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"The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11.)
ＴHIS was a greater thing to say and do than to calm the seas or raise the dead. Prophets and apostles could work wondrous miracles, but they could not always do and suffer the will of God. To do and suffer God's will is still the highest form of faith, the most sublime Christian achievement. To have the bright aspirations of a young life forever blasted; to bear a daily burden never congenial and to see no relief; to be pinched by poverty when you only desire a competency for the good and comfort of loved ones; to be fettered by some incurable physical disability; to be stripped bare of loved ones until you stand alone to meet the shocks of life-to be able to say in such a school of discipline, "The cup which my Father has given me, shall I not drink it?" -this is faith at its highest and spiritual success at the crowning point. Great faith is exhibited not so much in ability to do as to suffer.
─Dr. Charles Parkhurst.
To have a sympathizing God we must have a suffering Saviour, and there is no true fellow-feeling with another save in the heart of him who has been afflicted like him.
We cannot do good to others save at a cost to ourselves, and our afflictions are the price we pay for our ability to sympathize. He who would be a helper, must first be a sufferer. He who would be a saviour must somewhere and somehow have been upon a cross; and we cannot have the highest happiness of life in succoring others without tasting the cup which Jesus drank, and submitting to the baptism wherewith He was baptized.
The most comforting of David's psalms were pressed out by suffering; and if Paul had not had his thorn in the flesh we had missed much of that tenderness which quivers in so many of his letters.
The present circumstance, which presses so hard against you (if surrendered to Christ), is the best shaped tool in the Father's hand to chisel you for eternity. Trust Him, then. Do not pust away the instrument lest you lose its work."
"Strange and difficult indeed
We may find it,
But the blessing that we need
Is behind it."
The school of suffering graduates rare scholars.
「你們是被揀選的族類，是君尊的祭司。」彼得前書二章9節
在舊約裏，我們看到國度思想的第一面，新約卻讓我們特別看到祭司體系。
導致教會只存著奄奄一息的生命，最大原因就是像人們只以得到神的恩典為樂的錯誤觀念。這是一個致命的錯誤！神的目的卻遠高過我們的看法。祂所以施行拯救，就希望藉著我們拯救其他的人，每位信徒應該讓別人分享他接受的新生命。
對於那些得救的人，神呼召他們成為祂賜恩的媒介，教會有氣無力的光景，是由於大多數基督徒只關心他們死後能否上天堂造成的。教會應該使每位得救的人明白，福音要使人們得救而去服事主，得救而為救恩做見證，所以主說：「你們是君尊的祭司。」
一個君尊的祭司！一個祭司的心應以憐憫為懷，因著基督愛心的激勵，使我們領人歸向祂，可說有兩方面促使我們有這種德行，一是愛基督的表示，我們要討祂喜悅，也就領人來尊崇愛戴祂；另一是愛人靈魂的心，這也激勵我在任何事上都以犧牲的態度來與人分享屬天的生命。
一個祭司的心！到神面前為那些尚未得救的人代求，一個祭司的心，是樂於為失喪者代求，也有勇氣向他們傳講基督。祭司應該傚法大祭司耶穌一生不斷為人代求，祂拯救的權能也在此彰顯出來。神的靈！願您寫下這句話永不擦掉「是君尊的祭司。」
「你們稱呼我夫子，稱呼我主：你們說的不錯，我本來是。」約翰福音十三章13節
我們的主從不堅持祂的權柄，一定如此，一定如彼；也絕不說──「你必定如此」。祂讓我們絕對自由──我們自由到吐唾沫在祂臉上，像人所做過的一樣；自由到置祂於死地，像人所做過的一樣；祂也不發一言。但是祂的生命，藉著救贖，在我裡面成功了之後，我立刻就承認祂有絕對支配我的權利。這是一種道德的權限──「您是配……」。只是在我裡面不配的，不肯向那配的低首下心來。如果我遇見一個比我聖潔的人，不承認祂的優點，服從祂所說的話，便是將我不配之點揭示出來了。神藉著比我們略好一點的人，──不是在智識，卻是在聖潔──來教訓我們，直到我們能完全受主的支配，使生活的整個態度，完全服從祂。
如果我們的主堅持著要人服從，那麼祂就是一個監工，不是具有道德威權的夫子。祂從未強人服從，但當我們看見祂的時候，我們就馬上服從祂，自願的承認祂是主，從早到晚要在崇拜祂的生活中活著。我在恩典中長進的表現，是從以我服從的方式為轉移。我們要把「服從」這一句話從污泥中提出來。服從只在平等人中有可能性。這是父與子的關係，不是主與僕的關係。「我與父原為一」。「祂雖是兒子，卻因受難學了順服」。因為兒子的順服，所以做了救贖者。因為祂是兒子，不是要作兒子。
「……然而大衛攻取錫安的保障，就是大衛的城。」歷代志上十一章5節
如果你彷彿終日都在爭戰之中，這可能是因為你從來沒有打勝一場具有重大決定性的戰爭。若是我們能克服這場大的戰役，那麼就比一生中都在小戰事裡要容易得多。我認識一些終生與他們的罪爭戰的人，他們浪費在與罪交戰所付出的力量，甚至早已足夠用來向世界傳福音了。
你值得賠上自己的生命嗎？為何不讓耶穌與你一起打敗那惡者，以得到永恆的勝利，然後讚美神呢？儘管你得努力進入神的國，儘管路途陡峭，十字架的道路不易行走，但是一接受耶穌之後，你就會有絕對的平安。祂能「使你們太平、不被四圍的一切仇敵擾亂……。」(申十二10)願神幫助我們，賜給我們在祂裡面的安息。
朋友，永遠離開你的罪吧，
讓救主的寶血贖回你，
由祂來使你成聖。
來吧！與我們一起來，
我們願你得大好處。