The Habit of Having No Habits

If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful . . . —2 Peter 1:8

When we first begin to form a habit, we are fully aware of it. There are times when we are aware of becoming virtuous and godly, but this awareness should only be a stage we quickly pass through as we grow spiritually. If we stop at this stage, we will develop a sense of spiritual pride. The right thing to do with godly habits is to immerse them in the life of the Lord until they become such a spontaneous expression of our lives that we are no longer aware of them. Our spiritual life continually causes us to focus our attention inwardly for the determined purpose of self-examination, because each of us has some qualities we have not yet added to our lives.

Your god may be your little Christian habit— the habit of prayer or Bible reading at certain times of your day. Watch how your Father will upset your schedule if you begin to worship your habit instead of what the habit symbolizes. We say, “I can’t do that right now; this is my time alone with God.” No, this is your time alone with your habit. There is a quality that is still lacking in you. Identify your shortcoming and then look for opportunities to work into your life that missing quality.

Love means that there are no visible habits— that your habits are so immersed in the Lord that you practice them without realizing it. If you are consciously aware of your own holiness, you place limitations on yourself from doing certain things— things God is not restricting you from at all. This means there is a missing quality that needs to be added to your life. The only supernatural life is the life the Lord Jesus lived, and He was at home with God anywhere. Is there someplace where you are not at home with God? Then allow God to work through whatever that particular circumstance may be until you increase in Him, adding His qualities. Your life will then become the simple life of a child.

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不為習慣所束縛

你們若充充足足的有這幾樣，就必使你們在認識我們的主耶穌基督上，不至於閒懶不結果子了。 （彼後一8）

習慣開始形成時，我們是知道的。好些時候，我們自覺在德行、忍耐、虔誠上有了長進，但這不過是生命的初階。但若老是停留在這地步，在靈性上必定趾高氣揚，夜郎自大。而正確的做法是把習慣溶在主的生命裡，直至每一種習慣，都不再是自覺的表現。屬靈的生命需要經常自省，因為還有好些品質未加上去。到了最終，與主的關係就極為單純了。

神可能只是你的一套信徒習慣，在指定的時間內祈禱讀經。假若你崇拜的是這些習慣，而不是習慣所象徵的意義－－[我現在沒空，我正在禱告，這是我親近神的時間。 ]天父可能會把那些時間顛倒。這只是你習慣的時間，你身上仍缺少一些品質。要找出缺點，然後在需要加上去的品質上多多操練。

愛不是習慣，是到了忘掉習慣的地步，達到不自覺的境地。你若自覺聖潔，那麼必然有些事你認為是乾不來的，在某些關係上你也未夠單純；那就是說你還要加上的品質。只有耶穌所過的生活，才是超人的生活，他隨時隨地都與神同在，沒有絲毫隔膜。你有沒有什麼地方與神有隙，不能與他契合無間？讓神在特別的環境下施以壓力，知道你得著他。那時，你的生命就如嬰孩一般單純。

祈禱◆噢，主啊，求你向我們解明真理，讓我們明白，並使我們在你裡面得以剛強。