The Compelling Purpose of God

He . . . said to them, ’Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem . . —Luke 18:31

Jerusalem, in the life of our Lord, represents the place where He reached the culmination of His Father’s will. Jesus said, “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). Seeking to do “the will of the Father” was the one dominating concern throughout our Lord’s life. And whatever He encountered along the way, whether joy or sorrow, success or failure, He was never deterred from that purpose. “. . . He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem . . .” (Luke 9:51).

The greatest thing for us to remember is that we go up to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s purpose, not our own. In the natural life our ambitions are our own, but in the Christian life we have no goals of our own. We talk so much today about our decisions for Christ, our determination to be Christians, and our decisions for this and that, but in the New Testament the only aspect that is brought out is the compelling purpose of God. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you . . .” (John 15:16).

We are not taken into a conscious agreement with God’s purpose— we are taken into God’s purpose with no awareness of it at all. We have no idea what God’s goal may be; as we continue, His purpose becomes even more and more vague. God’s aim appears to have missed the mark, because we are too nearsighted to see the target at which He is aiming. At the beginning of the Christian life, we have our own ideas as to what God’s purpose is. We say, “God means for me to go over there,” and, “God has called me to do this special work.” We do what we think is right, and yet the compelling purpose of God remains upon us. The work we do is of no account when compared with the compelling purpose of God. It is simply the scaffolding surrounding His work and His plan. “He took the twelve aside . . .” (Luke 18:31). God takes us aside all the time. We have not yet understood all there is to know of the compelling purpose of God.

---

神的催逼

看哪，我們上耶路撒冷去。 （路十八31）

在主耶穌的生命中，耶路撒冷是他成就父神旨意的頂峰。 [我不求自己的意思，只求那差我來者的意思。 ]在救主的一生中，這是他唯一最大的關注。路途上所遇的一切，不論憂喜成敗，從不使他偏離這個目標。

[他就定意向耶路撒冷去。 ]最重要的是知道上耶路撒冷去，是要完成神的計劃，而不是我們自己的計劃。很自然的，雄心是出於我們自己；但在信徒的生命中，該沒有自己的目標。今天太多人提出自己為基督而作的決定－－我們決志作基督徒，我們決定做這做那－－但新約帶出的資訊，卻是神自己的催逼。

[不是你們揀選了我，是我揀選了你們。 ]我們並沒有意識地同意神的計劃，乃是在不知不覺中進到神的計劃裡去。我們根本不知道神怎樣籌算，而且一日比一日模糊。神的目標似乎總是達不到，其實是因為我們太短視，看不見他的射標。初信之時，我們對神的計劃有自己的想法－－[我應該到某處某處。 ]

[神呼召我作這特別的工作。 ]於是，我們去了，做了，但神的催逼依然存在。我們所作的工算不得什麼，與神的催逼比較，不過是平台架而已。 [耶穌帶著十二個門徒。 ]他不住地帶領著我們，我們還有許多未進入之地。

祈禱◆噢，主啊，我來到你面前；無論自覺或非自覺地，我懷著極大的需要靠近你。求你為著你的榮耀高舉我、帶領我、充滿我，使我能和諧地配合你的計劃和旨意。