第五週■週五

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晨興餧養

羅五17『…那些受洋溢之恩，並洋溢之義恩賜的，就更要藉着耶穌基督一人，在生命中作王了。』

      21『使罪怎樣在死中作王，恩典也照樣藉着義作王，叫人藉着我們的主耶穌基督得永遠的生命。』

約瑟看見他的夢應驗，必定非常喜樂。創世記四十二章啓示他的哥哥們來到他面前，向他下拜。約瑟作夢的時候是十七歲。他在三十歲被高舉，治理埃及地。大約九年後，約瑟的哥哥們向他下拜。這就是說，當約瑟的哥哥們來到他面前時，他可能是三十九歲。因此，大約在約瑟作夢後二十二年，直到他被出賣、被監禁以後，他纔看見這些夢應驗。他在監牢中度過多年，最終被高舉登了寶座。但那時約瑟還沒有看見他的夢應驗。…約瑟必須經過長期的試驗。在我們看來，他的忍耐也許會用盡。你能爲你夢的應驗等候二十二年麼？約瑟這樣等候了。

然後有一天，他的哥哥們來了，向他下拜。倘若我們是約瑟，我們會無法克制自己。…然而，約瑟看見他的夢應驗，並沒有失去控制。他很鎮靜，他克制自己的激動。他能這樣克制自己，因爲他是受那靈管治的人。（創世記生命讀經，一七五九至一七六○頁。）

信息選讀

在約瑟的故事裏所表顯的生命，不是人的生命，更不是墮落的生命。不僅如此，這甚至也不是善良的天然生命。這是復活的生命，神的生命。雖然約瑟是在激動的情景中，但他沒有表現得放鬆。這是生命。在約瑟身上，我們不僅看見生命，也看見生命的路，這路使我們自己受到控制。…他滿了人的感覺和感情，但他把自己和一切的感覺擺在那靈的管治之下。所以，我們在約瑟身上，不僅看見成熟的生命，也看見掌權的生命，以及這掌權生命的路。我們眾人，尤其是青年人，需要這樣的生命和這樣的路，就是成熟的人掌權的一面。這生命不容易激動，…這生命在激動中仍保持鎮靜，克制自己，並且隱藏榮耀。

約瑟是完全在神約束之下的人，所以神的國能藉着他帶進來。要實際的實現國度，需要有生活在約束之下並否認己的人。

約瑟有地位和能力作他所想要作的。然而，他沒有爲自己作甚麼。…最剛強的事，就是能不作你所能作的事。你有能力、地位、和機會作一件事，但你仍然不作。…約瑟登寶座以後，卽使與父親分別十三年之久，仍不作甚麼以拯救自己脫離孤寂。當哥哥們頭一次下來見他，他仍然不作甚麼。…這指明他是最有能力的人，他有力量不作他所能作的事。約瑟是這樣的人，因爲他在神的手下，在神的約束之下。

在約瑟治理埃及的前九年，他必定一再的接觸神。…甚至他父親來埃及見他的時候到了，約瑟也沒有出去，在途中迎接他。我相信這是他受主約束的結果。約瑟知道他不需要作甚麼，來應驗他的夢。這是真正的否認己，真實的背十字架。（創世記生命讀經，一七六一至一七六二、一八○八至一八一○頁。）

參讀：創世記生命讀經，第一百十五至一百十九篇。

WEEK 5 — DAY 5

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Morning Nourishment

Rom. 5:17…Those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of  righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

           21 In order that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Joseph must have been very happy to see the fulfillment of his dreams. Genesis 42 reveals that his brothers came to him and bowed down to him. Joseph was seventeen years old when he had his dreams. At the age of thirty he was exalted to rule over the land of Egypt. About nine years later Joseph’s brothers bowed themselves down to him. This means that Joseph would have been probably thirtynine years of age when his brothers came to him. Thus, about twenty-two years after his dreams, Joseph saw them fulfilled, but not until he had been betrayed and imprisoned. Then he spent many years in the dungeon and eventually was elevated to the throne at the time of his exaltation. But still Joseph did not see the fulfillment of his dreams…Joseph had to pass through a long perid of testing. It may seem to us that his patience would have been exhausted. Could you have waited twenty-two years for the fulfillment of your dreams? Joseph did.

Then on a certain day his brothers came and bowed down to him. If we had been Joseph, we would not have been able to contain our excitement…Joseph, however, was not out of control when he saw the fulfillment of his dreams. Rather, he was calm and his excitement was under control. He was able to control himself in such a way because he was a person with the rulership of the Spirit. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 1477-1478)

Today’s Reading

The life manifested in the story of Joseph is not the human life, much less the fallen life. Moreover, it is not even the good natural life. Rather, it is the resurrection life, the life of God. Although Joseph was in an exciting situation, he did not display any looseness. This is life. With Joseph we see not only life but also the way of life, which is to keep ourselves under control…He was full of human feelings and sentiments, but he kept himself with all his feelings under the rulership of the Spirit. Therefore, in Joseph we see not only the mature life but a reigning life and the way of this reigning life. We all, especially the young people, need such a life and such a way that is the reigning aspect of a mature person. This life is not easily excited…Instead, in the midst of excitement it remains calm, controls itself, and conceals its glory.

Joseph was a person wholly under God’s restriction. Therefore, the kingdom of God could be brought in through him. In order for the kingdom to be realized in a practical way, there had to be a person who lived under restriction and who denied himself…

Joseph had the position and the power to do whatever he desired. However, he did not do anything for himself…The strongest thing is to be able not to do something that you can do. You have the power, the position, and the opportunity to do a certain thing, yet you still do not do it…After Joseph was enthroned, he did nothing to rescue himself from being alone, even though he had been separated from his father for thirteen years. When the brothers first came down to him, he still did not do anything…This indicates that he was the most powerful person, one who has the strength not to do what he is able to do. Joseph was such a person because he was under God’s hand, under God’s restriction.

During the first nine years of his rule in Egypt, Joseph must have contacted the Lord again and again…Even when the time was right for his father to come to him in Egypt, Joseph did not go out to meet him on the way. I believe that this was the result of his being under the Lord’s restriction. Joseph knew that there was no need for him to do anything to fulfill his dreams. This is the real denial of the self and the genuine bearing of the cross. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 1479, 1519-1521)

Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msgs. 115-119