月亮很大，很圆，很美，但是，我们知道，它若没有从太阳而来的光，它将黯然无色。

在黑夜里行走，有了月光就能得到很大的安慰。黑夜里也有一些光，例如烛光，灯光，萤火虫的荧光，还有坟地里的磷光……有的长久的亮着，引向希望；有的随人意亮或者灭，归于虚空；有的则诡异而神秘，引向的是死亡。

有人不喜欢光，喜欢黑暗，因为黑暗能够将他隐藏，因为黑暗里，可以做那些见不得光的事情。光照在黑暗里，黑暗却不接受光。

我们活在这世界里，就要做那月亮，折射神的光，与黑暗分别出来。不属于黑暗的人们啊，看着这光，就要想到，太阳升起的时候不远了。