The Servant’s Primary Goal

We make it our aim . . . to be well pleasing to Him —2 Corinthians 5:9

We make it our aim. . . .” It requires a conscious decision and effort to keep our primary goal constantly in front of us. It means holding ourselves to the highest priority year in and year out; not making our first priority to win souls, or to establish churches, or to have revivals, but seeking only “to be well pleasing to Him.” It is not a lack of spiritual experience that leads to failure, but a lack of working to keep our eyes focused and on the right goal. At least once a week examine yourself before God to see if your life is measuring up to the standard He has for you. Paul was like a musician who gives no thought to audience approval, if he can only catch a look of approval from his Conductor.

Any goal we have that diverts us even to the slightest degree from the central goal of being “approved to God” (2 Timothy 2:15) may result in our rejection from further service for Him. When you discern where the goal leads, you will understand why it is so necessary to keep “looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2). Paul spoke of the importance of controlling his own body so that it would not take him in the wrong direction. He said, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest . . . I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27).

I must learn to relate everything to the primary goal, maintaining it without interruption. My worth to God publicly is measured by what I really am in my private life. Is my primary goal in life to please Him and to be acceptable to Him, or is it something less, no matter how lofty it may sound?

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工人專一的情志

我們立了志向，要得主的喜悅。 （林後五9）

[立了志向（英文有勞苦作工的意思）……]乃是盡心竭力，把最大的願望擺在首位。意即由年首至歲終，持守著最高的理想。這種理想，並不是熱心去得人靈魂，或者建立教會、舉辦奮興會，而是熱衷於[得主的喜悅]。我們的失敗，並非由於缺乏屬靈的經歷，而是沒有竭力持定那理想的標竿。每一個禮拜，至少要在神面前結算一次，看看你的生命是否夠得上他所要求得水平。

保羅好像一個音樂家，他不管聽眾讚賞不讚賞，只要獲得主人得青睞，就已心滿意足了。任何野心只要稍微偏差，不指向[得主喜悅]的目標，就會叫我們成為被棄絕的人。要學習分辨心志的方向，你就會明白為什麼要向著主耶穌而活。保羅說：[我怕我的身體會領我走入歧途，因此我不斷地提高警覺，攻克己身，叫身服我。 ]（林前九27）

我必須學習把一切所做的連接在這首要的心誌上，同時保守它不間斷。在公眾面前我在身心裡有多少價值，是視乎我私下里的為人。我最高的心志是要討神喜悅，還是為了次一等看來很高貴的目標？

祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著今早的經文，我感謝你－－[所以你當歸向你的神，謹守仁愛、公平，常常等候你的神。 ]願你榮耀的同在充滿這廣大的營地；阻止罪惡，激發敬虔。