November 16

“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb… and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Rev.12:11)

When James and John came to Christ with their mother, asking Him to give them the best place in the kingdom, He did not refuse their request, but told them it would be given to them if they could do His work, drink His cup, and be baptized with His baptism.

Do we want the competition? The greatest things are always hedged about by the hardest things, and we, too, shall find mountains and forests and chariots of iron. Hardship is the price of coronation. Triumphal arches are not woven out of rose blossoms and silken cords, but of hard blows and bloody¹ scars. The very hardships that you are enduring in your life today are given by the Master for the explicit² purpose of enabling you to win your crown.

Do not wait for some ideal situation, some romantic difficulty, some far-away emergency; but rise to meet the actual conditions which the Providence³ of God has placed around you today. Your crown of glory lies embedded⁴ in the very heart of these things--those hardships and trials that are pressing you this very hour, week and month of your life. The hardest things are not those that the world knows of. Down in your secret soul unseen and unknown by any but Jesus, there is a little trial that you would not dare to mention that is harder for you to bear than martyrdom.

There, beloved, lies your crown. God help you to overcome, and sometime wear it.━Selected

“It matters not how the battle goes,

The day how long;

Faint not ! Fight on !

Tomorrow comes the song.”

十一月十六日

「弟兄胜过他，是因羔羊的血，…..他们虽至于死，也不爱惜生命。」 （启十二:11）

当西庇太的儿子雅各、约翰，同他们的母亲前来，求耶稣赐他们在祂国里一个坐在祂的右边，一个坐在祂左边的时候，耶稣并不拒绝他们的请求；不过告诉他们：如果他们能作祂所作的工，能喝祂所喝的杯，能受祂所受的浸，他们并非是没有希望的。

雅各、约翰所要的，我们要不要呢？我们也并非没有希望的。最宝贵的东西往往是包围在最艰难的东西中间的；所以我们如果要得到它们，就必须先遇见高山、深林、铁车、烈火。因为艰难是冠冕的代价。得胜的牌坊不是用玫瑰和丝线织成的，乃是用重击和血痕织成的。我们今天所忍受的艰苦，乃是主给我们用以赢得冠冕的工具。

你不必等候理想的环境、离奇的困难、梦想的危险；你只要起来对付神今天所放在你四围的现成的事情好了。你荣耀的冠冕原埋在这些东西━你生活上每月每日每时所压迫你的那些艰难和试炼━中心。最困难的事情，并不是世界所知道的那些；乃是在你心里一件极小的秘密，除了主以外，没有人看见，没有知道的━一件你连提都不敢提起的小试炼，那常比殉道还难受！

亲爱的，你的冠冕正埋在那个地方。但愿你能赢得！━选

不论今天要奋战多少时间,

也不论这战争将如何演变,

莫要气馁,继续前进,

明天就有高歌凯旋。

1 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

2 explicit   

adj.详述的，明确的；坦率的；显然的

参考例句：

• She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。
• He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。

3 providence   

n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝

参考例句：

• It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat.乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
• To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence.照你的所作所为那样去行事，是违背上帝的意志的。

4 embedded   

a.扎牢的

参考例句：

• an operation to remove glass that was embedded in his leg 取出扎入他腿部玻璃的手术
• He has embedded his name in the minds of millions of people. 他的名字铭刻在数百万人民心中。