The Supreme Climb

Take now your son . . . and offer him . . . as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you —Genesis 22:2

A person’s character determines how he interprets God’s will (see Psalm 18:25-26). Abraham interpreted God’s command to mean that he had to kill his son, and he could only leave this traditional belief behind through the pain of a tremendous ordeal. God could purify his faith in no other way. If we obey what God says according to our sincere belief, God will break us from those traditional beliefs that misrepresent Him. There are many such beliefs which must be removed-for example, that God removes a child because his mother loves him too much. That is the devil’s lie and a travesty on the true nature of God! If the devil can hinder us from taking the supreme climb and getting rid of our wrong traditional beliefs about God, he will do so. But if we will stay true to God, God will take us through an ordeal that will serve to bring us into a better knowledge of Himself.

The great lesson to be learned from Abraham’s faith in God is that he was prepared to do anything for God. He was there to obey God, no matter what contrary belief of his might be violated by his obedience. Abraham was not devoted to his own convictions or else he would have slain Isaac and said that the voice of the angel was actually the voice of the devil. That is the attitude of a fanatic. If you will remain true to God, God will lead you directly through every barrier and right into the inner chamber of the knowledge of Himself. But you must always be willing to come to the point of giving up your own convictions and traditional beliefs. Don’t ask God to test you. Never declare as Peter did that you are willing to do anything, even “to go . . . both to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33). Abraham did not make any such statement— he simply remained true to God, and God purified his faith.

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攀高

你帶著你的兒子……在我所要指示你的山上，把他獻為燔祭。 （創二十二2）

一個人如何領會神的旨意，乃在於他的個性（參詩十八25-26）。亞伯拉罕對神命令的領會，就是要把兒子殺了。他只好把傳統的觀念拋在腦後，忍受極度痛苦的考驗。神只有用這個方法去煉淨他的信心。我們若存誠實的心順服神，神自然會將我們從傳統對他的誤解中釋放出來。有許多信念是我們要摒棄的，就如：神要把一個孩子取去，因為那母親太愛他了。這簡直是魔鬼的謊話，是嘲弄神的本性。魔鬼會不惜代價阻礙我們踏上登高之路，不讓我們除掉神誤解的傳統​​觀念。可是，只要我們忠於神，他就會帶我們經過考驗，使我們從經驗中更認識他。

亞伯拉罕對神信心的偉大處，在於他肯為神赴湯蹈火，在所不辭。他只一心聽從神，不惜違反任何觀念。亞伯拉罕並非一己信念的忠實信徒，否則他就會一意孤行，殺了以撒，說那天使的呼叫是魔鬼的聲音了。這只是狂妄者的態度。只要你保持對神的忠誠，神必領你經過一切障礙，進入內室得以認識他；但其中有個關鍵，就是放棄傳統的信念與看法。不要求神試驗你，切勿像彼得那樣宣稱：[我什麼都肯做，甚至願與你同死。 ]亞伯拉罕並沒有作此宣告，他始終對神忠誠，神也就煉淨了他的信心。

祈禱◆噢，主啊，我投向你，我所感覺得到的，惟獨是你。取去我那些繁贅、誇大和衝動的謊話，讓我安靜地等候你。