Living Simply— Yet Focused

Look at the birds of the air . . . . Consider the lilies of the field . . . —Matthew 6:26, 28

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin”— they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars, and the moon— all of these simply are as well— yet what a ministry and service they render on our behalf! So often we impair God’s designed influence, which He desires to exhibit through us, because of our own conscious efforts to be consistent and useful. Jesus said there is only one way to develop and grow spiritually, and that is through focusing and concentrating on God. In essence, Jesus was saying, “Do not worry about being of use to others; simply believe on Me.” In other words, pay attention to the Source, and out of you “will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). We cannot discover the source of our natural life through common sense and reasoning, and Jesus is teaching here that growth in our spiritual life comes not from focusing directly on it, but from concentrating on our Father in heaven. Our heavenly Father knows our circumstances, and if we will stay focused on Him, instead of our circumstances, we will grow spiritually— just as “the lilies of the field.”

The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and “the lilies of the field”— simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold and shape us.

If you want to be of use to God, maintain the proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on Him, and He will make use of you every minute you live— yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him.

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不合理的憂慮

你們看那天上的飛鳥，……你想野地裡的百合花……。 （太六26-28）

試想想野地的百合花怎樣長起來，它們無非是順應自然而生！又試想想大海、空氣、太陽、星星、月亮－－這一切就是這樣存在，然而，它們所達成的，是何等的任務！許多時候，我們憑著自己的努力，去作一個言行一致、有用的人，反而將神原要我們對別人的影響破壞了。耶穌說，屬靈的生長只有一個途徑，就是在神自己。 [不要顧慮自己對被人是否有幫助，相信我吧！ ]

注目在至高的源頭上，你就有生命的活水流出來。我們若用人的常識本能，是無法得著生命的泉源；所以耶穌教導我們不是靠自己的守望，乃是專注在天父身上。天父知道我們所處的景況，只要我們專心仰望他，就可像百合花一般生長。

對我們影響最大的人，不是那些整天嘮嘮叨叨教訓我們的人，而是那些生活如星辰、如野地百合花般單純真誠的人。這樣的生命才足以模造我們。你要是想合神使用，就要與耶穌基督建立正常的關係，這樣，他便會叫你一生在不知不覺中，時刻為他所使用。

祈禱◆今早我懷著崇敬的心靠近你，感到你是我的天父，並且完全知悉你忍耐著我不真實的一面。但是，主啊，我現在似乎不關心自己是否真實，因為你本身就是最偉大的實體。