Life Measured by A Grateful Heart

A grateful heart is a virtue harvested late in life. We are all born into this world as a baby, if we don’t get fed on time, we simply act up with a nasty cry. We take all the love and care from our parents for granted, but we must grow up from there. Oftentimes it is after we leave home that we begin to feel home sick, and the voice of our parents begin to sound sweet to our ears. We are all like the prodigal son that after we leave home and wasted away all our inheritance, we begin to miss daddy. It is only after a prodigal son returns home, he would discover the amazing love of the father. (Lk. 15:11-32) If we must leave home first in order to appreciate the love of parents, how far do we have to go in order to appreciate the much greater love of God?


China does not celebrate Thanksgiving. I had my first Thanksgiving after I came to the States. Yet we Chinese do love to give thanks and are adamant in returning favors. There is a saying in China: For every drop of favor you received, return it with a running brook. For all the help and kindness we received in our time of need, we mark down as debts. We make sure to pay back in full to our debtors. If a benefactor has passed away, or simply disappears, then we are relieved from the debt. This explains why there are always some ungrateful people around. They purposely forget the favor they have received, so that they do not have to pay back a dime. These ungrateful people are despised everywhere, but there is another type of people of similar standing. These are those who walk around and assert everyone that they always repay favors and owe nothing to nobody. People who make such bold claim must keep a private log that records each transaction he receives and pays out, and he is confident that his account would always stay in black. For anyone who can sincerely make such a boast, he is still ignorant and has not grown up yet. Meng Jiao, a poet from Tang dynasty, wrote about a mother’s love for her son in The Wandering Son’s Song, “Who says mine heart like a blade of grass, Could repay her love’s gentle beams of spring sun?” Even if we only count the love and kindness received from other people, everyone in this world would be deep in debt and no one can ever pay back in full. I do not know whether China has produced more ungrateful sons than other cultures, but I am quite sure that Chinese culture is a champion in the tug-of-war of favor-returning game. As for those general blessings lack of a specific benefactor, such as the passing of four seasons, the annual harvest, our flourish family, and even our eating and drinking and merry times, we are slow to investigate, and in fact convenient to forget for the benefit of receiving them without pay. Therefore, China does not celebrate Thanksgiving even to this day!


Man must leave home first in order to grow up. It was after I left China I learned to thank God. The Psalmist says, Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. (Ps. 100:3 ESV) Our habitable little planet Earth that we call home is the pasture we received from God. Just as the famous poem goes, “Why can’t I tell the true shape of Lu-shan? Because I myself am in the mountain.” Yet there is no need for us to leave our home planet in space shuttle in order to appreciate the love of God for humanity. For God has sent His Son from heaven down to earth, so that through Him we may perceive and receive His wonderful love, which surpasses all human love combined. We neither deserve nor are able to pay back this love. We can only respond with a forever grateful heart. For us as individual, every day when we still have breath, it is a Thanksgiving Day; But for the world, the annual Thanksgiving celebration gives us an opportunity to shout out our thanksgiving to the world. There are still so many people in the world who are blind to the love of God. They need to grow up in grace and appreciate God who crowns our year with His bounty. (Ps. 65:11) The true life in God, is both verified (for existence) and measured (for maturity) by a grateful heart.


We are all ever growing in our thanksgiving to the Lord. At the very beginning, we only know how to receive and never give thanks. Then gradually we learn to be grateful for people and for circumstances. Then through Jesus Christ, we come to know the greatest benefactor in our life is the God Almighty. He generously gives us life and breath and everything we have. I have heard this complaint: Why would God be so mindful of our thanksgiving? Didn’t He even teach us to do good to others without seeking favor in return? (Mt. 6:2-3) Not to mention that such a complaint reveals a hidden ungrateful heart, and it betrays an ignorance of a greater gift God is going to give us. God has already given everyone the grace of creation and life and all the blessings necessary to sustain life. In these last days, through Jesus Christ, God gave the grace of salvation. Unlike former grace, this time only those who believe would receive such grace with a grateful heart. This is the mystery of the kingdom of heaven, For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. (Matt. 13:12 ESV) This true life in God has an amazing growth chart: It either keeps growing, all the way to infinity, that is called eternal life; or it keeps shrinking, all the way to nothing, that is called eternal death. There is no other curve. When this amazing new life projects unto a person, it shows up in a grateful heart. No wonder Apostle Paul said, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thess. 5:18 ESV) Therefore we always thank God, because He deserves, and because it is our new life!


Prayer: O Lord! Thank you for bringing us out of nothing and for saving us from sin and give us eternal life! We will enter your gates with thanksgiving and your courts with praise! We will give thanks to you and bless your name forever!

岁月恩冕

感恩都是后天才能学会的。我们先天都像初生的婴孩，不给奶喝就会放声大哭，把父母的养育之恩当成天经地义。但人总是要长大，往往在我们离开温暖的家以后，才开始想家，开始想念父母的好处。我们都好像浪子一样，是在离家之后，又把父亲所给的家产挥霍殆尽，才会想起父家的好处来。而浪子回家之后，才真正认识到父爱的宽广【路十五11-32】。如果人必需先离家出走，方能深刻体会到父母的厚爱而心怀感恩的话，我们要走多远，才能明白神那更加长阔高深的爱呢？


中国没有感恩节，我是到美国之后才第一次过感恩节。我们中国人当然也讲究报恩。俗话说，“受人滴水之恩，当以涌泉相报。”我们视恩如债，欠了债，就一定要还。既是还债，一定要还给债主。如果恩人不在了，或者找不着恩人，这债才可以免，因为无法偿还了。这也是为什么总有忘恩负义的小人。因为故意忘恩，就相当于把欠下的债务给一笔勾销了。这样的人，特别被人看不起。与忘恩负义的无耻相类似的，就是夸耀自己有恩必报，从不欠别人的恩情。如此夸口的人，心里必定有本账，账上记着他欠别人的和别人欠他的。而且他敢保证在这本账上他不会有赤字。这样夸口的人，如果是真心，就一定出于无知，还没有长大。唐朝诗人孟郊在《游子吟》中这样歌颂母爱，“谁言寸草心，报得三春晖。”单算人间的恩情，我们都负债累累，无人能完全偿还。我不敢说中国历史中忘恩负义的小人比其他文化更多，但我有把握说，我们中国人比其他文化的人更讲究礼尚往来，不欠人情。对于那些无人认领的恩债，就如四季更替、风调雨顺、人丁兴旺、甚至吃喝享受，我们就懒得去查证这些福气背后有没有恩主，并且乐意忽略掉，也省下许多额外的感恩了。所以在中国至今也不过感恩节。


人要离开家，才会长大。我是离开中国以后，才学会向神感恩的。诗篇说，你们当晓得耶和华是神。我们是他造的，也是属他的。我们是他的民，也是他草场的羊。【诗一百3】我们这颗适宜居住的小小地球，就是神赐给我们的草场，赐给所有人的美丽家园。我们“不识庐山真面目，只缘身在此山中。”但我们不必乘飞船逃到地球之外，去认识神对世人的厚爱，因为神差他的独生子从天降到人间，让人因为信他，就能认识并领受神那无与伦比的大爱。这爱远超过人间一切爱的总和，是我们既不配得，也无法还清的恩典。既然无法还清，我们里面就有了一颗永无止息的感恩之心。虽然对于个人而言，只要一息尚存，天天都是我们的感恩节。但对于这个世界，一年一度的感恩节就成了我们见证神恩惠的机会，因为这世上还有许多人生在福中不知福，还需要在恩典中长大。神以恩典为人年岁的冠冕【诗六十五11】。真实生命的有无多寡，正是通过人里面的感恩之心来衡量的。


我们都要在恩典中不断长大。回想当初，我们只知索取，不懂感恩。然后我们开始学会对人感恩，对事感恩。因信耶稣基督，我们更认识到人生最大的恩主，就是神。他赐我们生命气息和现在所有的一切。我听过这样的抱怨：神为什么这般计较，这么喜欢听人向他感恩戴德？神不是还教导我们行善不求感恩吗【太六2-3】？且不说这样问的人，就暴露出他里面的忘恩负义，他也完全不知道神把更大的恩典留在最后。神已普遍赐下他的创造和供养之恩，在这末后的日子，神在耶稣基督里更赐下救赎之恩。与先前所赐之恩有所不同的是，这一次只有相信的人，只有感恩的人，才能领受。这就是天国的奥秘，凡有的，还要加给他，叫他有余。凡没有的，连他所有的，也要夺去。【太十三9】真正的生命有一张奇特的生长图表：要么越长越大，一直长到无穷大，那叫永生；要么越长越小，一直缩小到零，就是永死。只有这两种长法。而这肉眼看不见的奇特生命，投射在一个人的内心，就是他的感恩之心。难怪保罗说，我们要凡事谢恩。因为这是神在基督耶稣里向你们所定的旨意。【贴前五18】 所以我们凡事谢恩，既是神配得的，更因为这就是我们的新生命！

祷告：主啊，感谢你把我们从虚空中创造出来，又把我们从罪中拯救，赐给我们永生！我们要以称谢进入你的门，以赞美进入你的院，要感谢你，称颂你的名，直到永远！

Listen to the Colossians (4): The Song of the Beloved Son

¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. ¹⁹For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Col. 1:15-20 ESV)


When Paul mentioned the beloved Son in his prayer for the Colossians, he cannot help but jumping over to this topic. He may be carried away in form, but in content he is right on the target, for in everything the beloved Son should be preeminent. In the original Greek, this paragraph is nicely divided into two parallel parts with repeating key phrases and words. To help perceive this beautiful balanced structure, we can reduce this paragraph in a stiff way, and mark out exact repeating key words in red and echoing words in blue: He is the image, the firstborn of all creation. For in him all things were created. All things in heaven or on earth were created through him and for him. (Transition phrase: He is before all things, and he is the head of the body.) He is the beginnings, the firstborn from the dead. For in him all the fullness of God dwell. All things on earth or in heaven were reconciled through him and for him. In Greek, the word image and beginnings also sound very similar. Therefore, to the ear of the Colossians, this song of the beloved Son really sounded like a melody from heaven.


The beauty of this song resides not only in its form, but even more so in its ground shattering content. The repeating key words of the firstborn, which almost become obsolete in our modern times, was once upon a time a weighty word from average household all the way to the royal courts. A king may have dozens and even hundreds of sons, but only his firstborn son would inherit the whole kingdom. Therefore, this scripture passage emphasizes a single point: that the beloved Son of God is His firstborn Son, who will inherit everything that belongs to God. What is the most treasured inheritance that God would pass on to His firstborn Son? There are two precious inheritances for Him: One is the vast universe, and the other is the Church. Even for these two, the beloved Son Himself helped create from the scratch. He designed them (in him), He built them (through him), and He brought them to perfection (for him). He is well deserved to take these as His inheritance.


The Lord God is a God who hides Himself (Isa. 45:15), He dwells in unapproachable light (1 Tim. 6:16), no one has ever seen God, neither would anyone be able to, only in the beloved Son can we see God (Jn. 1:18). It is in this sense that He is the image of the invisible God. In this universe, all visible beings, all invisible yet conceivable beings, including our very self, came from Him. All the forces of this world that shape our destiny, forces of the physical world or of spiritual realm or from human authorities, that make us dwarfed, helpless, and hopeless, are all under His control and serve Him at His bidding. Whether these are celestial bodies that spin and pause and explode and contract in dazzling fashions above, or human dynasties that rise and fall and thrive and wane beneath, they all move along the precise orbit predestined by the beloved Son for His good pleasure. He thus moves heavens and earth for one purpose, which is why He created them in the first place, is for a new creation, a resurrection from the dead, that is His church, His bride, (Rev. 21:9) the bone of His bones and flesh of His flesh. (Gen. 2:23) Therefore He is making peace by the blood of His cross.


Therefore, the two inheritances from God are not symmetrical in nature, but with one on top of the other. The beloved Son created the heavens and the earth with His finger (Psa. 8:3), but He bled and died for the Church. The first creation is indeed wonderful in nature but is incomplete by itself. Only through the Church, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and bring peace to the previous creation by the blood of His cross. The beloved Son first created a world, like that of a clam. Then He became flesh (Jn. 1:14) and came into the world He created, like a tiny object was inserted into the clam and injured itself. Without such painful tears from the wound, no precious pearl would be formed. The pearl forms in a clam much like the Church forms in the world, for the Church is like one pearl of great value. (Mat. 45-46) Without a world, there would be no Church. In order to create the Church, a world must be created first. Both belong to the beloved Son; they are both His rightful inheritances and His sweat and blood. This is the wonderful song of the beloved Son.

Prayer: O Father! Thank you for electing us in the beloved Son that we may be fellow heirs with Christ and share in the inheritance of the saints in light!

听歌罗西书（4）：爱子之歌

¹⁵爱子是那不能看见之神的像，是首生的，在一切被造的以先。¹⁶因为万有都是靠他造的，无论是天上的，地上的，能看见的，不能看见的，或是有位的，主治的，执政的，掌权的，一概都是借着他造的，又是为他造的。¹⁷他在万有之先，万有也靠他而立。¹⁸他也是教会全体之首。他是元始，是从死里首先复生的，使他可以在凡事上居首位。¹⁹因为父喜欢叫一切的丰盛，在他里面居住。²⁰既然借着他在十字架上所流的血，成就了和平，便借着他叫万有，无论是地上的，天上的，都与自己和好了。【歌一15-20】


保罗在为歌罗西人祷告中，既然提到爱子，他就忍不住插入这一段题外话。这一段在形式上好像有点跑题，但在内容上却切中主题，因为爱子本当在凡事上居首位。这一段在希腊原文中从结构到句型乃至于用词，都是非常对称的两部分。为了体会原文的对称之美，可以把这段稍微删节后用生硬的中文改写，并用红色标明上下对应完全相同的希腊词，用蓝色标明上下呼应类似的希腊词，这段话就成这样的：一、他是隐身神之影像，是一切受造之长子，因为一切被造在他里面，无论天上地下的万有都是借他而造，又为他而造。（过渡句：他为万有之先，他亦为教会全身之首。）二、他是元始，是死里复活之长子，因为一切丰盛在他里面，无论天上地下的万有都借他和睦，又为他和睦。而且影像与元始这两个希腊词，在原文的发音相类似。所以这首爱子之歌在歌罗西人的耳中听来，如天籁般优美动听。


这首歌不光是美在形式，其内容更是惊动天地的绝唱。其中首生的和首先复生的，在原文中都是用长子这个词，这个快被现代人淘汰的字，从前无论是在家在朝都非同小可。君王可以有几十甚至上百个的儿子，但他国中所有的一切，都只归长子一人所有。所以这一段所强调的重点就是，神的爱子乃是他的长子，是要继承神所有的一切。而神有什么产业要传给他的爱子呢？神手中有两样的宝贝要给他，其一是浩瀚的宇宙万有，其二则是他的教会！而这两样产业，无论从构想（靠他）、到搭建（借着他）、到最后完工（为他），全都是这爱子白手起家，身体力行而成就的。所以他得这些产业当属名至实归。


耶和华以色列的神是自隐的神【赛四十五15】，他住在人所不能靠近的光中【提前六16】。从来就没有人看见神，也不能看见，唯有神的爱子能让我们看见【约一18】。因此，爱子是那不能看见之神的像。这宇宙中，一切能看见的存在，和一切不能看见，却能感知到的存在，包括我们自己，都是来自爱子。这世界中所有左右我们人生的，无论是物理规律，是幽暗势力，是人间强权，这一切让我们感到渺小、无助、和无望的东西，尽在爱子的掌握中，都是为他打工一族。无论是天体间那眼花缭乱的转停聚散，还是历史上那错综复杂的朝代更替，都精确地运行在爱子为他们所预先定好的轨道上，为要成就他的美意。而爱子运作天地的美意，也就是他创造宇宙的初衷，是为了另外一个再创造，一个从死里复生，就是他的教会，他的新妇【启廿一9】，就是他骨中的骨，肉中的肉【创二23】。为此他在十字架上流血，成就了和平。


由此可见在神赐给他爱子的两个产业间，彼此不是平行的关系，乃是递进的关系。因为爱子用指头就创造了天地【诗八3】，但他却为教会流血牺牲。头一个创造固然奇妙精深，但仍不完全。只有在教会中，神才赐下他一切的丰富，又因爱子在十架上所流的血，才为先前所造的万有成就了和平。爱子先造了一个物质世界，仿佛一只蚌，他自己就道成肉身进入到所造的世界中【约一14】，仿佛一粒小小的异物种入蚌内使它受伤。若不经过这个痛苦流泪的过程，蚌就无法结出宝贵的珍珠来。从蚌中生出来的珍珠，就好像从世界中生出来的教会。教会就是这样一颗重价的珠子【太十三45-46】。所以没有世界，就没有教会。正是为了得着教会，才先有了世界。这两样都属爱子；既是他当得的产业，又是他的血汗之工。这就是妙不可言的爱子之歌。

祷告：父啊，感谢你在爱子里拣选了我们，让我们和他同为后嗣，与众圣徒在光明中同得基业！

Out of Vanity Came Something Sweet

It is both a curse and a blessing to experience the vanity of life. We may agree to the curse, but where does the blessing come from? As a shepherd boy turned into a king, David lived a legendary life with no vanity at all. There were people hunting for his life both before and after his enthronement. He was kept busy all the way to his deathbed, and never had the leisure of experiencing the emptiness of life. On the other hand, his son Solomon enjoyed much more blessings. He was raised as a prince and sent directly to the throne of his father. He enjoyed peace during his reign and was exempt from bloodshed and wars. Not only was he full of wisdom and knowledge, but of silver and gold too. His luxurious lifestyle became such a legend. If you are given of the choice between Solomon’s life and David’s life, which one do you want to live? I bet most people would choose to live after Solomon’s life. But it is this super blessed Solomon, the son of David, king in Jerusalem (Eccl. 1:1 ESV) who wrote the Ecclesiastes, in which he detailed all kinds of vanities he experienced under the sun.


It is certainly no pleasure in experiencing vanities of life, yet not all people are qualified to this pain either. You must first sacrifice your life for certain cause. The moment you discovered that the cause you served on your altar was in fact an illusion, you would experience vanity of vanities. Small vanities are very common. For example, after lining up for two hours, you are called to the window, then you discover that you have been standing in the wrong line all the time. The frustration you would experience is but a small vanity. If you have lined up for many decades, or even a lifetime, in the end you discover that you are in the wrong line. That is vanity. Anyone who is too lazy in life to stand in line, would never experience vanity like that. For people without a purpose in life, would never suffer the loss of it. Even for those who do live a purpose driven life and tirelessly climb towards the summit, not everyone would wake up in time and realize the mountain they have been climbing is but a mountain of garbage. Before breathing their last, they would never have the chance of realizing they were marching in the wrong line the whole time. If you have known it before death, you are a prophet indeed. Solomon was such a prophet, Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? (Eccl. 1:2-3 ESV)


Those who come to such realization, who find out they are standing in the wrong line of life, would have various reactions. A typical Chinese may react like Jia Baoyu, who saw through this vanity of life and seek comfort in Buddhism. Others may react with various kinds of escapism or total despair. The former reaction is a line-switching strategy. They ditch the line of secular pursuit and line up for a spiritual purpose instead. The latter reaction is one of quitting. They don’t want to stand in line anymore. Those who do well may devote the rest of their lives to a personal cause, such as a hobby and others simply choose to waste away their time in idling. The worst would dishearten to a point losing the desire to live. If these are the consequences of such enlightenment, would it be better off to remain in ignorance? Wouldn’t it be better to stand in a line enthusiastically without realizing it is a wrong line? If death is the end of all, I would agree to leave the dying men alone. But if death is not the end of all, this would be a costly self-deception. That is why Solomon wrote the Ecclesiastes, to wake people up who standing at the wrong line, so that they may have time to switch line.


For those who thus find out that they are in the wrong line, it is indeed a painful discovery. Yet this birth pain is necessary. Jesus said, Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matt. 5:4 ESV) Who are these who mourn? In these eight blessings Jesus proclaimed, He used simple yet strong contrasts to overturn some common sense of the world. These mourners are those who have fallen into total despair in this world. They mourn because no one in this world can ever comfort them. These are the people who come to realize that they are at the wrong line at the checkout window. They mourn because all that they have in this life are vanity of vanities. Jesus said they are blessed, because now they can form a new line after Him. What they are going to receive would be so great, that they would not remember their former pain and vanities. Solomon, the son of David, have revealed the vanity of vanities to the world. A few hundred years later, Gautama Buddha came up with an alternative line for those who see through the vanity of this world, but the true lifeline that would bring joy to the despair and the true comfort comes from the other Son of David: Jesus Christ.  

Prayer: O Lord! Thank you for saving us from the vanity of this world! You let us pass through the Valley of weeping and bring us to a place of springs!

否极泰来

能体会到人生之虚空，既是一种诅咒，又是一种福气。说是诅咒似乎容易理解，但这算什么福气呢？从牧羊童一路做到以色列的君王，大卫的一生充满传奇，毫不空虚。无论是在他登基之前还是称王以后，常有人想要取他的项上人头，他一直到死都忙得不亦乐乎，哪有空体会人生的空虚？但大卫的儿子所罗门就有福得多，在王宫长大以后就被直接保送上君王的宝座，而且四境太平，终身无仗可打。这所罗门不但智慧超群，而且极其富有，尽享人间荣华富贵。如果在大卫和所罗门这两种人生中任你挑，你想要过哪种日子？我猜大多数人都想当所罗门。但正是这位在耶路撒冷作王，大卫的儿子，【传一1】 超有福气的所罗门写下了传道书，告诉我们他所经历到日光之下的各种虚空。


人生的空虚是个痛苦的体验，但也不是随便就能吃到这个苦头的。人必需先要有人生追求，并祭以青春热血。等到你祭坛上的理想幻灭的那一刻，你才能经历到虚空的虚空。小的空虚常会发生，比方说你耐心排了两个小时的队，到了窗口才发觉你排错了，这种空虚还不算什么。如果你排了几十年甚至一辈子的队，最后发现你排错了窗口，那才叫空虚。不愿排队的懒人是不会经历这样的空虚。因为不曾为理想耕耘的人，必不会经历理想破灭的虚空。也不是每个辛苦攀登理想高峰的人，会及时醒悟自己所努力攀爬的，不过是一座垃圾山。很多在这条日光之下的长征路上“出师未捷身先死”的人，就是到死也不晓得自己排错了窗口。能够在排到之前突然醒悟过来的人，算得上是人生的先知。所罗门就是这样一位先知，他说，虚空的虚空，虚空的虚空。凡事都是虚空。人一切的劳碌，就是他在日光之下的劳碌，有什么益处呢？【传一2-3】


如此觉悟的人，就是那些提前发现自己排错了队的人，会对人生有不同的应对。从前中国人中常见到的反应，就是像贾宝玉那样看破红尘，出家了。也有人会变得玩世不恭，或者寄情山水，甚至万念俱灰，从人生追求中急流勇退。前一种人的反映，是去排另一个队，那个队伍所追求的乃是超越世俗的理想，是宗教信仰上的追求。后一种人的反映，相当于就地解散，什么队都无心再排了。这样的人，好的可以在个人爱好中寄托余生，差一点的就浑浑噩噩地混日子，最糟糕的就变得心如死灰，对人生毫无依恋。如果这就是醒悟的结果，也许还不如根本不要醒过来，兴致勃勃地排错队排到死。如果人死就完了，如此将错就错也说得过去，但如果人死之后没有完的话，这就是典型的自欺欺人。所以所罗门写了传道书，就是要把一切如此排错了队，在世俗中追求的人及早叫醒，好让他们能改弦更张。


如此被叫醒的人起初会异常痛苦，但这生产之痛是必需的。耶稣说，哀恸的人有福了，因为他们必得安慰。【太五4】谁是哀恸的人？在八福中，耶稣用简单鲜明的对比，颠覆人的常识。这里哀恸的人，指的是在这世上彻底绝望，在人间再也无法得到安慰的人，是痛苦地发现自己人生排错了队的人。他们因一无所有的虚空人生而哀恸。耶稣说这样的人有福了，因为他们可以欣然来到耶稣那里重新排队。而且他们所得到的赏赐是如此之大，以至于从前的空虚和痛苦都不再被纪念了。大卫的儿子所罗门向世人说破了日光之下的空虚。几百年之后出现的佛教，试图给如此看破红尘的人提供一条出路。但那真正让绝望之人破涕为笑的安慰，来自大卫的另一个儿子耶稣基督。


祷告：主啊，感谢你把我们从世界的空虚中拯救出来，让我们经过流泪谷，叫这谷变为泉源之地！