第二週■週一

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晨興餧養

羅十五13『但願那賜盼望的神，因信將一切喜樂平安充滿你們，使你們靠聖靈的能力，充盈滿溢的有盼望。』

約十五11『這些事我已經對你們說了，是要叫我的喜樂可以在你們裏面，並叫你們的喜樂可以滿足。』

羅馬十五章十三節…指明喜樂是神的一個屬性。神是可享受的神。在我們的經歷中，我們若享受神作恩典，就會有平安；我們若有平安，就會有喜樂。（新約總論第一册，一二四頁。）

基督在祂的身位裏對信徒是喜樂。…〔約翰十五章十一節〕的上下文是主說到葡萄樹和枝子乃是一個生機體，彰顯神聖生命的豐富以榮耀父。（1 ～ 11。）我們成爲神聖葡萄樹的枝子，並結果子以彰顯神聖的生命，乃是喜樂的事，也是喜樂的生活。我們若住在主裏面，並藉着住在祂的愛裏而持續的住在祂裏面，以致多結果子彰顯祂生命的豐富，叫父得榮耀，我們就要被喜樂充滿。我們的喜樂總是來自我們住在主裏面，來自我們住在祂的愛裏，來自我們在祂豐富的生命裏結果子，並來自父的彰顯與得榮。在這種生活裏我們滿了喜樂；這喜樂實際上就是基督自己。（新約總論第三册，四六至四七頁。）

信息選讀

在約翰十七章十三節，主耶穌又說到信徒裏面要充滿祂的喜樂。在祂向父的禱告裏，祂說，『現在我往你那裏去，我還在世上說這話，是叫他們裏面充滿我的喜樂。』喜樂的充滿是在真正的一裏。我們在父的名裏，憑着父的生命成爲一，一起享受父的時候，我們裏面就充滿主的喜樂。這就是爲何當我們真正成爲一的時候，我們就充滿對父的讚美。這讚美是裏面喜樂的湧流。

在腓立比三章一節保羅說，『還有，我的弟兄們，你們要在主裏喜樂。把同樣的話寫給你們，於我並不爲難，於你們卻是妥當。』這裏保羅囑咐聖徒要在主裏喜樂。他的話指明，在主裏喜樂是一種保護、保障。…在腓立比必定有一種光景，需要某種防衞，保護。保羅所想到的光景，就是熱中猶太教者所引起的攪擾。保羅鼓勵聖徒要在主裏喜樂，作爲保護免於受攪擾。

在四章四節保羅說，『你們要在主裏常常喜樂，我再說，你們要喜樂。』所有的信徒都需要在主裏喜樂。…這喜樂給我們力量，使我們能有二、三節所說的一。信徒若要思念相同的事，他們需要學習喜樂。在主裏喜樂，也是得到五至九節所列優越美德的祕訣。我們若要有這些經節所說的美德，就需要在主裏喜樂。所以，在主裏喜樂是非常重要的。（新約總論第三册，四七至四八頁。）

主的喜樂能不能存留在我們裏面，在於我們能不能叫主喜樂。我們若不愛主，不住在主裏面，主的話也不住在我們裏面，主給的誡命，我們也不聽從；這樣，在我們裏面的主能喜樂麼？…那些不住在主裏面的人，常是愁眉苦臉的，沒有喜樂。他們有時也許開開玩笑，好像很喜樂，或者他們發了財，升了官，好像有喜樂；但當他們安靜下來時，其實並沒有喜樂。所以，他們來到擘餅聚會裏，無法讚美；在禱告聚會中，也無法開口；因爲在他們裏面的主乃是憂愁不喜樂的。（弗四30。）然而，我們若愛主，學習不斷的住在祂裏面，讓祂的話住在我們裏面，我們也住在祂的愛裏，並且接受祂的誡命，順從祂的話語；主的喜樂會存留在我們裏面，我們的喜樂就滿足了。（李常受文集一九五九年第一册，四八一至四八二頁。）

參讀： 新約總論， 第五十三、八十三、三百八十二篇。

WEEK 2 — DAY 1

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Morning Nourishment

Rom. 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope in the power of the Holy Spirit.

John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full.

Romans 15:13 [indicates] that joy is one of God’s attributes. God is the God of enjoyment. In our experience, if we enjoy God as grace, we shall have peace, and if we have peace, we shall have joy.

In His person Christ is joy to the believers…The context of John 15:11 is the Lord’s word concerning the vine and the branches being an organism to glorify the Father by expressing the riches of the divine life (vv. 1-11). For us to be branches of the divine vine and to bear fruit to express the divine life is a matter of joy—a joyful life. If we abide in the Lord and keep abiding in Him by abiding in His love so that we may bear much fruit to express the riches of His life for the glorification of the Father, we shall be filled with joy. Our joy always comes from our abiding in the Lord, from our abiding in His love, from our fruit-bearing in His rich life, and from the expression and glorification of the Father. In this kind of life we are full of a joy that is actually Christ Himself. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 106, 575)

Today’s Reading

In John 17:13 the Lord Jesus again speaks concerning His joy being made
full in the believers. In His prayer to the Father, He said, “Now I am coming to
You, and these things I speak in the world that they may have My joy made full in themselves.” The fullness of joy is in the real oneness. When we are one in the Father’s name by the Father’s life, enjoying the Father together, we shall have the Lord’s joy made full in us. This is the reason that when we are truly one, we are filled with praise to the Father. This praise is the overflow of the inner joy.

In Philippians 3:1 Paul says, “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, for me it is not irksome, but for you it is safe.” Here Paul charges the saints to rejoice in the Lord. His word indicates that rejoicing in the Lord is a safeguard, a security…There must have been a situation in Philippi that required a safeguard, some kind of protection. The situation Paul had in mind was the trouble caused by the Judaizers. As a protection from that trouble, Paul encouraged the saints to rejoice in the Lord.

In Philippians 4:4 Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” All believers need to rejoice in the Lord…This rejoicing affords us the strength for the oneness spoken of in Philippians 4:2 and 3. If believers are to think the same thing, it is necessary for them to learn to rejoice. Rejoicing in the Lord is also the secret of having the excellent characteristics listed in Philippians 4:5-9. If we would have the virtues found in these verses, we need to rejoice in the Lord. Therefore, rejoicing in the Lord is very important. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 575-576)

Whether the Lord’s joy can remain in us depends on whether we make the Lord joyful. If we do not love the Lord and abide in Him, if the Lord’s words do not abide in us, and if we do not obey the commandments given by the Lord, can the Lord be joyful in us?…Those who do not abide in the Lord often have a sad face and are without joy. At times they may joke around and appear joyful, or they may be joyful when they make money or get promoted, but in quiet moments they are not joyful. Therefore, they cannot render praises in the Lord’s table meeting or open their mouth in the prayer meeting, because the Lord in them is sorrowful and without joy (Eph. 4:30). However, if we love the Lord, learn to abide in Him continually, allow His words to abide in us, abide in His love, receive His commandments, and obey His words, the Lord’s joy will remain in us, and our joy will be made full. (CWWL, 1959, vol. 1, p. 374)

Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msgs. 53, 83, 382