His!

They were Yours, You gave them to Me . . . —John 17:6

A missionary is someone in whom the Holy Spirit has brought about this realization: “You are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). To say, “I am not my own,” is to have reached a high point in my spiritual stature. The true nature of that life in actual everyday confusion is evidenced by the deliberate giving up of myself to another Person through a sovereign decision, and that Person is Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit interprets and explains the nature of Jesus to me to make me one with my Lord, not that I might simply become a trophy for His showcase. Our Lord never sent any of His disciples out on the basis of what He had done for them. It was not until after the resurrection, when the disciples had perceived through the power of the Holy Spirit who Jesus really was, that He said, “Go” (Matthew 28:19; also see Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8).

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). He was not saying that this person cannot be good and upright, but that he cannot be someone over whom Jesus can write the word Mine. Any one of the relationships our Lord mentions in this verse can compete with our relationship with Him. I may prefer to belong to my mother, or to my wife, or to myself, but if that is the case, then, Jesus said, “[You] cannot be My disciple.” This does not mean that I will not be saved, but it does mean that I cannot be entirely His.

Our Lord makes His disciple His very own possession, becoming responsible for him. “. . . you shall be witnesses to Me . . .” (Acts 1:8). The desire that comes into a disciple is not one of doing anything for Jesus, but of being a perfect delight to Him. The missionary’s secret is truly being able to say, “I am His, and He is accomplishing His work and His purposes through me.”

Be entirely His!

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我們要完全屬祂！

他們本是你的，你將他們賜給我。 （約十七6）

傳道者就是得到聖靈啟迪，知道[你不是自己]的人。能夠說[我不屬於自己]，就是靈命達到了一個高峰。生命的真正本質，是故意把主權放棄，一心尊尚另一位為主，這另一位就是耶穌基督。聖靈把耶穌的本性向我解明，是要叫我與主合一，而不是要我成為可誇耀的展覽品。主從不單憑他為門徒所作的事，而差派他們出去，直到他復活了，因聖靈的能力，門徒認識耶穌是誰，然後他才說：[去。 ][人到我這裡來，若不恨……不能作我的門徒。 ]他不是說他不能做個正直良善的人，而是不能稱為[我的]。每一個主所說的關係，都可以是與主爭競的。我若選擇屬於母親，或妻子，或自己，這樣耶穌會說：[你不能作我的門徒。 ]這不是說我並不得救，而是我不能成為[他的]。主視門徒為他的產業，他為耶穌做什麼，乃是要成為他所喜悅的。作傳道人的秘訣是－－我屬他，透過我成就他的大工。我們要完全屬他。

祈禱◆主啊，願你今天臨到我，帶領我進入你神性計劃的一切美善中；感動我的心，讓我能明白你的道路，並在其中歡喜快樂。