第二十五週．週三

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晨興餧養

腓一１９～２０　『因為我知道，這事藉著你們的祈求，和耶穌基督之靈全備的供應，終必叫我得救。這是照著我所專切期待並盼望的，就是沒有一事會叫我羞愧，只要凡事放膽，無論是生，是死，總叫基督在我身體上，現今也照常顯大。』

謙讓宜人…這個希臘字的意思是合理的、體諒人的、合宜的、合式的。一個謙讓宜人的人總是擺得合式的，他的行為總是合宜的。

有些聖徒好是好，但他們就是擺得不合式。他們從一地遷到另一地，但是他們不論往那裏去都不愉快。這些聖徒擺得不合式，原因在於他們不謙讓宜人。不論景況或環境如何，一個謙讓宜人的人總是擺得合式的，他的行為總是合宜的。（腓立比書生命讀經，六○二至六○三頁。）

信息選讀

謙讓宜人也包括和平、溫和與溫柔。你若合理、體諒人，又能擺得合式，那麼毫無疑問，你必是溫柔的、有恩慈的、溫和的、和平的，你也是柔和而有節制的，對別人滿有憐恤。…與謙讓宜人相對的，乃是合法的苛求。缺少謙讓宜人的人，對別人總會強行苛求。但謙讓宜人的意思是我們以少於我們所當得的為滿足。…例如，某一樣東西也許是我們的，但我們不照著嚴格的、合法的權益去要求享用。這就是謙讓宜人。

主耶穌的生活是謙讓宜人最好的說明。想想祂如何對那兩個往以馬忤斯去的門徒說話。路加二十四章十五節說，這兩個門徒『正談話討論的時候，耶穌親自就近他們，和他們同行』。主耶穌對他們說，『你們走路彼此交談的是甚麼事？』（17。）兩個門徒的其中一位帶著責備的口吻說，『獨有你在耶路撒冷作客，不知道這幾天在那裏所發生的事麼？』（18。）主好像一無所知的問道：『甚麼事？』（19上。）然後他們就開始告訴祂關於拿撒勒人耶穌的事，他們形容祂是個『申言者，在神和眾百姓面前，行事說話都有大能』。（19下。）他們接著又說，祭司長和官長把祂解去定了死罪，釘祂十字架。主比這兩個門徒知道得更多，卻聽這兩個門徒講說，這看出主是何等的謙讓宜人！他們走了一段相當長的路程，『將近他們所要去的村子，耶穌好像還要往前行。』（28。）然而，『他們卻強留祂…。耶穌就進去，要同他們住下。』（29。）主甚至與他們一同坐席。當祂拿起餅來，祝福了，擘開，遞給他們的時候，『他們的眼睛開了，這纔認出祂來。』（31。）在這整個過程中，我們看見主的謙讓宜人。

除了主耶穌以外，沒有人曾經實行這樣謙讓宜人的生活。你若讀名人傳記，就會看見，沒有人是真的謙讓宜人。但你若讀四福音書，就會看見，主耶穌的人性生活滿了謙讓宜人。…惟有主耶穌過一種滿了謙讓宜人的生活，而今天惟有基督纔能成為我們完全的謙讓宜人。我們若要總括基督人性美德的總和，最適當的辭就是謙讓宜人。叫人知道我們的謙讓宜人，就是過彰顯基督的生活，這生活乃是彰顯我們所憑以活著的基督。這樣的生活就是基督自己作一切人性美德的總和。

在腓立比四章五節保羅…說，『主是近的。』…祂與我們同在。當我們活祂，以祂為我們的榜樣，並將萬事看作虧損以贏得祂，我們就覺得祂與我們同在。祂在空間和時間上都是近的。就空間說，主對我們是近的，是很便當的幫助；就時間說，主與我們是近的，不久就要來。主既是近的，我們何須受到困擾並激動？（腓立比書生命讀經，六○三至六○六、二七二頁。）

參讀：腓立比書生命讀經，第五十七至五十八篇。

WEEK 25 — DAY 3

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Morning Nourishment

Phil. 1:19-20 For I know that for me this will turn out to salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I will be put to shame, but with all boldness, as always, even now Christ will be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death.

The Greek word for forbearance…means “reasonable, considerate, suitable, and fitting.” A forbearing person is one who always fits in, one whose behavior is always suitable.

Certain saints are good, but they do not fit in. They may move from place to place, but no matter where they may go, they are not happy. The reason these saints do not fit in is that they are not forbearing. A forbearing person is one who always fits in, whose behavior is always suitable, no matter what the circumstances or environment may be. (Life-study of Philippians, pp. 489-490)

Todays Reading

Forbearance also includes peacefulness, mildness, and gentleness. If you are reasonable, considerate, and able to fit in, you will no doubt be gentle, kind, mild, and peaceful. You will also be meek and moderate, full of compassion for others…The opposite of forbearance is being just in a very exacting way. A person who lacks forbearance will be exacting and demanding of others. But to be forbearing means that we are satisfied with less than our due…For example, a certain thing may be ours, but we do not claim it according to strict, legal right. This is forbearance.

The life of the Lord Jesus is the best illustration of forbearance. Consider how He spoke to those two disciples on the way to Emmaus. Luke 24:15 says that while these disciples “were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.” The Lord Jesus said to them, “What are these words which you are exchanging with one another while you are walking?” And “they stood still, looking sad” (v. 17). With a rebuking tone, one of the disciples answered, “Do You alone dwell as a stranger in Jerusalem and not know the things which have taken place in it in these days?” (v. 18).
Appearing not to know anything, the Lord asked, “What things?” (v. 19). Then they proceeded to tell Him about Jesus the Nazarene, One they described as a “Prophet powerful in work and word before God and all the people.” They went on to say that the chief priests and the rulers delivered Him up to the sentence of death and crucified Him. How forbearing the Lord was to listen to the disciples speak things that He knew much better than they did! After walking quite a distance, “they drew near to the village where they were going, and He acted as though He would go farther” (v. 28). However, “they constrained Him…And He went in to stay with them” (v. 29). The Lord even sat down to dine with them. When He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, “their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him” (v. 31). In all of this we see the Lord’s forbearance.

Besides the Lord Jesus, no human being has ever practiced a life of such forbearance. If you study the biographies of famous people, you will see that not one was truly a person of forbearance. However, if you read the four Gospels, you will see that the human living of the Lord Jesus was full of forbearance. Only the Lord Jesus lived a life full of forbearance, and only Christ can be our perfect forbearance today. The best word to sum up the totality of Christ’s human virtues is forbearance. To make known our
forbearance is to live a life that expresses Christ; it is to express the Christ by whom we live. Such a life is Christ Himself as the totality of all human virtues.

In Philippians 4:5 Paul…says, “The Lord is near.”…He is with us. When we live Him, taking Him as our pattern and counting all things as loss in order to gain Him, we sense that He is present with us. He is near both in space and in time. With respect to space, He is near to us, ready to help; with regard to time, He is at hand, coming soon. Since the Lord is near, what need is there for us to be troubled and stirred up? (Life-study of Philippians, pp. 490-492, 224-225)

Further Reading: Life-study of Philippians, msgs. 57—58