全體聖徒日
提摩太後書3:12不但如此，凡立志在基督耶穌裏敬虔度日的，也都要受逼迫。
苦難不是聖徒的功德
苦難並不讓我們賺取什麼功德。任何誇耀和教導自己的十架和苦難的人根本就不認識十架或者基督，因為他們以為自己的苦難就是他們的功德。（太6:16）
苦難卻讓我們可以效法基督，和讓上帝得喜悅。這就足以讓我們的心意滿足了。
接受苦難就接受了基督
不是我們選擇十架和苦難，是苦難選擇我們！我們只要在苦難來臨時，背負並忍耐著即可。親愛的朋友，根本就不需被逼或強迫自己去背負十架。如果你不想受苦卻又沒有功勞，那麼你可以把十架放在地上。這就是在否認基督。是的！情況就是這樣！你必須明白拒絕受苦，就不再是基督的僕人。所以，你有兩條路可以選擇：或者受苦，或者否認基督。
基督的苦難使我們成聖
如果你願意受苦，非常好！基督承諾的祝福和安慰都會賜給你。祝福如此豐富，你應該甘心受苦，歡喜地受苦，因為基督和祂的苦難正在加給你，屬於你。如果你可以相信這些，那麼當你受驚慄、遭磨難時，你能夠說：「即便讓我長期受苦，也是好得無比的，因為我要與我的神永遠同住。這個寶貝遠超過我暫時的苦難。」（AE 51:199-200）
最後，基督徒受的苦比其他世人的苦難更尊貴，有價值，因為基督自己受苦，也聖化了所有基督徒的苦難。藉著基督的苦難，所有聖徒的苦難變得全然聖潔，因為都被基督的苦難膏抹過（出30:31-32）。所以，我們應該看苦難為一件聖事，而接受所有的苦難。(AE 51:308）
——馬丁路德《苦難和十架的講道》
Suffering Makes Saint
But we say that we earn nothing by our suffering and therefore do not frame it in such beautiful monstrances as they do. It is enough that we know that it pleases God that we suffer in order that we may be conformed to Christ, as I have said.
So we see that the very ones who boast and teach so much about cross and suffering know the least either about the Cross or of Christ, because they make their own suffering meritorious. Dear friends, it isn’t that kind of thing at all; nor is anybody forced or compelled to it. If you don’t want to do it for nothing and without any merit, then you can let it lie and so deny Christ. The way is at hand, but you must know that if you refuse to suffer you will also not become Christ’s courtier. So you may do either one of these two, either suffer or deny Christ.
If you are willing to suffer, very well, then the treasure and consolation which is promised and given to you is so great that you ought to suffer willingly and joyfully because Christ and his suffering is being bestowed upon you and made your own. And if you can believe this, then in time of great fear and trouble you will be able to say: Even though I suffer long, very well then, what is that compared with that great treasure which my God has given to me, that I shall live eternally with him? （AE 51:199-200)
Finally, Christian suffering is nobler and precious above all other human suffering because, since Christ himself suffered, he also hallowed the suffering of all his Christians. Through the suffering of Christ, the suffering of all his saints has become utterly holy, for it has been touched with Christ’s suffering. Therefore we should accept all suffering as a holy thing, for it is truly holiness. (AE 51:308）(Sermon on Suffering and the Cross)
Photo by Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
