July 23

"Giving thanks always for all things unto God."(Eph. 5:20.)

NO matter what the source of the evil, if you are in God and surrounded by Him as by an atmosphere, all evil has to pass through Him before it comes to you. Therefore you can thank God for everything that comes, not for the sin of it, but for what God will bring out of it and through it. May God make our lives thanksgiving and perpetual praise, then He will make everything a blessing¹.

We once saw a man draw some black dots. We looked and could make nothing of them but an irregular assemblage of black dots. Then he drew a few lines, put in a few rests, then a clef at the beginning, and we saw these black dots were musical notes. On sounding them we were singing."Praise God from whom all blessing flow, Praise Him all creature here below."

There are many black dots and black spots in our lives, and we cannot understand why they are there or why God permitted them to come. But if we let God come into our lives, and adjust the dots in the proper why, and draw the lines He wants, and separate this from that, and put in the rests at the proper places; out of the black dots and spots in our lives He will make a glorious harmony. Let us not hinder Him in this glorious work! --- C. H. P.

"Would we know that the major chords were sweet,

If there were no minor² key?

Would the painter's work be fair to our eyes,

Without shade on land or sea?

"Would we know the meaning of happiness,

Would we feet that the day was bright,

If we'd never known what it was to grieve,

Nor gazed on the dark of night?"

Many men owe the grandeur³ of their lives to their tremendous difficulties.---C. H. Spurgeon.

When the musician presses the black keys on the great organ, the music is as sweet as when he touches the white ones, but to get the capacity of the instrument he must touch them all.--- Selected.

七月二十三日

「凡事....常常感谢父神。」（弗五:20）

　　如果你是在主里面的，你就是被主包围着，如同被空气包围着一般，不论什么灾祸，必须先经过祂，然后才能临到你身上来。所以每一件临到你身上的事情，都是值得感谢赞美的。愿神叫我们的生活充满感谢赞美的声浪！这样，祝福就会多多加给我们。

　　可惜有许多时候，我们看不出一件事情是值得感谢赞美的，正如同有一次我看见一个人在画黑点，我看了半天，看不出这一群黑点是什么意思。后来他画了几条直线，加上几个停音符，在开头的地方加上一个音部记号，那时我才看出这些黑点原来是音乐上的音符。

　　我们的生活上也有许多黑点，我们不明白为什么要有，这些黑点，为什么神容许它们留着。但是如果我们让神进到我们的生活里来，让祂将黑点按照适当的方法调节起来，画上一些祂所要画的直线，在适当的地方加上一些停音符，祂就要从我们生活的黑点里编出一首美丽和谐的音乐来。－－C. H. P.

1 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

2 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

3 grandeur   

n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华

参考例句：

• The grandeur of the Great Wall is unmatched.长城的壮观是独一无二的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place.这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。