十二月十二日[mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/12/1212.mp3″]
经文: 他们向耶和华行事诡诈。（何西阿书五：7）
信徒啊，这是一件令人担忧的事实！你是主所爱，蒙祂的宝血救赎，藉恩典蒙召，在基督耶稣内得保守，被接纳于爱我们的主之中，并向天国迈进的。但是，你却以“诡诈”待上帝，祂是你的良友；以诡诈对耶稣，你应当是属祂的；又以诡诈对圣灵，藉祂的帮助你能早日得到永远的生命；还记得你起初的爱──你的灵命的春天吗？那时，你与你的主是何等亲密啊！你曾说：“在服事祂的工作中，我的脚步永不怠惰，我必不让我的心被其它的爱吸引。在祂里面有充足的甜密。我要为我主耶稣的缘故放弃一切。”果真如此吗？若你的良心能说话，它要说：“他的承诺众多，行动却寡，他的祷告常常稀少，简短不甜美；简单又不热情。他忘记了与基督相交。他应该有属天的思想，却只关心肉体之事、世界的虚浮、和邪恶的念头。他应该事奉，却不愿顺服。他应当热诚，却不冷不热；应当忍耐，却诸多怨言；应当有信心，却只对身边的事有信心；应当作十字架的精兵，却只是懦弱、不顺从、甚至可耻地背弃主。”但愿我们带着悔罪的意念驱逐那些确实在我们里面的罪。祂永不忘记我们，更佩戴刻有我们的名字的胸牌侍立在永远的宝座前，而我们竟以诡诈待祂，真是可耻啊！
Evening, December 12
Scripture: “They have dealt treacherously against the Lord.”(Hosea 5:7)
Believer, here is a sorrowful truth! Thou art the beloved of the Lord, redeemed by blood, called by grace, preserved in Christ Jesus, accepted in the Beloved, on thy way to heaven, and yet, “thou hast dealt treacherously” with God, thy best friend; treacherously with Jesus, whose thou art; treacherously with the Holy Spirit, by whom thou hast been quickened unto life eternal! How treacherous you have been in the matter of vows and promises. Do you remember the love of your espousals, that happy time－the springtime of your spiritual life? Oh, how closely did you cling to your Master then! saying, “He shall never charge me with indifference; my feet shall never grow slow in the way of his service; I will not suffer my heart to wander after other loves; in him is every store of sweetness ineffable. I give all up for my Lord Jesus’ sake.” Has it been so? Alas! if conscience speak, it will say, “He who promised so well has performed most ill. Prayer has oftentimes been slurred－it has been short, but not sweet; brief, but not fervent. Communion with Christ has been forgotten. Instead of a heavenly mind, there have been carnal cares, worldly vanities and thoughts of evil. Instead of service, there has been disobedience; instead of fervency, lukewarmness; instead of patience, petulance; instead of faith, confidence in an arm of flesh; and as a soldier of the cross there has been cowardice, disobedience, and desertion, to a very shameful degree.” “Thou hast dealt treacherously.” Treachery to Jesus! what words shall be used in denouncing it? Words little avail: let our penitent thoughts execrate the sin which is so surely in us. Treacherous to thy wounds, O Jesus! Forgive us, and let us not sin again! How shameful to be treacherous to him who never forgets us, but who this day stands with our names engraven on his breastplate before the eternal throne.