(From: Our daily Bread, http://odb.org/ and http://chinese-odb.org/)
哥林多前书 20章6节 1 Corinthians 15:55
死啊，你得胜的权 势在哪里？死啊，你的毒钩在哪里？O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?
读经: 哥林多前书15章51-57节 Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:51-57
在我一生中，有好一段时间，我曾经像许多人一样埋怨上帝，责怪祂竟允许痛苦存在。我无法找到合理的解释，为何这个世界充满苦毒。可是，当我拜访一些比我承受更大痛苦的人时，却很惊讶痛苦带来的影响。原来受苦可以使我们信心动摇，但也可以坚固信心。
我不再因痛苦而怨恨上帝，只因为一个理由：我已经更深地认识祂。祂赐给我喜乐、爱、欢喜与良善；痛苦让我深知我所信的是谁，而这坚固的信心没有任何的苦难能够削减。
我们痛苦时，上帝在哪里呢？上帝一开始就在那里，在这堕落的世界中，祂设计的痛楚系统仍带着表征祂创造能力的标记。如果我们愿意让痛苦帮助我们转向上帝，上帝会借着痛苦教导我们及令我们充满力量。
祂曾受伤、流血、哭泣、受苦。祂更为那些受苦的人，尊贵地一次献上，承担痛苦羞辱。将来有一天祂要聚集天军，击败上帝的仇敌。在完全得胜之前，这个世界将会经历最后一个可怕的苦难。之后，上帝会为我们预备一个全新且难以言喻的世界。在那里，没有任何痛苦（启示录19章11节-22章6节）。 PY
我主离开天上宝座荣华，
无量恩惠白白赐下，
谦卑虚己，显彰慈爱，
流血救赎亚当后代。 Wesley
痛苦若不是使我们远离上帝，就是与祂更亲近。
For a good portion of my life, I shared the perspective of those who rail against God for allowing pain. I could find no way to rationalize a world as toxic as this one. As I visited people whose pain far exceeded my own, though, I was surprised by its effects. Suffering seemed as likely to reinforce faith as to sow doubt.
My anger about pain has melted mostly for one reason: I have come to know God. He has given me joy and love and happiness and goodness. It leaves me with faith in a Person, a faith so solid that no amount of suffering can erode it.
Where is God when it hurts? He has been there from the beginning. He designed a pain system that, in the midst of a fallen world, bears His stamp. He transforms pain, using it to teach and strengthen us if we allow it to turn us toward Him.
He has hurt and bled and cried and suffered. He has dignified for all time those who suffer, by sharing their pain. But one day He will gather the armies of heaven and will unleash them against the enemies of God. The world will see one last terrifying moment of suffering before the full victory is ushered in. Then God will create for us a new, incredible world. And pain will be no more (Rev. 19:11–22:6).
He left His Father’s throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace!
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race. - Wesley
Pain will either turn us against God or draw us to Him.
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