經過過去幾天的思考，我們不妨在這兒停下來，提醒自己要明白神對事情的次序──「生命之先必有死亡」的真理。麥子裡面有能夠長出無數顆麥子的潛力，但是每顆孤單的麥子卻必須先落到地裡死去以後才會有豐盛的結果。潛力必須在種子死後才能夠發揮出來，從死亡裡面產生出豐富的收成。這個原則不僅僅是大自然有趣的事實，如果我們的生命要多結果子，我們也必須願意向自己的計劃死去，這樣才能活出神的計劃。

接下來我們要思考一下生命常遇到的另一些問題──障礙和反對。你是否希望自己的生命不會遇到這些令人沮喪的情況？它們在阻擋你的前路或妨礙你屬靈生命的成長？讓我告訴你，如果沒有它們，你會更糟糕，因為你所面對的障礙和反對可以變成一種激勵，促使你屬靈方面的成長。

有一位牧者朋友曾經歷過一段十分困難的日子，他要求我和他一起禱告，祈求神除去他事奉中的所有障礙。我充滿愛意地將手放在他肩膀上，對他說：「如果神這麼做，你的事奉便不會有結果。」他明白那意思，所以轉而要求我祈求神幫助他向自己所關注的一切死去。我照著他的要求禱告，從那天開始，他的事奉很有力，結果非常理想。朋友，你知道嗎？你的事奉也可以有同樣的成果。

「生命的障礙可以促進屬靈生命的成長」

進深研究
腓一1-14；徒五41；羅八17

1. 保羅怎麼樣看自己的挫折？
2. 正面的結果是甚麼？

祈禱
天父，我越來越明白真正重要的不是有甚麼會發生在我身上，而是我如何對待這一切事情。求您把這教導植入我的內心，使它每天主導我的人生。奉耶穌的名祈求，阿們。

The Corn of Wheat Afraid to Die

Day 286

Problems? No, prods!

"...God...is using your sufferings to make you ready for his kingdom." (v.5, TLB)

Bible reading:
2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

1 Paul, Silas[a] and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters,[b] and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.

4 Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

5 All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.

6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you

7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.

8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might

10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.

12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.[c]

Message

We pause at this point to remind ourselves of the principle we are seeking to understand, namely that in God's order of things, life is always preceded by death. A grain of wheat has within it the potential of becoming many grains of wheat, but first the solitary grain must fall into the ground and die. It is only after death that its potential is released, and out of the dying comes an abundant harvest. That principle is not just to be seen as an interesting fact of nature; if our lives are to be fruitful, then we, too, must be willing to die to our own purposes so that we might live to God's.

The next sphere of life we examine is the area of obstacles and opposition. Would you like your life to be free of those potentially frustrating situations that block your way or impede your spiritual development? Then let me say at once, you could be worse off without them. The obstacles and opposition you face can turn out to be prods - prods toward your spiritual growth.

A minister friend of mine who was going through a period of great difficulty once asked me to pray with him that God would remove all the obstacles from his ministry. I put my hand lovingly on his shoulder and replied: "If He does, it will make your ministry less effective." He saw the point, and instead asked me to pray that God would help him to die to his own concerns. I did, and from that day to this, his ministry has flourished and become extremely fruitful. And so, my friend, can yours.

"Opposition can promote spiritual growth"

Prayer
O Father, more and more the conviction grows that it is not what happens to me, but what I do with it, that is important. Deepen this conviction within me so that it becomes a controlling one - today and every day. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Further study
Philippians 1:1-14
Acts 5:41
Romans 8:17

1.How did Paul view his setbacks?
2. What was the positive outcome?

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