February 16

"Though I have afflicted² thee, I will afflict¹ thee no more." (Nah. 1:12)

There is a limit to affliction. God sends it, and removes it. Do you sigh and say, "When will the end be?" Let us quietly wait and patiently endure the will of the Lord till He cometh. Our Father takes away the rod when His design in using it is fully³ served.

If the affliction is sent for testing us, that our graces may glorify⁴ God, it will end when the Lord has made us bear witness to His praise.

We would not wish the affliction to depart until God has gotten out of us all the honor which we can possibly yield Him. There may be today "a great calm." Who knows how soon those raging billows will give place to a sea of glass, and the sea birds sit on the gentle waves?

After long tribulation⁵, the flail⁶ is hung up, and the wheat rests in the garner⁷. We may, before many hours are past, be just as happy as now we are sorrowful.

It is not hard for the Lord to turn night into day. He that sends the clouds can as easily clear the skies. Let us be of good cheer. It is better farther on. Let us sing Hallelujah by anticipation⁸. ━C. H. Spurgeon.

The great Husbandman is not always threshing. Trial is only for a season. The showers soon pass. Weeping may tarry only for the few hours of the short summer night; it must be gone at daybreak. Our light affliction is but for a moment. Trial is for a purpose, "If needs be."

The very fact of trial proves that there is something in us very precious to our Lord; else He would not spend so much pains and time on us. Christ would not test us if He did not see the precious ore of faith mingled⁹ in the rocky matrix of our nature; and it is to bring this out into purity and beauty that He forces us through the fiery¹⁰ ordeal¹¹.

Be patient, O sufferer! The result will more than compensate¹² for all our trials, when we see how they wrought¹³ out the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. To have one word of God's commendation; to be honored before the holy angels; to be glorified¹⁴ in Christ, so as to be better able to flash His glory on Himself━ah! that will more than repay for all. ━Tried by Fire.

As the weights of the clock, or the ballast in the vessel¹⁵, are necessary for their right ordering, so is trouble in the soul-life. The sweetest scents¹⁶ are only obtained by tremendous pressure; the fairest flowers grow amid Alpine¹⁷ snow-solitudes; the fairest gems¹⁸ have suffered longest from the lapidary's wheel; the noblest statues have borne most blows of the chisel¹⁹. All, however, are under law. Nothing happens that has not been appointed with consummate²⁰ care and foresight²¹. ━Daily Devotional Commentary　

二月十六日

“我虽然使你受苦，却不再使你受苦”（鸿一：12）

　　受苦是有限制的。神能使你受苦，也能免去你受苦。读者啊，你岂不是在叹息说：“要受苦到几时方纔停止呢？”哦，让我们耐心等待，直到神的旨意成功。当父用杖的目的完成以后，我们的父自然会把杖挪去的。

　　神使我们受苦，若是目的为要试验我们，要我们在受苦中靠恩典荣耀祂，那么，必须等到我们在人前有了明显的见证之后，苦难纔会停止。

　　我们不该盼望苦难早些离去，除非神已经从我们得到了我们该给祂的一切荣耀和尊贵。也许今天就会有平安。谁知道波浪翻腾的海顷刻之间就会变成平静如镜，让海鸟在波上滑翔呢？

　　农夫经历了许多艰难之后，犁和镰可以藏起来了，禾可以扎成捆收在仓里了。那时我们都要欢喜快乐了。

　　在神不难将黑夜变成白昼。祂能将黑云密布天空，祂也能很容易地使天气清朗。所以让我们放心罢。苦难终究是要过去的。让我们预先唱哈利路亚罢。━司布真

　　农夫不会一直打谷的，神也不会一直用杖的。试炼不过是暂时的。目前虽然有暴雨，不久却要停止的。一宿虽然有哭泣，早晨便必欢呼。因为祂的怒气不过是转眼之间，祂的恩典乃是一生之久。我们这至轻的苦楚，乃是至暂的。并且这至暂的苦楚也是有目标的━为要完成我们永远的荣耀。

　　信徒受试炼，就是证明我们在主面前的宝贵；不然主不会花这许多时间，力气和心机在我们身上的。主决不会来试炼我们，除非祂发现我们有顶宝贵的信心的矿苗，混在我们肉体的砂石中，祂要把我们纯粹的信心提出来，就必须放我们在试炼的炉火中。

　　哦，受苦的信徒们阿，耐着罢！将来我们所得的酬报，将远超过现在所出的代价。在万王之王的面前得称赞；在千万圣天使面前受尊敬；在基督里得荣耀；在国度和永世里戴冠冕，操铁杖，坐宝座━坐王，直到永远。阿，这是何等的赏赐呢！━译自火的试炼

　　时鸣钟上的钟锤，是使时鸣钟走得准确的必需品；照样，患难也是属灵生命的必需品。香料越压得紧，香气越是浓郁；最美丽的花卉，是生长在荒僻的雪地里的；最精美的宝石，受匠人琢磨的时间最长；最贵重的雕刻，受凿子的击打最多。这是一个定律。任何事物的完成，都要经过远见高大而无微不至的磨炼。━日诚报

1 afflict   

vt.使身体或精神受痛苦，折磨

参考例句：

• I wish you wouldn't afflict me with your constant complains.我希望你不要总是抱怨而使我苦恼。
• There are many illnesses,which afflict old people.有许多疾病困扰着老年人。

2 afflicted   

使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。
• A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 glorify   

vt.颂扬，赞美，使增光，美化

参考例句：

• Politicians have complained that the media glorify drugs.政治家们抱怨媒体美化毒品。
• We are all committed to serving the Lord and glorifying His name in the best way we know.我们全心全意敬奉上帝，竭尽所能颂扬他的美名。

5 tribulation   

n.苦难，灾难

参考例句：

• Even in our awful tribulation we were quite optimistic.即使在极端痛苦时，我们仍十分乐观。
• I hate the tribulation,I commiserate the sorrow brought by tribulation.我厌恶别人深重的苦难，怜悯苦难带来的悲哀。

6 flail   

v.用连枷打；击打；n.连枷（脱粒用的工具）

参考例句：

• No fence against flail.飞来横祸不胜防。
• His arms were flailing in all directions.他的手臂胡乱挥舞着。

7 garner   

v.收藏；取得

参考例句：

• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals.他的提议得到了广泛的支持。
• Squirrels garner nuts for the winter.松鼠为过冬储存松果。

8 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

9 mingled   

混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系]

参考例句：

• The sounds of laughter and singing mingled in the evening air. 笑声和歌声交织在夜空中。
• The man and the woman mingled as everyone started to relax. 当大家开始放松的时候，这一男一女就开始交往了。

10 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

11 ordeal   

n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验

参考例句：

• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
• Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。

12 compensate   

vt.补偿，赔偿；酬报 vi.弥补；补偿；抵消

参考例句：

• She used her good looks to compensate her lack of intelligence. 她利用她漂亮的外表来弥补智力的不足。
• Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health. 一个人失去了键康是不可弥补的。

13 wrought   

v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的

参考例句：

• Events in Paris wrought a change in British opinion towards France and Germany.巴黎发生的事件改变了英国对法国和德国的看法。
• It's a walking stick with a gold head wrought in the form of a flower.那是一个金质花形包头的拐杖。

14 glorified   

美其名的，变荣耀的

参考例句：

• The restaurant was no more than a glorified fast-food cafe. 这地方美其名曰餐馆，其实只不过是个快餐店而已。
• The author glorified the life of the peasants. 那个作者赞美了农民的生活。

15 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

16 scents   

n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉

参考例句：

• The air was fragrant with scents from the sea and the hills. 空气中荡漾着山和海的芬芳气息。
• The winds came down with scents of the grass and wild flowers. 微风送来阵阵青草和野花的香气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 alpine   

adj.高山的；n.高山植物

参考例句：

• Alpine flowers are abundant there.那里有很多高山地带的花。
• Its main attractions are alpine lakes and waterfalls .它以高山湖泊和瀑布群为主要特色。

18 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

19 chisel   

n.凿子；v.用凿子刻，雕，凿

参考例句：

• This chisel is useful for getting into awkward spaces.这凿子在要伸入到犄角儿里时十分有用。
• Camille used a hammer and chisel to carve out a figure from the marble.卡米尔用锤子和凿子将大理石雕刻出一个人像。

20 consummate   

adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle

参考例句：

• The restored jade burial suit fully reveals the consummate skill of the labouring people of ancient China.复原后的金缕玉衣充分显示出中国古代劳动人民的精湛工艺。
• The actor's acting is consummate and he is loved by the audience.这位演员技艺精湛，深受观众喜爱。

21 foresight   

n.先见之明，深谋远虑

参考例句：

• The failure is the result of our lack of foresight.这次失败是由于我们缺乏远虑而造成的。
• It required a statesman's foresight and sagacity to make the decision.作出这个决定需要政治家的远见卓识。