November 12

“These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work”

(1 Chron. 4:23)

 

Anywhere and everywhere we may dwell "with the king for his work." We may be in a very unlikely and unfavorable place for this; it may be in a literal country life, with little enough to be seen of the "goings" of the King around us; it may be among the hedges of all sorts, hindrances¹ in all directions; it may be furthermore, with our hands full of all manner of pottery² for our daily task.

 

No matter! The King who placed us "there" will come and dwell there with us; the hedges are right, or He would soon do away with them. And it does not follow that what seems to hinder our way may not be for its very protection; and as for the pottery, why, that is just exactly what He has seen fit to put into our hands, and therefore it is, for the present, "His work."━Frances Ridley Havergal

 

“Go back to thy garden-plot,sweetheart !

Go back till the the evening falls,

And bind³ thy lilies and train thy vines,

Till for thee the Master calls.”

 

“Go make thy garden fair as thou canst,

Thou workest never alone;

Perhaps he whose plot is next to thine,

Will see it and mend his own.”

 

The colored sunsets and starry⁴ heavens, the beautiful mountains and the shining seas, the fragrant⁵ woods and painted flowers, are not half so beautiful as a soul that is serving Jesus out of love, in the wear and tear of common, unpoetic life.━Faber

 

The most saintly spirits are often existing in those who have never distinguished⁶ themselves as authors, or left any memorial of themselves to be the theme of the world's talk; but who have led an interior angelic life, having borne their sweet blossoms unseen like the young lily in a sequestered⁷ vale on the bank of a limpid⁸ stream. ━Kenelm Digby

 

十一月十二日

「这些人都是窑匠，是住在田园和篱笆中间的，在那里他们与王同处，为王作工。」

(代上四:23，直译）

 

无论在甚么地方，我们都有「与王同处，为王作工」的可能。也许是在一个非常不顺遂的地方；也许是在一个粗俗的乡野，一个看不见有王与我们同处的地方；也许是在各种篱笆中间，障碍下面，也许我们的手还须拿着各种陶器，天天过着窑匠的生活。不论在甚么地方，那安放我们「在那里」的王，必来与我们同处；如果祂以为篱笆是不需要的话，祂必定会立刻把它们拆去的。或许那似乎妨碍我们的，倒成了我们的保护呢！至于那放在我们手中的陶器，正是王看为最适于我们「为王作工」的。━海弗格尔

 

亲爱的,回到你的园地,

回去,直到夜幕深垂,

去收拾水仙,修理葡萄,

直到主把你唤归。

 

回去尽力整好你的园地,

作工的决不会只有你一人,

也许和你相邻的那位园丁,

看见之后,也会仿效你的辛勤。

 

彩色的落日、嵌星的天空、美丽的高山、明净的洋海、芳香的树木、鲜艳的花草━它们虽然美丽，还及不到一个在普通生活上用爱心、眼泪事奉主的信徒一半美丽。━费勃尔

 

最圣洁的灵魂,往往在于那些声名不显赫的人物身上,他们圣洁的内在生活,像清澈的池塘隐僻之处,藏着一枝看不见的娇嫩莲花。━迪比

1 hindrances   

阻碍者( hindrance的名词复数 )； 障碍物； 受到妨碍的状态

参考例句：

• She also speaks out against the traditional hindrances to freedom. 她甚至大声疾呼，反对那些阻挡自由的、统礼教的绊脚石。
• When this stage is reached then the hindrances and karma are overcome. 唯此状态达到后，则超越阻碍和因果。

2 pottery   

n.陶器，陶器场

参考例句：

• My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。
• The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。

3 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

4 starry   

adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的

参考例句：

• He looked at the starry heavens.他瞧着布满星星的天空。
• I like the starry winter sky.我喜欢这满天星斗的冬夜。

5 fragrant   

adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

参考例句：

• The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
• The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

6 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

7 sequestered   

adj.扣押的；隐退的；幽静的；偏僻的v.使隔绝，使隔离( sequester的过去式和过去分词 )；扣押

参考例句：

• The jury is expected to be sequestered for at least two months. 陪审团渴望被隔离至少两个月。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Everything he owned was sequestered. 他的一切都被扣押了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 limpid   

adj.清澈的，透明的

参考例句：

• He has a pair of limpid blue eyes.他有一双清澈的蓝眼睛。
• The sky was a limpid blue,as if swept clean of everything.碧空如洗。