經文: 「這又醜陋、又乾瘦的七隻母牛，喫那又美好，又肥壯的七隻母牛。」

坦白說，法老王的夢境，不就是我等現實屬靈生命的寫照？我不冷不熱的光景常常啃蝕我當年熱心時所積存的功績；我冷淡退後的情況，常常凍結我當初奉獻的熱情；我對世俗之事的關切，常常轉移我對屬靈上進的追求。我應當有所警惕，知道太少讀經，太少禱告，太少服事，將會奪去我內心的平安與喜樂。
若我沒有好好讀經禱告，我就會與主生疏許多；若我沒有從主那兒得著新鮮的嗎哪與活水，我的靈性就會乾渴枯竭。我多麼希望自己的靈程，沒有荒涼的歲月，沒有貧瘠的段落，時時都充滿著肥甘油脂，刻刻都蒙受上帝的護佑與眷顧，因為奔跑有定向，奮鬥有目標，天國很快就在望。反之，若我冷淡退後，因循苟且，不但前功盡棄，也失去那呼召我將來得賞的機會。
我一生的年日，若要充實豐盈，只有像那牛群羊隻徜徉在肥沃的水草之地，才能長得健康壯碩。因為，我們惟有藉著時時親近主，事事敬畏主，而且殷勤服事，靈性方得成熟豐美。我們為何不能一年比一年更加有愛心？有喜樂？且對人有幫助。我們對主有更深一層的體認，我們也要愈來愈像祂。喔！主啊，保守我一生歲月不致荒蕪，貧瘠如乾瘦、醜陋的母牛。

Morning, July 3
Scripture: “The ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven wellfavoured and fat kine.”(Genesis 41:4)

Pharaoh's dream has too often been my waking experience. My days of sloth have ruinously destroyed all that I had achieved in times of zealous industry; my seasons of coldness have frozen all the genial glow of my periods of fervency and enthusiasm; and my fits of worldliness have thrown me back from my advances in the divine life. I had need to beware of lean prayers, lean praises, lean duties, and lean experiences, for these will eat up the fat of my comfort and peace. If I neglect prayer for never so short a time, I lose all the spirituality to which I had attained; if I draw no fresh supplies from heaven, the old corn in my granary is soon consumed by the famine which rages in my soul. When the caterpillars of indifference, the cankerworms of worldliness, and the palmerworms of self-indulgence, lay my heart completely desolate, and make my soul to languish, all my former fruitfulness and growth in grace avails me nothing whatever. How anxious should I be to have no lean-fleshed days, no ill-favoured hours! If every day I journeyed towards the goal of my desires I should soon reach it, but backsliding leaves me still far off from the prize of my high calling, and robs me of the advances which I had so laboriously made. The only way in which all my days can be as the “fat kine,” is to feed them in the right meadow, to spend them with the Lord, in His service, in His company, in His fear, and in His way. Why should not every year be richer than the past, in love, and usefulness, and joy?—I am nearer the celestial hills, I have had more experience of my Lord, and should be more like Him. O Lord, keep far from me the curse of leanness of soul; let me not have to cry, “My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me!” but may I be well-fed and nourished in thy house, that I may praise thy name.