Submitting to God’s Purpose

I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some —1 Corinthians 9:22

A Christian worker has to learn how to be God’s man or woman of great worth and excellence in the midst of a multitude of meager and worthless things. Never protest by saying, “If only I were somewhere else!” All of God’s people are ordinary people who have been made extraordinary by the purpose He has given them. Unless we have the right purpose intellectually in our minds and lovingly in our hearts, we will very quickly be diverted from being useful to God. We are not workers for God by choice. Many people deliberately choose to be workers, but they have no purpose of God’s almighty grace or His mighty Word in them. Paul’s whole heart, mind, and soul were consumed with the great purpose of what Jesus Christ came to do, and he never lost sight of that one thing. We must continually confront ourselves with one central fact— “. . . Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

“I chose you . . .” (John 15:16). Keep these words as a wonderful reminder in your theology. It is not that you have gotten God, but that He has gotten you. God is at work bending, breaking, molding, and doing exactly as He chooses. And why is He doing it? He is doing it for only one purpose— that He may be able to say, “This is My man, and this is My woman.” We have to be in God’s hand so that He can place others on the Rock, Jesus Christ, just as He has placed us.

Never choose to be a worker, but once God has placed His call upon you, woe be to you if you “turn aside . . . to the right or the left . . .” (Deuteronomy 28:14). He will do with you what He never did before His call came to you, and He will do with you what He is not doing with other people. Let Him have His way.

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永遠的破碎

"向什麼樣的人，我就作什麼樣的人。無論如何總要救些人。"林前9：22

一個基督徒工人要學會如何在卑賤的事中成為屬神的高尚之人。千萬不要用這個藉口－－如果我在其他地方就好了！所有屬神的人都是平凡人，只是因神所給予他們的內容而成為特別。除非我們在心智和情感上都有了正確的內容，否則我們會對神毫無用處。我們不是選擇作神的工人。許多人刻意地選擇作神的工人，但在他們裡面沒有神全能的恩典，也沒有他大能的話語。保羅的整個心、思想和靈魂都被耶穌基督降世的偉大使命所吸引，他從沒有忘記這件事。我們也要面對自己在這個中心的事實－－耶穌基督並他釘十字架。

"我已經揀選了你。"要在你的信條裡牢記這偉大的話語。不是你得到了神，而是他得到了你。在這所學校裡，神在做工，他改變人，他打碎人，他模造人，按照他所揀選的去做。我們不知道他為什麼做這個，他只是為了一個唯一的目的－－就是他可以說，這是屬於我的男人，這是屬於我的女人。我們要在神的手裡，好讓他把人栽種在磐石上，就像栽種我們一樣。

不要自己選擇去做一個工人，但是當神呼召你時，如果你左推右搪，就有禍了。他會在你身上做些事情，是呼召你以前所未做過的；他會對付你，不像對其他人那樣。讓他按他的方式做吧。