In mid-August, when I returned to my hometown from Hangzhou, a good sister invited me to several Christian WeChat groups. Every day, according to the different requirements of each group, I had to pray, read the scriptures, call on the Lord’s name, sing praises, or share reflections on the scriptures. Also, in each WeChat group, I had to finish the tasks of the day on time or the groups would remind me at eight or nine o'clock in the evening. In addition, while I was in Hangzhou, I had several WeChat groups that did the same every day.
In the beginning, faced with so many WeChat groups, I was stretched too thin with housework and other things - I was always in a hurry all day long. Despite all my efforts, there were still groups whose tasks I couldn’t finish on time and they would send me several reminders.
In order to finish the tasks of each group on time, the first thing I did after waking up every morning was to read the instructions from each WeChat group. Because some groups required posting voice messages, I couldn’t be careless but had to take them seriously. Since joining these groups, my mind has been so occupied that I have hardly had the time and been in the mood to do housework and other things. As a result, I began to rebel against all of these tasks. But I was afraid of offending God so I had to follow through and complete the tasks.
Amazingly, after more than half a month's passive adherence to my morning duties, my whole person felt completely different from before. In the past, when I woke up in the morning, things in the world and thoughts from my life flooded my mind like a wave so my mood was not only always sad but also sometimes I was afraid. This feeling has gone now because it has been replaced by the sweetness of my morning meditations.
It took more than two months to move from passively doing tasks, to proactively engaging them, to longing for my morning meditation. For more than two months, by praying and reading God's Word every morning, my heart got close to the Lord and was full of peace and joy.
I woke up in the middle of the night last night, and I felt a fountain of joy surging from the depths of my heart, and I felt like breaking into song.
With songs and lyrics ringing in my heart, my heart was filled with endless joy… I hadn’t felt like this in the morning for many years. I looked at the time - 3 am - and gave thanks and praise to the Lord!
After this wave of joyful emotion, I began to think about why I had awakened each morning for more than two months without my previous sadness and fear. Even though the weather had been intermittently cold during these few weeks, I was not sad but was filled with a fountain of joy. That's because every morning for more than two months, my heart had established a close relationship with the Lord through my morning time of worship. My spirit was guided by the Holy Spirit, my heart was filled with the Holy Spirit, and my life was committed to the word of the Lord.
Romans 8: 5-6 says: "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires, but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;" In 8: 7 it says, "the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so." It goes on in 8: 8-9, "Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ."
The Christian mind is a battleground. In the past, I also read the Scripture and prayed every day, and I seldom had morning devotions. When I woke up every morning, my thoughts and thoughts were all about things in the world, the things of the flesh which are the enemies to God, so there was no peace in my heart but fear. For these two months, I found my mind was focused on God’s spirit, that my life was filled with the Holy Spirit and I was raised to a life of peace and joy.
Through the change of my mood brought by my dedication to morning meditation during the past two months, I know how important it is to first get close to the Lord every morning.
- Translated by Charlie Li
见证：从担忧到喜乐，清晨灵修让我更加认识主！
八月中旬，从杭州回到了老家，一位要好的姐妹拉我进了好几个微信群，每天要按照每个群里的不同要求，或祷告，或读经、呼求主名、或赞美，或语音分享读经感受，每个微信群都要按时完成当天的任务，否则的话，晚上八九点钟的时候群里要点名提醒。另外，我在杭州的时候，还有几个微信群也是要每天完成其中任务的。
刚开始的时候，面对这么多的微信群，心里很有压力，再加上家务活和其他的事情，一天到晚，常常是手忙脚乱的。即便如此，还是有没有按时完成的群，被点名了好几次。
为了按时完成每天各群的任务，我每天早晨醒来第一时间，就开始逐个看微信群，因为有些群要语音才能过关，所以就不能马虎，得认真对待，这样以来，我整个人的心思都在这些事上，家务活和其他的事几乎没时间和心情去做。于是，心里很有悖逆情绪，但是又怕得罪神，只好硬着头皮坚持天天晨兴。
奇妙的是，经过半个多月被动地坚持晨兴，整个人感觉跟以前完全不一样了。以前每早晨醒来，世上的事、今生的思虑像浪潮一样漫上心头，因此心情，不但是常常忧伤的，有时还是常常惧怕的。现在已经没有了这种感觉，因为它被晨兴的甘甜替代了。
从被动晨兴，到主动晨兴，再到渴慕晨兴，已经两个多月了。两个多月来，通过每早晨祷读神的话语，晨兴心灵，我的心与主亲近，里面充满了平安喜乐。
昨夜夜半醒来，一股喜乐之泉从心灵深处源源不断涌起，一首首歌曲从心地底深处泛上来。
当一首首歌曲，一句句歌词在心中响起的时候，心里洋溢着无尽的喜乐……这是多年来早晨从来没有过的心情，我看了下时间，凌晨3点，感谢赞美主！
喜乐的浪潮过后，我开始思考，为什么两个多月来早晨醒来，心情没有了以前的忧伤和惧怕，尤其在近半个月断断续续的感冒中，我不仅没有难过，而且里面还涌出喜乐之泉？那是因为两个多月来，每早晨我的心通过晨兴与主建立了亲密的关系，我的灵被圣灵引导，我的心被圣灵充满，我的生命被主的话构成。
罗马书八章5—6节：“因为随从肉体的人体贴肉体的事；随从圣灵的人体贴圣灵的事。体贴肉体的就是死，体贴圣灵的乃是生命平安。”八章7节上：“原来体贴肉体的，就是与神为仇”八章8—9节上：“而且属肉体的人不得神的喜欢。如果神的灵住在你们里面，你们就不属肉体，乃属圣灵了。”
基督徒的心思是一个争战的战场。以前每天也读经祷告，很少晨兴，每早晨醒来，心思意念都是世上的事，都是肉体的事，是与神为仇的，所以没有平安，还有惧怕；两个多月来的晨兴，心思置于灵，被灵占有，被灵兴起，所以就是平安喜乐。
通过两个多月来晨兴心情的改变，才知道每早晨第一时间亲近主是多么的重要。
见证：从担忧到喜乐，清晨灵修让我更加认识主！
In mid-August, when I returned to my hometown from Hangzhou, a good sister invited me to several Christian WeChat groups. Every day, according to the different requirements of each group, I had to pray, read the scriptures, call on the Lord’s name, sing praises, or share reflections on the scriptures. Also, in each WeChat group, I had to finish the tasks of the day on time or the groups would remind me at eight or nine o'clock in the evening. In addition, while I was in Hangzhou, I had several WeChat groups that did the same every day.
In the beginning, faced with so many WeChat groups, I was stretched too thin with housework and other things - I was always in a hurry all day long. Despite all my efforts, there were still groups whose tasks I couldn’t finish on time and they would send me several reminders.
In order to finish the tasks of each group on time, the first thing I did after waking up every morning was to read the instructions from each WeChat group. Because some groups required posting voice messages, I couldn’t be careless but had to take them seriously. Since joining these groups, my mind has been so occupied that I have hardly had the time and been in the mood to do housework and other things. As a result, I began to rebel against all of these tasks. But I was afraid of offending God so I had to follow through and complete the tasks.
Amazingly, after more than half a month's passive adherence to my morning duties, my whole person felt completely different from before. In the past, when I woke up in the morning, things in the world and thoughts from my life flooded my mind like a wave so my mood was not only always sad but also sometimes I was afraid. This feeling has gone now because it has been replaced by the sweetness of my morning meditations.
It took more than two months to move from passively doing tasks, to proactively engaging them, to longing for my morning meditation. For more than two months, by praying and reading God's Word every morning, my heart got close to the Lord and was full of peace and joy.
I woke up in the middle of the night last night, and I felt a fountain of joy surging from the depths of my heart, and I felt like breaking into song.
With songs and lyrics ringing in my heart, my heart was filled with endless joy… I hadn’t felt like this in the morning for many years. I looked at the time - 3 am - and gave thanks and praise to the Lord!
After this wave of joyful emotion, I began to think about why I had awakened each morning for more than two months without my previous sadness and fear. Even though the weather had been intermittently cold during these few weeks, I was not sad but was filled with a fountain of joy. That's because every morning for more than two months, my heart had established a close relationship with the Lord through my morning time of worship. My spirit was guided by the Holy Spirit, my heart was filled with the Holy Spirit, and my life was committed to the word of the Lord.
Romans 8: 5-6 says: "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires, but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;" In 8: 7 it says, "the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so." It goes on in 8: 8-9, "Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ."
The Christian mind is a battleground. In the past, I also read the Scripture and prayed every day, and I seldom had morning devotions. When I woke up every morning, my thoughts and thoughts were all about things in the world, the things of the flesh which are the enemies to God, so there was no peace in my heart but fear. For these two months, I found my mind was focused on God’s spirit, that my life was filled with the Holy Spirit and I was raised to a life of peace and joy.
Through the change of my mood brought by my dedication to morning meditation during the past two months, I know how important it is to first get close to the Lord every morning.
- Translated by Charlie Li
From Worries to Joys: I’ve Learnt More of the Lord through Morning Devotion
