282 中翻英(82) Have a Mercy on me, Lord。 主阿，可憐我。 1/30/2023

282   中翻英(82)      Have a Mercy on me, Lord。    主阿，可憐我。                1/30/2023 

一月三十日

「他必如百合花開放，如利巴嫩的樹木扎根。」（何14:5）

上面的經文，給我們看見神的儿女身上有兩种不同而相反的品質，在地面上的，乃是百合花，這是代表信靠神和倚賴神的純朴生命——也就是肉眼所看得見的。然而，肉眼所看不見，深藏在地下，以不可思議的全力來支持這棵脆弱的小植物者，卻是香柏樹那碩壯眾多的根條。在此，我們可以認識到十字架在生命上所彰顯的。在外表上，那生長在地面的，只是一棵脆弱的百合花，但深藏在地下的部份，卻比那顯在地面上的多出了几百倍！

靈命真實的測量，就是在此。到底我的生命被人看見了多少？當別人從表面上觀察，他們是否只看見了那露在地面上的，而還有些深藏于地下沒有被發現的呢！我和神有沒有別人所看不見的秘密的歷史？人所注意的，只是正開放著的那美麗脆弱的百合花，神所關怀的，卻是那深藏在地下的根——像香柏樹那樣有力量的根。

January 30

"He shall blossom like a lily, and take root like a tree of Lebanon." (Hosea 14:5)

The scriptures above show us that there are two different and opposite qualities in God’s children. On the ground, there are lilies, which represent the simple life of trusting and relying on God—that is, what is seen by the naked eye. Visible. However, invisible to the naked eye, hidden deep in the ground, it is the strong and numerous roots of the cedar tree that support this fragile little plant with incredible strength. Here, we can recognize what the cross manifests in life. On the outside, the one growing on the ground is just a fragile lily, but the part hidden deep underground is hundreds of times more than the one on the ground!

The real measure of spiritual life is here. How much of my life has been seen? When others observe from the surface, do they only see what is exposed on the ground, and there are some things hidden deep underground that have not been discovered! Do I have a secret history with God that no one else can see? What people pay attention to is only the beautiful and fragile lily that is blooming, but what God cares about is the root hidden deep in the ground—a root as powerful as a cedar tree.  Here united in the child of God are two contrasting characters.  Above ground, as it were, is the simple unsophisticated life of trust and faith represented by the lily of God’s planting.  That is what men see.  Yet buried deep down out of sight, giving to this frail plant a wholly  unsuspected strength, are the massive roots of the cedar.  Here surly is the paradox of a life in which the cross is known.  Outwardly it is fragile as the lily blooming on the earth, but secretly there is a hundred times more below ground.