Let Us Keep to the Point

". . . my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death" —Philippians 1:2

My Utmost for His Highest. “. . . my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed . . . .” We will all feel very much ashamed if we do not yield to Jesus the areas of our lives He has asked us to yield to Him. It’s as if Paul were saying, “My determined purpose is to be my utmost for His highest— my best for His glory.” To reach that level of determination is a matter of the will, not of debate or of reasoning. It is absolute and irrevocable surrender of the will at that point. An undue amount of thought and consideration for ourselves is what keeps us from making that decision, although we cover it up with the pretense that it is others we are considering. When we think seriously about what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God He doesn’t know what our obedience will mean. Keep to the point— He does know. Shut out every other thought and keep yourself before God in this one thing only— my utmost for His highest. I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and Him alone.

My Unstoppable Determination for His Holiness. “Whether it means life or death-it makes no difference!” (see Philippians 1:21). Paul was determined that nothing would stop him from doing exactly what God wanted. But before we choose to follow God’s will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God’s gentler nudges. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him and we begin to debate. He then providentially produces a crisis where we have to decide— for or against. That moment becomes a great crossroads in our lives. If a crisis has come to you on any front, surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably.

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認定目標

照著我所切慕所盼望的，沒有一事叫我羞愧，只要凡事放膽，無論是生，是死，總叫基督在我身上照常顯大。 （腓一20）

竭盡己心以成全主至高的旨意。 [照著我所切慕所盼望的，沒有一事叫我羞愧。 ]耶穌要求我們凡事順服，若我們不肯順服，就必然會大大羞愧。保羅說：[我決志要竭盡所能，成全神至高的旨意。 ]要達到這個目標，是意志的問題。不是討價還價，理長論短，乃是意志的降服，是絕對的，不反悔的，對正要害的降服。但我們往往思前想後，諸多疑慮，過分自作主張，無法定意順服，而且還口稱是為了顧及別人的需要。我們揣摩測度，心想若順服了耶穌的呼召，會怎樣影響那些人；於是就告訴神說：[你知道我順服之後會有怎樣的後果？ ]只要持定目標，神是知道的。把所有顧慮都放下，單單來到神面前，存一個心志－－[竭盡所能，完成神至高的旨意。 ]

為他的聖潔榮耀，不折不撓。 [無論是生，是死，我全不介懷！ ]（參21節）保羅立定心志，不讓任何事物阻攔他去成就神的旨意，是不折不扣地惟命是從。神行事的程式是我們在生命中有一個改變，因為神好好跟我們說的時候，我們多半不理睬。他於是把我們帶到一個地步，叫我們竭誠為他，那時我們就開始掙扎（原文作爭辯）；然後，他造一個非忍受可以控制的局面，叫我們必須下一個決定－－或順命或逆命。從這裡開始，決定性的分界線就產生了。假若神生命的改變臨到你，你只要絕對的，毫不反悔的順服。

祈禱◆主啊，我何等渴望藉著祢能力的驅策、祢恩典的撫摸，和祢聖靈的感動，帶領我與祢面對面。為著我的遲緩，要那麼久才對某些事情有所醒悟，我祈求祢的寬恕。