第五週■週五

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晨興餧養

彼前三7『…作丈夫的…要按她〔妻子〕應得的分敬重她，因爲她是與你一同承受生命之恩的。』

四10『各人要照所得的恩賜，將這恩賜彼此供應，作神諸般恩典的好管家。』

五5『…神敵擋狂傲的人，賜恩給謙卑的人。』

彼得也說到生命之恩，是所有信徒，不論剛強或輭弱，所承受的。（彼前三7。）彼得教導信主的弟兄要愛他們的妻子，並要同情她們，因爲妻子是輭弱的器皿，是一同承受生命之恩的。…這生命乃是三一神自己作我們的生命，活在我們裏面，作我們的產業。

神諸般的恩典，〔四10，〕指明神種種恩典的豐富，由聖徒們彼此供應。你供應我一種的恩典，我供應你另一種的恩典。（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第一册，五○八至五○九頁。）

信息選讀

恩典乃是照着我們的情況和環境而有所不同。例如，恩典會照着你有怎樣的妻子，是天然順從的，或是難辦的，而有所不同。你的妻子若很好，你的恩典就不會像有難辦的妻子那樣多。同樣，你若沒有兒女，就不會享受與兒女有關這一面的恩典。哦，我們都需要認識這諸般的恩典！

在彼前五章五節彼得說，我們眾人彼此相待，該以謙卑束腰。…神敵擋高舉自己在別人之上，並且看自己比別人強的人。我們不該狂傲，並且表現自己在別人之上，卻該以謙卑的圍裙束腰。（彼得前書生命讀經，七、三五六至三五七頁。）

驕傲乃是我們天生墮落性情的屬性。神有祂的屬性，我們也有我們的屬性。我們這些墮落的人，第一個屬性就是驕傲。有誰不驕傲？不驕傲就沒有出息。有時老年人責備年輕人，說他們沒有雄心傲氣，所以沒有甚麼出息。但是在主的工作上，我們要竭力提防驕傲。

主甚至對保羅也提防他過於高擡自己，所以讓從撒但來的一根刺，加在他的肉體上。（林後十二7。）保羅爲這根刺曾三次求過主，叫這刺離開他。然而主對他說，『我的恩典彀你用的。』（9。）主似乎對他說，『保羅，我不挪開這刺，因爲我的恩典彀你用，我要給你彀用的恩典。』

驕傲是毀壞。你一驕傲，就把你的家庭毀壞了；你一驕傲，就把你的婚姻生活毀壞了；你一驕傲，也把你的職業毀壞了。一直要記住，謙卑要救你免去各種的毀壞，而爲你邀來神的恩典。（雅四6。）神敵擋驕傲的人，賜恩給謙卑的人。你若謙卑，恩典就來了。你若驕傲，恩典就走了；你就阻擋了恩典。（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第五册，三四二、三四四頁。）

彼得說到全般的恩典；那曾召信徒進入祂永遠榮耀的神，要藉着他們的苦難，用這恩典成全他們，堅固他們，加強他們，給他們立定根基。（彼前五10。）全般的恩典乃是成全的恩典、堅固的恩典、加強的恩典、立定根基的恩典。神藉着苦難的管道，用恩典成全、堅固、加強我們，並給我們立定根基。因着我的輭弱，幾乎每一天對我都是受苦的日子；但神藉着苦難成全、堅固、加強我，並給我立定根基。

有些所謂的恩典不是真實的，而是假的。彼前五章十二節有神真實的恩典，就是十節的全般的恩典，是信徒應當進入並在其中站住的。（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第一册，五○九至五一○頁。）

參讀：彼得前書生命讀經，第二十二至二十三、二十七、三十三至三十四篇；如何作同工與長老，並如何履行同工與長老的義務，第三至四篇。

WEEK 5 — DAY 5

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Morning Nourishment

1 Pet. 3:7 Husbands…assigning honor to them as also to fellow heirs of the grace of life…

        4:10 Each one, as he has received a gift, ministering it among yourselves as good stewards of the varied grace of God.

        5:5 …God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Peter also speaks of the grace of life that is the inheritance of all the believers, whether strong or weak (1 Pet. 3:7). Peter teaches the believing brothers to love and to sympathize with their wives because the wives as the weaker vessels are fellow heirs of the grace of life…This life is the Triune God Himself as our life, living in us to be our inheritance.

The varied grace of God [1 Pet. 4:10]…indicates the riches of the grace of God in its varieties ministered by the saints to one another. You minister to me one variety of grace, and I minister to you another variety. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” p. 404)

Today’s Reading

Grace varies according to our situation and environment. For example, it will vary according to the kind of wife you have, whether she is naturally submissive or difficult. If your wife is good, you will not have as much grace as if she were difficult. Likewise, if you do not have any children, you will not enjoy the aspect of grace related to children. Oh, we all need to know this varied grace!

In 1 Peter 5:5 Peter says that all of us should gird ourselves with humility toward one another…God resists the one who lifts himself above others and regards himself as better than others. Instead of being proud and showing ourselves above others, we should gird ourselves with the apron of humility. (Life-study of 1 Peter, pp. 5-6, 295-296)

Pride is an attribute of our fallen nature by birth. God has His attributes, and we have ours. We are fallen human beings, and as such, the first attribute we have is pride. Who is not proud? Whoever is not proud is good for nothing. In the Lord’s work, however, we must try our best to guard against pride.

Even with Paul, the Lord was wary of an exceeding exaltation of himself, so He let him have a thorn in his flesh from Satan (2 Cor. 12:7). Concerning the thorn, Paul entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from him. Nevertheless, the Lord said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you” (v. 9). The Lord seemed to be saying, “Paul, I will not remove the thorn, because My grace is sufficient for you. I will give you sufficient grace.”

Pride means destruction…Always remember that humility saves you from all kinds of destruction and invites God’s grace for you. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). If you are humble, grace comes. If you are proud, grace goes away; you have hindered grace. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “How to Be a Co-worker and an Elder and How to Fulfill Their Obligations,” pp. 271-273)

Peter speaks of the all grace by which God, who has called the believers into His eternal glory, perfects, establishes, strengthens, and grounds them through their sufferings (1 Pet. 5:10). The all grace is the perfecting grace, establishing grace, strengthening grace, and grounding grace. God perfects, establishes, strengthens, and grounds us by grace through the channel of sufferings. Because of my weakness, nearly every day is a suffering day for me. But God has perfected, established, strengthened, and grounded me through sufferings.

Some kinds of so-called grace are untrue; they are false. In 1 Peter 5:12 there is the true grace of God that is the all grace of God in verse 10, into which the believers should enter and in which they should stand. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” p. 405)

Further Reading: Life-study of 1 Peter, msgs. 22—23, 27, 33—34; CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “How to Be a Co-worker and an Elder and How to Fulfill Their Obligations,” chs. 3—4