January 17

"O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee." (Dan. 6:20)

How many times we find this expression in the Scriptures¹, and yet it is just this very thing that we are so prone² to lose sight of. We know it is written "the living God"; but in our daily life there is scarcely anything we practically so much lose sight of as the fact that God is the living God; that He is now whatever He was three or four thousand years since; that He has the same sovereign power, the same saving love towards those who love and serve Him as ever He had and that He will do for them now what He did for others two, three, four thousand years ago, simply because He is the living God, the unchanging One. Oh, how therefore we should confide³ in Him, and in our darkest moments never lose sight of the fact that He is still and ever will be the living God!

Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him and expect help from Him, He will never fail you. An older brother who has known the Lord for forty-four years, who writes this, says to you for your encouragement that He has never failed him. In the greatest difficulties, in the heaviest trials, in the deepest poverty and necessities, He has never failed me; but because I was enabled by His grace to trust Him He has always appeared for my help. I delight in speaking well of His name. ━George Mueller

Luther was once found at a moment of peril⁴ and fear, when he had need to grasp unseen strength, sitting in an abstracted mood tracing on the table with his finger the words, "Vivit! vivit!" ("He lives! He lives!"). It is our hope for ourselves, and for His truth, and for mankind. Men come and go; leaders, teachers, thinkers speak and work for a season, and then fall silent and impotent. He abides⁵. They die, but He lives. They are lights kindled⁶, and, therefore, sooner or later quenched⁷; but He is the true light from which they draw all their brightness, and He shines for evermore. ━Alexander Maclaren

"One day I came to know Dr. John Douglas Adam," writes C. G. Trumbull. "I learned from him that what he counted his greatest spiritual asset was his unvarying consciousness of the actual presence of Jesus. Nothing bore him up so, he said, as the realization⁸ that Jesus was always with him in actual presence; and that this was so independent of his own feelings, independent of his deserts, and independent of his own notions as to how Jesus would manifest His presence.

"Moreover, he said that Christ was the home of his thoughts. Whenever his mind was free from other matters it would turn to Christ; and he would talk aloud to Christ when he was alone ━ on the street, anywhere ━ as easily and naturally as to a human friend. So real to him was Jesus' actual presence.

一月十七日

　“永活神的仆人但以理阿，你所常事奉的神，能救你……” （但六：20直译）

　　虽然这节圣经我们曾读了多次，可是我们常把它忽略过去。我们知道经上记着神是活的真神；然而在我们日常的生活中，我们最会忘记的，乃是神是活的神；因为祂是活的神祂在三四千年以前怎样，现在还是怎样；祂以前是全能的，现在还是；以前有慈爱怜悯，如今对于那些爱祂，事奉祂的人仍有；祂是不改变的。所以我们该完全信靠祂，在我们最黑暗的时侯，仍不失去这个事实━祂仍是，永是活的神！

　　如果你与神同行，仰望祂给你随时的帮助，永活的神保险不会误你的事。一个主内年长的弟兄，认识活的神已经四十四年了，他作见证告诉说：神从来没有耽误过我。在极大的艰难极重的试炼，极深的穷困和需要中，神从来没有误过我的事；因为我靠着祂的恩典能信祂，祂总随时给我帮助。我乐意述说祂的名。━莫勒

　　马丁路得有一次觉得他前途中危机四伏，因此他心中充满了忧愁和恐惧；这时他自己知道必须抓住上面来的力量，纔能过去；他独自枯坐着，用他的手指在棹面上画这几个字：“祂是永活的！”祂是永活的！他喜乐了，他恢复了。“祂是永活的，”也是我们的力量和盼望。今天世上的伟人，领袖，科学家，哲学家等等，只能发光一时，不久完了。人都会过去；祂是永存的。人是点着的灯，所以迟早会熄的；惟有祂是真光，众光之源，永远常存的。━马克拉伦

　　崔伦保说，“有一天，我去见灵命顶深的亚当博士他告述我他以为灵命中最宝贵的一份，就是灵中不断的感觉主的确实同在。没有一样东西比感觉主的确实同在更能坚固他；这是实在的，并不是一种情感，幻想，或者心理作用。

　　“而且基督是他思想的家。无论什么时侯他的思想在别的事情上释放了，就回到基督那里去；他在一个人的时侯，会出声与基督谈话━不管在街上，或在别处━挺自然地如同和一个朋友谈话一般。主的同在对于他是挺实在的”。

1 scriptures   

经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典

参考例句：

• Here the apostle Peter affirms his belief that the Scriptures are 'inspired'. 使徒彼得在此表达了他相信《圣经》是通过默感写成的。
• You won't find this moral precept in the scriptures. 你在《圣经》中找不到这种道德规范。

2 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

3 confide   

v.向某人吐露秘密

参考例句：

• I would never readily confide in anybody.我从不轻易向人吐露秘密。
• He is going to confide the secrets of his heart to us.他将向我们吐露他心里的秘密。

4 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

5 abides   

容忍( abide的第三人称单数 )； 等候； 逗留； 停留

参考例句：

• He abides by his friends. 他忠于朋友。
• He always abides by the law. 他素来守法。

6 kindled   

（使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光

参考例句：

• We watched as the fire slowly kindled. 我们看着火慢慢地燃烧起来。
• The teacher's praise kindled a spark of hope inside her. 老师的赞扬激起了她内心的希望。

7 quenched   

解（渴）( quench的过去式和过去分词 )； 终止（某事物）； （用水）扑灭（火焰等）； 将（热物体）放入水中急速冷却

参考例句：

• He quenched his thirst with a long drink of cold water. 他喝了好多冷水解渴。
• I quenched my thirst with a glass of cold beer. 我喝了一杯冰啤酒解渴。

8 realization   

n.实现；认识到，深刻了解

参考例句：

• We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
• He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。