He took the twelve aside . . . —Luke 18:31
Oh, the bravery of God in trusting us! Do you say, “But He has been unwise to choose me, because there is nothing good in me and I have no value”? That is exactly why He chose you. As long as you think that you are of value to Him He cannot choose you, because you have purposes of your own to serve. But if you will allow Him to take you to the end of your own self-sufficiency, then He can choose you to go with Him “to Jerusalem” (Luke 18:31). And that will mean the fulfillment of purposes which He does not discuss with you.
We tend to say that because a person has natural ability, he will make a good Christian. It is not a matter of our equipment, but a matter of our poverty; not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a matter of natural virtues, of strength of character, of knowledge, or of experience— all of that is of no avail in this concern. The only thing of value is being taken into the compelling purpose of God and being made His friends (see 1 Corinthians 1:26-31). God’s friendship is with people who know their poverty. He can accomplish nothing with the person who thinks that he is of use to God. As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all— we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same. We do not know what God’s compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain our relationship with Him. We must never allow anything to damage our relationship with God, but if something does damage it, we must take the time to make it right again. The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack.
神與我們同行的勇氣
耶穌帶著十二個門徒。 （路十八31）
神信任我們，這是多大的勇氣！你說：”他挑選了我，實在不智，因為我一無所有，也一文不值。”這正是神揀選你的原因。你若自以為有，神就無法揀選你，因為你還有自己的目的。你若讓他帶你去到自滿自足的盡頭，他就能揀選你一同上耶路撒冷。這樣，就成就他沒有與你商量的計畫。
我們常因一個人具有天然才幹，便說他可以成為好的基督徒。其實，問題不在我們的裝備，而在我們的貧窮；不在我們帶什麼來，而在神放什麼在我們裡面；不在知識、經驗、天然的德行或堅強的個性－－這一切都無關重要。唯一要緊的，是我們在神的強力催策下，成為與他同行的人（比較林前一26-30）。與神同行的人，神是無能為力的。作為基督徒，我們絕不是為自己的目標，而是單為神的目標。神的目標絕不同人的目標。我們不知道神怎樣打算，但無論發生什麼事，也必須保持與他的關係。絕不可容讓任何事損害我們與神的關係，若這關係有損，就必須花時間去複原。基督教的重點不在於我們所作的工、乃在我們所持守的關係，與及因著這關係而產生的情操。神要我們看守的就是這個，而不斷受到攻擊的也正是個。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，你何等清楚地向我顯明，最重要的是神，惟獨是神。願我在這偉大的認知上，絕不絆跌任何人。
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