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「總要效法那些憑信心和忍耐承受應允的人。」（聖經希伯來書六章 12 節）
信心的英雄今天在榮耀中指示我們：凡他們所成就的，我們亦能。成就的祕訣不只是信心，也在乎忍耐。所以，不要讓我們疑惑、焦急、沮喪，以至失去受主出乎愛的鍛煉的機會。
有一個打鐵的鐵匠說：「只有一件事是我所怕的，就是被神丟到碎鐵堆裡去。」
「當我鍛煉鋼鐵的時侯，我先把它在爐中燒紅，然後用鐵錘錘它，又忽然把它投入一桶冷水中。這樣，不久我便能試驗出來這塊鐵到底經不經得起鍛煉，會不會裂成碎片。我把它這樣試驗至少二三次，如果它經不起鍛煉，我就把它甩在碎鐵堆裡；等到收舊貨的來了，我就一分錢一磅賣給他。」
「照樣，我覺得主也用火、用錘、用水試驗我，如果我沒有信心和忍耐，就經不起試驗，以致不能合乎祂的標準，我怕祂也會把我丟到碎鐵堆裡去呢！」
雖然火是極熱、錘是極重、水是極冷，你還該憑信心和忍耐站住，因為祝福就在後面； 讓我們和約伯同聲說：「祂試煉我之後，我必如精金。」（聖經約伯記二十三章10 節）── 選
要一架鋼琴出聲，須用十一噸壓力。如果你經得起壓力，神就要把你壓出音調來和天上的音樂相和。
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"Followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises." (Heb. 6:12.)
THEY (heroes of faith) are calling to us from the heights that they have won, and telling us that what man once did man can do again. Not only do they remind us of the necessity of faith, but also of that patience by which faith has its perfect work. Let us fear to take ourselves out of the hands of our heavenly Guide or to miss a single lesson of His loving discipline by discouragement or doubt.
"There is only one thing," said a village blacksmith, "that I fear, and that is to be thrown on the scrap heap.
"When I am tempering a piece of steel, I first heat it, hammer it, and then suddenly plunge it into this bucket of cold water. I very soon find whether it will take temper or go to pieces in the process. When I discover after one or two tests that it is not going to allow itself to be tempered, I throw it on the scrap heap and sell it for a cent a pound when the junk man comes around.
"So I find the Lord tests me, too, by fire and water and heavy blows of His heavy hammer, and if I am not willing to stand the test, or am not going to prove a fit subject for His tempering process, I am afraid He may throw me on the scrap heap."
When the fire is hottest, hold still, for there will be a blessed "after word; and with Job we may be able to say," When he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold." --- Selected.
Sainthood springs out of suffering. It takes eleven tons of pressure on a piano to tune it. God will tune you to harmonize with Heaven's key-note if you can stand the strain.
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