第三週■週五

w03d05-ch

晨興餧養

提後二6 ～ 7『勞力的農夫，理當先分享果實。我所說的你要思想，因爲凡事主必給你領悟力。』

林前三9『因爲我們是神的同工，你們是神的耕地，神的建築。』

〔在提後二章六節〕保羅把提摩太比作農夫。當兵的必須贏得勝利，運動員必須得着華冠，農夫理當分享果實—糧食。這需要忍耐。作爲運動員，我們該迅速；但作爲農夫，我們需要忍耐。農夫若因沒有忍耐，要揠苗助長，他的作物就會被毀壞。照樣，他若過於驅策他的牛，也許會傷了它們。對農作物和牲畜，農夫必須學習有忍耐（提摩太後書生命讀經，二九頁）。

信息選讀

當我們到前線去打仗時，我們必須勇敢，然後纔能贏得爭戰。但是當我們來建造時，我們必須有智慧。我們必須領悟，我們正在建造的建築，完全是生命裏的事。…智慧的工頭和神的建築都是生命和生命裏的事。首先，保羅的職事是栽種的職事。保羅說，『我栽種了，亞波羅澆灌了，惟有神叫他生長。』（林前三6）這不是爭戰的事，乃是在生命裏長大的事。然後保羅接着說，我們是神的耕地，神的農場（9）。這農場不是荒蕪或未耕種的，乃是神所耕種爲要生長基督的農場。農場也是生命的事。然後保羅說，我們不僅是神的農場，也是神的建築（9）。這建築當然是生命裏的建築（李常受文集一九八六年第一册，一七六至一七七頁）。

彼前二章二節說到話就是奶。『像纔生的嬰孩一樣，切慕那純淨的話奶，叫你們靠此長大。』聖經有些地方我們很容易吸取，那就是奶，也稱爲『美善的話』（來六5），以及『恩典的話』（徒十四3，二十32）。當我們讀某段主的話時，覺得就像一個小孩享受一杯令人舒暢的牛奶一樣。然而還有些主的話，雖然比較有分量，但吸取起來卻像喫牛排一樣。這些比較有分量的話，在希伯來書裏叫作乾糧（五12），和公義的話（13）。如果我們能彀接受它，它就使我們有成熟的分量。這樣看來，我們吸取主話的路就是：嘗它、吸它、喫它像奶一樣以及接受它像乾糧一樣。

請注意以賽亞五十五章十至十一節如何描述主的話：『就如雨雪從天而降，並不返回，卻滋潤地土，使地發芽結實，使撒種的有種，使要喫的有糧；我口所出的話也必如此，絕不徒然返回，卻要成就我所喜悅的，在我所打發去成就的事上必然亨通。』主的話好比夏天的雨，冬天的雪，澆灌我們，產生種子，好結出果實，並產生糧食作我們的滿足。這在我們吸取主話的經歷上，是一幅奇妙的圖畫。

神的話甚至使我們的身體健康。箴言四章二十至二十二節說，『我兒，要留心聽我的言語，側耳聽我的講論。都不可使這些離你的眼目；要持守在你心中。因爲對尋得的人，這些乃是生命，又是全身的醫治。』神的話如何能使我們的身體健康呢？疾病常常由憂慮或怒氣引起。人若是能喜樂，他們的疾病常常會消蹤。當我們進到主的話裏，喜樂就進來醫治。主的話殺死煩惱人的事，並且帶來復活。這時我們自然喫得好，消化得好，我們的身體就健康了（李常受文集一九七八年第二册，三三一至三三三頁）。

參讀：提摩太前書生命讀經，第九篇；爲着基督身體的一經歷神人調和，第五章。

WEEK 3 — DAY 5

Morning Nourishment

2 Tim. 2:6-7 The laboring farmer must be the first to partake of the fruit. Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in all things.

1 Cor. 3:9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s cultivated land, God’s building.

[In 2 Timothy 2:6] Paul likens Timothy to a farmer. Just as a soldier must win the victory and an athlete must receive the crown, so a farmer must partake of the fruit, the food. This requires patience. As athletes, we should be quick, but as farmers, we need to be patient. If out of impatience a farmer would pluck up the tiny sprouts, his crop would be ruined. Likewise, if he drives his cattle too much, he may hurt them. With both crops and livestock, farmers must learn to have patience. (Life-study of 2 Timothy, 2nd ed., p. 24)

Todays Reading

When we go to the front to fight the battle, we have to be bold. Then we can win the war. But when we come to build, we have to be wise. We have to realize that the building which we are building is altogether a matter in life…The wise master builder and the building of God are both matters of life and in life. First, Paul’s ministry was a matter of planting. Paul says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth” (1 Cor. 3:6). This is not a matter of fighting, but a matter of the growth in life. Then Paul goes on to say that we are God’s cultivated land, or God’s farm (v. 9). This farm is not wild or uncultivated, but it is a farm cultivated by God to grow Christ. A farm is also a matter of life. Then Paul says that we are not only God’s farm but also God’s building (v. 9). This building is surely a building in life. (CWWL, 1986, vol. 1, “Elders’ Training, Book 7: One Accord for the Lord’s Move,” p. 143)

In 1 Peter 2:2 the word is referred to as milk: “As newborn babes, long for the guileless milk of the word in order that by it you may grow unto salvation.” The portions of the Bible that are easy for us to take in are milk. They are also called “the good word” (Heb. 6:5) and the word of grace (Acts 14:3; 20:32). When we read some parts of the Word, we feel like a child enjoying a refreshing glass of milk. Other portions of the Word, though, have more weight to them; taking them in is like eating a steak. These weightier portions are referred to in Hebrews as solid food (5:12) and as the word of righteousness (v. 13). When we can receive them, they give us the weight of maturity. These, then, are the life ways to take the word: taste it, breathe it, eat it, drink it as milk, and take it in as solid food.

Notice how the word is described in Isaiah 55:10-11: “Just as the rain comes down / And the snow from heaven, / And does not return there, / Until it waters the earth / And makes it bear and sprout forth, / That it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater; / So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; / It will not return to Me vainly, / But it will accomplish what I delight in, / And it will prosper in the matter to which I have sent it.” The word is likened to rain in summer and snow in winter, watering us to produce the seed for fruit-bearing and the bread for our satisfaction. This is a marvelous picture of our experience in taking the word.

The word of God even brings health to our body. Proverbs 4:20-22 says, “My son, be attentive to my words; / Incline your ear to my sayings. / Do not let them depart from your sight; / Keep them in the midst of your heart. / For they are life to those who find them, / And healing to all their flesh.” How can God’s word make us physically healthy? Illness is often caused by anxiety or anger. If people are made happy, their sickness often disappears. When we get into the Word, joy comes in to heal. The word kills the bothering things and brings in resurrection. Then we can eat and digest our food well, and our body becomes healthy. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 2, “Life Messages, Volume 1,” pp. 242-244)

Further Reading: Life-study of 1 Timothy, msg. 9; CWWL, 1963, vol. 1, “Experiencing the Mingling of God with Man for the Oneness of the Body of Christ,” ch. 5