Agree with your adversary quickly . . . —Matthew 5:25
In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, “Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ’till you have paid the last penny’ (Matthew 5:26) in pain, agony, and distress.” God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.
Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint?
Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit of God so strongly urges us to stay steadfastly in the light! (see John 3:19-21).
“Agree with your adversary quickly . . . .” Have you suddenly reached a certain place in your relationship with someone, only to find that you have anger in your heart? Confess it quickly— make it right before God. Be reconciled to that person— do it now!
立刻做
趕緊與他（對頭）和息。 （太五25）
耶穌基督定下了一個原則－－知道該做的現在就去做，而且要快快的做；否則，那無法避免的歷程就必發生，而你也得嘗受痛苦。神的律是不更改的，人也無法逃避。耶穌的教訓是針對我們本質而說的。
要仇敵尊重我的權利，是很自然的事，可是耶穌卻說償還仇敵的一切，才是最急切而有永恆價值的事。從主的角度看來，我被人欺詐與否，並不要緊；要緊的是我不欺詐人。我是否堅持爭取自己的權益，還是站在主的立場，償還我所欠的？
要快快的做，立即審判自己。不論在道德上，或屬靈上，都必須立刻去做；否則那無情的歷程就必開始。神一心要他的兒女清潔雪白，任何不順服他教訓的，他的靈就會不遺餘力地工作。
我們若一味堅持自己無辜，就表示還有些地方不順服。怪不得聖靈這麼強烈地催逼我們要常在光明中。
[趕快與他和息。 ]你是否一瞬間就察覺與人的關係中有憤怒存在？快快認罪，在神面前趕快解決，與那人和好－－現在就要去做。
祈禱◆主啊，願你成為我生命中一道生機蓬勃、寧謐安恬的廣闊河流。願你今天向我們每一個人展示更多的愛與溫柔－－尤其是我，因為許多人被我直接影響。
June 30, 2014
June 29, 2014
The Strictest Discipline
If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell —Matthew 5:30
Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that “if your right hand causes you to sin” in your walk with Him, then it is better to “cut it off.” There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them. Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then “cut it off.” The principle taught here is the strictest discipline or lesson that ever hit humankind.
When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed. There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you. But the unspiritual people around you will say, “What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!” There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God’s sight than to appear lovely to man’s eyes but lame to God’s. At first, Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you. Yet, see that you don’t use your restrictions to criticize someone else.
The Christian life is a maimed life initially, but in Matthew 5:48 Jesus gave us the picture of a perfectly well-rounded life— “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
操練的方向
若是右手叫你跌倒，就砍下來丟掉。寧可失去百體中的一體，不叫全身下入地獄。 （太五30）
耶穌並沒有叫人把手砍掉，他只是說：[若你右手阻礙你與我同行，就把它砍下來。 ]有許多事本來是完全合情合理的，但你若要專心跟從神，就不能去做了。右手是你最有用的東西，但耶穌說如果它阻礙你跟從他，就把它砍掉。這種鍛煉的方法，是人類空前最嚴厲的。
神藉著重生改變了一個人，那生命起初的特徵就是殘廢。你有許多事不敢做了，而那些事在你眼中，在認識你的世界眼中，是等於你的右手或眼睛那樣重要。不屬靈的人就會說：[這件事有何不妥？你真是太古怪了！ ]有史以來，從沒有一個聖徒開始的時候，不是從無手無足的殘缺中起步的。可是，寧可被神視為美好而帶著殘廢進入永生，勝過在人眼中看為美麗，在神卻視為殘廢。重生初期，有許多事情是耶穌藉著殘廢禁止你做的；雖然別人作這些事或許完全沒有問題，你卻不可作。但得小心；不可以用你所受的限制去批評別人。
生命的開始是殘廢的，但在第四十八節中，耶穌卻展開了一幅豐盛生命的圖畫－－[你們要完全，像你們的天父完全一樣。 ]
祈禱◆主啊！願你今天帶領我進入你更多恩慈和奇妙的作為中。願你那滿有恩典和能力的慈手，今天覆庇我。
Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that “if your right hand causes you to sin” in your walk with Him, then it is better to “cut it off.” There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them. Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then “cut it off.” The principle taught here is the strictest discipline or lesson that ever hit humankind.
When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed. There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you. But the unspiritual people around you will say, “What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!” There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God’s sight than to appear lovely to man’s eyes but lame to God’s. At first, Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you. Yet, see that you don’t use your restrictions to criticize someone else.
The Christian life is a maimed life initially, but in Matthew 5:48 Jesus gave us the picture of a perfectly well-rounded life— “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
操練的方向
若是右手叫你跌倒，就砍下來丟掉。寧可失去百體中的一體，不叫全身下入地獄。 （太五30）
耶穌並沒有叫人把手砍掉，他只是說：[若你右手阻礙你與我同行，就把它砍下來。 ]有許多事本來是完全合情合理的，但你若要專心跟從神，就不能去做了。右手是你最有用的東西，但耶穌說如果它阻礙你跟從他，就把它砍掉。這種鍛煉的方法，是人類空前最嚴厲的。
神藉著重生改變了一個人，那生命起初的特徵就是殘廢。你有許多事不敢做了，而那些事在你眼中，在認識你的世界眼中，是等於你的右手或眼睛那樣重要。不屬靈的人就會說：[這件事有何不妥？你真是太古怪了！ ]有史以來，從沒有一個聖徒開始的時候，不是從無手無足的殘缺中起步的。可是，寧可被神視為美好而帶著殘廢進入永生，勝過在人眼中看為美麗，在神卻視為殘廢。重生初期，有許多事情是耶穌藉著殘廢禁止你做的；雖然別人作這些事或許完全沒有問題，你卻不可作。但得小心；不可以用你所受的限制去批評別人。
生命的開始是殘廢的，但在第四十八節中，耶穌卻展開了一幅豐盛生命的圖畫－－[你們要完全，像你們的天父完全一樣。 ]
祈禱◆主啊！願你今天帶領我進入你更多恩慈和奇妙的作為中。願你那滿有恩典和能力的慈手，今天覆庇我。
June 28, 2014
Held by the Grip of God
I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me —Philippians 3:12
Never choose to be a worker for God, but once God has placed His call on you, woe be to you if you “turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32). We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but because God has “laid hold of” us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, “Well, I’m really not suited for this.” What you are to preach is also determined by God, not by your own natural leanings or desires. Keep your soul steadfastly related to God, and remember that you are called not simply to convey your testimony but also to preach the gospel. Every Christian must testify to the truth of God, but when it comes to the call to preach, there must be the agonizing grip of God’s hand on you— your life is in the grip of God for that very purpose. How many of us are held like that?
Never water down the Word of God, but preach it in its undiluted sternness. There must be unflinching faithfulness to the Word of God, but when you come to personal dealings with others, remember who you are— you are not some special being created in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace.
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do. . . I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
被神得著
或者可以得著基督耶穌所以得著我的。 （腓三12）
切勿自告奮勇作主的工人；可是一旦被神呼召，你若偏左又偏右，就有禍了。我們原不是選擇為神工作，所以去作工，乃是因為神得著了我們。絕不該這樣想：[噢，我不適合做這個。 ]你所要傳的道，是由神決定的，不是憑你個人天然的喜好決定。你的心靈要緊緊貼近神，要記住你蒙召不單是作見證，更要傳福音。每個信徒都要作見證，但傳道的呼召，則必須有神的手狠狠地抓住。你的生命是單為這一件事被神抓住嗎？我們有多少人是這樣？
千萬不可把神的話打折扣，要按照他最嚴肅的真理去傳。對神的話要忠心；但對人的關係上，則記住你是誰－－不是天上製造的特種人，而只是一個蒙恩的罪人。 [我不是以為自己已經得著了。我只有一件事……]
祈禱◆主啊，求你按照你容許的方式和程度，讓我能看見你、感受你、相信你和完全認識你。除你以外，我還等候誰呢？
Never choose to be a worker for God, but once God has placed His call on you, woe be to you if you “turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32). We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but because God has “laid hold of” us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, “Well, I’m really not suited for this.” What you are to preach is also determined by God, not by your own natural leanings or desires. Keep your soul steadfastly related to God, and remember that you are called not simply to convey your testimony but also to preach the gospel. Every Christian must testify to the truth of God, but when it comes to the call to preach, there must be the agonizing grip of God’s hand on you— your life is in the grip of God for that very purpose. How many of us are held like that?
Never water down the Word of God, but preach it in its undiluted sternness. There must be unflinching faithfulness to the Word of God, but when you come to personal dealings with others, remember who you are— you are not some special being created in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace.
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do. . . I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
被神得著
或者可以得著基督耶穌所以得著我的。 （腓三12）
切勿自告奮勇作主的工人；可是一旦被神呼召，你若偏左又偏右，就有禍了。我們原不是選擇為神工作，所以去作工，乃是因為神得著了我們。絕不該這樣想：[噢，我不適合做這個。 ]你所要傳的道，是由神決定的，不是憑你個人天然的喜好決定。你的心靈要緊緊貼近神，要記住你蒙召不單是作見證，更要傳福音。每個信徒都要作見證，但傳道的呼召，則必須有神的手狠狠地抓住。你的生命是單為這一件事被神抓住嗎？我們有多少人是這樣？
千萬不可把神的話打折扣，要按照他最嚴肅的真理去傳。對神的話要忠心；但對人的關係上，則記住你是誰－－不是天上製造的特種人，而只是一個蒙恩的罪人。 [我不是以為自己已經得著了。我只有一件事……]
祈禱◆主啊，求你按照你容許的方式和程度，讓我能看見你、感受你、相信你和完全認識你。除你以外，我還等候誰呢？
June 27, 2014
The Overshadowing of God’s Personal Deliverance
. . . I am with you to deliver you,’ says the Lord —Jeremiah 1:8
God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally— “. . . your life shall be as a prize to you . . .” (Jeremiah 39:18). That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache, and distress. Having the proper outlook is evidence of the deeply rooted belief in the overshadowing of God’s personal deliverance.
The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on a mission for Jesus Christ, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, “Don’t worry about whether or not you are being treated justly.” Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say, “Why should I be treated like this?” If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we encounter, whether it is just or unjust. In essence, Jesus says, “Continue steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance.” Even the most devout among us become atheistic in this regard— we do not believe Him. We put our common sense on the throne and then attach God’s name to it. We do lean to our own understanding, instead of trusting God with all our hearts (see Proverbs 3:5-6).
全能的拯救
我與你同在，要拯救你。 （耶一8）
神應允耶利米要親自拯救他－－[要以自己的命為掠物。 ]這是神對他兒女的應許。神不論差我們到那裡，都必保護我們。私人財物是無足輕重的，對這些東西我們要看得開，否則，就會有震驚、傷心和痛苦。這就是在全能者的蔭下得拯救。
登山寶訓中說，我們若奉主耶穌得差遣，就無暇為自己爭取什麼。耶穌的意思其實是說：[不必理會人家是否對你公平。 ]追求公平，表示人偏離了對主的忠誠。不要指望在這世界中找到公平，但要不斷的施行公平。我們若求公平，就會抱怨，沉溺在自憐不滿的光景中－－[我為何受這樣的待遇？ ]我們只要專心愛主，就不用理會任何遭遇：公平也好，不公平也好。
耶穌說：人若恆久遵行他的話，他必保護他；人若要自己保護自己，就在他的拯救裡無分了。有些敬虔熱心的人，在這事上卻與不信者無異；他們不信任神，高舉理智，只把神的名掛上去吧。的確，我們往往倚靠自己的聰明，沒有一心仰賴神。
祈禱◆噢，主啊！我認識你的恩福並讚美你，作為你僕人的我所尋求的，正是那難以描述的感動和動力－－我不知道自己要尋求的是什麼，但你卻知道。我何等渴慕你！
God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally— “. . . your life shall be as a prize to you . . .” (Jeremiah 39:18). That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache, and distress. Having the proper outlook is evidence of the deeply rooted belief in the overshadowing of God’s personal deliverance.
The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on a mission for Jesus Christ, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, “Don’t worry about whether or not you are being treated justly.” Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say, “Why should I be treated like this?” If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we encounter, whether it is just or unjust. In essence, Jesus says, “Continue steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance.” Even the most devout among us become atheistic in this regard— we do not believe Him. We put our common sense on the throne and then attach God’s name to it. We do lean to our own understanding, instead of trusting God with all our hearts (see Proverbs 3:5-6).
全能的拯救
我與你同在，要拯救你。 （耶一8）
神應允耶利米要親自拯救他－－[要以自己的命為掠物。 ]這是神對他兒女的應許。神不論差我們到那裡，都必保護我們。私人財物是無足輕重的，對這些東西我們要看得開，否則，就會有震驚、傷心和痛苦。這就是在全能者的蔭下得拯救。
登山寶訓中說，我們若奉主耶穌得差遣，就無暇為自己爭取什麼。耶穌的意思其實是說：[不必理會人家是否對你公平。 ]追求公平，表示人偏離了對主的忠誠。不要指望在這世界中找到公平，但要不斷的施行公平。我們若求公平，就會抱怨，沉溺在自憐不滿的光景中－－[我為何受這樣的待遇？ ]我們只要專心愛主，就不用理會任何遭遇：公平也好，不公平也好。
耶穌說：人若恆久遵行他的話，他必保護他；人若要自己保護自己，就在他的拯救裡無分了。有些敬虔熱心的人，在這事上卻與不信者無異；他們不信任神，高舉理智，只把神的名掛上去吧。的確，我們往往倚靠自己的聰明，沒有一心仰賴神。
祈禱◆噢，主啊！我認識你的恩福並讚美你，作為你僕人的我所尋求的，正是那難以描述的感動和動力－－我不知道自己要尋求的是什麼，但你卻知道。我何等渴慕你！
June 26, 2014
Drawing on the Grace of God— Now
We . . . plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain —2 Corinthians 6:1
The grace you had yesterday will not be sufficient for today. Grace is the overflowing favor of God, and you can always count on it being available to draw upon as needed. “. . . in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses”— that is where our patience is tested (2 Corinthians 6:4). Are you failing to rely on the grace of God there? Are you saying to yourself, “Oh well, I won’t count this time”? It is not a question of praying and asking God to help you— it is taking the grace of God now. We tend to make prayer the preparation for our service, yet it is never that in the Bible. Prayer is the practice of drawing on the grace of God. Don’t say, “I will endure this until I can get away and pray.” Pray now — draw on the grace of God in your moment of need. Prayer is the most normal and useful thing; it is not simply a reflex action of your devotion to God. We are very slow to learn to draw on God’s grace through prayer.
“. . . in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors . . .” (2 Corinthians 6:5)— in all these things, display in your life a drawing on the grace of God, which will show evidence to yourself and to others that you are a miracle of His. Draw on His grace now, not later. The primary word in the spiritual vocabulary is now. Let circumstances take you where they will, but keep drawing on the grace of God in whatever condition you may find yourself. One of the greatest proofs that you are drawing on the grace of God is that you can be totally humiliated before others without displaying even the slightest trace of anything but His grace.
“. . . having nothing . . . .” Never hold anything in reserve. Pour yourself out, giving the best that you have, and always be poor. Never be diplomatic and careful with the treasure God gives you. “. . . and yet possessing all things”— this is poverty triumphant (2 Corinthians 6:10).
總趁現在
我們……勸你們，不可徒受他的恩典。 （林後六1）
你昨天所得的恩典，今天已不合用了。恩典是神豐盛的恩寵；你隨時隨地都可以取用。 [在許多的忍耐、患難、窮乏、困苦]－－這些都是忍耐的考驗。你在這些事上有沒有失去神的恩典？你有沒有說：[算啦，這次不計其內。 ]問題不在於禱告求神幫助；乃是現在就取用神的恩典。我們往往把祈禱當作工作的準備，但在聖經裡根本不是如此。祈禱是支取神恩典的一種操練。
不要說：[我只管忍受一下，等到苦難過去就好好的禱告禱告。 ]現在就祈禱吧！在正有需要時，支取神的恩典吧。祈禱是最實際的事，而不是虔誠的一種反射行動。禱告是支取神恩典最後學習的功課。
[鞭打、監禁、擾亂、勞動]－－在這一切事上不斷支取神的恩典，會使你成為別人眼中的奇蹟。現在就支取，不是等一會才做。屬靈的字彙中有一個詞語，就是現在。不管環境怎樣，只管不斷支取神的恩典。你支取神的恩典一個最大的明證，就是在你受人羞辱時，所表彰的除了神的恩典之外，再無別的。
[一無所有……]不再有任何保留。要把你最好的傾盡，常常貧窮無有。對神所賜的禮物，絕不精打細算地收藏。這就是貧窮中的勝利。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，求你今天賜下你的恩典
The grace you had yesterday will not be sufficient for today. Grace is the overflowing favor of God, and you can always count on it being available to draw upon as needed. “. . . in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses”— that is where our patience is tested (2 Corinthians 6:4). Are you failing to rely on the grace of God there? Are you saying to yourself, “Oh well, I won’t count this time”? It is not a question of praying and asking God to help you— it is taking the grace of God now. We tend to make prayer the preparation for our service, yet it is never that in the Bible. Prayer is the practice of drawing on the grace of God. Don’t say, “I will endure this until I can get away and pray.” Pray now — draw on the grace of God in your moment of need. Prayer is the most normal and useful thing; it is not simply a reflex action of your devotion to God. We are very slow to learn to draw on God’s grace through prayer.
“. . . in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors . . .” (2 Corinthians 6:5)— in all these things, display in your life a drawing on the grace of God, which will show evidence to yourself and to others that you are a miracle of His. Draw on His grace now, not later. The primary word in the spiritual vocabulary is now. Let circumstances take you where they will, but keep drawing on the grace of God in whatever condition you may find yourself. One of the greatest proofs that you are drawing on the grace of God is that you can be totally humiliated before others without displaying even the slightest trace of anything but His grace.
“. . . having nothing . . . .” Never hold anything in reserve. Pour yourself out, giving the best that you have, and always be poor. Never be diplomatic and careful with the treasure God gives you. “. . . and yet possessing all things”— this is poverty triumphant (2 Corinthians 6:10).
總趁現在
我們……勸你們，不可徒受他的恩典。 （林後六1）
你昨天所得的恩典，今天已不合用了。恩典是神豐盛的恩寵；你隨時隨地都可以取用。 [在許多的忍耐、患難、窮乏、困苦]－－這些都是忍耐的考驗。你在這些事上有沒有失去神的恩典？你有沒有說：[算啦，這次不計其內。 ]問題不在於禱告求神幫助；乃是現在就取用神的恩典。我們往往把祈禱當作工作的準備，但在聖經裡根本不是如此。祈禱是支取神恩典的一種操練。
不要說：[我只管忍受一下，等到苦難過去就好好的禱告禱告。 ]現在就祈禱吧！在正有需要時，支取神的恩典吧。祈禱是最實際的事，而不是虔誠的一種反射行動。禱告是支取神恩典最後學習的功課。
[鞭打、監禁、擾亂、勞動]－－在這一切事上不斷支取神的恩典，會使你成為別人眼中的奇蹟。現在就支取，不是等一會才做。屬靈的字彙中有一個詞語，就是現在。不管環境怎樣，只管不斷支取神的恩典。你支取神的恩典一個最大的明證，就是在你受人羞辱時，所表彰的除了神的恩典之外，再無別的。
[一無所有……]不再有任何保留。要把你最好的傾盡，常常貧窮無有。對神所賜的禮物，絕不精打細算地收藏。這就是貧窮中的勝利。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，求你今天賜下你的恩典
June 25, 2014
Receiving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow
. . . what shall I say? ’Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ’Father, glorify Your name’ —John 12:27-28
As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of sorrow. He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.
We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.
Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.
從憂患中找著自己
我說什麼才好呢？父啊，救我脫離這時候，但我原是為這時候來的。 （約十二27-29）
身為一個聖徒，我對愁苦困難的態度，不是求神攔阻，乃是求神叫我經過痛苦的火煉，保存他造在我裡面的生命。我們的主在愁苦的火中，接受了自己。他沒有擺脫那時刻，卻從那時刻中出來了。
我們說世上不該有憂患，但事實上憂患卻存在，而且我們還要從火中體認自己。若我們企圖逃避憂患，不肯面對它，實在是愚不可及的。憂患是人生中最具體的事實；硬說世上不該有憂患是無濟於事的。罪惡、憂患、痛苦，的確存在；我們沒有資格說神容讓痛苦存在是錯的。
憂患雖然把人許多膚淺的東西都燒掉，卻不一定使人更完美。憂患可以建立人，也可以毀滅人。在成功之中，很難建立自己，因為你會得意忘形。在枯燥而單調的生活中，也找不到自己，因你會大發牢騷。惟有在憂患的火中，你才找著自己。為什麼會這樣是另一回事；在聖經中，在人的經歷中，都證實如此。一個從憂患中找到自己的人，很容易辨認出來。你有困難去找他，必然大得幫助，他必樂於幫助你。一個未受過苦的人，多偏於浮誇，也沒有時間理會你。你若從苦難的火中找著自己，神便會使你成為別人的供應。
祈禱◆主啊，藉著你那不可逃避和滿有能力的撫摸，今天向我顯明你的慈愛，並在你溫柔的大能中，按照你的計劃使用我！
As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of sorrow. He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.
We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.
Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.
從憂患中找著自己
我說什麼才好呢？父啊，救我脫離這時候，但我原是為這時候來的。 （約十二27-29）
身為一個聖徒，我對愁苦困難的態度，不是求神攔阻，乃是求神叫我經過痛苦的火煉，保存他造在我裡面的生命。我們的主在愁苦的火中，接受了自己。他沒有擺脫那時刻，卻從那時刻中出來了。
我們說世上不該有憂患，但事實上憂患卻存在，而且我們還要從火中體認自己。若我們企圖逃避憂患，不肯面對它，實在是愚不可及的。憂患是人生中最具體的事實；硬說世上不該有憂患是無濟於事的。罪惡、憂患、痛苦，的確存在；我們沒有資格說神容讓痛苦存在是錯的。
憂患雖然把人許多膚淺的東西都燒掉，卻不一定使人更完美。憂患可以建立人，也可以毀滅人。在成功之中，很難建立自己，因為你會得意忘形。在枯燥而單調的生活中，也找不到自己，因你會大發牢騷。惟有在憂患的火中，你才找著自己。為什麼會這樣是另一回事；在聖經中，在人的經歷中，都證實如此。一個從憂患中找到自己的人，很容易辨認出來。你有困難去找他，必然大得幫助，他必樂於幫助你。一個未受過苦的人，多偏於浮誇，也沒有時間理會你。你若從苦難的火中找著自己，神便會使你成為別人的供應。
祈禱◆主啊，藉著你那不可逃避和滿有能力的撫摸，今天向我顯明你的慈愛，並在你溫柔的大能中，按照你的計劃使用我！
June 24, 2014
Reconciling Yourself to the Fact of Sin
This is your hour, and the power of darkness —Luke 22:53
Not being reconciled to the fact of sin— not recognizing it and refusing to deal with it— produces all the disasters in life. You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the face of every principle you have. If you refuse to agree with the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something downright hateful and wrong, in human beings, when it attacks your life, instead of reconciling yourself to it, you will compromise with it and say that it is of no use to battle against it. Have you taken this “hour, and the power of darkness” into account, or do you have a view of yourself which includes no recognition of sin whatsoever? In your human relationships and friendships, have you reconciled yourself to the fact of sin? If not, just around the next corner you will find yourself trapped and you will compromise with it. But if you will reconcile yourself to the fact of sin, you will realize the danger immediately and say, “Yes, I see what this sin would mean.” The recognition of sin does not destroy the basis of friendship— it simply establishes a mutual respect for the fact that the basis of sinful life is disastrous. Always beware of any assessment of life which does not recognize the fact that there is sin.
Jesus Christ never trusted human nature, yet He was never cynical nor suspicious, because He had absolute trust in what He could do for human nature. The pure man or woman is the one who is shielded from harm, not the innocent person. The so-called innocent man or woman is never safe. Men and women have no business trying to be innocent; God demands that they be pure and virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of a child. Any person is deserving of blame if he is unwilling to reconcile himself to the fact of sin.
承認罪的事實
現在卻是你們的時候，黑暗掌權了。 （路二十二53）
不承認罪的事實，會帶來人生一切的禍患。你可以大談人性的尊嚴，可是人性中有一種東西，在你一切的理想面前，會當面嗤笑你。你若不肯承認人性的邪惡自私，有根本上的罪過，這樣，當這些東西襲擊你時，你就會與它妥協，並說抵抗也是沒用。你有沒有準備面對這個關頭，面對這黑暗的權勢？還是你對自己的評價，沒有把罪算在內？你與親屬的關係，與朋友的關係，有沒有承認有罪的事實存在？若沒有，不需多久，你就會被罪追上，與之妥協了。
但若你承認罪的事實，就必立即覺察到危險－－[對啦，我知道這是什麼一回事了。 ]承認罪的事實，並不會破壞友情的根基，反而使彼此看清楚人生基本是可惡的。
耶穌基督雖不信任人，卻不挑剔多疑，因為祂深信為人有所不為。人得到安全的保障是由於清潔，而不是因為無罪。無罪的人是不可靠的。成為無罪，不是人可以做到，只有神才可要求人潔淨敬虔。無邪是孩童的特徵，但成人則要承認罪這事實。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，以你的恩典和榮耀淹沒我，讓你那浩瀚的潮水覆蓋所有。
Not being reconciled to the fact of sin— not recognizing it and refusing to deal with it— produces all the disasters in life. You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the face of every principle you have. If you refuse to agree with the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something downright hateful and wrong, in human beings, when it attacks your life, instead of reconciling yourself to it, you will compromise with it and say that it is of no use to battle against it. Have you taken this “hour, and the power of darkness” into account, or do you have a view of yourself which includes no recognition of sin whatsoever? In your human relationships and friendships, have you reconciled yourself to the fact of sin? If not, just around the next corner you will find yourself trapped and you will compromise with it. But if you will reconcile yourself to the fact of sin, you will realize the danger immediately and say, “Yes, I see what this sin would mean.” The recognition of sin does not destroy the basis of friendship— it simply establishes a mutual respect for the fact that the basis of sinful life is disastrous. Always beware of any assessment of life which does not recognize the fact that there is sin.
Jesus Christ never trusted human nature, yet He was never cynical nor suspicious, because He had absolute trust in what He could do for human nature. The pure man or woman is the one who is shielded from harm, not the innocent person. The so-called innocent man or woman is never safe. Men and women have no business trying to be innocent; God demands that they be pure and virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of a child. Any person is deserving of blame if he is unwilling to reconcile himself to the fact of sin.
承認罪的事實
現在卻是你們的時候，黑暗掌權了。 （路二十二53）
不承認罪的事實，會帶來人生一切的禍患。你可以大談人性的尊嚴，可是人性中有一種東西，在你一切的理想面前，會當面嗤笑你。你若不肯承認人性的邪惡自私，有根本上的罪過，這樣，當這些東西襲擊你時，你就會與它妥協，並說抵抗也是沒用。你有沒有準備面對這個關頭，面對這黑暗的權勢？還是你對自己的評價，沒有把罪算在內？你與親屬的關係，與朋友的關係，有沒有承認有罪的事實存在？若沒有，不需多久，你就會被罪追上，與之妥協了。
但若你承認罪的事實，就必立即覺察到危險－－[對啦，我知道這是什麼一回事了。 ]承認罪的事實，並不會破壞友情的根基，反而使彼此看清楚人生基本是可惡的。
耶穌基督雖不信任人，卻不挑剔多疑，因為祂深信為人有所不為。人得到安全的保障是由於清潔，而不是因為無罪。無罪的人是不可靠的。成為無罪，不是人可以做到，只有神才可要求人潔淨敬虔。無邪是孩童的特徵，但成人則要承認罪這事實。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，以你的恩典和榮耀淹沒我，讓你那浩瀚的潮水覆蓋所有。
June 23, 2014
“Acquainted With Grief”
He is . . . a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief —Isaiah 53:3
We are not “acquainted with grief” in the same way our Lord was acquainted with it. We endure it and live through it, but we do not become intimate with it. At the beginning of our lives we do not bring ourselves to the point of dealing with the reality of sin. We look at life through the eyes of reason and say that if a person will control his instincts, and educate himself, he can produce a life that will slowly evolve into the life of God. But as we continue on through life, we find the presence of something which we have not yet taken into account, namely, sin— and it upsets all of our thinking and our plans. Sin has made the foundation of our thinking unpredictable, uncontrollable, and irrational.
We have to recognize that sin is a fact of life, not just a shortcoming. Sin is blatant mutiny against God, and either sin or God must die in my life. The New Testament brings us right down to this one issue— if sin rules in me, God’s life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin in me will be killed. There is nothing more fundamental than that. The culmination of sin was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and what was true in the history of God on earth will also be true in your history and in mine— that is, sin will kill the life of God in us. We must mentally bring ourselves to terms with this fact of sin. It is the only explanation why Jesus Christ came to earth, and it is the explanation of the grief and sorrow of life.
常經憂患
他……多受痛苦，常經憂患。 （賽五十三3）
我們所經的憂患與主所經的不同；我們是忍受、經歷，卻與憂患沒有密切的關係。我們從起頭就不肯接受罪惡這個事實，對人生採取一種合乎理性的觀點，以為人只要約束自己，教育自己，生命就能逐漸似神。可是日久便發覺有一種東西存在，是意想之外的，就是罪。它把我們一切籌算破壞了。罪使事物本末倒置，毫無道理可言。我們必須承認罪是一個事實，不是一種缺陷；罪是對神赤手空拳的反叛。在我生命中不是神死，就是罪死。新約的真理使我們面對這個問題。若罪在我裡面掌權，神在我裡面的生命就死了；若神在我裡面掌權，罪在我裡面就要死；除此之外，不可能有別的結果了。人滔天的大罪，就是把耶穌基督釘在十架上。神在世上的歷史如何，你我的生命史上也必如何。我們必須承認，罪是人生苦痛憂患的因由。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，你是沒有時間性的，因為[在你看來，千年如已過的昨日]；可是，對我這卻截然不同。你彌補我那被腐敗所吞蝕的年日，在基督耶穌裡使我成為一個新造的人！求你接納我對你的感恩。
We are not “acquainted with grief” in the same way our Lord was acquainted with it. We endure it and live through it, but we do not become intimate with it. At the beginning of our lives we do not bring ourselves to the point of dealing with the reality of sin. We look at life through the eyes of reason and say that if a person will control his instincts, and educate himself, he can produce a life that will slowly evolve into the life of God. But as we continue on through life, we find the presence of something which we have not yet taken into account, namely, sin— and it upsets all of our thinking and our plans. Sin has made the foundation of our thinking unpredictable, uncontrollable, and irrational.
We have to recognize that sin is a fact of life, not just a shortcoming. Sin is blatant mutiny against God, and either sin or God must die in my life. The New Testament brings us right down to this one issue— if sin rules in me, God’s life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin in me will be killed. There is nothing more fundamental than that. The culmination of sin was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and what was true in the history of God on earth will also be true in your history and in mine— that is, sin will kill the life of God in us. We must mentally bring ourselves to terms with this fact of sin. It is the only explanation why Jesus Christ came to earth, and it is the explanation of the grief and sorrow of life.
常經憂患
他……多受痛苦，常經憂患。 （賽五十三3）
我們所經的憂患與主所經的不同；我們是忍受、經歷，卻與憂患沒有密切的關係。我們從起頭就不肯接受罪惡這個事實，對人生採取一種合乎理性的觀點，以為人只要約束自己，教育自己，生命就能逐漸似神。可是日久便發覺有一種東西存在，是意想之外的，就是罪。它把我們一切籌算破壞了。罪使事物本末倒置，毫無道理可言。我們必須承認罪是一個事實，不是一種缺陷；罪是對神赤手空拳的反叛。在我生命中不是神死，就是罪死。新約的真理使我們面對這個問題。若罪在我裡面掌權，神在我裡面的生命就死了；若神在我裡面掌權，罪在我裡面就要死；除此之外，不可能有別的結果了。人滔天的大罪，就是把耶穌基督釘在十架上。神在世上的歷史如何，你我的生命史上也必如何。我們必須承認，罪是人生苦痛憂患的因由。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，你是沒有時間性的，因為[在你看來，千年如已過的昨日]；可是，對我這卻截然不同。你彌補我那被腐敗所吞蝕的年日，在基督耶穌裡使我成為一個新造的人！求你接納我對你的感恩。
June 22, 2014
The Unchanging Law of Judgment
With what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you —Matthew 7:2
This statement is not some haphazard theory, but it is an eternal law of God. Whatever judgment you give will be the very way you are judged. There is a difference between retaliation and retribution. Jesus said that the basis of life is retribution— “with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” If you have been shrewd in finding out the shortcomings of others, remember that will be exactly how you will be measured. The way you pay is the way life will pay you back. This eternal law works from God’s throne down to us (see Psalm 18:25-26).
Romans 2:1 applies it in even a more definite way by saying that the one who criticizes another is guilty of the very same thing. God looks not only at the act itself, but also at the possibility of committing it, which He sees by looking at our hearts. To begin with, we do not believe the statements of the Bible. For instance, do we really believe the statement that says we criticize in others the very things we are guilty of ourselves? The reason we see hypocrisy, deceit, and a lack of genuineness in others is that they are all in our own hearts. The greatest characteristic of a saint is humility, as evidenced by being able to say honestly and humbly, “Yes, all those, as well as other evils, would have been exhibited in me if it were not for the grace of God. Therefore, I have no right to judge.”
Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). He went on to say, in effect, “If you do judge, you will be judged in exactly the same way.” Who of us would dare to stand before God and say, “My God, judge me as I have judged others”? We have judged others as sinners— if God should judge us in the same way, we would be condemned to hell. Yet God judges us on the basis of the miraculous atonement by the Cross of Christ.
不變的考驗
因為你們怎樣論斷人，也必怎樣被論斷。你們用什麼量器量給人，也必用什麼量器量給你們。 （太七2）
這句話不是信口開河的瞎猜，而是神永恆的定律。你怎樣論斷人，就得同樣的回報。報復與報應是不同的。耶穌說人生是以報應為本的－－你用量器量人，人也必用什麼量器量你。你若善於挑剔別人，那你所得的也必如此。你付出多少，就收回多少。這定律是由神的寶座上頒下來的（詩十八25-26）
羅馬書第二章對這定律，更為肯定。其中說人批評別人，自己正犯了同樣的罪。神不單看外面的行為，更看人內心的動機。首先，我們不信聖經的話。試問我們真的相信所批評別人的，正是自己所犯上的罪麼？我們所以能看見別人的虛偽、欺詐、虛浮，是因為我們自己心中也有這些東西。聖徒最大的特徵是謙卑－－[是的，若不是神的恩典，這些東西或其他罪惡，都會發生在我身上，因此我無權批判。 ]
耶穌說：[你們不要論斷人，免得你們被論斷。 ]你若論斷人，神則必照你所論斷的量你。我們誰敢對神說：[我的神，請你照我論斷他人的判斷我吧]?我們判斷別人為罪人，若神也同樣判斷我們，我們早已在地獄了。可是，神卻透過耶穌基督奇妙的代贖來判斷我們。
祈禱◆噢，我只求得嘗祢的靈如風吹拂，或得驅策、或使甦醒、或蒙釋放、或被感動，我就心滿意足了。
This statement is not some haphazard theory, but it is an eternal law of God. Whatever judgment you give will be the very way you are judged. There is a difference between retaliation and retribution. Jesus said that the basis of life is retribution— “with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” If you have been shrewd in finding out the shortcomings of others, remember that will be exactly how you will be measured. The way you pay is the way life will pay you back. This eternal law works from God’s throne down to us (see Psalm 18:25-26).
Romans 2:1 applies it in even a more definite way by saying that the one who criticizes another is guilty of the very same thing. God looks not only at the act itself, but also at the possibility of committing it, which He sees by looking at our hearts. To begin with, we do not believe the statements of the Bible. For instance, do we really believe the statement that says we criticize in others the very things we are guilty of ourselves? The reason we see hypocrisy, deceit, and a lack of genuineness in others is that they are all in our own hearts. The greatest characteristic of a saint is humility, as evidenced by being able to say honestly and humbly, “Yes, all those, as well as other evils, would have been exhibited in me if it were not for the grace of God. Therefore, I have no right to judge.”
Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). He went on to say, in effect, “If you do judge, you will be judged in exactly the same way.” Who of us would dare to stand before God and say, “My God, judge me as I have judged others”? We have judged others as sinners— if God should judge us in the same way, we would be condemned to hell. Yet God judges us on the basis of the miraculous atonement by the Cross of Christ.
不變的考驗
因為你們怎樣論斷人，也必怎樣被論斷。你們用什麼量器量給人，也必用什麼量器量給你們。 （太七2）
這句話不是信口開河的瞎猜，而是神永恆的定律。你怎樣論斷人，就得同樣的回報。報復與報應是不同的。耶穌說人生是以報應為本的－－你用量器量人，人也必用什麼量器量你。你若善於挑剔別人，那你所得的也必如此。你付出多少，就收回多少。這定律是由神的寶座上頒下來的（詩十八25-26）
羅馬書第二章對這定律，更為肯定。其中說人批評別人，自己正犯了同樣的罪。神不單看外面的行為，更看人內心的動機。首先，我們不信聖經的話。試問我們真的相信所批評別人的，正是自己所犯上的罪麼？我們所以能看見別人的虛偽、欺詐、虛浮，是因為我們自己心中也有這些東西。聖徒最大的特徵是謙卑－－[是的，若不是神的恩典，這些東西或其他罪惡，都會發生在我身上，因此我無權批判。 ]
耶穌說：[你們不要論斷人，免得你們被論斷。 ]你若論斷人，神則必照你所論斷的量你。我們誰敢對神說：[我的神，請你照我論斷他人的判斷我吧]?我們判斷別人為罪人，若神也同樣判斷我們，我們早已在地獄了。可是，神卻透過耶穌基督奇妙的代贖來判斷我們。
祈禱◆噢，我只求得嘗祢的靈如風吹拂，或得驅策、或使甦醒、或蒙釋放、或被感動，我就心滿意足了。
June 21, 2014
The Ministry of the Inner Life
You are . . . a royal priesthood . . . —1 Peter 2:9
By what right have we become “a royal priesthood”? It is by the right of the atonement by the Cross of Christ that this has been accomplished. Are we prepared to purposely disregard ourselves and to launch out into the priestly work of prayer? The continual inner-searching we do in an effort to see if we are what we ought to be generates a self-centered, sickly type of Christianity, not the vigorous and simple life of a child of God. Until we get into this right and proper relationship with God, it is simply a case of our “hanging on by the skin of our teeth,” although we say, “What a wonderful victory I have!” Yet there is nothing at all in that which indicates the miracle of redemption. Launch out in reckless, unrestrained belief that the redemption is complete. Then don’t worry anymore about yourself, but begin to do as Jesus Christ has said, in essence, “Pray for the friend who comes to you at midnight, pray for the saints of God, and pray for all men.” Pray with the realization that you are perfect only in Christ Jesus, not on the basis of this argument: “Oh, Lord, I have done my best; please hear me now.”
How long is it going to take God to free us from the unhealthy habit of thinking only about ourselves? We must get to the point of being sick to death of ourselves, until there is no longer any surprise at anything God might tell us about ourselves. We cannot reach and understand the depths of our own meagerness. There is only one place where we are right with God, and that is in Christ Jesus. Once we are there, we have to pour out our lives for all we are worth in this ministry of the inner life.
內室的事奉
你們是……有君尊的祭司。 （彼前二9）
我們憑什麼資格成為君尊的祭司？是憑救贖。我們有沒有立志放下自己，投身在祭司禱告的職分上？整天只顧審查自己是否合水準，就產生以自我為中心、自怨自艾的基督徒，而不是活潑有力、天真無邪神的兒女。除非我們與神有正確的關係，否則只會掙扎求存，說：[看我打了何等的勝仗！ ]這態度一點也表現不出救贖的奇能。要不顧一切地相信救恩是完全的，然後只照耶穌所說的－－為那半夜來找你的朋友禱告，為聖徒禱告，為萬人禱告。禱告時要知道只有在耶穌基督裡才得完全，不要說：[主啊，我已盡了所能，求你聽我禱告。 ]
到底神何時才把我們從以自我為中心的惡習中釋放出來？我們要對自己厭惡至死，以致神無論說我們什麼，我們也不覺得詫異。我們內心的卑污，實無法可測。只有一處是我們可得完全的，就是在耶穌基督裡。我們進入他那裡，就要竭盡所能作內室得事奉。
祈禱◆願你在今天施福予我們，護衛我們得意念和心靈，抵擋模糊的幻想和虛假的情緒，以及那如幽靈的想像，保守我們完全屬你。
By what right have we become “a royal priesthood”? It is by the right of the atonement by the Cross of Christ that this has been accomplished. Are we prepared to purposely disregard ourselves and to launch out into the priestly work of prayer? The continual inner-searching we do in an effort to see if we are what we ought to be generates a self-centered, sickly type of Christianity, not the vigorous and simple life of a child of God. Until we get into this right and proper relationship with God, it is simply a case of our “hanging on by the skin of our teeth,” although we say, “What a wonderful victory I have!” Yet there is nothing at all in that which indicates the miracle of redemption. Launch out in reckless, unrestrained belief that the redemption is complete. Then don’t worry anymore about yourself, but begin to do as Jesus Christ has said, in essence, “Pray for the friend who comes to you at midnight, pray for the saints of God, and pray for all men.” Pray with the realization that you are perfect only in Christ Jesus, not on the basis of this argument: “Oh, Lord, I have done my best; please hear me now.”
How long is it going to take God to free us from the unhealthy habit of thinking only about ourselves? We must get to the point of being sick to death of ourselves, until there is no longer any surprise at anything God might tell us about ourselves. We cannot reach and understand the depths of our own meagerness. There is only one place where we are right with God, and that is in Christ Jesus. Once we are there, we have to pour out our lives for all we are worth in this ministry of the inner life.
內室的事奉
你們是……有君尊的祭司。 （彼前二9）
我們憑什麼資格成為君尊的祭司？是憑救贖。我們有沒有立志放下自己，投身在祭司禱告的職分上？整天只顧審查自己是否合水準，就產生以自我為中心、自怨自艾的基督徒，而不是活潑有力、天真無邪神的兒女。除非我們與神有正確的關係，否則只會掙扎求存，說：[看我打了何等的勝仗！ ]這態度一點也表現不出救贖的奇能。要不顧一切地相信救恩是完全的，然後只照耶穌所說的－－為那半夜來找你的朋友禱告，為聖徒禱告，為萬人禱告。禱告時要知道只有在耶穌基督裡才得完全，不要說：[主啊，我已盡了所能，求你聽我禱告。 ]
到底神何時才把我們從以自我為中心的惡習中釋放出來？我們要對自己厭惡至死，以致神無論說我們什麼，我們也不覺得詫異。我們內心的卑污，實無法可測。只有一處是我們可得完全的，就是在耶穌基督裡。我們進入他那裡，就要竭盡所能作內室得事奉。
祈禱◆願你在今天施福予我們，護衛我們得意念和心靈，抵擋模糊的幻想和虛假的情緒，以及那如幽靈的想像，保守我們完全屬你。
June 20, 2014
Have You Come to “When” Yet?
The Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends —Job 42:10
A pitiful, sickly, and self-centered kind of prayer and a determined effort and selfish desire to be right with God are never found in the New Testament. The fact that I am trying to be right with God is actually a sign that I am rebelling against the atonement by the Cross of Christ. I pray, “Lord, I will purify my heart if You will answer my prayer— I will walk rightly before You if You will help me.” But I cannot make myself right with God; I cannot make my life perfect. I can only be right with God if I accept the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ as an absolute gift. Am I humble enough to accept it? I have to surrender all my rights and demands, and cease from every self-effort. I must leave myself completely alone in His hands, and then I can begin to pour my life out in the priestly work of intercession. There is a great deal of prayer that comes from actual disbelief in the atonement. Jesus is not just beginning to save us— He has already saved us completely. It is an accomplished fact, and it is an insult to Him for us to ask Him to do what He has already done.
If you are not now receiving the “hundredfold” which Jesus promised (see Matthew 19:29), and not getting insight into God’s Word, then start praying for your friends— enter into the ministry of the inner life. “The Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends.” As a saved soul, the real business of your life is intercessory prayer. Whatever circumstances God may place you in, always pray immediately that His atonement may be recognized and as fully understood in the lives of others as it has been in yours. Pray for your friends now, and pray for those with whom you come in contact now.
你什麼時候開始代求？
約伯為他的朋友祈禱，耶和華就使約伯從苦境轉回。 （伯四十二10）
以自我為中心的病態式祈禱，苦苦哀求一意強求自己的好轉，在新約中是找不到的。我若要努力弄好與神的關係，正表明我正離棄神救贖的大恩。 [主啊，你若垂聽我禱告，我的心就潔淨；你若幫助我，我就行事正直。 ]我無法使自己的生命在神面前正直，也無法使生命完全；只有接受主耶穌白白的救贖，我才可以與神有正常的關係。我謙卑地接受這個事實麼？我必須放下一切權利，放下一切為自己付出的努力，把自己完全的放在神手中，然後以祭司的身分做代求的工作。今日許多禱告是出於對救恩的不信。耶穌不是開始拯救我們，而是已經救了我們，事情已經成就，因此求他再做是一種侮辱。
你若尚未得著百倍的恩典，未領悟話語的亮光，那就該開始為你的朋友禱告，進入內室的事奉。 [約伯為他的朋友祈禱，耶和華就使約伯從苦境中轉回。 ]作為一個得救的人，你生命的真正事業，就是為人代求。不論神把你放在什麼環境裡，都要立刻禱告，求他救贖的大工在別人身上成就，正如在你身上一樣。現在就為你的朋友祈禱，為那些與你有接觸的人祈禱吧！
祈禱◆噢，主啊，打發更多工人到我們這裡來，直至這教會擠滿了人，而你能透過他們，在全地榮耀你自己。
A pitiful, sickly, and self-centered kind of prayer and a determined effort and selfish desire to be right with God are never found in the New Testament. The fact that I am trying to be right with God is actually a sign that I am rebelling against the atonement by the Cross of Christ. I pray, “Lord, I will purify my heart if You will answer my prayer— I will walk rightly before You if You will help me.” But I cannot make myself right with God; I cannot make my life perfect. I can only be right with God if I accept the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ as an absolute gift. Am I humble enough to accept it? I have to surrender all my rights and demands, and cease from every self-effort. I must leave myself completely alone in His hands, and then I can begin to pour my life out in the priestly work of intercession. There is a great deal of prayer that comes from actual disbelief in the atonement. Jesus is not just beginning to save us— He has already saved us completely. It is an accomplished fact, and it is an insult to Him for us to ask Him to do what He has already done.
If you are not now receiving the “hundredfold” which Jesus promised (see Matthew 19:29), and not getting insight into God’s Word, then start praying for your friends— enter into the ministry of the inner life. “The Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends.” As a saved soul, the real business of your life is intercessory prayer. Whatever circumstances God may place you in, always pray immediately that His atonement may be recognized and as fully understood in the lives of others as it has been in yours. Pray for your friends now, and pray for those with whom you come in contact now.
你什麼時候開始代求？
約伯為他的朋友祈禱，耶和華就使約伯從苦境轉回。 （伯四十二10）
以自我為中心的病態式祈禱，苦苦哀求一意強求自己的好轉，在新約中是找不到的。我若要努力弄好與神的關係，正表明我正離棄神救贖的大恩。 [主啊，你若垂聽我禱告，我的心就潔淨；你若幫助我，我就行事正直。 ]我無法使自己的生命在神面前正直，也無法使生命完全；只有接受主耶穌白白的救贖，我才可以與神有正常的關係。我謙卑地接受這個事實麼？我必須放下一切權利，放下一切為自己付出的努力，把自己完全的放在神手中，然後以祭司的身分做代求的工作。今日許多禱告是出於對救恩的不信。耶穌不是開始拯救我們，而是已經救了我們，事情已經成就，因此求他再做是一種侮辱。
你若尚未得著百倍的恩典，未領悟話語的亮光，那就該開始為你的朋友禱告，進入內室的事奉。 [約伯為他的朋友祈禱，耶和華就使約伯從苦境中轉回。 ]作為一個得救的人，你生命的真正事業，就是為人代求。不論神把你放在什麼環境裡，都要立刻禱告，求他救贖的大工在別人身上成就，正如在你身上一樣。現在就為你的朋友祈禱，為那些與你有接觸的人祈禱吧！
祈禱◆噢，主啊，打發更多工人到我們這裡來，直至這教會擠滿了人，而你能透過他們，在全地榮耀你自己。
June 19, 2014
My Utmost for His Highest
. . . do you love Me? . . . Tend My sheep —John 21:16
Jesus did not say to make converts to your way of thinking, but He said to look after His sheep, to see that they get nourished in the knowledge of Him. We consider what we do in the way of Christian work as service, yet Jesus Christ calls service to be what we are to Him, not what we do for Him. Discipleship is based solely on devotion to Jesus Christ, not on following after a particular belief or doctrine. “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate . . . , he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). In this verse, there is no argument and no pressure from Jesus to follow Him; He is simply saying, in effect, “If you want to be My disciple, you must be devoted solely to Me.” A person touched by the Spirit of God suddenly says, “Now I see who Jesus is!”— that is the source of devotion.
Today we have substituted doctrinal belief for personal belief, and that is why so many people are devoted to causes and so few are devoted to Jesus Christ. People do not really want to be devoted to Jesus, but only to the cause He started. Jesus Christ is deeply offensive to the educated minds of today, to those who only want Him to be their Friend, and who are unwilling to accept Him in any other way. Our Lord’s primary obedience was to the will of His Father, not to the needs of people— the saving of people was the natural outcome of His obedience to the Father. If I am devoted solely to the cause of humanity, I will soon be exhausted and come to the point where my love will waver and stumble. But if I love Jesus Christ personally and passionately, I can serve humanity, even though people may treat me like a “doormat.” The secret of a disciple’s life is devotion to Jesus Christ, and the characteristic of that life is its seeming insignificance and its meekness. Yet it is like a grain of wheat that “falls into the ground and dies”— it will spring up and change the entire landscape (John 12:24).
熱誠的事奉
你愛我麼？ ……你牧羊我的羊。 （約二十一16）
耶穌並沒有叫人追隨祂的思想，而是要你看顧祂的羊，使他們因認識祂而得著滋養。我們把事奉的工作，視作事奉主；但耶穌基督卻視我們與祂的關係為事奉，而不是我們為祂所做的工作。做門徒，是基於對耶穌基督的忠誠，而不是由於服贗一套信徒規條。 [人到我這裡來，若不愛我勝過……，就不能作我的門徒。 ]沒有爭議，也沒有強逼，只直截了當地－－[你若做我的門徒，必須專心歸我]。一個人被聖靈摸著了，就說：[我如今認識了耶穌是誰。 ]這就是專心歸依的根源。
時至今日，我們已把信條代替了個人的信仰，所以致力於事工的人多，而一心歸服耶穌基督的人卻少。人不要歸服耶穌，只想致力於他所創立的事工。他們只認耶穌為同志。主首先順服的，是祂父的旨意，而不是人群的需要。他之所以救人，是順服父神的必然結果。我若只致力於人群的事工，不久就會精疲力竭，落到愛心冷淡的地步；但若我愛耶穌基督，就是認把我當作地席，我仍要服侍他們。門徒生活的秘訣就是全心歸依基督。那生命的特徵是隱藏不露，就如一粒麥子落在地裡死了，不久就萌芽生長，改變整個田園的景象（約十二24）。
祈禱◆願祢感動我的靈，使他被祢所充滿，直至湧溢。願祢透過我的意念思想，直至我形成[在基督耶穌裡的心懷意念]。
Jesus did not say to make converts to your way of thinking, but He said to look after His sheep, to see that they get nourished in the knowledge of Him. We consider what we do in the way of Christian work as service, yet Jesus Christ calls service to be what we are to Him, not what we do for Him. Discipleship is based solely on devotion to Jesus Christ, not on following after a particular belief or doctrine. “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate . . . , he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). In this verse, there is no argument and no pressure from Jesus to follow Him; He is simply saying, in effect, “If you want to be My disciple, you must be devoted solely to Me.” A person touched by the Spirit of God suddenly says, “Now I see who Jesus is!”— that is the source of devotion.
Today we have substituted doctrinal belief for personal belief, and that is why so many people are devoted to causes and so few are devoted to Jesus Christ. People do not really want to be devoted to Jesus, but only to the cause He started. Jesus Christ is deeply offensive to the educated minds of today, to those who only want Him to be their Friend, and who are unwilling to accept Him in any other way. Our Lord’s primary obedience was to the will of His Father, not to the needs of people— the saving of people was the natural outcome of His obedience to the Father. If I am devoted solely to the cause of humanity, I will soon be exhausted and come to the point where my love will waver and stumble. But if I love Jesus Christ personally and passionately, I can serve humanity, even though people may treat me like a “doormat.” The secret of a disciple’s life is devotion to Jesus Christ, and the characteristic of that life is its seeming insignificance and its meekness. Yet it is like a grain of wheat that “falls into the ground and dies”— it will spring up and change the entire landscape (John 12:24).
熱誠的事奉
你愛我麼？ ……你牧羊我的羊。 （約二十一16）
耶穌並沒有叫人追隨祂的思想，而是要你看顧祂的羊，使他們因認識祂而得著滋養。我們把事奉的工作，視作事奉主；但耶穌基督卻視我們與祂的關係為事奉，而不是我們為祂所做的工作。做門徒，是基於對耶穌基督的忠誠，而不是由於服贗一套信徒規條。 [人到我這裡來，若不愛我勝過……，就不能作我的門徒。 ]沒有爭議，也沒有強逼，只直截了當地－－[你若做我的門徒，必須專心歸我]。一個人被聖靈摸著了，就說：[我如今認識了耶穌是誰。 ]這就是專心歸依的根源。
時至今日，我們已把信條代替了個人的信仰，所以致力於事工的人多，而一心歸服耶穌基督的人卻少。人不要歸服耶穌，只想致力於他所創立的事工。他們只認耶穌為同志。主首先順服的，是祂父的旨意，而不是人群的需要。他之所以救人，是順服父神的必然結果。我若只致力於人群的事工，不久就會精疲力竭，落到愛心冷淡的地步；但若我愛耶穌基督，就是認把我當作地席，我仍要服侍他們。門徒生活的秘訣就是全心歸依基督。那生命的特徵是隱藏不露，就如一粒麥子落在地裡死了，不久就萌芽生長，改變整個田園的景象（約十二24）。
祈禱◆願祢感動我的靈，使他被祢所充滿，直至湧溢。願祢透過我的意念思想，直至我形成[在基督耶穌裡的心懷意念]。
June 18, 2014
Keep Recognizing Jesus
. . . Peter . . . walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid . . . —Matthew 14:29-30
The wind really was boisterous and the waves really were high, but Peter didn’t see them at first. He didn’t consider them at all; he simply recognized his Lord, stepped out in recognition of Him, and “walked on the water.” Then he began to take those things around him into account, and instantly, down he went. Why couldn’t our Lord have enabled him to walk at the bottom of the waves, as well as on top of them? He could have, yet neither could be done without Peter’s continuing recognition of the Lord Jesus.
We step right out with recognition of God in some things, then self-consideration enters our lives and down we go. If you are truly recognizing your Lord, you have no business being concerned about how and where He engineers your circumstances. The things surrounding you are real, but when you look at them you are immediately overwhelmed, and even unable to recognize Jesus. Then comes His rebuke, “. . . why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31). Let your actual circumstances be what they may, but keep recognizing Jesus, maintaining complete reliance upon Him.
If you debate for even one second when God has spoken, it is all over for you. Never start to say, “Well, I wonder if He really did speak to me?” Be reckless immediately— totally unrestrained and willing to risk everything— by casting your all upon Him. You do not know when His voice will come to you, but whenever the realization of God comes, even in the faintest way imaginable, be determined to recklessly abandon yourself, surrendering everything to Him. It is only through abandonment of yourself and your circumstances that you will recognize Him. You will only recognize His voice more clearly through recklessness— being willing to risk your all.
不必籌算了，上路吧！
彼得就……在水面上走，要到耶穌那裡去。只因見風甚大，就害怕。 （太十四29-30）
風雖然大，浪雖然高，但彼得卻視若無睹。他並不怕波濤洶湧，因為他一心一意只知道主，而且因主在水面上走。過後，他發現到現實的環境，隨即就下沉了。何以主不使他在水底行走，像在水面上一樣呢？若不認識是主耶穌，兩者都不能行。
在某些事上，我們會毅然信靠神，稍後就姑息自己，便往下沉了。所以只要認清是主，就不必問他怎樣處理環境。現實本來就是如此，你一旦注目其上，就被它支配，看不見耶穌了。神就會責備你說：[為什麼疑惑呢？ ]不管現實環境怎樣，總要認識耶穌，保持對他完全的信賴。
神的話一發出，只要你有一刻的遲疑，就完了。切勿說：[唔，他到底有沒有說過呢？ ]這時要立即孤注一擲，把一切投在他身上。你不知道他什麼時候說話，但只要稍微認識他，就該不顧一切地投上。只有捨棄一切，你才會認出他來。只有當你不顧一切時，才更清楚認出他的聲音。
祈禱◆主啊，求你在這天，讓那使我們在你的事奉中軟弱下來的自我意識永遠消失，使我們所認知的，就只有耶穌。
The wind really was boisterous and the waves really were high, but Peter didn’t see them at first. He didn’t consider them at all; he simply recognized his Lord, stepped out in recognition of Him, and “walked on the water.” Then he began to take those things around him into account, and instantly, down he went. Why couldn’t our Lord have enabled him to walk at the bottom of the waves, as well as on top of them? He could have, yet neither could be done without Peter’s continuing recognition of the Lord Jesus.
We step right out with recognition of God in some things, then self-consideration enters our lives and down we go. If you are truly recognizing your Lord, you have no business being concerned about how and where He engineers your circumstances. The things surrounding you are real, but when you look at them you are immediately overwhelmed, and even unable to recognize Jesus. Then comes His rebuke, “. . . why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31). Let your actual circumstances be what they may, but keep recognizing Jesus, maintaining complete reliance upon Him.
If you debate for even one second when God has spoken, it is all over for you. Never start to say, “Well, I wonder if He really did speak to me?” Be reckless immediately— totally unrestrained and willing to risk everything— by casting your all upon Him. You do not know when His voice will come to you, but whenever the realization of God comes, even in the faintest way imaginable, be determined to recklessly abandon yourself, surrendering everything to Him. It is only through abandonment of yourself and your circumstances that you will recognize Him. You will only recognize His voice more clearly through recklessness— being willing to risk your all.
不必籌算了，上路吧！
彼得就……在水面上走，要到耶穌那裡去。只因見風甚大，就害怕。 （太十四29-30）
風雖然大，浪雖然高，但彼得卻視若無睹。他並不怕波濤洶湧，因為他一心一意只知道主，而且因主在水面上走。過後，他發現到現實的環境，隨即就下沉了。何以主不使他在水底行走，像在水面上一樣呢？若不認識是主耶穌，兩者都不能行。
在某些事上，我們會毅然信靠神，稍後就姑息自己，便往下沉了。所以只要認清是主，就不必問他怎樣處理環境。現實本來就是如此，你一旦注目其上，就被它支配，看不見耶穌了。神就會責備你說：[為什麼疑惑呢？ ]不管現實環境怎樣，總要認識耶穌，保持對他完全的信賴。
神的話一發出，只要你有一刻的遲疑，就完了。切勿說：[唔，他到底有沒有說過呢？ ]這時要立即孤注一擲，把一切投在他身上。你不知道他什麼時候說話，但只要稍微認識他，就該不顧一切地投上。只有捨棄一切，你才會認出他來。只有當你不顧一切時，才更清楚認出他的聲音。
祈禱◆主啊，求你在這天，讓那使我們在你的事奉中軟弱下來的自我意識永遠消失，使我們所認知的，就只有耶穌。
June 17, 2014
Beware of Criticizing Others
Judge not, that you be not judged —Matthew 7:1
Jesus’ instructions with regard to judging others is very simply put; He says, “Don’t.” The average Christian is the most piercingly critical individual known. Criticism is one of the ordinary activities of people, but in the spiritual realm nothing is accomplished by it. The effect of criticism is the dividing up of the strengths of the one being criticized. The Holy Spirit is the only one in the proper position to criticize, and He alone is able to show what is wrong without hurting and wounding. It is impossible to enter into fellowship with God when you are in a critical mood. Criticism serves to make you harsh, vindictive, and cruel, and leaves you with the soothing and flattering idea that you are somehow superior to others. Jesus says that as His disciple you should cultivate a temperament that is never critical. This will not happen quickly but must be developed over a span of time. You must constantly beware of anything that causes you to think of yourself as a superior person.
There is no escaping the penetrating search of my life by Jesus. If I see the little speck in your eye, it means that I have a plank of timber in my own (see Matthew 7:3-5). Every wrong thing that I see in you, God finds in me. Every time I judge, I condemn myself (see Romans 2:17-24). Stop having a measuring stick for other people. There is always at least one more fact, which we know nothing about, in every person’s situation. The first thing God does is to give us a thorough spiritual cleaning. After that, there is no possibility of pride remaining in us. I have never met a person I could despair of, or lose all hope for, after discerning what lies in me apart from the grace of God.
不挑剔的品性
你們不要論斷人，免得你們被論斷。 （太七1）
耶穌對論斷的看法是：[不要]。一般信徒是最擅於挑剔的。批評是人的本性，但在屬靈領域裡，批評絕不能成事。批評就是將被批評者的力量削弱。其實只有聖靈才真有批評的身分，指出錯處而不至招來傷害。你若帶著挑剔的脾氣，是無法與神交通契合的。你會變得剛硬、敵視、殘忍，或沾沾自喜，以為高人一等。耶穌說，作為一個門徒，應當培養口不言人過的品質。這不是一勞永逸的，要隨時當心，不讓任何事使你自高、睥睨一切。
耶穌洞悉一切，誰也無可遁形。我若見你眼中有刺，那我眼中必然有樑木。我見到你的任何錯失，神都在我身上找到了。我什麼時候論斷人，就什麼時候定自己的罪（羅二17-20）。不要在他人身上濫施尺度，每個人總有些隱情，是我們無法了解的。神首先要來一次屬靈大掃除，使我們不再驕傲自滿。每想到若非神的恩典，我裡面根本一無所有，那就不會對任何人感到絕望了。
祈禱◆主啊，我仰望你，求你幫助我正確地敬拜你。為著我與生俱來可敬拜你，我讚美你，可是，我的生活卻沒有速速按照著它當行的去回應你和你的美善。主啊，幫助我。
Jesus’ instructions with regard to judging others is very simply put; He says, “Don’t.” The average Christian is the most piercingly critical individual known. Criticism is one of the ordinary activities of people, but in the spiritual realm nothing is accomplished by it. The effect of criticism is the dividing up of the strengths of the one being criticized. The Holy Spirit is the only one in the proper position to criticize, and He alone is able to show what is wrong without hurting and wounding. It is impossible to enter into fellowship with God when you are in a critical mood. Criticism serves to make you harsh, vindictive, and cruel, and leaves you with the soothing and flattering idea that you are somehow superior to others. Jesus says that as His disciple you should cultivate a temperament that is never critical. This will not happen quickly but must be developed over a span of time. You must constantly beware of anything that causes you to think of yourself as a superior person.
There is no escaping the penetrating search of my life by Jesus. If I see the little speck in your eye, it means that I have a plank of timber in my own (see Matthew 7:3-5). Every wrong thing that I see in you, God finds in me. Every time I judge, I condemn myself (see Romans 2:17-24). Stop having a measuring stick for other people. There is always at least one more fact, which we know nothing about, in every person’s situation. The first thing God does is to give us a thorough spiritual cleaning. After that, there is no possibility of pride remaining in us. I have never met a person I could despair of, or lose all hope for, after discerning what lies in me apart from the grace of God.
不挑剔的品性
你們不要論斷人，免得你們被論斷。 （太七1）
耶穌對論斷的看法是：[不要]。一般信徒是最擅於挑剔的。批評是人的本性，但在屬靈領域裡，批評絕不能成事。批評就是將被批評者的力量削弱。其實只有聖靈才真有批評的身分，指出錯處而不至招來傷害。你若帶著挑剔的脾氣，是無法與神交通契合的。你會變得剛硬、敵視、殘忍，或沾沾自喜，以為高人一等。耶穌說，作為一個門徒，應當培養口不言人過的品質。這不是一勞永逸的，要隨時當心，不讓任何事使你自高、睥睨一切。
耶穌洞悉一切，誰也無可遁形。我若見你眼中有刺，那我眼中必然有樑木。我見到你的任何錯失，神都在我身上找到了。我什麼時候論斷人，就什麼時候定自己的罪（羅二17-20）。不要在他人身上濫施尺度，每個人總有些隱情，是我們無法了解的。神首先要來一次屬靈大掃除，使我們不再驕傲自滿。每想到若非神的恩典，我裡面根本一無所有，那就不會對任何人感到絕望了。
祈禱◆主啊，我仰望你，求你幫助我正確地敬拜你。為著我與生俱來可敬拜你，我讚美你，可是，我的生活卻沒有速速按照著它當行的去回應你和你的美善。主啊，幫助我。
June 16, 2014
“Will You Lay Down Your Life?”
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. . . . I have called you friends . . . —John 15:13, 15
Jesus does not ask me to die for Him, but to lay down my life for Him. Peter said to the Lord, “I will lay down my life for Your sake,” and he meant it (John 13:37). He had a magnificent sense of the heroic. For us to be incapable of making this same statement Peter made would be a bad thing— our sense of duty is only fully realized through our sense of heroism. Has the Lord ever asked you, “Will you lay down your life for My sake?” (John 13:38). It is much easier to die than to lay down your life day in and day out with the sense of the high calling of God. We are not made for the bright-shining moments of life, but we have to walk in the light of them in our everyday ways. There was only one bright-shining moment in the life of Jesus, and that was on the Mount of Transfiguration. It was there that He emptied Himself of His glory for the second time, and then came down into the demon-possessed valley (see Mark 9:1-29). For thirty-three years Jesus laid down His life to do the will of His Father. “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16). Yet it is contrary to our human nature to do so.
If I am a friend of Jesus, I must deliberately and carefully lay down my life for Him. It is a difficult thing to do, and thank God that it is. Salvation is easy for us, because it cost God so much. But the exhibiting of salvation in my life is difficult. God saves a person, fills him with the Holy Spirit, and then says, in effect, “Now you work it out in your life, and be faithful to Me, even though the nature of everything around you is to cause you to be unfaithful.” And Jesus says to us, “. . . I have called you friends. . . .” Remain faithful to your Friend, and remember that His honor is at stake in your bodily life.
你怎樣對這事？
人為朋友捨命，人的愛心沒有比這個大的。 ……我乃稱你們為朋友。 （約十五13、15）
耶穌雖然沒有叫我為他死，卻要我為他把生命放下。彼得說：[我願意為你捨命。 ]他說的是真心話，他的英雄意識是偉大的。若不能像彼得那樣宣告，實在太差勁了。我們的責任感只有藉著英雄意識，發揮出來。主曾否問你說：[你不願意為我捨命麼？ ]在平凡的生活中，因不忘從上而來的呼召而放下生命，比一死了之困難得多。人生不是為壯烈的一刻而活，乃是在平凡的路上，行在啟示的光中。耶穌一生中，也只有一個壯烈的時刻，就是在登山變像的時候；後來他再度從榮耀中倒空自己，下到鬼附的山谷裡。三十年之久，耶穌擺上自己的生命來遵行父神的旨意。
約翰說：[我們也當為弟兄捨命。 ]這樣行是違反人性的。我若是耶穌的朋友，就要定意為他放下自己的生命。難是難的，感謝神，難並不要緊！救恩是易得的，因為神付出了重大的代價，但要在我生命中彰顯出來，卻是困難重重。神救了一個人，把聖靈賜給他，然後認真的對他說：[好了，要忠於我，即使周遭的事物會令你不忠。 ][我乃稱你們為朋友。 ]要忠於你的朋友，要緊記你肉身的生命，是神尊榮得失之所繫。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著你所賜的救恩，為著聖徒的禱告所帶來的好處和祝福，我讚美你。可是，我是那樣悄悄地領受了你的恩惠，很久才開始思想自己是否配得領受，或是表現得好像自己配得領受一樣。主啊，赦免我。
Jesus does not ask me to die for Him, but to lay down my life for Him. Peter said to the Lord, “I will lay down my life for Your sake,” and he meant it (John 13:37). He had a magnificent sense of the heroic. For us to be incapable of making this same statement Peter made would be a bad thing— our sense of duty is only fully realized through our sense of heroism. Has the Lord ever asked you, “Will you lay down your life for My sake?” (John 13:38). It is much easier to die than to lay down your life day in and day out with the sense of the high calling of God. We are not made for the bright-shining moments of life, but we have to walk in the light of them in our everyday ways. There was only one bright-shining moment in the life of Jesus, and that was on the Mount of Transfiguration. It was there that He emptied Himself of His glory for the second time, and then came down into the demon-possessed valley (see Mark 9:1-29). For thirty-three years Jesus laid down His life to do the will of His Father. “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16). Yet it is contrary to our human nature to do so.
If I am a friend of Jesus, I must deliberately and carefully lay down my life for Him. It is a difficult thing to do, and thank God that it is. Salvation is easy for us, because it cost God so much. But the exhibiting of salvation in my life is difficult. God saves a person, fills him with the Holy Spirit, and then says, in effect, “Now you work it out in your life, and be faithful to Me, even though the nature of everything around you is to cause you to be unfaithful.” And Jesus says to us, “. . . I have called you friends. . . .” Remain faithful to your Friend, and remember that His honor is at stake in your bodily life.
你怎樣對這事？
人為朋友捨命，人的愛心沒有比這個大的。 ……我乃稱你們為朋友。 （約十五13、15）
耶穌雖然沒有叫我為他死，卻要我為他把生命放下。彼得說：[我願意為你捨命。 ]他說的是真心話，他的英雄意識是偉大的。若不能像彼得那樣宣告，實在太差勁了。我們的責任感只有藉著英雄意識，發揮出來。主曾否問你說：[你不願意為我捨命麼？ ]在平凡的生活中，因不忘從上而來的呼召而放下生命，比一死了之困難得多。人生不是為壯烈的一刻而活，乃是在平凡的路上，行在啟示的光中。耶穌一生中，也只有一個壯烈的時刻，就是在登山變像的時候；後來他再度從榮耀中倒空自己，下到鬼附的山谷裡。三十年之久，耶穌擺上自己的生命來遵行父神的旨意。
約翰說：[我們也當為弟兄捨命。 ]這樣行是違反人性的。我若是耶穌的朋友，就要定意為他放下自己的生命。難是難的，感謝神，難並不要緊！救恩是易得的，因為神付出了重大的代價，但要在我生命中彰顯出來，卻是困難重重。神救了一個人，把聖靈賜給他，然後認真的對他說：[好了，要忠於我，即使周遭的事物會令你不忠。 ][我乃稱你們為朋友。 ]要忠於你的朋友，要緊記你肉身的生命，是神尊榮得失之所繫。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著你所賜的救恩，為著聖徒的禱告所帶來的好處和祝福，我讚美你。可是，我是那樣悄悄地領受了你的恩惠，很久才開始思想自己是否配得領受，或是表現得好像自己配得領受一樣。主啊，赦免我。
June 15, 2014
Get Moving! (2)
Also . . . add to your faith . . . —2 Peter 1:5
In the matter of drudgery. Peter said in this passage that we have become “partakers of the divine nature” and that we should now be “giving all diligence,” concentrating on forming godly habits (2 Peter 1:4-5). We are to “add” to our lives all that character means. No one is born either naturally or supernaturally with character; it must be developed. Nor are we born with habits— we have to form godly habits on the basis of the new life God has placed within us. We are not meant to be seen as God’s perfect, bright-shining examples, but to be seen as the everyday essence of ordinary life exhibiting the miracle of His grace. Drudgery is the test of genuine character. The greatest hindrance in our spiritual life is that we will only look for big things to do. Yet, “Jesus . . . took a towel and . . . began to wash the disciples’ feet . . .” (John 13:3-5).
We all have those times when there are no flashes of light and no apparent thrill to life, where we experience nothing but the daily routine with its common everyday tasks. The routine of life is actually God’s way of saving us between our times of great inspiration which come from Him. Don’t always expect God to give you His thrilling moments, but learn to live in those common times of the drudgery of life by the power of God.
It is difficult for us to do the “adding” that Peter mentioned here. We say we do not expect God to take us to heaven on flowery beds of ease, and yet we act as if we do! I must realize that my obedience even in the smallest detail of life has all of the omnipotent power of the grace of God behind it. If I will do my duty, not for duty’s sake but because I believe God is engineering my circumstances, then at the very point of my obedience all of the magnificent grace of God is mine through the glorious atonement by the Cross of Christ.
趕快行動！
有了……加上……（彼後一5）
彼得說（4節），你們既承受了屬天的性情，如今就要專心一致，竭力養成良好的習慣。 [加上]的意義，是就品格方面而言。不論是天然的或超然的，人的品格絕不是與生俱來的，他必須加以後天的培養。習慣也不是與生俱來的，我們要根據神所賜的新生命，去養成習慣。神的意思不是要我們做閃閃發光的標本，而是要我們在日常平凡的生活中，表現出他恩惠的奇妙。一般的俗務乃是人格的試金石；屬靈生命的大障礙就是要做大事。 [耶穌……拿一條毛巾……洗門徒的腳。 ]
有時生活缺乏亮光，便沒有什麼值得興奮的，只是日復一日，從事平凡的作業。神卻用例行的事務，給我們啟示。別期望神天天給你興奮的時刻，要學習靠著神的能力，活在常務中。 [加上]是難的，我們常說不指望神用舒適的花轎將我們抬進天堂，但我們的行事為人，卻往往與此相反。我所順服的不論是多微小的事，都有神恩典的大能在背後。我之所以盡本分，不是因為職責所在，乃是因我信神安排的一切；這樣，我一順服，神超然的恩惠就透過救贖臨到我身上。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我的靈經歷你的新恩，然而我在你大能的恩典中成長是何等緩慢！求你速速臨到我身上，使我今天的體驗，如自然界一般延展至壯闊的地平線。
In the matter of drudgery. Peter said in this passage that we have become “partakers of the divine nature” and that we should now be “giving all diligence,” concentrating on forming godly habits (2 Peter 1:4-5). We are to “add” to our lives all that character means. No one is born either naturally or supernaturally with character; it must be developed. Nor are we born with habits— we have to form godly habits on the basis of the new life God has placed within us. We are not meant to be seen as God’s perfect, bright-shining examples, but to be seen as the everyday essence of ordinary life exhibiting the miracle of His grace. Drudgery is the test of genuine character. The greatest hindrance in our spiritual life is that we will only look for big things to do. Yet, “Jesus . . . took a towel and . . . began to wash the disciples’ feet . . .” (John 13:3-5).
We all have those times when there are no flashes of light and no apparent thrill to life, where we experience nothing but the daily routine with its common everyday tasks. The routine of life is actually God’s way of saving us between our times of great inspiration which come from Him. Don’t always expect God to give you His thrilling moments, but learn to live in those common times of the drudgery of life by the power of God.
It is difficult for us to do the “adding” that Peter mentioned here. We say we do not expect God to take us to heaven on flowery beds of ease, and yet we act as if we do! I must realize that my obedience even in the smallest detail of life has all of the omnipotent power of the grace of God behind it. If I will do my duty, not for duty’s sake but because I believe God is engineering my circumstances, then at the very point of my obedience all of the magnificent grace of God is mine through the glorious atonement by the Cross of Christ.
趕快行動！
有了……加上……（彼後一5）
彼得說（4節），你們既承受了屬天的性情，如今就要專心一致，竭力養成良好的習慣。 [加上]的意義，是就品格方面而言。不論是天然的或超然的，人的品格絕不是與生俱來的，他必須加以後天的培養。習慣也不是與生俱來的，我們要根據神所賜的新生命，去養成習慣。神的意思不是要我們做閃閃發光的標本，而是要我們在日常平凡的生活中，表現出他恩惠的奇妙。一般的俗務乃是人格的試金石；屬靈生命的大障礙就是要做大事。 [耶穌……拿一條毛巾……洗門徒的腳。 ]
有時生活缺乏亮光，便沒有什麼值得興奮的，只是日復一日，從事平凡的作業。神卻用例行的事務，給我們啟示。別期望神天天給你興奮的時刻，要學習靠著神的能力，活在常務中。 [加上]是難的，我們常說不指望神用舒適的花轎將我們抬進天堂，但我們的行事為人，卻往往與此相反。我所順服的不論是多微小的事，都有神恩典的大能在背後。我之所以盡本分，不是因為職責所在，乃是因我信神安排的一切；這樣，我一順服，神超然的恩惠就透過救贖臨到我身上。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我的靈經歷你的新恩，然而我在你大能的恩典中成長是何等緩慢！求你速速臨到我身上，使我今天的體驗，如自然界一般延展至壯闊的地平線。
June 14, 2014
Get Moving! (1)
Abide in Me . . . —John 15:4
In the matter of determination. The Spirit of Jesus is put into me by way of the atonement by the Cross of Christ. I then have to build my thinking patiently to bring it into perfect harmony with my Lord. God will not make me think like Jesus— I have to do it myself. I have to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). “Abide in Me”— in intellectual matters, in money matters, in every one of the matters that make human life what it is. Our lives are not made up of only one neatly confined area.
Am I preventing God from doing things in my circumstances by saying that it will only serve to hinder my fellowship with Him? How irrelevant and disrespectful that is! It does not matter what my circumstances are. I can be as much assured of abiding in Jesus in any one of them as I am in any prayer meeting. It is unnecessary to change and arrange my circumstances myself. Our Lord’s inner abiding was pure and unblemished. He was at home with God wherever His body was. He never chose His own circumstances, but was meek, submitting to His Father’s plans and directions for Him. Just think of how amazingly relaxed our Lord’s life was! But we tend to keep God at a fever pitch in our lives. We have none of the serenity of the life which is “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).
Think of the things that take you out of the position of abiding in Christ. You say, “Yes, Lord, just a minute— I still have this to do. Yes, I will abide as soon as this is finished, or as soon as this week is over. It will be all right, Lord. I will abide then.” Get moving— begin to abide now. In the initial stages it will be a continual effort to abide, but as you continue, it will become so much a part of your life that you will abide in Him without any conscious effort. Make the determination to abide in Jesus wherever you are now or wherever you may be placed in the future.
趕快行動！
你們要常在我裡面。 （約十五4）
藉著救贖，耶穌的靈進到我裡面。此後，我就得完全按照主的心意耐心地被塑造。神不會使我像耶穌一樣去思想，我必須自己去做，我必須將所有的心意奪回，使之順服基督。 [常在我裡面。 ]－－在知識上、金錢上，並在一切與人生有關的事上。我們不是活在一個匣子裡。
我有沒有阻撓神行事；認為這些事會妨礙我與他的交通？這是魯莽的態度。環境怎樣根本不重要，重要的是我是否確實的住在主裡，正如我在禱告中與主同住一樣。我無須自行改變或調整環境；對於主，這種內住的光景是分毫不受影響的。主無論置身何處，都與神同住。他從不挑選環境，只柔和謙卑的順服父神為他所作的一切安排。試想主的人生是何等的閒適！至於我們，卻把神置於緊張關頭，沒有與基督一同藏在神裡面的那種平穩。
想想那些妨礙你與主同住的東西：[主啊，是的，不過等一下，我要先做這個；是的，我完成了這個就與你同住；過了這個星期就沒事了，那時就可以與你同住。 ]趕快行動吧！現在就住在主裡！在起初的階段，要不斷的努力工作，直至成為生命的律，使你在不知不覺中便與他同住。所以，你無論置身何處，都要立志住在耶穌裡面。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我懷著讚美和感恩來到你面前，但仍然渴求對你的良善自覺地有更深的欣賞。求你在今天賜福予我，讓我有更廣闊的胸懷和能力去讚美你。
In the matter of determination. The Spirit of Jesus is put into me by way of the atonement by the Cross of Christ. I then have to build my thinking patiently to bring it into perfect harmony with my Lord. God will not make me think like Jesus— I have to do it myself. I have to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). “Abide in Me”— in intellectual matters, in money matters, in every one of the matters that make human life what it is. Our lives are not made up of only one neatly confined area.
Am I preventing God from doing things in my circumstances by saying that it will only serve to hinder my fellowship with Him? How irrelevant and disrespectful that is! It does not matter what my circumstances are. I can be as much assured of abiding in Jesus in any one of them as I am in any prayer meeting. It is unnecessary to change and arrange my circumstances myself. Our Lord’s inner abiding was pure and unblemished. He was at home with God wherever His body was. He never chose His own circumstances, but was meek, submitting to His Father’s plans and directions for Him. Just think of how amazingly relaxed our Lord’s life was! But we tend to keep God at a fever pitch in our lives. We have none of the serenity of the life which is “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).
Think of the things that take you out of the position of abiding in Christ. You say, “Yes, Lord, just a minute— I still have this to do. Yes, I will abide as soon as this is finished, or as soon as this week is over. It will be all right, Lord. I will abide then.” Get moving— begin to abide now. In the initial stages it will be a continual effort to abide, but as you continue, it will become so much a part of your life that you will abide in Him without any conscious effort. Make the determination to abide in Jesus wherever you are now or wherever you may be placed in the future.
趕快行動！
你們要常在我裡面。 （約十五4）
藉著救贖，耶穌的靈進到我裡面。此後，我就得完全按照主的心意耐心地被塑造。神不會使我像耶穌一樣去思想，我必須自己去做，我必須將所有的心意奪回，使之順服基督。 [常在我裡面。 ]－－在知識上、金錢上，並在一切與人生有關的事上。我們不是活在一個匣子裡。
我有沒有阻撓神行事；認為這些事會妨礙我與他的交通？這是魯莽的態度。環境怎樣根本不重要，重要的是我是否確實的住在主裡，正如我在禱告中與主同住一樣。我無須自行改變或調整環境；對於主，這種內住的光景是分毫不受影響的。主無論置身何處，都與神同住。他從不挑選環境，只柔和謙卑的順服父神為他所作的一切安排。試想主的人生是何等的閒適！至於我們，卻把神置於緊張關頭，沒有與基督一同藏在神裡面的那種平穩。
想想那些妨礙你與主同住的東西：[主啊，是的，不過等一下，我要先做這個；是的，我完成了這個就與你同住；過了這個星期就沒事了，那時就可以與你同住。 ]趕快行動吧！現在就住在主裡！在起初的階段，要不斷的努力工作，直至成為生命的律，使你在不知不覺中便與他同住。所以，你無論置身何處，都要立志住在耶穌裡面。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我懷著讚美和感恩來到你面前，但仍然渴求對你的良善自覺地有更深的欣賞。求你在今天賜福予我，讓我有更廣闊的胸懷和能力去讚美你。
June 13, 2014
Getting There (3)
. . . come, follow Me —Luke 18:22
Where our individual desire dies and sanctified surrender lives. One of the greatest hindrances in coming to Jesus is the excuse of our own individual temperament. We make our temperament and our natural desires barriers to coming to Jesus. Yet the first thing we realize when we do come to Jesus is that He pays no attention whatsoever to our natural desires. We have the idea that we can dedicate our gifts to God. However, you cannot dedicate what is not yours. There is actually only one thing you can dedicate to God, and that is your right to yourself (see Romans 12:1). If you will give God your right to yourself, He will make a holy experiment out of you— and His experiments always succeed. The one true mark of a saint of God is the inner creativity that flows from being totally surrendered to Jesus Christ. In the life of a saint there is this amazing Well, which is a continual Source of original life. The Spirit of God is a Well of water springing up perpetually fresh. A saint realizes that it is God who engineers his circumstances; consequently there are no complaints, only unrestrained surrender to Jesus. Never try to make your experience a principle for others, but allow God to be as creative and original with others as He is with you.
If you abandon everything to Jesus, and come when He says, “Come,” then He will continue to say, “Come,” through you. You will go out into the world reproducing the echo of Christ’s “Come.” That is the result in every soul who has abandoned all and come to Jesus.
Have I come to Him? Will I come now?
到主那裡去
來跟從我。 （可一17）
跟從耶穌最大的阻礙之一是性情做藉口。自己的性情加上天然的傾向，往往成為我們就近主的障礙。來到主面前，首先會發現他並不理會我們天然的傾向。我們都有一種概念，以為可以把自己的天賦才能奉獻給神。其實，你根本不可能把不屬於你的東西奉獻出來，只有一樣是你可以奉獻的，就是你的主權（羅十二1）。只要你把自己的主權交給神，他就會在你身上作一項神聖的試驗；而他的試驗是必然成功的。聖徒的標誌之一，就是在德行上的創新力，這種創新力是從向主耶穌完全降服而來的。在聖徒的生命中，有一股奇異的活泉不斷的湧出來，把生命重生。神的靈是一口水井，他所湧出來泉水，是萬古常新的。聖徒知道是神安排各種環境際遇，因此不怨嘆愁苦，反而不顧一切地奔向耶穌。切勿從經驗中製造原則；神在別人身上所做創新的工作，必作在你身上。
你若完全委身於耶穌，他叫你[來]，你就來，這樣他就會繼續透過你說[來]；你在世上就不斷的發出基督[來]的呼聲。這是每個降服主，到耶穌跟前來的人必然的結果。我有沒有來就耶穌？我現在肯不肯來？
祈禱◆噢，主啊，你偉大而榮耀的計劃，在我們眾人心靈的目光前，已經成就和正在成就。主啊，我們雖不見前路，卻認識和信靠你。願你保守我們的思想和心靈，在你裡面得以剛強和平靜。
Where our individual desire dies and sanctified surrender lives. One of the greatest hindrances in coming to Jesus is the excuse of our own individual temperament. We make our temperament and our natural desires barriers to coming to Jesus. Yet the first thing we realize when we do come to Jesus is that He pays no attention whatsoever to our natural desires. We have the idea that we can dedicate our gifts to God. However, you cannot dedicate what is not yours. There is actually only one thing you can dedicate to God, and that is your right to yourself (see Romans 12:1). If you will give God your right to yourself, He will make a holy experiment out of you— and His experiments always succeed. The one true mark of a saint of God is the inner creativity that flows from being totally surrendered to Jesus Christ. In the life of a saint there is this amazing Well, which is a continual Source of original life. The Spirit of God is a Well of water springing up perpetually fresh. A saint realizes that it is God who engineers his circumstances; consequently there are no complaints, only unrestrained surrender to Jesus. Never try to make your experience a principle for others, but allow God to be as creative and original with others as He is with you.
If you abandon everything to Jesus, and come when He says, “Come,” then He will continue to say, “Come,” through you. You will go out into the world reproducing the echo of Christ’s “Come.” That is the result in every soul who has abandoned all and come to Jesus.
Have I come to Him? Will I come now?
到主那裡去
來跟從我。 （可一17）
跟從耶穌最大的阻礙之一是性情做藉口。自己的性情加上天然的傾向，往往成為我們就近主的障礙。來到主面前，首先會發現他並不理會我們天然的傾向。我們都有一種概念，以為可以把自己的天賦才能奉獻給神。其實，你根本不可能把不屬於你的東西奉獻出來，只有一樣是你可以奉獻的，就是你的主權（羅十二1）。只要你把自己的主權交給神，他就會在你身上作一項神聖的試驗；而他的試驗是必然成功的。聖徒的標誌之一，就是在德行上的創新力，這種創新力是從向主耶穌完全降服而來的。在聖徒的生命中，有一股奇異的活泉不斷的湧出來，把生命重生。神的靈是一口水井，他所湧出來泉水，是萬古常新的。聖徒知道是神安排各種環境際遇，因此不怨嘆愁苦，反而不顧一切地奔向耶穌。切勿從經驗中製造原則；神在別人身上所做創新的工作，必作在你身上。
你若完全委身於耶穌，他叫你[來]，你就來，這樣他就會繼續透過你說[來]；你在世上就不斷的發出基督[來]的呼聲。這是每個降服主，到耶穌跟前來的人必然的結果。我有沒有來就耶穌？我現在肯不肯來？
祈禱◆噢，主啊，你偉大而榮耀的計劃，在我們眾人心靈的目光前，已經成就和正在成就。主啊，我們雖不見前路，卻認識和信靠你。願你保守我們的思想和心靈，在你裡面得以剛強和平靜。
June 12, 2014
Getting There (2)
They said to Him, ’Rabbi . . . where are You staying?’ He said to them, ’Come and see’ —John 1:38-39
Where our self-interest sleeps and the real interest is awakened. “They . . . remained with Him that day . . . .” That is about all some of us ever do. We stay with Him a short time, only to wake up to our own realities of life. Our self-interest rises up and our abiding with Him is past. Yet there is no circumstance of life in which we cannot abide in Jesus.
“You are Simon . . . . You shall be called Cephas” (John 1:42). God writes our new name only on those places in our lives where He has erased our pride, self-sufficiency, and self-interest. Some of us have our new name written only in certain spots, like spiritual measles. And in those areas of our lives we look all right. When we are in our best spiritual mood, you would think we were the highest quality saints. But don’t dare look at us when we are not in that mood. A true disciple is one who has his new name written all over him— self-interest, pride, and self-sufficiency have been completely erased.
Pride is the sin of making “self” our god. And some of us today do this, not like the Pharisee, but like the tax collector (see Luke 18:9-14). For you to say, “Oh, I’m no saint,” is acceptable by human standards of pride, but it is unconscious blasphemy against God. You defy God to make you a saint, as if to say, “I am too weak and hopeless and outside the reach of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.” Why aren’t you a saint? It is either that you do not want to be a saint, or that you do not believe that God can make you into one. You say it would be all right if God saved you and took you straight to heaven. That is exactly what He will do! And not only do we make our home with Him, but Jesus said of His Father and Himself, “. . . We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23). Put no conditions on your life— let Jesus be everything to you, and He will take you home with Him not only for a day, but for eternity.
到主那裡去
拉比，在那裡住？ ……你們來看……來跟從我。 （約一38-39）
[這一天便與他同住。 ]我們中間不少往往就是這樣，一覺之後，清醒過來，又去面對現實。一己的利益來到，就不再與主同住了。其實，任何的一種生活情況都不足以阻礙我們，使我們不與主同住（即不住在主裡）。
[你是西門，你要稱為磯法。 ]神在我們生命中，只有在驕傲、自滿、自利被抹除的地方，寫下新的名字。有些人的新名是斑點式的，像屬靈的痳疹一般。在某些地方，我們看來很不錯。當屬靈情緒高昂，我們會認為自己是高等聖徒；不過，在情緒低落的時候，請別看我們了。作門徒的，是全身都寫滿了新名；自私自利、驕傲自滿等，全都被抹掉了。
驕傲即是神化自我。對今人來說，這已不是法利賽人的模式，乃是稅吏的模式了。 [啊，我不是聖徒哩]，這個說法在人的傲氣中，是可以接受的；可是卻無形中是對神的褻瀆。其實際上的意思是說：你抗拒神，不要他使你成為聖徒。 [我太軟弱，無可救要，救恩對我也無濟於事。 ]在人面前的謙遜，可能無形中褻瀆了神。你為什麼不是聖徒？是你不要作聖徒，還是你不信神能使你成為聖徒？你說：[神若救我，把我直接帶上天堂就好了。 ]其實這正是他要做的！ [我們來就他，與他同住吧。 ]不要作繭自縛，要讓耶穌成為你的一切；這樣，他就必帶住你一同歸家，直到永永遠遠。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我的思想有多少部分，被近來環繞身邊的興趣所佔據，以致這些身旁的東西都成了中心。願你自己成為我生命中固定的中心，和環繞我身邊的一切。
Where our self-interest sleeps and the real interest is awakened. “They . . . remained with Him that day . . . .” That is about all some of us ever do. We stay with Him a short time, only to wake up to our own realities of life. Our self-interest rises up and our abiding with Him is past. Yet there is no circumstance of life in which we cannot abide in Jesus.
“You are Simon . . . . You shall be called Cephas” (John 1:42). God writes our new name only on those places in our lives where He has erased our pride, self-sufficiency, and self-interest. Some of us have our new name written only in certain spots, like spiritual measles. And in those areas of our lives we look all right. When we are in our best spiritual mood, you would think we were the highest quality saints. But don’t dare look at us when we are not in that mood. A true disciple is one who has his new name written all over him— self-interest, pride, and self-sufficiency have been completely erased.
Pride is the sin of making “self” our god. And some of us today do this, not like the Pharisee, but like the tax collector (see Luke 18:9-14). For you to say, “Oh, I’m no saint,” is acceptable by human standards of pride, but it is unconscious blasphemy against God. You defy God to make you a saint, as if to say, “I am too weak and hopeless and outside the reach of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.” Why aren’t you a saint? It is either that you do not want to be a saint, or that you do not believe that God can make you into one. You say it would be all right if God saved you and took you straight to heaven. That is exactly what He will do! And not only do we make our home with Him, but Jesus said of His Father and Himself, “. . . We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23). Put no conditions on your life— let Jesus be everything to you, and He will take you home with Him not only for a day, but for eternity.
到主那裡去
拉比，在那裡住？ ……你們來看……來跟從我。 （約一38-39）
[這一天便與他同住。 ]我們中間不少往往就是這樣，一覺之後，清醒過來，又去面對現實。一己的利益來到，就不再與主同住了。其實，任何的一種生活情況都不足以阻礙我們，使我們不與主同住（即不住在主裡）。
[你是西門，你要稱為磯法。 ]神在我們生命中，只有在驕傲、自滿、自利被抹除的地方，寫下新的名字。有些人的新名是斑點式的，像屬靈的痳疹一般。在某些地方，我們看來很不錯。當屬靈情緒高昂，我們會認為自己是高等聖徒；不過，在情緒低落的時候，請別看我們了。作門徒的，是全身都寫滿了新名；自私自利、驕傲自滿等，全都被抹掉了。
驕傲即是神化自我。對今人來說，這已不是法利賽人的模式，乃是稅吏的模式了。 [啊，我不是聖徒哩]，這個說法在人的傲氣中，是可以接受的；可是卻無形中是對神的褻瀆。其實際上的意思是說：你抗拒神，不要他使你成為聖徒。 [我太軟弱，無可救要，救恩對我也無濟於事。 ]在人面前的謙遜，可能無形中褻瀆了神。你為什麼不是聖徒？是你不要作聖徒，還是你不信神能使你成為聖徒？你說：[神若救我，把我直接帶上天堂就好了。 ]其實這正是他要做的！ [我們來就他，與他同住吧。 ]不要作繭自縛，要讓耶穌成為你的一切；這樣，他就必帶住你一同歸家，直到永永遠遠。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我的思想有多少部分，被近來環繞身邊的興趣所佔據，以致這些身旁的東西都成了中心。願你自己成為我生命中固定的中心，和環繞我身邊的一切。
June 11, 2014
Getting There (1)
Come to Me . . . —Matthew 11:28
Where sin and sorrow stops, and the song of the saint starts. Do I really want to get there? I can right now. The questions that truly matter in life are remarkably few, and they are all answered by these words— “Come to Me.” Our Lord’s words are not, “Do this, or don’t do that,” but— “Come to me.” If I will simply come to Jesus, my real life will be brought into harmony with my real desires. I will actually cease from sin, and will find the song of the Lord beginning in my life.
Have you ever come to Jesus? Look at the stubbornness of your heart. You would rather do anything than this one simple childlike thing— “Come to Me.” If you really want to experience ceasing from sin, you must come to Jesus.
Jesus Christ makes Himself the test to determine your genuineness. Look how He used the word come. At the most unexpected moments in your life there is this whisper of the Lord— “Come to Me,” and you are immediately drawn to Him. Personal contact with Jesus changes everything. Be “foolish” enough to come and commit yourself to what He says. The attitude necessary for you to come to Him is one where your will has made the determination to let go of everything and deliberately commit it all to Him.
“. . . and I will give you rest”— that is, “I will sustain you, causing you to stand firm.” He is not saying, “I will put you to bed, hold your hand, and sing you to sleep.” But, in essence, He is saying, “I will get you out of bed— out of your listlessness and exhaustion, and out of your condition of being half dead while you are still alive. I will penetrate you with the spirit of life, and you will be sustained by the perfection of vital activity.” Yet we become so weak and pitiful and talk about “suffering” the will of the Lord! Where is the majestic vitality and the power of the Son of God in that?
到主那裡去
到我這裡來。 （太十一28）
我想到那裡去嗎？現在就可以去了。人生真正重大的問題本來是極少的，而這些問題都在[到我這裡來]這句話裡得了答案。不是做這個，不做那個；而是[到我這裡來]。只要來到耶穌跟前，生活就會按照我真正的渴望度過；我會真的脫離罪，真正找到主所賜的樂歌。
你曾否到耶穌這裡來？當心你心中的頑梗，叫你寧願做許多別的事，也不甘願像個天真的孩子般[到我這裡來]。你若真想斷絕罪，就必須來就耶穌。耶穌基督拿自己做試金石。請留意他如何用[來]這個字。在人最意想不到的時刻，主微聲說[到我這裡來]，你立即就被他吸引過去。
與基督的接觸，會改變人的一切。你要絕聖去智，成為愚拙，來親就耶穌，照他所說的去行。 [來]的態度就是肯完全放棄一切，立志將所有的交付他。
[我就使你們得安息]，就是說[我會扶持你]。不是[我會把你送上床，執著你的手，哼著眠歌，把你送入夢鄉]。而是[我要叫你從床上起來，從頹廢疲憊中出來，從半生不死得狀況下出來；我要以生命的靈充滿你，你便有完全的生命。 ]我們有時會可憐兮兮地說：[為神的旨意而受苦！ ]這種態度，哪能彰顯兒子無上的生命力與大能呢？
祈禱◆[如甘霖滋潤田地]；[如露水降在以色列]－－噢，主啊，今天早上這些說話，來到我的腦海中，是帶著甜蜜的迫切感。願你今天好像甘霖、露水般臨到我們當中，滋潤、塑造和賜福我們。我懷著極大和歡欣的期望來到你的面前。
Where sin and sorrow stops, and the song of the saint starts. Do I really want to get there? I can right now. The questions that truly matter in life are remarkably few, and they are all answered by these words— “Come to Me.” Our Lord’s words are not, “Do this, or don’t do that,” but— “Come to me.” If I will simply come to Jesus, my real life will be brought into harmony with my real desires. I will actually cease from sin, and will find the song of the Lord beginning in my life.
Have you ever come to Jesus? Look at the stubbornness of your heart. You would rather do anything than this one simple childlike thing— “Come to Me.” If you really want to experience ceasing from sin, you must come to Jesus.
Jesus Christ makes Himself the test to determine your genuineness. Look how He used the word come. At the most unexpected moments in your life there is this whisper of the Lord— “Come to Me,” and you are immediately drawn to Him. Personal contact with Jesus changes everything. Be “foolish” enough to come and commit yourself to what He says. The attitude necessary for you to come to Him is one where your will has made the determination to let go of everything and deliberately commit it all to Him.
“. . . and I will give you rest”— that is, “I will sustain you, causing you to stand firm.” He is not saying, “I will put you to bed, hold your hand, and sing you to sleep.” But, in essence, He is saying, “I will get you out of bed— out of your listlessness and exhaustion, and out of your condition of being half dead while you are still alive. I will penetrate you with the spirit of life, and you will be sustained by the perfection of vital activity.” Yet we become so weak and pitiful and talk about “suffering” the will of the Lord! Where is the majestic vitality and the power of the Son of God in that?
到主那裡去
到我這裡來。 （太十一28）
我想到那裡去嗎？現在就可以去了。人生真正重大的問題本來是極少的，而這些問題都在[到我這裡來]這句話裡得了答案。不是做這個，不做那個；而是[到我這裡來]。只要來到耶穌跟前，生活就會按照我真正的渴望度過；我會真的脫離罪，真正找到主所賜的樂歌。
你曾否到耶穌這裡來？當心你心中的頑梗，叫你寧願做許多別的事，也不甘願像個天真的孩子般[到我這裡來]。你若真想斷絕罪，就必須來就耶穌。耶穌基督拿自己做試金石。請留意他如何用[來]這個字。在人最意想不到的時刻，主微聲說[到我這裡來]，你立即就被他吸引過去。
與基督的接觸，會改變人的一切。你要絕聖去智，成為愚拙，來親就耶穌，照他所說的去行。 [來]的態度就是肯完全放棄一切，立志將所有的交付他。
[我就使你們得安息]，就是說[我會扶持你]。不是[我會把你送上床，執著你的手，哼著眠歌，把你送入夢鄉]。而是[我要叫你從床上起來，從頹廢疲憊中出來，從半生不死得狀況下出來；我要以生命的靈充滿你，你便有完全的生命。 ]我們有時會可憐兮兮地說：[為神的旨意而受苦！ ]這種態度，哪能彰顯兒子無上的生命力與大能呢？
祈禱◆[如甘霖滋潤田地]；[如露水降在以色列]－－噢，主啊，今天早上這些說話，來到我的腦海中，是帶著甜蜜的迫切感。願你今天好像甘霖、露水般臨到我們當中，滋潤、塑造和賜福我們。我懷著極大和歡欣的期望來到你的面前。
June 10, 2014
And After That What’s Next To Do?
. . . seek, and you will find . . . —Luke 11:9
Seek if you have not found. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss . . .” (James 4:3). If you ask for things from life instead of from God, “you ask amiss”; that is, you ask out of your desire for self-fulfillment. The more you fulfill yourself the less you will seek God. “. . . seek, and you will find . . . .” Get to work— narrow your focus and interests to this one thing. Have you ever sought God with your whole heart, or have you simply given Him a feeble cry after some emotionally painful experience? “. . . seek, [focus,] and you will find . . . .”
“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. . .” (Isaiah 55:1). Are you thirsty, or complacent and indifferent— so satisfied with your own experience that you want nothing more of God? Experience is a doorway, not a final goal. Beware of building your faith on experience, or your life will not ring true and will only sound the note of a critical spirit. Remember that you can never give another person what you have found, but you can cause him to have a desire for it.
“. . . knock, and it will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9). “Draw near to God . . .” (James 4:8). Knock— the door is closed, and your heartbeat races as you knock. “Cleanse your hands . . .” (James 4:8). Knock a bit louder— you begin to find that you are dirty. “. . . purify your hearts . . .” (James 4:8). It is becoming even more personal— you are desperate and serious now— you will do anything. “Lament . . . ” (James 4:9). Have you ever lamented, expressing your sorrow before God for the condition of your inner life? There is no thread of self-pity left, only the heart-rending difficulty and amazement which comes from seeing what kind of person you really are. “Humble yourselves . . . ” (James 4:10). It is a humbling experience to knock at God’s door— you have to knock with the crucified thief. “. . . to him who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11:10).
第二步妙法
尋找就尋見。 （路十一9）
[你們求也得不著，因為你們妄求。 ]你求的若是今生的事物，而不是從神來的就是妄求，就是出於實現自我的慾望。你愈是實現自我，就愈不會尋求神。 [尋找就尋見。 ]去實行吧，聚精會神在尋找方面。你是全心尋求神，還是在受刺激痛楚之下，向神沒精打采地哀求？尋找，要專心，那你就尋見。
[你們一切乾渴的都當就近水來。 ]你是渴慕神，還是漠然不關心－－只滿足於自己的經歷，以致對神再無所求？經歷是個通道，不是目的。要謹慎，不要把信心建築在經歷之上，那鏗然之聲必隨即響起，加以責難，因你無法把所找到的傳給別人，你只能叫他羨慕你所得著的。
[叩門，就給你們開門。 ][要親近神。 ]叩門－－那門是關閉的，叩的時候你會心驚膽戰。 [潔淨你們的手]－－稍為用力一點叩，就會發現自己的污穢。 [潔淨你們的心]－－這一層更加深切了；這是你很真誠逼切，什麼都肯做了。 [要受苦]－－你曾否因你內在的光景，在神面前受苦？這時你已沒有絲毫自憐了，只有一種因詫異而來的心碎，因發覺原來自己的本相是這樣的。 [自卑]－－叩神的門是一件卑躬屈膝的事－－你要與那被釘十架的大盜同叩門。 [叩門的就給他開門。 ]
祈禱◆噢，主啊，但願我對你有更活潑的感應，而你的豐盛一直與我同在。
Seek if you have not found. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss . . .” (James 4:3). If you ask for things from life instead of from God, “you ask amiss”; that is, you ask out of your desire for self-fulfillment. The more you fulfill yourself the less you will seek God. “. . . seek, and you will find . . . .” Get to work— narrow your focus and interests to this one thing. Have you ever sought God with your whole heart, or have you simply given Him a feeble cry after some emotionally painful experience? “. . . seek, [focus,] and you will find . . . .”
“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. . .” (Isaiah 55:1). Are you thirsty, or complacent and indifferent— so satisfied with your own experience that you want nothing more of God? Experience is a doorway, not a final goal. Beware of building your faith on experience, or your life will not ring true and will only sound the note of a critical spirit. Remember that you can never give another person what you have found, but you can cause him to have a desire for it.
“. . . knock, and it will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9). “Draw near to God . . .” (James 4:8). Knock— the door is closed, and your heartbeat races as you knock. “Cleanse your hands . . .” (James 4:8). Knock a bit louder— you begin to find that you are dirty. “. . . purify your hearts . . .” (James 4:8). It is becoming even more personal— you are desperate and serious now— you will do anything. “Lament . . . ” (James 4:9). Have you ever lamented, expressing your sorrow before God for the condition of your inner life? There is no thread of self-pity left, only the heart-rending difficulty and amazement which comes from seeing what kind of person you really are. “Humble yourselves . . . ” (James 4:10). It is a humbling experience to knock at God’s door— you have to knock with the crucified thief. “. . . to him who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11:10).
第二步妙法
尋找就尋見。 （路十一9）
[你們求也得不著，因為你們妄求。 ]你求的若是今生的事物，而不是從神來的就是妄求，就是出於實現自我的慾望。你愈是實現自我，就愈不會尋求神。 [尋找就尋見。 ]去實行吧，聚精會神在尋找方面。你是全心尋求神，還是在受刺激痛楚之下，向神沒精打采地哀求？尋找，要專心，那你就尋見。
[你們一切乾渴的都當就近水來。 ]你是渴慕神，還是漠然不關心－－只滿足於自己的經歷，以致對神再無所求？經歷是個通道，不是目的。要謹慎，不要把信心建築在經歷之上，那鏗然之聲必隨即響起，加以責難，因你無法把所找到的傳給別人，你只能叫他羨慕你所得著的。
[叩門，就給你們開門。 ][要親近神。 ]叩門－－那門是關閉的，叩的時候你會心驚膽戰。 [潔淨你們的手]－－稍為用力一點叩，就會發現自己的污穢。 [潔淨你們的心]－－這一層更加深切了；這是你很真誠逼切，什麼都肯做了。 [要受苦]－－你曾否因你內在的光景，在神面前受苦？這時你已沒有絲毫自憐了，只有一種因詫異而來的心碎，因發覺原來自己的本相是這樣的。 [自卑]－－叩神的門是一件卑躬屈膝的事－－你要與那被釘十架的大盜同叩門。 [叩門的就給他開門。 ]
祈禱◆噢，主啊，但願我對你有更活潑的感應，而你的豐盛一直與我同在。
June 09, 2014
Then What’s Next To Do?
Everyone who asks receives . . . —Luke 11:10
Ask if you have not received. There is nothing more difficult than asking. We will have yearnings and desires for certain things, and even suffer as a result of their going unfulfilled, but not until we are at the limit of desperation will we ask. It is the sense of not being spiritually real that causes us to ask. Have you ever asked out of the depths of your total insufficiency and poverty? “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God . . . ” (James 1:5), but be sure that you do lack wisdom before you ask. You cannot bring yourself to the point of spiritual reality anytime you choose. The best thing to do, once you realize you are not spiritually real, is to ask God for the Holy Spirit, basing your request on the promise of Jesus Christ (see Luke 11:13). The Holy Spirit is the one who makes everything that Jesus did for you real in your life.
“Everyone who asks receives . . . .” This does not mean that you will not get if you do not ask, but it means that until you come to the point of asking, you will not receive from God (see Matthew 5:45). To be able to receive means that you have to come into the relationship of a child of God, and then you comprehend and appreciate mentally, morally, and with spiritual understanding, that these things come from God.
“If any of you lacks wisdom . . . .” If you realize that you are lacking, it is because you have come in contact with spiritual reality— do not put the blinders of reason on again. The word ask actually means “beg.” Some people are poor enough to be interested in their poverty, and some of us are poor enough spiritually to show our interest. Yet we will never receive if we ask with a certain result in mind, because we are asking out of our lust, not out of our poverty. A pauper does not ask out of any reason other than the completely hopeless and painful condition of his poverty. He is not ashamed to beg— blessed are the paupers in spirit (see Matthew 5:3).
第二步妙法
因為凡祈求的就得著。 （路十一10）
沒有一件事比祈求更難的了。我們會渴望、愛慕，甚至受煎熬；但非等到山窮水盡，無路可走，我們決不會祈求。只有一種不現實的感覺才催使我們去祈求。你有沒有從德性貧乏的深坑中向神祈求？ [你們中間若有缺少智慧的，可以向神求……]但千萬要弄清楚你是真的缺少智慧，你無法照自己的意思隨時面對實際的事物。你若覺得沒有屬靈的實在，第二步最佳的辦法就是照主的話求聖靈（參路十一13）。聖靈的工作就是把耶穌為你所成就的一切，變成真實。
[凡祈求的就得著。 ]這不是說，你不求就得不著（比較太五45），而是說你未去到求的地方，就始終不能從神領受什麼。領受的意思就是已與神建立父子的關係，在理智上、精神上，以及屬靈的悟性上，都知道是從神而來的。
[你們中間若有缺少智慧的……]你知道自己的缺乏，因為你摸著了屬靈的實際。請勿把你理智的閃燈亮起。人們會說：[傳簡單的福音給我們吧；不用叫我們成為聖潔，因為這使人覺得自己一貧如洗，這感覺並不好受。 ][求]就是乞求的意思。有些人家徒四壁而安於貧窮，我們中間一些人在屬靈上也是如此。心目中若有目的去求，就永不會從神獲得；因為是出於情慾，而不是由於貧窮。乞丐求乞，除了一貧如洗的理由之外，便沒有別的理由。因此他並不恥於求乞－－靈裡貧窮的人有福了。
祈禱◆主啊，為著這教會，我稱頌你，因為她正證明你是[窮乏人的力量、是急難中困苦人的力量，是波浪中的避難所、是熱氣下的庇蔭]。
Ask if you have not received. There is nothing more difficult than asking. We will have yearnings and desires for certain things, and even suffer as a result of their going unfulfilled, but not until we are at the limit of desperation will we ask. It is the sense of not being spiritually real that causes us to ask. Have you ever asked out of the depths of your total insufficiency and poverty? “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God . . . ” (James 1:5), but be sure that you do lack wisdom before you ask. You cannot bring yourself to the point of spiritual reality anytime you choose. The best thing to do, once you realize you are not spiritually real, is to ask God for the Holy Spirit, basing your request on the promise of Jesus Christ (see Luke 11:13). The Holy Spirit is the one who makes everything that Jesus did for you real in your life.
“Everyone who asks receives . . . .” This does not mean that you will not get if you do not ask, but it means that until you come to the point of asking, you will not receive from God (see Matthew 5:45). To be able to receive means that you have to come into the relationship of a child of God, and then you comprehend and appreciate mentally, morally, and with spiritual understanding, that these things come from God.
“If any of you lacks wisdom . . . .” If you realize that you are lacking, it is because you have come in contact with spiritual reality— do not put the blinders of reason on again. The word ask actually means “beg.” Some people are poor enough to be interested in their poverty, and some of us are poor enough spiritually to show our interest. Yet we will never receive if we ask with a certain result in mind, because we are asking out of our lust, not out of our poverty. A pauper does not ask out of any reason other than the completely hopeless and painful condition of his poverty. He is not ashamed to beg— blessed are the paupers in spirit (see Matthew 5:3).
第二步妙法
因為凡祈求的就得著。 （路十一10）
沒有一件事比祈求更難的了。我們會渴望、愛慕，甚至受煎熬；但非等到山窮水盡，無路可走，我們決不會祈求。只有一種不現實的感覺才催使我們去祈求。你有沒有從德性貧乏的深坑中向神祈求？ [你們中間若有缺少智慧的，可以向神求……]但千萬要弄清楚你是真的缺少智慧，你無法照自己的意思隨時面對實際的事物。你若覺得沒有屬靈的實在，第二步最佳的辦法就是照主的話求聖靈（參路十一13）。聖靈的工作就是把耶穌為你所成就的一切，變成真實。
[凡祈求的就得著。 ]這不是說，你不求就得不著（比較太五45），而是說你未去到求的地方，就始終不能從神領受什麼。領受的意思就是已與神建立父子的關係，在理智上、精神上，以及屬靈的悟性上，都知道是從神而來的。
[你們中間若有缺少智慧的……]你知道自己的缺乏，因為你摸著了屬靈的實際。請勿把你理智的閃燈亮起。人們會說：[傳簡單的福音給我們吧；不用叫我們成為聖潔，因為這使人覺得自己一貧如洗，這感覺並不好受。 ][求]就是乞求的意思。有些人家徒四壁而安於貧窮，我們中間一些人在屬靈上也是如此。心目中若有目的去求，就永不會從神獲得；因為是出於情慾，而不是由於貧窮。乞丐求乞，除了一貧如洗的理由之外，便沒有別的理由。因此他並不恥於求乞－－靈裡貧窮的人有福了。
祈禱◆主啊，為著這教會，我稱頌你，因為她正證明你是[窮乏人的力量、是急難中困苦人的力量，是波浪中的避難所、是熱氣下的庇蔭]。
June 08, 2014
What’s Next To Do?
If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them —John 13:17
Be determined to know more than others. If you yourself do not cut the lines that tie you to the dock, God will have to use a storm to sever them and to send you out to sea. Put everything in your life afloat upon God, going out to sea on the great swelling tide of His purpose, and your eyes will be opened. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the calm waters just inside the harbor, full of joy, but always tied to the dock. You have to get out past the harbor into the great depths of God, and begin to know things for yourself— begin to have spiritual discernment.
When you know that you should do something and you do it, immediately you know more. Examine where you have become sluggish, where you began losing interest spiritually, and you will find that it goes back to a point where you did not do something you knew you should do. You did not do it because there seemed to be no immediate call to do it. But now you have no insight or discernment, and at a time of crisis you are spiritually distracted instead of spiritually self-controlled. It is a dangerous thing to refuse to continue learning and knowing more.
The counterfeit of obedience is a state of mind in which you create your own opportunities to sacrifice yourself, and your zeal and enthusiasm are mistaken for discernment. It is easier to sacrifice yourself than to fulfill your spiritual destiny, which is stated in Romans 12:1-2. It is much better to fulfill the purpose of God in your life by discerning His will than it is to perform great acts of self-sacrifice. “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice . . .” (1 Samuel 15:22). Beware of paying attention or going back to what you once were, when God wants you to be something that you have never been. “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know . . .” (John 7:17).
下一步是什麼？
你們既知道這事，若是去行就有福了。 （約十三17）
你若不切斷錨索，神就會用風暴來把它們折斷，好送你出去。把所有的交給神，在他旨意的狂瀾中出去，你的眼就必開啟。你若相信耶穌，就不可老是留在風平浪靜的港口內，滿心快樂地度日，被纜繩一直拴住。你必須從港口出來，進入神的深處，親自探索，要得屬靈得亮光，能以分辨是非。
若是做了該做的事，你隨即就知道的更多。試檢討一下你的靈性在什麼地方停滯了。你就必發現在某一件該做的事上你沒有去做，因為覺得沒有逼切的呼召。如今你失去了知覺與分辨力了。在緊要關頭上，你的靈性分了心，不能收斂起來。不繼續求知，是很危險的。
虛偽的順服，就是製造自我犧牲，誤把熱情當做明辨。犧牲自己比達成屬靈任務容易很多，這就是羅馬書十二章1至2節所說的。察驗神的心意，成全他在你身上的旨意，比自我犧牲的壯舉要好很多。 [聽命勝於獻祭。 ]當神要在你身上成就還未成就的，要追憶你往日聽見神的光景。 [若是去行……就知道……]。
祈禱◆主啊，在關於人的事情上，我的思想模糊。求你成為他們的堅固城堡，因為似乎沒有人注意或關心他們。讓他們免受敵人的壓迫，因著他們對你的忠心，願你保存他們。主啊，願你以大能承擔此事。
Be determined to know more than others. If you yourself do not cut the lines that tie you to the dock, God will have to use a storm to sever them and to send you out to sea. Put everything in your life afloat upon God, going out to sea on the great swelling tide of His purpose, and your eyes will be opened. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the calm waters just inside the harbor, full of joy, but always tied to the dock. You have to get out past the harbor into the great depths of God, and begin to know things for yourself— begin to have spiritual discernment.
When you know that you should do something and you do it, immediately you know more. Examine where you have become sluggish, where you began losing interest spiritually, and you will find that it goes back to a point where you did not do something you knew you should do. You did not do it because there seemed to be no immediate call to do it. But now you have no insight or discernment, and at a time of crisis you are spiritually distracted instead of spiritually self-controlled. It is a dangerous thing to refuse to continue learning and knowing more.
The counterfeit of obedience is a state of mind in which you create your own opportunities to sacrifice yourself, and your zeal and enthusiasm are mistaken for discernment. It is easier to sacrifice yourself than to fulfill your spiritual destiny, which is stated in Romans 12:1-2. It is much better to fulfill the purpose of God in your life by discerning His will than it is to perform great acts of self-sacrifice. “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice . . .” (1 Samuel 15:22). Beware of paying attention or going back to what you once were, when God wants you to be something that you have never been. “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know . . .” (John 7:17).
下一步是什麼？
你們既知道這事，若是去行就有福了。 （約十三17）
你若不切斷錨索，神就會用風暴來把它們折斷，好送你出去。把所有的交給神，在他旨意的狂瀾中出去，你的眼就必開啟。你若相信耶穌，就不可老是留在風平浪靜的港口內，滿心快樂地度日，被纜繩一直拴住。你必須從港口出來，進入神的深處，親自探索，要得屬靈得亮光，能以分辨是非。
若是做了該做的事，你隨即就知道的更多。試檢討一下你的靈性在什麼地方停滯了。你就必發現在某一件該做的事上你沒有去做，因為覺得沒有逼切的呼召。如今你失去了知覺與分辨力了。在緊要關頭上，你的靈性分了心，不能收斂起來。不繼續求知，是很危險的。
虛偽的順服，就是製造自我犧牲，誤把熱情當做明辨。犧牲自己比達成屬靈任務容易很多，這就是羅馬書十二章1至2節所說的。察驗神的心意，成全他在你身上的旨意，比自我犧牲的壯舉要好很多。 [聽命勝於獻祭。 ]當神要在你身上成就還未成就的，要追憶你往日聽見神的光景。 [若是去行……就知道……]。
祈禱◆主啊，在關於人的事情上，我的思想模糊。求你成為他們的堅固城堡，因為似乎沒有人注意或關心他們。讓他們免受敵人的壓迫，因著他們對你的忠心，願你保存他們。主啊，願你以大能承擔此事。
June 07, 2014
The Greatest Source of Power
Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do . . . —John 14:13
Am I fulfilling this ministry of intercession deep within the hidden recesses of my life? There is no trap nor any danger at all of being deceived or of showing pride in true intercession. It is a hidden ministry that brings forth fruit through which the Father is glorified. Am I allowing my spiritual life to waste away, or am I focused, bringing everything to one central point— the atonement of my Lord? Is Jesus Christ more and more dominating every interest of my life? If the central point, or the most powerful influence, of my life is the atonement of the Lord, then every aspect of my life will bear fruit for Him.
However, I must take the time to realize what this central point of power is. Am I willing to give one minute out of every hour to concentrate on it? “If you abide in Me . . . “— that is, if you continue to act, and think, and work from that central point— “you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). Am I abiding? Am I taking the time to abide? What is the greatest source of power in my life? Is it my work, service, and sacrifice for others, or is it my striving to work for God? It should be none of these— what ought to exert the greatest power in my life is the atonement of the Lord. It is not on what we spend the greatest amount of time that molds us the most, but whatever exerts the most power over us. We must make a determination to limit and concentrate our desires and interests on the atonement by the Cross of Christ.
“Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do . . . .” The disciple who abides in Jesus is the will of God, and what appears to be his free choices are actually God’s foreordained decrees. Is this mysterious? Does it appear to contradict sound logic or seem totally absurd? Yes, but what a glorious truth it is to a saint of God.
切勿鬆懈
你們奉我的名，無論求什麼，我必成就。 （約十四13）
我有沒有從事這內在的事奉？代禱沒有網羅、沒有沉迷或驕傲的危險，是一種隱藏的事奉，它所結出的果子可以榮耀父神。我是讓屬靈生命消磨虛耗，還是把一切集於一點－－我主的代贖？耶穌基督在我生命裡頭，是否愈來愈佔據掌管？如果我生命中唯一的重心、最大的原動力是主的代贖，這樣我生活的每一方面都必為他結果子了。
我必須花工夫去體察哪裡是能力的樞紐。我有沒有花上片刻的時間去注意這件事？ [你們若常在我裡面]－－要從這中心不斷地去實行、去思想、去工作－－[你們無論求什麼，我必成就。 ]
我是住在他裡面麼？我有花時間去住在他裡面麼？我生命中最大的能力源頭是什麼？是工作、事奉、為人犧牲，還是盡力為神工作？在我生命中產生最大能力的，應該是主的救贖。影響我們最厲害的，並非花時間最多的事物，而是那些在我們心裡產生最大的能力。我們必須限制以及集中自己的心力。
[你們奉我的名，無論求什麼，我必成就。 ]住在耶穌裡的門徒，就是神的心意；他表面上自由的選擇，乃是神預定的旨意。很神秘嗎？邏輯上矛盾荒謬麼？不錯，但對聖徒卻是榮耀的真理。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著那恩典的寶座，讓我在耶穌基督裡可以坦然無懼地領受憐憫，並得著今天的恩典去榮耀你，我讚美你。
Am I fulfilling this ministry of intercession deep within the hidden recesses of my life? There is no trap nor any danger at all of being deceived or of showing pride in true intercession. It is a hidden ministry that brings forth fruit through which the Father is glorified. Am I allowing my spiritual life to waste away, or am I focused, bringing everything to one central point— the atonement of my Lord? Is Jesus Christ more and more dominating every interest of my life? If the central point, or the most powerful influence, of my life is the atonement of the Lord, then every aspect of my life will bear fruit for Him.
However, I must take the time to realize what this central point of power is. Am I willing to give one minute out of every hour to concentrate on it? “If you abide in Me . . . “— that is, if you continue to act, and think, and work from that central point— “you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). Am I abiding? Am I taking the time to abide? What is the greatest source of power in my life? Is it my work, service, and sacrifice for others, or is it my striving to work for God? It should be none of these— what ought to exert the greatest power in my life is the atonement of the Lord. It is not on what we spend the greatest amount of time that molds us the most, but whatever exerts the most power over us. We must make a determination to limit and concentrate our desires and interests on the atonement by the Cross of Christ.
“Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do . . . .” The disciple who abides in Jesus is the will of God, and what appears to be his free choices are actually God’s foreordained decrees. Is this mysterious? Does it appear to contradict sound logic or seem totally absurd? Yes, but what a glorious truth it is to a saint of God.
切勿鬆懈
你們奉我的名，無論求什麼，我必成就。 （約十四13）
我有沒有從事這內在的事奉？代禱沒有網羅、沒有沉迷或驕傲的危險，是一種隱藏的事奉，它所結出的果子可以榮耀父神。我是讓屬靈生命消磨虛耗，還是把一切集於一點－－我主的代贖？耶穌基督在我生命裡頭，是否愈來愈佔據掌管？如果我生命中唯一的重心、最大的原動力是主的代贖，這樣我生活的每一方面都必為他結果子了。
我必須花工夫去體察哪裡是能力的樞紐。我有沒有花上片刻的時間去注意這件事？ [你們若常在我裡面]－－要從這中心不斷地去實行、去思想、去工作－－[你們無論求什麼，我必成就。 ]
我是住在他裡面麼？我有花時間去住在他裡面麼？我生命中最大的能力源頭是什麼？是工作、事奉、為人犧牲，還是盡力為神工作？在我生命中產生最大能力的，應該是主的救贖。影響我們最厲害的，並非花時間最多的事物，而是那些在我們心裡產生最大的能力。我們必須限制以及集中自己的心力。
[你們奉我的名，無論求什麼，我必成就。 ]住在耶穌裡的門徒，就是神的心意；他表面上自由的選擇，乃是神預定的旨意。很神秘嗎？邏輯上矛盾荒謬麼？不錯，但對聖徒卻是榮耀的真理。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著那恩典的寶座，讓我在耶穌基督裡可以坦然無懼地領受憐憫，並得著今天的恩典去榮耀你，我讚美你。
June 06, 2014
“Work Out” What God “Works in” You
. . . work out your own salvation . . . for it is God who works in you . . . —Philippians 2:12-13
Your will agrees with God, but in your flesh there is a nature that renders you powerless to do what you know you ought to do. When the Lord initially comes in contact with our conscience, the first thing our conscience does is awaken our will, and our will always agrees with God. Yet you say, “But I don’t know if my will is in agreement with God.” Look to Jesus and you will find that your will and your conscience are in agreement with Him every time. What causes you to say “I will not obey” is something less deep and penetrating than your will. It is perversity or stubbornness, and they are never in agreement with God. The most profound thing in a person is his will, not sin.
The will is the essential element in God’s creation of human beings— sin is a perverse nature which entered into people. In someone who has been born again, the source of the will is Almighty God. “. . . for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” With focused attention and great care, you have to “work out” what God “works in” you— not work to accomplish or earn “your own salvation,” but work it out so you will exhibit the evidence of a life based with determined, unshakable faith on the complete and perfect redemption of the Lord. As you do this, you do not bring an opposing will up against God’s will— God’s will is your will. Your natural choices will be in accordance with God’s will, and living this life will be as natural as breathing. Stubbornness is an unintelligent barrier, refusing enlightenment and blocking its flow. The only thing to do with this barrier of stubbornness is to blow it up with “dynamite,” and the “dynamite” is obedience to the Holy Spirit.
Do I believe that Almighty God is the Source of my will? God not only expects me to do His will, but He is in me to do it.
活出神在我裡面所成就的
作成你們得救的功夫。 （腓二12-13）
你的意志是與神一致的，但你肉體中有一種傾向，叫你無法實行所該行的。當主進入你的心，良心就會喚醒意志，而意志必定是與神一致的。你會說：[可是我不知道自己的意志，是否與神的一致。 ]仰望耶穌，你就必發現你的良心與意志是與他相合的。那在你裡面叫你說[我不會]的，是比意志更薄弱的背逆頑梗，它們永遠與神背道而馳。在人最深處的是他的意志，而不是罪。意志是神創造人最基本的元素；罪確實闖進人心的偏頗性情。一個重生的人意志的根源是全能的神。 [因為你們立志行事，都是神在你們心裡運行，為要成就他的美意。 ]
你要把神在你身上所成就的，謹慎地活出來。你不是自己去成全救恩，而是活出救恩，以堅定不移的信心倚靠主完全的救贖，作為根基。這樣，你心裡所發出來的意志，就不會與神相違；神的旨意就是你的旨意，你順其自然的選擇，就會跟神的旨意一致，生命乃像呼吸一樣自然。神是你意向的根源。因此你可以完成他的旨意。頑梗是不明智的楔子，阻礙真理，不肯受光照；唯一的方法是用炸藥把它炸開，這炸藥就是對聖靈的順服。
我相信全能的神是我意志的源頭嗎？神不但期望我遵行他的旨意，他更在我裡面實行出來。
祈禱◆主啊，當我仰望你的時候，求你高舉我。求你將你的臉光光照我，讓我可以將它反照給你。
Your will agrees with God, but in your flesh there is a nature that renders you powerless to do what you know you ought to do. When the Lord initially comes in contact with our conscience, the first thing our conscience does is awaken our will, and our will always agrees with God. Yet you say, “But I don’t know if my will is in agreement with God.” Look to Jesus and you will find that your will and your conscience are in agreement with Him every time. What causes you to say “I will not obey” is something less deep and penetrating than your will. It is perversity or stubbornness, and they are never in agreement with God. The most profound thing in a person is his will, not sin.
The will is the essential element in God’s creation of human beings— sin is a perverse nature which entered into people. In someone who has been born again, the source of the will is Almighty God. “. . . for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” With focused attention and great care, you have to “work out” what God “works in” you— not work to accomplish or earn “your own salvation,” but work it out so you will exhibit the evidence of a life based with determined, unshakable faith on the complete and perfect redemption of the Lord. As you do this, you do not bring an opposing will up against God’s will— God’s will is your will. Your natural choices will be in accordance with God’s will, and living this life will be as natural as breathing. Stubbornness is an unintelligent barrier, refusing enlightenment and blocking its flow. The only thing to do with this barrier of stubbornness is to blow it up with “dynamite,” and the “dynamite” is obedience to the Holy Spirit.
Do I believe that Almighty God is the Source of my will? God not only expects me to do His will, but He is in me to do it.
活出神在我裡面所成就的
作成你們得救的功夫。 （腓二12-13）
你的意志是與神一致的，但你肉體中有一種傾向，叫你無法實行所該行的。當主進入你的心，良心就會喚醒意志，而意志必定是與神一致的。你會說：[可是我不知道自己的意志，是否與神的一致。 ]仰望耶穌，你就必發現你的良心與意志是與他相合的。那在你裡面叫你說[我不會]的，是比意志更薄弱的背逆頑梗，它們永遠與神背道而馳。在人最深處的是他的意志，而不是罪。意志是神創造人最基本的元素；罪確實闖進人心的偏頗性情。一個重生的人意志的根源是全能的神。 [因為你們立志行事，都是神在你們心裡運行，為要成就他的美意。 ]
你要把神在你身上所成就的，謹慎地活出來。你不是自己去成全救恩，而是活出救恩，以堅定不移的信心倚靠主完全的救贖，作為根基。這樣，你心裡所發出來的意志，就不會與神相違；神的旨意就是你的旨意，你順其自然的選擇，就會跟神的旨意一致，生命乃像呼吸一樣自然。神是你意向的根源。因此你可以完成他的旨意。頑梗是不明智的楔子，阻礙真理，不肯受光照；唯一的方法是用炸藥把它炸開，這炸藥就是對聖靈的順服。
我相信全能的神是我意志的源頭嗎？神不但期望我遵行他的旨意，他更在我裡面實行出來。
祈禱◆主啊，當我仰望你的時候，求你高舉我。求你將你的臉光光照我，讓我可以將它反照給你。
June 05, 2014
God’s Assurance
He Himself has said . . . . So we may boldly say . . . —Hebrews 13:5-6
My assurance is to be built upon God’s assurance to me. God says, “I will never leave you,” so that then I “may boldly say, ’The Lord is my helper; I will not fear’ ” (Hebrews 13:5-6). In other words, I will not be obsessed with apprehension. This does not mean that I will not be tempted to fear, but I will remember God’s words of assurance. I will be full of courage, like a child who strives to reach the standard his father has set for him. The faith of many people begins to falter when apprehensions enter their thinking, and they forget the meaning of God’s assurance— they forget to take a deep spiritual breath. The only way to remove the fear from our lives is to listen to God’s assurance to us.
What are you fearing? Whatever it may be, you are not a coward about it— you are determined to face it, yet you still have a feeling of fear. When it seems that there is nothing and no one to help you, say to yourself, “But ’The Lord is my helper’ this very moment, even in my present circumstance.” Are you learning to listen to God before you speak, or are you saying things and then trying to make God’s Word fit what you have said? Take hold of the Father’s assurance, and then say with strong courage, “I will not fear.” It does not matter what evil or wrong may be in our way, because “He Himself has said, ’I will never leave you . . . .’ ”
Human frailty is another thing that gets between God’s words of assurance and our own words and thoughts. When we realize how feeble we are in facing difficulties, the difficulties become like giants, we become like grasshoppers, and God seems to be nonexistent. But remember God’s assurance to us— “I will never. . . forsake you.” Have we learned to sing after hearing God’s keynote? Are we continually filled with enough courage to say, “The Lord is my helper,” or are we yielding to fear?
神如此說
主曾說……所以我們可以放膽說……(來十三5-6)
[我如此說]必須以[神如此說]做根基。神既說：[我總不撇下你。 ]我就可以勇敢地說：[主是幫助我的，我必不懼怕。 ]——我不會被恐懼侵擾。這不是說我不會有恐懼的試探，乃是我知道神曾如此說。這樣我就會鼓起勇氣，像孩子一鼓作氣似的，竭力達到父親所要求的水平。不少人在恐懼中信心動搖，忘記了神曾[如此說]，忘記了在聖靈裡深深地吸一口氣。唯一脫離恐懼的方法，就是聽神[如此說]。
你害怕的是什麼？你不是懦夫，你要面對現實，可是總有一種恐懼的感覺。你在孤獨無援之中，要說：[主是幫助我的，就在此時此地。 ]你有沒有學習先聽神的話，然後才開口說話？抑或你擅自發言，然後企圖拿神的話來支持？你當抓住父神的[如此說]，然後勇氣十足地說：[我必不懼怕。 ]路上的兇險不要緊，因他已說過：[我總不撇下你。 ]
另一樣阻隔神[如此說]的，就是意志薄弱。我們在難處中，往往很柔弱；難處就成為強大的巨人，而我們反而像蚱蜢，就像神不存在一般。要記住神如此說：[我總不撇下你。 ]我們是否學會聽見神的主音想起就唱和？我們是否時常有這勇氣：[主是幫助我的。 ]還是就此一蹶不振？
祈禱◆主啊，現在向我說話，為著今天的日子激勵我；那深沉而具有破壞力的暗晦，似乎正緊緊操縱著我的能力。主啊，與我們同在。
My assurance is to be built upon God’s assurance to me. God says, “I will never leave you,” so that then I “may boldly say, ’The Lord is my helper; I will not fear’ ” (Hebrews 13:5-6). In other words, I will not be obsessed with apprehension. This does not mean that I will not be tempted to fear, but I will remember God’s words of assurance. I will be full of courage, like a child who strives to reach the standard his father has set for him. The faith of many people begins to falter when apprehensions enter their thinking, and they forget the meaning of God’s assurance— they forget to take a deep spiritual breath. The only way to remove the fear from our lives is to listen to God’s assurance to us.
What are you fearing? Whatever it may be, you are not a coward about it— you are determined to face it, yet you still have a feeling of fear. When it seems that there is nothing and no one to help you, say to yourself, “But ’The Lord is my helper’ this very moment, even in my present circumstance.” Are you learning to listen to God before you speak, or are you saying things and then trying to make God’s Word fit what you have said? Take hold of the Father’s assurance, and then say with strong courage, “I will not fear.” It does not matter what evil or wrong may be in our way, because “He Himself has said, ’I will never leave you . . . .’ ”
Human frailty is another thing that gets between God’s words of assurance and our own words and thoughts. When we realize how feeble we are in facing difficulties, the difficulties become like giants, we become like grasshoppers, and God seems to be nonexistent. But remember God’s assurance to us— “I will never. . . forsake you.” Have we learned to sing after hearing God’s keynote? Are we continually filled with enough courage to say, “The Lord is my helper,” or are we yielding to fear?
神如此說
主曾說……所以我們可以放膽說……(來十三5-6)
[我如此說]必須以[神如此說]做根基。神既說：[我總不撇下你。 ]我就可以勇敢地說：[主是幫助我的，我必不懼怕。 ]——我不會被恐懼侵擾。這不是說我不會有恐懼的試探，乃是我知道神曾如此說。這樣我就會鼓起勇氣，像孩子一鼓作氣似的，竭力達到父親所要求的水平。不少人在恐懼中信心動搖，忘記了神曾[如此說]，忘記了在聖靈裡深深地吸一口氣。唯一脫離恐懼的方法，就是聽神[如此說]。
你害怕的是什麼？你不是懦夫，你要面對現實，可是總有一種恐懼的感覺。你在孤獨無援之中，要說：[主是幫助我的，就在此時此地。 ]你有沒有學習先聽神的話，然後才開口說話？抑或你擅自發言，然後企圖拿神的話來支持？你當抓住父神的[如此說]，然後勇氣十足地說：[我必不懼怕。 ]路上的兇險不要緊，因他已說過：[我總不撇下你。 ]
另一樣阻隔神[如此說]的，就是意志薄弱。我們在難處中，往往很柔弱；難處就成為強大的巨人，而我們反而像蚱蜢，就像神不存在一般。要記住神如此說：[我總不撇下你。 ]我們是否學會聽見神的主音想起就唱和？我們是否時常有這勇氣：[主是幫助我的。 ]還是就此一蹶不振？
祈禱◆主啊，現在向我說話，為著今天的日子激勵我；那深沉而具有破壞力的暗晦，似乎正緊緊操縱著我的能力。主啊，與我們同在。
June 04, 2014
The Never-forsaking God
He Himself has said, ’I will never leave you nor forsake you’ —Hebrews 13:5
What line of thinking do my thoughts take? Do I turn to what God says or to my own fears? Am I simply repeating what God says, or am I learning to truly hear Him and then to respond after I have heard what He says? “For He Himself has said, ’I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ’The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’ ” (Hebrews 13:5-6).
“I will never leave you . . .”— not for any reason; not my sin, selfishness, stubbornness, nor waywardness. Have I really let God say to me that He will never leave me? If I have not truly heard this assurance of God, then let me listen again.
“I will never . . . forsake you.” Sometimes it is not the difficulty of life but the drudgery of it that makes me think God will forsake me. When there is no major difficulty to overcome, no vision from God, nothing wonderful or beautiful— just the everyday activities of life— do I hear God’s assurance even in these?
We have the idea that God is going to do some exceptional thing— that He is preparing and equipping us for some extraordinary work in the future. But as we grow in His grace we find that God is glorifying Himself here and now, at this very moment. If we have God’s assurance behind us, the most amazing strength becomes ours, and we learn to sing, glorifying Him even in the ordinary days and ways of life.
永不失信的神
因為主曾說：[我總不撇下你，也不丟棄你。 ]（來十三5）
我思想的路向如何？是轉向神的話，還是轉向自己的恐懼？我有沒有學習不去講述神說什麼，而是先聽他說些什麼，然後才開口？ [主曾說：『我總不撇下你，也不丟棄你。 』所以我們可以放膽說：『主是幫助我的，我必不懼怕，人能把我怎麼樣呢？ 』]
[我總不失信。 ]（中文聖經作[我總不撇下你]）——不管我是罪污、自私、固執、背逆，神總不撇下我。我真有讓神對我說：[我總不失信]？若我曾聽過神如此說，讓我如今聽他再說吧。
[我總不丟棄你。 ]有時並非是困難叫我覺得丟棄我，而是枯燥乏味的生活。滅有困難的高山可以攀登，也沒有異象賜下，更沒有甚麼興奮美麗的東西，只是日復一日的平凡生活——在這景況下，我有聽見神如此說呢？
在我們的意念中，總以為神會行奇事，裝備我們將來要成就偉大的工作。可是，我們若在神的恩中生活，便會發現神就在此時此地榮耀他自己。我們若有[神如此說]作後盾，就有最奇異莫名的能力臨到，使我們在平凡的生活中歡呼歌唱。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，求你榮耀的復活，進入我們的生命、路程和行動中。求你今天的醫治、盼望、恩典和美善，強而有力地臨到。
What line of thinking do my thoughts take? Do I turn to what God says or to my own fears? Am I simply repeating what God says, or am I learning to truly hear Him and then to respond after I have heard what He says? “For He Himself has said, ’I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ’The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’ ” (Hebrews 13:5-6).
“I will never leave you . . .”— not for any reason; not my sin, selfishness, stubbornness, nor waywardness. Have I really let God say to me that He will never leave me? If I have not truly heard this assurance of God, then let me listen again.
“I will never . . . forsake you.” Sometimes it is not the difficulty of life but the drudgery of it that makes me think God will forsake me. When there is no major difficulty to overcome, no vision from God, nothing wonderful or beautiful— just the everyday activities of life— do I hear God’s assurance even in these?
We have the idea that God is going to do some exceptional thing— that He is preparing and equipping us for some extraordinary work in the future. But as we grow in His grace we find that God is glorifying Himself here and now, at this very moment. If we have God’s assurance behind us, the most amazing strength becomes ours, and we learn to sing, glorifying Him even in the ordinary days and ways of life.
永不失信的神
因為主曾說：[我總不撇下你，也不丟棄你。 ]（來十三5）
我思想的路向如何？是轉向神的話，還是轉向自己的恐懼？我有沒有學習不去講述神說什麼，而是先聽他說些什麼，然後才開口？ [主曾說：『我總不撇下你，也不丟棄你。 』所以我們可以放膽說：『主是幫助我的，我必不懼怕，人能把我怎麼樣呢？ 』]
[我總不失信。 ]（中文聖經作[我總不撇下你]）——不管我是罪污、自私、固執、背逆，神總不撇下我。我真有讓神對我說：[我總不失信]？若我曾聽過神如此說，讓我如今聽他再說吧。
[我總不丟棄你。 ]有時並非是困難叫我覺得丟棄我，而是枯燥乏味的生活。滅有困難的高山可以攀登，也沒有異象賜下，更沒有甚麼興奮美麗的東西，只是日復一日的平凡生活——在這景況下，我有聽見神如此說呢？
在我們的意念中，總以為神會行奇事，裝備我們將來要成就偉大的工作。可是，我們若在神的恩中生活，便會發現神就在此時此地榮耀他自己。我們若有[神如此說]作後盾，就有最奇異莫名的能力臨到，使我們在平凡的生活中歡呼歌唱。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，求你榮耀的復活，進入我們的生命、路程和行動中。求你今天的醫治、盼望、恩典和美善，強而有力地臨到。
June 03, 2014
“The Secret of the Lord”
The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him . . . —Psalm 25:14
What is the sign of a friend? Is it that he tells you his secret sorrows? No, it is that he tells you his secret joys. Many people will confide their secret sorrows to you, but the final mark of intimacy is when they share their secret joys with you. Have we ever let God tell us any of His joys? Or are we continually telling God our secrets, leaving Him no time to talk to us? At the beginning of our Christian life we are full of requests to God. But then we find that God wants to get us into an intimate relationship with Himself— to get us in touch with His purposes. Are we so intimately united to Jesus Christ’s idea of prayer— “Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10)— that we catch the secrets of God? What makes God so dear to us is not so much His big blessings to us, but the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us— He knows every detail of each of our individual lives.
“Him shall He teach in the way He chooses” (Psalm 25:12). At first, we want the awareness of being guided by God. But then as we grow spiritually, we live so fully aware of God that we do not even need to ask what His will is, because the thought of choosing another way will never occur to us. If we are saved and sanctified, God guides us by our everyday choices. And if we are about to choose what He does not want, He will give us a sense of doubt or restraint, which we must heed. Whenever there is doubt, stop at once. Never try to reason it out, saying, “I wonder why I shouldn’t do this?” God instructs us in what we choose; that is, He actually guides our common sense. And when we yield to His teachings and guidance, we no longer hinder His Spirit by continually asking, “Now, Lord, what is Your will?”
主的秘密
耶和華與敬畏他的人親密，他必將自己的約指示他們。 （詩二十五14）
朋友的標記是什麼？是他把隱藏的愁苦告訴你？不是的，是他把隱藏的喜樂告訴你。許多人會把心底的愁苦向人傾訴，但是傾吐心底的喜樂才是親密的最高表現。我們是讓神向我們吐露他的喜樂，還是不斷地把自己的心事向他傾吐，不容他有機會向我們說話？初信主的時候，對神有一大堆的請求；後來就發現神希望我們與他建立關係，摸著他的心意。耶穌對禱告的觀念－－照你的旨意而行－－我們有沒有緊緊遵守，以致獲得神的奧秘？哦我們覺得寶貴的往往不是神所賜的大福，而是一些細微的事物。因為這些表示他與我們奇妙無比的親密，深知我們生命的任何細節。
[……耶和華必指示他當選擇的道路。 ]起初我們所要的，知道神愛引導；後來既然知道日益活在神裡面，就不需要追問他的旨意是什麼，因為根本沒有想過還有其他可選擇的旨意。我們得救成聖了，神就依我們一般的選擇來引導我們；若我們選了神不喜悅的，他就會阻止，我們就要聽從。一有疑惑，要立刻止步。切勿諸多辯駁說：[為什麼不可以？ ]神借我們的選擇教導我們，也就是說，他引導我們依常理來選擇，我們不必經常問：[主啊，你的旨意怎樣？ ]這樣反阻礙了聖靈的工作。
祈禱◆啊，主啊，願意跟從你是何等有益和重要的事。我願意和極之渴望你的旨意得以成就。當我預期沒有東西比你的旨意那樣滿有榮耀，我整個人都深深地感到喜樂。
What is the sign of a friend? Is it that he tells you his secret sorrows? No, it is that he tells you his secret joys. Many people will confide their secret sorrows to you, but the final mark of intimacy is when they share their secret joys with you. Have we ever let God tell us any of His joys? Or are we continually telling God our secrets, leaving Him no time to talk to us? At the beginning of our Christian life we are full of requests to God. But then we find that God wants to get us into an intimate relationship with Himself— to get us in touch with His purposes. Are we so intimately united to Jesus Christ’s idea of prayer— “Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10)— that we catch the secrets of God? What makes God so dear to us is not so much His big blessings to us, but the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us— He knows every detail of each of our individual lives.
“Him shall He teach in the way He chooses” (Psalm 25:12). At first, we want the awareness of being guided by God. But then as we grow spiritually, we live so fully aware of God that we do not even need to ask what His will is, because the thought of choosing another way will never occur to us. If we are saved and sanctified, God guides us by our everyday choices. And if we are about to choose what He does not want, He will give us a sense of doubt or restraint, which we must heed. Whenever there is doubt, stop at once. Never try to reason it out, saying, “I wonder why I shouldn’t do this?” God instructs us in what we choose; that is, He actually guides our common sense. And when we yield to His teachings and guidance, we no longer hinder His Spirit by continually asking, “Now, Lord, what is Your will?”
主的秘密
耶和華與敬畏他的人親密，他必將自己的約指示他們。 （詩二十五14）
朋友的標記是什麼？是他把隱藏的愁苦告訴你？不是的，是他把隱藏的喜樂告訴你。許多人會把心底的愁苦向人傾訴，但是傾吐心底的喜樂才是親密的最高表現。我們是讓神向我們吐露他的喜樂，還是不斷地把自己的心事向他傾吐，不容他有機會向我們說話？初信主的時候，對神有一大堆的請求；後來就發現神希望我們與他建立關係，摸著他的心意。耶穌對禱告的觀念－－照你的旨意而行－－我們有沒有緊緊遵守，以致獲得神的奧秘？哦我們覺得寶貴的往往不是神所賜的大福，而是一些細微的事物。因為這些表示他與我們奇妙無比的親密，深知我們生命的任何細節。
[……耶和華必指示他當選擇的道路。 ]起初我們所要的，知道神愛引導；後來既然知道日益活在神裡面，就不需要追問他的旨意是什麼，因為根本沒有想過還有其他可選擇的旨意。我們得救成聖了，神就依我們一般的選擇來引導我們；若我們選了神不喜悅的，他就會阻止，我們就要聽從。一有疑惑，要立刻止步。切勿諸多辯駁說：[為什麼不可以？ ]神借我們的選擇教導我們，也就是說，他引導我們依常理來選擇，我們不必經常問：[主啊，你的旨意怎樣？ ]這樣反阻礙了聖靈的工作。
祈禱◆啊，主啊，願意跟從你是何等有益和重要的事。我願意和極之渴望你的旨意得以成就。當我預期沒有東西比你的旨意那樣滿有榮耀，我整個人都深深地感到喜樂。
June 02, 2014
Are You Obsessed by Something?
Who is the man that fears the Lord? —Psalm 25:12
Are you obsessed by something? You will probably say, “No, by nothing,” but all of us are obsessed by something— usually by ourselves, or, if we are Christians, by our own experience of the Christian life. But the psalmist says that we are to be obsessed by God. The abiding awareness of the Christian life is to be God Himself, not just thoughts about Him. The total being of our life inside and out is to be absolutely obsessed by the presence of God. A child’s awareness is so absorbed in his mother that although he is not consciously thinking of her, when a problem arises, the abiding relationship is that with the mother. In that same way, we are to “live and move and have our being” in God (Acts 17:28), looking at everything in relation to Him, because our abiding awareness of Him continually pushes itself to the forefront of our lives.
If we are obsessed by God, nothing else can get into our lives— not concerns, nor tribulation, nor worries. And now we understand why our Lord so emphasized the sin of worrying. How can we dare to be so absolutely unbelieving when God totally surrounds us? To be obsessed by God is to have an effective barricade against all the assaults of the enemy.
“He himself shall dwell in prosperity . . .” (Psalm 25:13). God will cause us to “dwell in prosperity,” keeping us at ease, even in the midst of tribulation, misunderstanding, and slander, if our “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). We rob ourselves of the miraculous, revealed truth of this abiding companionship with God. “God is our refuge . . .” (Psalm 46:1). Nothing can break through His shelter of protection.
纏繞你的是什麼？
誰敬畏耶和華？ （詩二十五12）
你被什麼纏繞著？你會說：[沒有。 ]其實人都有些東西纏繞著，而這通常就是我們自己；若是信徒，纏繞我們的，就是我們的經歷。詩人說我們要被神纏繞不息。要生命持續不息的，應該是與神同在，而不是單單想念他。我們內外的生命，應該被神無間歇地縈繞著。像一個小孩子對母親的緊纏；雖然他並沒有刻意想著她，可是一有危難，那常存的關係就是他母親。因此，我們生活、作工、存留，都在於神。我們通過神來觀察事物，因為對神常存的知覺，每時每刻都浮現在我們眼前。
神若在我們周遭縈繞不歇，就沒有什麼可以進襲－－沒有憂慮、患難、焦急。這樣，我們就明白為何主這樣強調憂慮的罪。神若圍繞我們，我們豈敢對他毫無信心？神的圍繞，是抵禦敵害的最有效屏障。
[他必安然居住。 ]生命若與基督一同藏在神裡面，即使在患難、誤會、讒謗圍攻之下，他也必保守我們安然無恙。對於神時刻同行的奇妙體會，我們往往失之交臂。 [神是我們的避難所]－－什麼也透不過這蔭庇。
祈禱◆呀，主啊，你的面容、你的感動、你的賜福，是我心所尋求的。主啊，感動我，直至我的每一部分，都被你恩慈和帶有能力的平安所震撼和振奮。
Are you obsessed by something? You will probably say, “No, by nothing,” but all of us are obsessed by something— usually by ourselves, or, if we are Christians, by our own experience of the Christian life. But the psalmist says that we are to be obsessed by God. The abiding awareness of the Christian life is to be God Himself, not just thoughts about Him. The total being of our life inside and out is to be absolutely obsessed by the presence of God. A child’s awareness is so absorbed in his mother that although he is not consciously thinking of her, when a problem arises, the abiding relationship is that with the mother. In that same way, we are to “live and move and have our being” in God (Acts 17:28), looking at everything in relation to Him, because our abiding awareness of Him continually pushes itself to the forefront of our lives.
If we are obsessed by God, nothing else can get into our lives— not concerns, nor tribulation, nor worries. And now we understand why our Lord so emphasized the sin of worrying. How can we dare to be so absolutely unbelieving when God totally surrounds us? To be obsessed by God is to have an effective barricade against all the assaults of the enemy.
“He himself shall dwell in prosperity . . .” (Psalm 25:13). God will cause us to “dwell in prosperity,” keeping us at ease, even in the midst of tribulation, misunderstanding, and slander, if our “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). We rob ourselves of the miraculous, revealed truth of this abiding companionship with God. “God is our refuge . . .” (Psalm 46:1). Nothing can break through His shelter of protection.
纏繞你的是什麼？
誰敬畏耶和華？ （詩二十五12）
你被什麼纏繞著？你會說：[沒有。 ]其實人都有些東西纏繞著，而這通常就是我們自己；若是信徒，纏繞我們的，就是我們的經歷。詩人說我們要被神纏繞不息。要生命持續不息的，應該是與神同在，而不是單單想念他。我們內外的生命，應該被神無間歇地縈繞著。像一個小孩子對母親的緊纏；雖然他並沒有刻意想著她，可是一有危難，那常存的關係就是他母親。因此，我們生活、作工、存留，都在於神。我們通過神來觀察事物，因為對神常存的知覺，每時每刻都浮現在我們眼前。
神若在我們周遭縈繞不歇，就沒有什麼可以進襲－－沒有憂慮、患難、焦急。這樣，我們就明白為何主這樣強調憂慮的罪。神若圍繞我們，我們豈敢對他毫無信心？神的圍繞，是抵禦敵害的最有效屏障。
[他必安然居住。 ]生命若與基督一同藏在神裡面，即使在患難、誤會、讒謗圍攻之下，他也必保守我們安然無恙。對於神時刻同行的奇妙體會，我們往往失之交臂。 [神是我們的避難所]－－什麼也透不過這蔭庇。
祈禱◆呀，主啊，你的面容、你的感動、你的賜福，是我心所尋求的。主啊，感動我，直至我的每一部分，都被你恩慈和帶有能力的平安所震撼和振奮。
June 01, 2014
The Staggering Question
He said to me, ’Son of man, can these bones live?’ —Ezekiel 37:3
Can a sinner be turned into a saint? Can a twisted life be made right? There is only one appropriate answer— “O Lord God, You know” (Ezekiel 37:3). Never forge ahead with your religious common sense and say, “Oh, yes, with just a little more Bible reading, devotional time, and prayer, I see how it can be done.”
It is much easier to do something than to trust in God; we see the activity and mistake panic for inspiration. That is why we see so few fellow workers with God, yet so many people working for God. We would much rather work for God than believe in Him. Do I really believe that God will do in me what I cannot do? The degree of hopelessness I have for others comes from never realizing that God has done anything for me. Is my own personal experience such a wonderful realization of God’s power and might that I can never have a sense of hopelessness for anyone else I see? Has any spiritual work been accomplished in me at all? The degree of panic activity in my life is equal to the degree of my lack of personal spiritual experience.
“Behold, O My people, I will open your graves . . .” (Ezekiel 37:12). When God wants to show you what human nature is like separated from Himself, He shows it to you in yourself. If the Spirit of God has ever given you a vision of what you are apart from the grace of God (and He will only do this when His Spirit is at work in you), then you know that in reality there is no criminal half as bad as you yourself could be without His grace. My “grave” has been opened by God and “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells” (Romans 7:18). God’s Spirit continually reveals to His children what human nature is like apart from His grace.
驚人的問題
人子啊，這些骸骨能複活麼？ （結三十七3）
哪個罪人能夠轉為聖徒麼？那扭曲的生命能變得正直麼？唯一的回答是：[主啊，你是知道的，我不知道。 ]切勿捧出屬靈的道理輕蔑地說：[那當然，只要多讀點聖經，好好靈修禱告，我看就沒有問題了。 ]
動手做點事總比信靠神來得容易；我們往往把衝動誤認為感動。因此，真正與神同工的人就寥寥無幾，而為神工作的人卻很多。我們寧可為神工作，而不願信靠他。我真相信神能成就我所不能做的麼？我對人絕望到什麼程度，就視乎神為我做了什麼。我是否經歷神奇妙的大能，以致我不再對任何人感到絕望？到底有沒有絲毫屬靈的果效成就在我身上？愈是驚懼，就愈缺乏屬靈的經歷。
[我的民哪，我開你們的墳墓。 ]神要讓你看見人離開神的本相前，就必先讓你看看你自己。神的靈若讓你看見離開神恩典的光景（只有聖靈作工才會這樣），你就會發現任何罪行，只不過是你罪性的一半而已，你也可能犯上同樣的罪。我的墳墓被神[我也知道，在我裡頭，就是在我肉體之中，沒有良善。 ]神的靈不斷地揭開人的本性，就是他離開神恩典時的本相。
祈禱◆主啊，我願意在你面前傾出我的心－－我的靈此刻並沒有卓越的經驗，我的悟性也不靈敏，它們都反應遲緩；然而，我敬拜你，你永不遲緩或疲憊，你最清楚認識我的構造。
Can a sinner be turned into a saint? Can a twisted life be made right? There is only one appropriate answer— “O Lord God, You know” (Ezekiel 37:3). Never forge ahead with your religious common sense and say, “Oh, yes, with just a little more Bible reading, devotional time, and prayer, I see how it can be done.”
It is much easier to do something than to trust in God; we see the activity and mistake panic for inspiration. That is why we see so few fellow workers with God, yet so many people working for God. We would much rather work for God than believe in Him. Do I really believe that God will do in me what I cannot do? The degree of hopelessness I have for others comes from never realizing that God has done anything for me. Is my own personal experience such a wonderful realization of God’s power and might that I can never have a sense of hopelessness for anyone else I see? Has any spiritual work been accomplished in me at all? The degree of panic activity in my life is equal to the degree of my lack of personal spiritual experience.
“Behold, O My people, I will open your graves . . .” (Ezekiel 37:12). When God wants to show you what human nature is like separated from Himself, He shows it to you in yourself. If the Spirit of God has ever given you a vision of what you are apart from the grace of God (and He will only do this when His Spirit is at work in you), then you know that in reality there is no criminal half as bad as you yourself could be without His grace. My “grave” has been opened by God and “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells” (Romans 7:18). God’s Spirit continually reveals to His children what human nature is like apart from His grace.
驚人的問題
人子啊，這些骸骨能複活麼？ （結三十七3）
哪個罪人能夠轉為聖徒麼？那扭曲的生命能變得正直麼？唯一的回答是：[主啊，你是知道的，我不知道。 ]切勿捧出屬靈的道理輕蔑地說：[那當然，只要多讀點聖經，好好靈修禱告，我看就沒有問題了。 ]
動手做點事總比信靠神來得容易；我們往往把衝動誤認為感動。因此，真正與神同工的人就寥寥無幾，而為神工作的人卻很多。我們寧可為神工作，而不願信靠他。我真相信神能成就我所不能做的麼？我對人絕望到什麼程度，就視乎神為我做了什麼。我是否經歷神奇妙的大能，以致我不再對任何人感到絕望？到底有沒有絲毫屬靈的果效成就在我身上？愈是驚懼，就愈缺乏屬靈的經歷。
[我的民哪，我開你們的墳墓。 ]神要讓你看見人離開神的本相前，就必先讓你看看你自己。神的靈若讓你看見離開神恩典的光景（只有聖靈作工才會這樣），你就會發現任何罪行，只不過是你罪性的一半而已，你也可能犯上同樣的罪。我的墳墓被神[我也知道，在我裡頭，就是在我肉體之中，沒有良善。 ]神的靈不斷地揭開人的本性，就是他離開神恩典時的本相。
祈禱◆主啊，我願意在你面前傾出我的心－－我的靈此刻並沒有卓越的經驗，我的悟性也不靈敏，它們都反應遲緩；然而，我敬拜你，你永不遲緩或疲憊，你最清楚認識我的構造。
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