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經文：「亞伯拉罕仍舊站在耶和華面前。」（創18:22） 神的朋友可以為人向神說情；我們或許認為亞伯拉罕的信心，並與神的友誼遠遠勝過我們。但是無須失望；亞伯拉罕也是漸漸成熟的，所以我們當然可以用跑步而非跳遠的方式漸漸成熟。 凡是信心經過許多試煉而得勝的人，總有一個更大的試煉正等在前方。無價的鑽石都是曾經過切磋琢磨；貴重的金屬都是曾經過烈火的試驗。亞伯拉罕假如未曾受過極大的試煉，絕不可能被稱為信心之父。 請讀創世記二十二章二節：「你帶著你的兒子，就是你獨生的兒子，你所愛的。」看哪，他帶著一個謙卑順服的心，一步一步地牽著他的寶貝愛子向摩利亞山上走去，預備獻給所敬愛的神！ 他的行動給予那些至今仍懷疑神的試煉的人們何等大的責備！他的所做引起天使的注意，也堅固了日後神兒女的信心；使信徒們知道，那不猶豫的信心能證明神的信實。 當得勝的信心到達頂點的時候，神的使者對亞伯拉罕說：「現在我知道你是敬畏神的了。」意思就是：你既然絕對地信任我，我就要信任你；你可以永遠作我的朋友，獲得我的祝福，也成為他人的祝福。這就是一條不變的原則：「那以信為本的人，和有信心的亞伯拉罕一同得福。」（路3:9）--選 是呀，與神做朋友真不是一件小事。 新譯｜荒漠甘泉讀書會 |
◇◇◇ Scripture: "Abraham stood yet before the Lord" (Gen. 18:22). The friend of God can plead with Him for others. Perhaps Abraham's height of faith and friendship seems beyond our little possibilities. Do not be discouraged, Abraham grew; so may we. He went step by step, not by great leaps. The man whose faith has been deeply tested and who has come off victorious, is the man to whom supreme tests must come. The finest jewels are most carefully cut and polished; the hottest fires try the most precious metal. Abraham would never have been called the Father of the Faithful if he had not been proved to the uttermost. Read Genesis, twenty-second chapter: "Take thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest." See him going with a chastened, wistful, yet humbly obedient heart up Moriah's height, with the idol of his heart beside him about to be sacrificed at the command of God whom he had faithfully loved and served! What a rebuke to our questionings of God's dealings with us! Away with all doubting explanations of this stupendous scene! It was an object lesson for the ages. Angels were looking. Shall this man's faith stand forever for the strength and help of all God's people? Shall it be known through him that unfaltering faith will always prove the faithfulness of God? Yes; and when faith has borne victoriously its uttermost test, the angel of the Lord--who? The Lord Jesus, Jehovah, He in whom "all the promises of God are yea and amen"--spoke to him, saying, "Now I know that thou fearest God." Thou hast trusted me to the uttermost. I will also trust thee; thou shalt ever be My friend, and I will bless thee, and make thee a blessing. It is always so, and always will be. "They that are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." --Selected It is no small thing to be on terms of friendship with God. ｜ Mrs. Charles Cowman |