When He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was —John 11:6
Has God trusted you with His silence— a silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking Him for a visible answer? God will give you the very blessings you ask if you refuse to go any further without them, but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself. Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible— with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him— He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes. The actual evidence of the answer in time is simply a matter of God’s sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you may have said, “I asked God to give me bread, but He gave me a stone instead” (see Matthew 7:9). He did not give you a stone, and today you find that He gave you the “bread of life” (John 6:35).
A wonderful thing about God’s silence is that His stillness is contagious— it gets into you, causing you to become perfectly confident so that you can honestly say, “I know that God has heard me.” His silence is the very proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will always bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of His silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, then He will give you the first sign of His intimacy— silence.
神沉默之後－－怎樣？
聽見拉撒路病了，就在所居之地，仍住了兩天。 （約十一6）
神有沒有因為信任你，對你默不作聲－－一個滿有意義的沉默？神的沉默就是他的回答。試想在伯大尼那幾天的死寂！在你生命中，有類似的日子嗎？神能否這樣信任你？還是你仍不斷求取眼見的答复？要是你得不著那祝福就不肯前行，神也會賜下；但他若沉默，是表示要使你對他有更深切的認識。你是否因為神未明明地回答你而憂感？你會發現神最親密待你，就是完全的沉默，不是絕望的死寂，而是愉快對你，要讚美他，他正待你進入他偉大的計劃中。神何時彰顯他的答覆，在乎他的主權。時間對神不是什麼一回事。你曾說：[我求餅，他卻給石頭。 ]
其實他沒有這樣作，今日你要發現神賜給你的是生命的餅。神的沉默有一奇妙之處，就是把他的安靜傳給你，使你變得完全的堅信－－[我知道神聽了我。 ]他的沉默表示他聽見了。若你一意要神答允賜福你的禱告，他是會成就的；可是他不會賜你沉默的恩典。若耶穌基督引你明白禱告是為榮耀父神，那末，他就會給你一個先兆，表示他與你的親密關係－－沉默。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願這刻你以同在的光輝，和你靠近的感覺來施福予我。雖然我惟獨信靠你，但仍渴求自覺地以你的同在為樂，願你將它賜給我。
Showing posts with label His Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label His Love. Show all posts
October 11, 2014
May 19, 2014
Out of the Wreck I Rise
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? —Romans 8:35
God does not keep His child immune from trouble; He promises, “I will be with him in trouble . . .” (Psalm 91:15). It doesn’t matter how real or intense the adversities may be; nothing can ever separate him from his relationship to God. “In all these things we are more than conquerors . . .” (Romans 8:37). Paul was not referring here to imaginary things, but to things that are dangerously real. And he said we are “super-victors” in the midst of them, not because of our own ingenuity, nor because of our courage, but because none of them affects our essential relationship with God in Jesus Christ. I feel sorry for the Christian who doesn’t have something in the circumstances of his life that he wishes were not there.
“Shall tribulation . . . ?” Tribulation is never a grand, highly welcomed event; but whatever it may be— whether exhausting, irritating, or simply causing some weakness— it is not able to “separate us from the love of Christ.” Never allow tribulations or the “cares of this world” to separate you from remembering that God loves you (Matthew 13:22).
“Shall . . . distress . . . ?” Can God’s love continue to hold fast, even when everyone and everything around us seems to be saying that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice?
“Shall . . . famine . . . ?” Can we not only believe in the love of God but also be “more than conquerors,” even while we are being starved?
Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver, having deceived even Paul, or else some extraordinary thing happens to someone who holds on to the love of God when the odds are totally against him. Logic is silenced in the face of each of these things which come against him. Only one thing can account for it— the love of God in Christ Jesus. “Out of the wreck I rise” every time.
重整旗鼓
誰能使我們與基督的愛隔絕呢？ （羅八35）
神並不叫人與患難絕緣；他說：[在患難中，我要與他同在。 ]人生不管遭受怎樣重大苦難的打擊，一概都不能叫人與神的關係隔絕。我們[在這一切事上已經得勝有餘了]，保羅在此並不是說些虛幻的事，而是指一些極其真實的事；他說我們在這些事上所以是優勝者，不是靠一己的機智，一己的勇氣，也不是靠任何其他事物，乃是根據一件事實；我們與神在基督耶穌裡的關係，而這關係不是任何事物可以影響的。不管對也好錯也好，我們的景況就是這樣，環境際遇就是這樣。那些環境一帆風順的基督徒，我為他們咕噥道可惜。
[難道是患難麼……？ ]患難絕不是什麼賞心樂事；它所包羅的範圍極大，舉凡困倦、屈辱、勞累等都接踵而至，但都不能叫我們與神的愛隔絕。千萬別讓憂慮和患難阻礙你認識神愛你這事實。
[是困苦麼……？ ]當事事不如意，人說神的愛只是謊言，而正義也不存在，神的愛仍然靠得住麼？ [是飢餓麼……？ ]我們餓著肚子的時候，是否仍然相信神的愛，而且得勝有餘呢？除非耶穌基督是個騙子，把保羅蒙在鼓裡；否則，必定有極不尋常發生在這個人身上，叫他在萬事不如意之中，仍然抓緊神的愛。在這一切事情上，邏輯已經失去它的功用。只有一件事可作解釋－－就是神在耶穌基督裡的愛。讓我重整旗鼓，再接再厲吧！
祈禱◆主啊，為著我身處的地方，我讚美你；可是在我裡面正開始猜想－－這是否稱為我預備的地方？求你牢牢地拖帶我實行你的旨意。我可能只是煩躁不安，求你使我安靜和得力，以致我不會因疑惑而得罪你。
God does not keep His child immune from trouble; He promises, “I will be with him in trouble . . .” (Psalm 91:15). It doesn’t matter how real or intense the adversities may be; nothing can ever separate him from his relationship to God. “In all these things we are more than conquerors . . .” (Romans 8:37). Paul was not referring here to imaginary things, but to things that are dangerously real. And he said we are “super-victors” in the midst of them, not because of our own ingenuity, nor because of our courage, but because none of them affects our essential relationship with God in Jesus Christ. I feel sorry for the Christian who doesn’t have something in the circumstances of his life that he wishes were not there.
“Shall tribulation . . . ?” Tribulation is never a grand, highly welcomed event; but whatever it may be— whether exhausting, irritating, or simply causing some weakness— it is not able to “separate us from the love of Christ.” Never allow tribulations or the “cares of this world” to separate you from remembering that God loves you (Matthew 13:22).
“Shall . . . distress . . . ?” Can God’s love continue to hold fast, even when everyone and everything around us seems to be saying that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice?
“Shall . . . famine . . . ?” Can we not only believe in the love of God but also be “more than conquerors,” even while we are being starved?
Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver, having deceived even Paul, or else some extraordinary thing happens to someone who holds on to the love of God when the odds are totally against him. Logic is silenced in the face of each of these things which come against him. Only one thing can account for it— the love of God in Christ Jesus. “Out of the wreck I rise” every time.
重整旗鼓
誰能使我們與基督的愛隔絕呢？ （羅八35）
神並不叫人與患難絕緣；他說：[在患難中，我要與他同在。 ]人生不管遭受怎樣重大苦難的打擊，一概都不能叫人與神的關係隔絕。我們[在這一切事上已經得勝有餘了]，保羅在此並不是說些虛幻的事，而是指一些極其真實的事；他說我們在這些事上所以是優勝者，不是靠一己的機智，一己的勇氣，也不是靠任何其他事物，乃是根據一件事實；我們與神在基督耶穌裡的關係，而這關係不是任何事物可以影響的。不管對也好錯也好，我們的景況就是這樣，環境際遇就是這樣。那些環境一帆風順的基督徒，我為他們咕噥道可惜。
[難道是患難麼……？ ]患難絕不是什麼賞心樂事；它所包羅的範圍極大，舉凡困倦、屈辱、勞累等都接踵而至，但都不能叫我們與神的愛隔絕。千萬別讓憂慮和患難阻礙你認識神愛你這事實。
[是困苦麼……？ ]當事事不如意，人說神的愛只是謊言，而正義也不存在，神的愛仍然靠得住麼？ [是飢餓麼……？ ]我們餓著肚子的時候，是否仍然相信神的愛，而且得勝有餘呢？除非耶穌基督是個騙子，把保羅蒙在鼓裡；否則，必定有極不尋常發生在這個人身上，叫他在萬事不如意之中，仍然抓緊神的愛。在這一切事情上，邏輯已經失去它的功用。只有一件事可作解釋－－就是神在耶穌基督裡的愛。讓我重整旗鼓，再接再厲吧！
祈禱◆主啊，為著我身處的地方，我讚美你；可是在我裡面正開始猜想－－這是否稱為我預備的地方？求你牢牢地拖帶我實行你的旨意。我可能只是煩躁不安，求你使我安靜和得力，以致我不會因疑惑而得罪你。
May 05, 2014
Judgment and the Love of God
The time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God . . . —1 Peter 4:17
The Christian servant must never forget that salvation is God’s idea, not man’s; therefore, it has an unfathomable depth. Salvation is the great thought of God, not an experience. Experience is simply the door through which salvation comes into the conscious level of our life so that we are aware of what has taken place on a much deeper level. Never preach the experience— preach the great thought of God behind the experience. When we preach, we are not simply proclaiming how people can be saved from hell and be made moral and pure; we are conveying good news about God.
In the teachings of Jesus Christ the element of judgment is always brought out— it is the sign of the love of God. Never sympathize with someone who finds it difficult to get to God; God is not to blame. It is not for us to figure out the reason for the difficulty, but only to present the truth of God so that the Spirit of God will reveal what is wrong. The greatest test of the quality of our preaching is whether or not it brings everyone to judgment. When the truth is preached, the Spirit of God brings each person face to face with God Himself.
If Jesus ever commanded us to do something that He was unable to equip us to accomplish, He would be a liar. And if we make our own inability a stumbling block or an excuse not to be obedient, it means that we are telling God that there is something which He has not yet taken into account. Every element of our own self-reliance must be put to death by the power of God. The moment we recognize our complete weakness and our dependence upon Him will be the very moment that the Spirit of God will exhibit His power.
在愛的淵中受審判
因為時候到了,審判要從神的家起首.(彼前四17)
作主的工人必須記住,救恩是從神來的,不是人自己可以得到;因此,這是一道測不透的深淵.救恩是神一個極高超偉大的意念,而不是一個經歷.經歷只不過是一道門,讓救恩進入我們的生命裡。千萬別傳揚經歷,乃要傳揚經歷背後神偉大的意念。我們傳道，並不是宣佈人怎樣可以得救，脫離地獄，變成有道德、聖潔的人；我們乃是傳達神的好消息。
在耶穌基督的教訓中，總夾著審判，這是神愛的表徵。若有人覺得接近神是件難事，我們不必表示同情，因為這不是神的錯。我們也不必設法解釋困難的緣故，只要把神真理講出來，聖靈就會指出毛病所在。傳道最大的考驗，就是要把各人帶進審判裡去。神的靈會個別對付每一個人。
耶穌若給我們一條命令，而不給我們力量去實行的話，他就是個說謊者。若我們讓自己的無力實行成為順服的攔阻，那就是在對神說，他有些事考慮不周詳。任何的自倚自恃，都必須被神粉碎。完全的軟弱與信賴，往往是聖靈彰顯他能力的時候。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願你的賜福今天臨到我們，那麼多人正需要你。求你拯救的大能在我們當中運行，掌管和振奮我們。
The Christian servant must never forget that salvation is God’s idea, not man’s; therefore, it has an unfathomable depth. Salvation is the great thought of God, not an experience. Experience is simply the door through which salvation comes into the conscious level of our life so that we are aware of what has taken place on a much deeper level. Never preach the experience— preach the great thought of God behind the experience. When we preach, we are not simply proclaiming how people can be saved from hell and be made moral and pure; we are conveying good news about God.
In the teachings of Jesus Christ the element of judgment is always brought out— it is the sign of the love of God. Never sympathize with someone who finds it difficult to get to God; God is not to blame. It is not for us to figure out the reason for the difficulty, but only to present the truth of God so that the Spirit of God will reveal what is wrong. The greatest test of the quality of our preaching is whether or not it brings everyone to judgment. When the truth is preached, the Spirit of God brings each person face to face with God Himself.
If Jesus ever commanded us to do something that He was unable to equip us to accomplish, He would be a liar. And if we make our own inability a stumbling block or an excuse not to be obedient, it means that we are telling God that there is something which He has not yet taken into account. Every element of our own self-reliance must be put to death by the power of God. The moment we recognize our complete weakness and our dependence upon Him will be the very moment that the Spirit of God will exhibit His power.
在愛的淵中受審判
因為時候到了,審判要從神的家起首.(彼前四17)
作主的工人必須記住,救恩是從神來的,不是人自己可以得到;因此,這是一道測不透的深淵.救恩是神一個極高超偉大的意念,而不是一個經歷.經歷只不過是一道門,讓救恩進入我們的生命裡。千萬別傳揚經歷,乃要傳揚經歷背後神偉大的意念。我們傳道，並不是宣佈人怎樣可以得救，脫離地獄，變成有道德、聖潔的人；我們乃是傳達神的好消息。
在耶穌基督的教訓中，總夾著審判，這是神愛的表徵。若有人覺得接近神是件難事，我們不必表示同情，因為這不是神的錯。我們也不必設法解釋困難的緣故，只要把神真理講出來，聖靈就會指出毛病所在。傳道最大的考驗，就是要把各人帶進審判裡去。神的靈會個別對付每一個人。
耶穌若給我們一條命令，而不給我們力量去實行的話，他就是個說謊者。若我們讓自己的無力實行成為順服的攔阻，那就是在對神說，他有些事考慮不周詳。任何的自倚自恃，都必須被神粉碎。完全的軟弱與信賴，往往是聖靈彰顯他能力的時候。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願你的賜福今天臨到我們，那麼多人正需要你。求你拯救的大能在我們當中運行，掌管和振奮我們。
April 30, 2014
Spontaneous Love
Love suffers long and is kind . . . —1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is not premeditated—it is spontaneous; that is, it bursts forth in extraordinary ways. There is nothing of precise certainty in Paul’s description of love. We cannot predetermine our thoughts and actions by saying, “Now I will never think any evil thoughts, and I will believe everything that Jesus would have me to believe.” No, the characteristic of love is spontaneity. We don’t deliberately set the statements of Jesus before us as our standard, but when His Spirit is having His way with us, we live according to His standard without even realizing it. And when we look back, we are amazed at how unconcerned we have been over our emotions, which is the very evidence that real spontaneous love was there. The nature of everything involved in the life of God in us is only discerned when we have been through it and it is in our past.
The fountains from which love flows are in God, not in us. It is absurd to think that the love of God is naturally in our hearts, as a result of our own nature. His love is there only because it “has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit . . .” (Romans 5:5).
If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure sign that we really don’t love Him. The evidence of our love for Him is the absolute spontaneity of our love, which flows naturally from His nature within us. And when we look back, we will not be able to determine why we did certain things, but we can know that we did them according to the spontaneous nature of His love in us. The life of God exhibits itself in this spontaneous way because the fountains of His love are in the Holy Spirit.
自發的愛
愛是恆久忍耐，又有恩慈……（林前十三4-8）
愛不是預先精打細算，而是自然流露的，是不知不覺地湧現。保羅所舉出的愛，不是清單式地計算出來。我們不能說：[好，現在我不再思想惡事，我要凡事相信。 ]愛的特質是自動自發。我們不是把耶穌的說話擺在面前，當準則去遵行；而是當他的靈在我們裡面自由作工，我們就不知不覺地照著他的標準去生活。當我們回顧過去的經歷，就會詫異某種感情是如此公正無私，這就證明有真愛自然流露在其中。神的生命在我們裡面，但每每等到我們經歷過後，才恍然發覺。
愛的泉源是在神裡面，而不是在我們裡面。若想在自己天然性情中去找神的愛，簡直是緣木求魚。只有當聖靈將神的愛澆灌在我們心裡，我們才有真正的愛。
若我們想向神證明是多麼愛他，這正表示我們並不愛他；若要證明愛他，就要讓愛自動自發地流露出來。回想起來，也說不出為何我們會這樣做，是神的愛在裡面流露，故我們有這樣的表現。神的生命是自然的彰顯，因為愛的泉源是在聖靈裡面（羅五5）
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我何等需要被你的同在所充滿和振奮。賜我在你裡面得著愉快而寧靜的信心，他正是聖靈的憑證。
Love is not premeditated—it is spontaneous; that is, it bursts forth in extraordinary ways. There is nothing of precise certainty in Paul’s description of love. We cannot predetermine our thoughts and actions by saying, “Now I will never think any evil thoughts, and I will believe everything that Jesus would have me to believe.” No, the characteristic of love is spontaneity. We don’t deliberately set the statements of Jesus before us as our standard, but when His Spirit is having His way with us, we live according to His standard without even realizing it. And when we look back, we are amazed at how unconcerned we have been over our emotions, which is the very evidence that real spontaneous love was there. The nature of everything involved in the life of God in us is only discerned when we have been through it and it is in our past.
The fountains from which love flows are in God, not in us. It is absurd to think that the love of God is naturally in our hearts, as a result of our own nature. His love is there only because it “has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit . . .” (Romans 5:5).
If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure sign that we really don’t love Him. The evidence of our love for Him is the absolute spontaneity of our love, which flows naturally from His nature within us. And when we look back, we will not be able to determine why we did certain things, but we can know that we did them according to the spontaneous nature of His love in us. The life of God exhibits itself in this spontaneous way because the fountains of His love are in the Holy Spirit.
自發的愛
愛是恆久忍耐，又有恩慈……（林前十三4-8）
愛不是預先精打細算，而是自然流露的，是不知不覺地湧現。保羅所舉出的愛，不是清單式地計算出來。我們不能說：[好，現在我不再思想惡事，我要凡事相信。 ]愛的特質是自動自發。我們不是把耶穌的說話擺在面前，當準則去遵行；而是當他的靈在我們裡面自由作工，我們就不知不覺地照著他的標準去生活。當我們回顧過去的經歷，就會詫異某種感情是如此公正無私，這就證明有真愛自然流露在其中。神的生命在我們裡面，但每每等到我們經歷過後，才恍然發覺。
愛的泉源是在神裡面，而不是在我們裡面。若想在自己天然性情中去找神的愛，簡直是緣木求魚。只有當聖靈將神的愛澆灌在我們心裡，我們才有真正的愛。
若我們想向神證明是多麼愛他，這正表示我們並不愛他；若要證明愛他，就要讓愛自動自發地流露出來。回想起來，也說不出為何我們會這樣做，是神的愛在裡面流露，故我們有這樣的表現。神的生命是自然的彰顯，因為愛的泉源是在聖靈裡面（羅五5）
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我何等需要被你的同在所充滿和振奮。賜我在你裡面得著愉快而寧靜的信心，他正是聖靈的憑證。
February 04, 2014
The Compelling Majesty of His Power
The love of Christ compels us . . . —2 Corinthians 5:14
Paul said that he was overpowered, subdued, and held as in a vise by “the love of Christ.” Very few of us really know what it means to be held in the grip of the love of God. We tend so often to be controlled simply by our own experience. The one thing that gripped and held Paul, to the exclusion of everything else, was the love of God. “The love of Christ compels us . . . .” When you hear that coming from the life of a man or woman it is unmistakable. You will know that the Spirit of God is completely unhindered in that person’s life.
When we are born again by the Spirit of God, our testimony is based solely on what God has done for us, and rightly so. But that will change and be removed forever once you “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . .” (Acts 1:8). Only then will you begin to realize what Jesus meant when He went on to say, “. . . you shall be witnesses to Me . . . .” Not witnesses to what Jesus can do— that is basic and understood— but “witnesses to Me . . . .” We will accept everything that happens as if it were happening to Him, whether we receive praise or blame, persecution or reward. No one is able to take this stand for Jesus Christ who is not totally compelled by the majesty of His power. It is the only thing that matters, and yet it is strange that it’s the last thing we as Christian workers realize. Paul said that he was gripped by the love of God and that is why he acted as he did. People could perceive him as mad or sane-he did not care. There was only one thing he lived for— to persuade people of the coming judgment of God and to tell them of “the love of Christ.” This total surrender to “the love of Christ” is the only thing that will bear fruit in your life. And it will always leave the mark of God’s holiness and His power, never drawing attention to your personal holiness.
無以抗拒的大能
原來基督的愛激勵我們。 （林後五14）
保羅說他被基督的愛統管支配，如同給鉗子鉗住一樣。很少人知道被神的愛抓緊是怎麼一回事，因我們往往被自己的經歷所約制。但約制保羅的只有一件，就是神的愛，除此便別無所見。 [基督的愛激勵我們]，信徒身上有沒有這個音符，一聽便知。在這些人的生命裡，聖靈通行無阻。
當聖靈重生了我們，我們作見證的重點在神為我作了什麼，這是對的。但受了聖靈的洗，這些就成為過去的經驗，我們才開始了解耶穌說[你們是我的見證]的意思了。不是見證耶穌能夠做什麼，那是初步的見證，而是[見證我]。我們要視所有的事，都是發生在他身上，不論是稱許或指責，是逼迫或讚賞。人若未曾被他能力的威嚴所感召，絕不能為他站立。只是最要緊的事，而奇怪的，這卻是基督工人最忽略的。保羅說他被神的愛抓住了，就成 了他一生行事的動力。
人說他瘋狂，說他拘謹，他也毫不介意。他只為一件事而活，就是叫人相信神的審判和基督的愛。這種為基督的愛丟棄萬事的人生，才可以結出生命的果子，將神聖潔與大能的形象刻在人心裡。這是神的聖潔，絕不是我們個人的聖潔。
祈禱◆﹝在柱頂上刻著百合花。 ]噢，主啊，這句話在我的腦海中，尤其是我對那粗糙、不起眼的[百合花]是何其無知。願我藉著表達和經歷你的恩典，能屬於你。
Paul said that he was overpowered, subdued, and held as in a vise by “the love of Christ.” Very few of us really know what it means to be held in the grip of the love of God. We tend so often to be controlled simply by our own experience. The one thing that gripped and held Paul, to the exclusion of everything else, was the love of God. “The love of Christ compels us . . . .” When you hear that coming from the life of a man or woman it is unmistakable. You will know that the Spirit of God is completely unhindered in that person’s life.
When we are born again by the Spirit of God, our testimony is based solely on what God has done for us, and rightly so. But that will change and be removed forever once you “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . .” (Acts 1:8). Only then will you begin to realize what Jesus meant when He went on to say, “. . . you shall be witnesses to Me . . . .” Not witnesses to what Jesus can do— that is basic and understood— but “witnesses to Me . . . .” We will accept everything that happens as if it were happening to Him, whether we receive praise or blame, persecution or reward. No one is able to take this stand for Jesus Christ who is not totally compelled by the majesty of His power. It is the only thing that matters, and yet it is strange that it’s the last thing we as Christian workers realize. Paul said that he was gripped by the love of God and that is why he acted as he did. People could perceive him as mad or sane-he did not care. There was only one thing he lived for— to persuade people of the coming judgment of God and to tell them of “the love of Christ.” This total surrender to “the love of Christ” is the only thing that will bear fruit in your life. And it will always leave the mark of God’s holiness and His power, never drawing attention to your personal holiness.
無以抗拒的大能
原來基督的愛激勵我們。 （林後五14）
保羅說他被基督的愛統管支配，如同給鉗子鉗住一樣。很少人知道被神的愛抓緊是怎麼一回事，因我們往往被自己的經歷所約制。但約制保羅的只有一件，就是神的愛，除此便別無所見。 [基督的愛激勵我們]，信徒身上有沒有這個音符，一聽便知。在這些人的生命裡，聖靈通行無阻。
當聖靈重生了我們，我們作見證的重點在神為我作了什麼，這是對的。但受了聖靈的洗，這些就成為過去的經驗，我們才開始了解耶穌說[你們是我的見證]的意思了。不是見證耶穌能夠做什麼，那是初步的見證，而是[見證我]。我們要視所有的事，都是發生在他身上，不論是稱許或指責，是逼迫或讚賞。人若未曾被他能力的威嚴所感召，絕不能為他站立。只是最要緊的事，而奇怪的，這卻是基督工人最忽略的。保羅說他被神的愛抓住了，就成 了他一生行事的動力。
人說他瘋狂，說他拘謹，他也毫不介意。他只為一件事而活，就是叫人相信神的審判和基督的愛。這種為基督的愛丟棄萬事的人生，才可以結出生命的果子，將神聖潔與大能的形象刻在人心裡。這是神的聖潔，絕不是我們個人的聖潔。
祈禱◆﹝在柱頂上刻著百合花。 ]噢，主啊，這句話在我的腦海中，尤其是我對那粗糙、不起眼的[百合花]是何其無知。願我藉著表達和經歷你的恩典，能屬於你。
October 11, 2013
God’s Silence— Then What?
When He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was —John 11:6
Has God trusted you with His silence— a silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking Him for a visible answer? God will give you the very blessings you ask if you refuse to go any further without them, but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself. Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible— with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him— He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes. The actual evidence of the answer in time is simply a matter of God’s sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you may have said, “I asked God to give me bread, but He gave me a stone instead” (see Matthew 7:9). He did not give you a stone, and today you find that He gave you the “bread of life” (John 6:35).
A wonderful thing about God’s silence is that His stillness is contagious— it gets into you, causing you to become perfectly confident so that you can honestly say, “I know that God has heard me.” His silence is the very proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will always bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of His silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, then He will give you the first sign of His intimacy— silence.
神沉默之後－－怎樣？
聽見拉撒路病了，就在所居之地，仍住了兩天。 （約十一6）
神有沒有因為信任你，對你默不作聲－－一個滿有意義的沉默？神的沉默就是他的回答。試想在伯大尼那幾天的死寂！在你生命中，有類似的日子嗎？神能否這樣信任你？還是你仍不斷求取眼見的答复？要是你得不著那祝福就不肯前行，神也會賜下；但他若沉默，是表示要使你對他有更深切的認識。你是否因為神未明明地回答你而憂感？你會發現神最親密待你，就是完全的沉默，不是絕望的死寂，而是愉快對你，要讚美他，他正待你進入他偉大的計劃中。神何時彰顯他的答覆，在乎他的主權。時間對神不是什麼一回事。你曾說：[我求餅，他卻給石頭。 ]
其實他沒有這樣作，今日你要發現神賜給你的是生命的餅。神的沉默有一奇妙之處，就是把他的安靜傳給你，使你變得完全的堅信－－[我知道神聽了我。 ]他的沉默表示他聽見了。若你一意要神答允賜福你的禱告，他是會成就的；可是他不會賜你沉默的恩典。若耶穌基督引你明白禱告是為榮耀父神，那末，他就會給你一個先兆，表示他與你的親密關係－－沉默。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願這刻你以同在的光輝，和你靠近的感覺來施福予我。雖然我惟獨信靠你，但仍渴求自覺地以你的同在為樂，願你將它賜給我。
Has God trusted you with His silence— a silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking Him for a visible answer? God will give you the very blessings you ask if you refuse to go any further without them, but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself. Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible— with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him— He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes. The actual evidence of the answer in time is simply a matter of God’s sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you may have said, “I asked God to give me bread, but He gave me a stone instead” (see Matthew 7:9). He did not give you a stone, and today you find that He gave you the “bread of life” (John 6:35).
A wonderful thing about God’s silence is that His stillness is contagious— it gets into you, causing you to become perfectly confident so that you can honestly say, “I know that God has heard me.” His silence is the very proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will always bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of His silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, then He will give you the first sign of His intimacy— silence.
神沉默之後－－怎樣？
聽見拉撒路病了，就在所居之地，仍住了兩天。 （約十一6）
神有沒有因為信任你，對你默不作聲－－一個滿有意義的沉默？神的沉默就是他的回答。試想在伯大尼那幾天的死寂！在你生命中，有類似的日子嗎？神能否這樣信任你？還是你仍不斷求取眼見的答复？要是你得不著那祝福就不肯前行，神也會賜下；但他若沉默，是表示要使你對他有更深切的認識。你是否因為神未明明地回答你而憂感？你會發現神最親密待你，就是完全的沉默，不是絕望的死寂，而是愉快對你，要讚美他，他正待你進入他偉大的計劃中。神何時彰顯他的答覆，在乎他的主權。時間對神不是什麼一回事。你曾說：[我求餅，他卻給石頭。 ]
其實他沒有這樣作，今日你要發現神賜給你的是生命的餅。神的沉默有一奇妙之處，就是把他的安靜傳給你，使你變得完全的堅信－－[我知道神聽了我。 ]他的沉默表示他聽見了。若你一意要神答允賜福你的禱告，他是會成就的；可是他不會賜你沉默的恩典。若耶穌基督引你明白禱告是為榮耀父神，那末，他就會給你一個先兆，表示他與你的親密關係－－沉默。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願這刻你以同在的光輝，和你靠近的感覺來施福予我。雖然我惟獨信靠你，但仍渴求自覺地以你的同在為樂，願你將它賜給我。
May 19, 2013
Out of the Wreck I Rise
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? —Romans 8:35
God does not keep His child immune from trouble; He promises, “I will be with him in trouble . . .” (Psalm 91:15). It doesn’t matter how real or intense the adversities may be; nothing can ever separate him from his relationship to God. “In all these things we are more than conquerors . . .” (Romans 8:37). Paul was not referring here to imaginary things, but to things that are dangerously real. And he said we are “super-victors” in the midst of them, not because of our own ingenuity, nor because of our courage, but because none of them affects our essential relationship with God in Jesus Christ. I feel sorry for the Christian who doesn’t have something in the circumstances of his life that he wishes were not there.
“Shall tribulation . . . ?” Tribulation is never a grand, highly welcomed event; but whatever it may be— whether exhausting, irritating, or simply causing some weakness— it is not able to “separate us from the love of Christ.” Never allow tribulations or the “cares of this world” to separate you from remembering that God loves you (Matthew 13:22).
“Shall . . . distress . . . ?” Can God’s love continue to hold fast, even when everyone and everything around us seems to be saying that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice?
“Shall . . . famine . . . ?” Can we not only believe in the love of God but also be “more than conquerors,” even while we are being starved?
Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver, having deceived even Paul, or else some extraordinary thing happens to someone who holds on to the love of God when the odds are totally against him. Logic is silenced in the face of each of these things which come against him. Only one thing can account for it— the love of God in Christ Jesus. “Out of the wreck I rise” every time.
重整旗鼓
誰能使我們與基督的愛隔絕呢？ （羅八35）
神並不叫人與患難絕緣；他說：[在患難中，我要與他同在。 ]人生不管遭受怎樣重大苦難的打擊，一概都不能叫人與神的關係隔絕。我們[在這一切事上已經得勝有餘了]，保羅在此並不是說些虛幻的事，而是指一些極其真實的事；他說我們在這些事上所以是優勝者，不是靠一己的機智，一己的勇氣，也不是靠任何其他事物，乃是根據一件事實；我們與神在基督耶穌裡的關係，而這關係不是任何事物可以影響的。不管對也好錯也好，我們的景況就是這樣，環境際遇就是這樣。那些環境一帆風順的基督徒，我為他們咕噥道可惜。
[難道是患難麼……？ ]患難絕不是什麼賞心樂事；它所包羅的範圍極大，舉凡困倦、屈辱、勞累等都接踵而至，但都不能叫我們與神的愛隔絕。千萬別讓憂慮和患難阻礙你認識神愛你這事實。
[是困苦麼……？ ]當事事不如意，人說神的愛只是謊言，而正義也不存在，神的愛仍然靠得住麼？ [是飢餓麼……？ ]我們餓著肚子的時候，是否仍然相信神的愛，而且得勝有餘呢？除非耶穌基督是個騙子，把保羅蒙在鼓裡；否則，必定有極不尋常發生在這個人身上，叫他在萬事不如意之中，仍然抓緊神的愛。在這一切事情上，邏輯已經失去它的功用。只有一件事可作解釋－－就是神在耶穌基督裡的愛。讓我重整旗鼓，再接再厲吧！
祈禱◆主啊，為著我身處的地方，我讚美你；可是在我裡面正開始猜想－－這是否稱為我預備的地方？求你牢牢地拖帶我實行你的旨意。我可能只是煩躁不安，求你使我安靜和得力，以致我不會因疑惑而得罪你。
God does not keep His child immune from trouble; He promises, “I will be with him in trouble . . .” (Psalm 91:15). It doesn’t matter how real or intense the adversities may be; nothing can ever separate him from his relationship to God. “In all these things we are more than conquerors . . .” (Romans 8:37). Paul was not referring here to imaginary things, but to things that are dangerously real. And he said we are “super-victors” in the midst of them, not because of our own ingenuity, nor because of our courage, but because none of them affects our essential relationship with God in Jesus Christ. I feel sorry for the Christian who doesn’t have something in the circumstances of his life that he wishes were not there.
“Shall tribulation . . . ?” Tribulation is never a grand, highly welcomed event; but whatever it may be— whether exhausting, irritating, or simply causing some weakness— it is not able to “separate us from the love of Christ.” Never allow tribulations or the “cares of this world” to separate you from remembering that God loves you (Matthew 13:22).
“Shall . . . distress . . . ?” Can God’s love continue to hold fast, even when everyone and everything around us seems to be saying that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice?
“Shall . . . famine . . . ?” Can we not only believe in the love of God but also be “more than conquerors,” even while we are being starved?
Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver, having deceived even Paul, or else some extraordinary thing happens to someone who holds on to the love of God when the odds are totally against him. Logic is silenced in the face of each of these things which come against him. Only one thing can account for it— the love of God in Christ Jesus. “Out of the wreck I rise” every time.
重整旗鼓
誰能使我們與基督的愛隔絕呢？ （羅八35）
神並不叫人與患難絕緣；他說：[在患難中，我要與他同在。 ]人生不管遭受怎樣重大苦難的打擊，一概都不能叫人與神的關係隔絕。我們[在這一切事上已經得勝有餘了]，保羅在此並不是說些虛幻的事，而是指一些極其真實的事；他說我們在這些事上所以是優勝者，不是靠一己的機智，一己的勇氣，也不是靠任何其他事物，乃是根據一件事實；我們與神在基督耶穌裡的關係，而這關係不是任何事物可以影響的。不管對也好錯也好，我們的景況就是這樣，環境際遇就是這樣。那些環境一帆風順的基督徒，我為他們咕噥道可惜。
[難道是患難麼……？ ]患難絕不是什麼賞心樂事；它所包羅的範圍極大，舉凡困倦、屈辱、勞累等都接踵而至，但都不能叫我們與神的愛隔絕。千萬別讓憂慮和患難阻礙你認識神愛你這事實。
[是困苦麼……？ ]當事事不如意，人說神的愛只是謊言，而正義也不存在，神的愛仍然靠得住麼？ [是飢餓麼……？ ]我們餓著肚子的時候，是否仍然相信神的愛，而且得勝有餘呢？除非耶穌基督是個騙子，把保羅蒙在鼓裡；否則，必定有極不尋常發生在這個人身上，叫他在萬事不如意之中，仍然抓緊神的愛。在這一切事情上，邏輯已經失去它的功用。只有一件事可作解釋－－就是神在耶穌基督裡的愛。讓我重整旗鼓，再接再厲吧！
祈禱◆主啊，為著我身處的地方，我讚美你；可是在我裡面正開始猜想－－這是否稱為我預備的地方？求你牢牢地拖帶我實行你的旨意。我可能只是煩躁不安，求你使我安靜和得力，以致我不會因疑惑而得罪你。
May 05, 2013
Judgment and the Love of God
The time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God . . . —1 Peter 4:17
The Christian servant must never forget that salvation is God’s idea, not man’s; therefore, it has an unfathomable depth. Salvation is the great thought of God, not an experience. Experience is simply the door through which salvation comes into the conscious level of our life so that we are aware of what has taken place on a much deeper level. Never preach the experience— preach the great thought of God behind the experience. When we preach, we are not simply proclaiming how people can be saved from hell and be made moral and pure; we are conveying good news about God.
In the teachings of Jesus Christ the element of judgment is always brought out— it is the sign of the love of God. Never sympathize with someone who finds it difficult to get to God; God is not to blame. It is not for us to figure out the reason for the difficulty, but only to present the truth of God so that the Spirit of God will reveal what is wrong. The greatest test of the quality of our preaching is whether or not it brings everyone to judgment. When the truth is preached, the Spirit of God brings each person face to face with God Himself.
If Jesus ever commanded us to do something that He was unable to equip us to accomplish, He would be a liar. And if we make our own inability a stumbling block or an excuse not to be obedient, it means that we are telling God that there is something which He has not yet taken into account. Every element of our own self-reliance must be put to death by the power of God. The moment we recognize our complete weakness and our dependence upon Him will be the very moment that the Spirit of God will exhibit His power.
在愛的淵中受審判
因為時候到了,審判要從神的家起首.(彼前四17)
作主的工人必須記住,救恩是從神來的,不是人自己可以得到;因此,這是一道測不透的深淵.救恩是神一個極高超偉大的意念,而不是一個經歷.經歷只不過是一道門,讓救恩進入我們的生命裡。千萬別傳揚經歷,乃要傳揚經歷背後神偉大的意念。我們傳道，並不是宣佈人怎樣可以得救，脫離地獄，變成有道德、聖潔的人；我們乃是傳達神的好消息。
在耶穌基督的教訓中，總夾著審判，這是神愛的表徵。若有人覺得接近神是件難事，我們不必表示同情，因為這不是神的錯。我們也不必設法解釋困難的緣故，只要把神真理講出來，聖靈就會指出毛病所在。傳道最大的考驗，就是要把各人帶進審判裡去。神的靈會個別對付每一個人。
耶穌若給我們一條命令，而不給我們力量去實行的話，他就是個說謊者。若我們讓自己的無力實行成為順服的攔阻，那就是在對神說，他有些事考慮不周詳。任何的自倚自恃，都必須被神粉碎。完全的軟弱與信賴，往往是聖靈彰顯他能力的時候。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願你的賜福今天臨到我們，那麼多人正需要你。求你拯救的大能在我們當中運行，掌管和振奮我們。
The Christian servant must never forget that salvation is God’s idea, not man’s; therefore, it has an unfathomable depth. Salvation is the great thought of God, not an experience. Experience is simply the door through which salvation comes into the conscious level of our life so that we are aware of what has taken place on a much deeper level. Never preach the experience— preach the great thought of God behind the experience. When we preach, we are not simply proclaiming how people can be saved from hell and be made moral and pure; we are conveying good news about God.
In the teachings of Jesus Christ the element of judgment is always brought out— it is the sign of the love of God. Never sympathize with someone who finds it difficult to get to God; God is not to blame. It is not for us to figure out the reason for the difficulty, but only to present the truth of God so that the Spirit of God will reveal what is wrong. The greatest test of the quality of our preaching is whether or not it brings everyone to judgment. When the truth is preached, the Spirit of God brings each person face to face with God Himself.
If Jesus ever commanded us to do something that He was unable to equip us to accomplish, He would be a liar. And if we make our own inability a stumbling block or an excuse not to be obedient, it means that we are telling God that there is something which He has not yet taken into account. Every element of our own self-reliance must be put to death by the power of God. The moment we recognize our complete weakness and our dependence upon Him will be the very moment that the Spirit of God will exhibit His power.
在愛的淵中受審判
因為時候到了,審判要從神的家起首.(彼前四17)
作主的工人必須記住,救恩是從神來的,不是人自己可以得到;因此,這是一道測不透的深淵.救恩是神一個極高超偉大的意念,而不是一個經歷.經歷只不過是一道門,讓救恩進入我們的生命裡。千萬別傳揚經歷,乃要傳揚經歷背後神偉大的意念。我們傳道，並不是宣佈人怎樣可以得救，脫離地獄，變成有道德、聖潔的人；我們乃是傳達神的好消息。
在耶穌基督的教訓中，總夾著審判，這是神愛的表徵。若有人覺得接近神是件難事，我們不必表示同情，因為這不是神的錯。我們也不必設法解釋困難的緣故，只要把神真理講出來，聖靈就會指出毛病所在。傳道最大的考驗，就是要把各人帶進審判裡去。神的靈會個別對付每一個人。
耶穌若給我們一條命令，而不給我們力量去實行的話，他就是個說謊者。若我們讓自己的無力實行成為順服的攔阻，那就是在對神說，他有些事考慮不周詳。任何的自倚自恃，都必須被神粉碎。完全的軟弱與信賴，往往是聖靈彰顯他能力的時候。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願你的賜福今天臨到我們，那麼多人正需要你。求你拯救的大能在我們當中運行，掌管和振奮我們。
April 30, 2013
Spontaneous Love
Love suffers long and is kind . . . —1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is not premeditated—it is spontaneous; that is, it bursts forth in extraordinary ways. There is nothing of precise certainty in Paul’s description of love. We cannot predetermine our thoughts and actions by saying, “Now I will never think any evil thoughts, and I will believe everything that Jesus would have me to believe.” No, the characteristic of love is spontaneity. We don’t deliberately set the statements of Jesus before us as our standard, but when His Spirit is having His way with us, we live according to His standard without even realizing it. And when we look back, we are amazed at how unconcerned we have been over our emotions, which is the very evidence that real spontaneous love was there. The nature of everything involved in the life of God in us is only discerned when we have been through it and it is in our past.
The fountains from which love flows are in God, not in us. It is absurd to think that the love of God is naturally in our hearts, as a result of our own nature. His love is there only because it “has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit . . .” (Romans 5:5).
If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure sign that we really don’t love Him. The evidence of our love for Him is the absolute spontaneity of our love, which flows naturally from His nature within us. And when we look back, we will not be able to determine why we did certain things, but we can know that we did them according to the spontaneous nature of His love in us. The life of God exhibits itself in this spontaneous way because the fountains of His love are in the Holy Spirit.
自發的愛
愛是恆久忍耐，又有恩慈……（林前十三4-8）
愛不是預先精打細算，而是自然流露的，是不知不覺地湧現。保羅所舉出的愛，不是清單式地計算出來。我們不能說：[好，現在我不再思想惡事，我要凡事相信。 ]愛的特質是自動自發。我們不是把耶穌的說話擺在面前，當準則去遵行；而是當他的靈在我們裡面自由作工，我們就不知不覺地照著他的標準去生活。當我們回顧過去的經歷，就會詫異某種感情是如此公正無私，這就證明有真愛自然流露在其中。神的生命在我們裡面，但每每等到我們經歷過後，才恍然發覺。
愛的泉源是在神裡面，而不是在我們裡面。若想在自己天然性情中去找神的愛，簡直是緣木求魚。只有當聖靈將神的愛澆灌在我們心裡，我們才有真正的愛。
若我們想向神證明是多麼愛他，這正表示我們並不愛他；若要證明愛他，就要讓愛自動自發地流露出來。回想起來，也說不出為何我們會這樣做，是神的愛在裡面流露，故我們有這樣的表現。神的生命是自然的彰顯，因為愛的泉源是在聖靈裡面（羅五5）
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我何等需要被你的同在所充滿和振奮。賜我在你裡面得著愉快而寧靜的信心，他正是聖靈的憑證。
Love is not premeditated—it is spontaneous; that is, it bursts forth in extraordinary ways. There is nothing of precise certainty in Paul’s description of love. We cannot predetermine our thoughts and actions by saying, “Now I will never think any evil thoughts, and I will believe everything that Jesus would have me to believe.” No, the characteristic of love is spontaneity. We don’t deliberately set the statements of Jesus before us as our standard, but when His Spirit is having His way with us, we live according to His standard without even realizing it. And when we look back, we are amazed at how unconcerned we have been over our emotions, which is the very evidence that real spontaneous love was there. The nature of everything involved in the life of God in us is only discerned when we have been through it and it is in our past.
The fountains from which love flows are in God, not in us. It is absurd to think that the love of God is naturally in our hearts, as a result of our own nature. His love is there only because it “has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit . . .” (Romans 5:5).
If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure sign that we really don’t love Him. The evidence of our love for Him is the absolute spontaneity of our love, which flows naturally from His nature within us. And when we look back, we will not be able to determine why we did certain things, but we can know that we did them according to the spontaneous nature of His love in us. The life of God exhibits itself in this spontaneous way because the fountains of His love are in the Holy Spirit.
自發的愛
愛是恆久忍耐，又有恩慈……（林前十三4-8）
愛不是預先精打細算，而是自然流露的，是不知不覺地湧現。保羅所舉出的愛，不是清單式地計算出來。我們不能說：[好，現在我不再思想惡事，我要凡事相信。 ]愛的特質是自動自發。我們不是把耶穌的說話擺在面前，當準則去遵行；而是當他的靈在我們裡面自由作工，我們就不知不覺地照著他的標準去生活。當我們回顧過去的經歷，就會詫異某種感情是如此公正無私，這就證明有真愛自然流露在其中。神的生命在我們裡面，但每每等到我們經歷過後，才恍然發覺。
愛的泉源是在神裡面，而不是在我們裡面。若想在自己天然性情中去找神的愛，簡直是緣木求魚。只有當聖靈將神的愛澆灌在我們心裡，我們才有真正的愛。
若我們想向神證明是多麼愛他，這正表示我們並不愛他；若要證明愛他，就要讓愛自動自發地流露出來。回想起來，也說不出為何我們會這樣做，是神的愛在裡面流露，故我們有這樣的表現。神的生命是自然的彰顯，因為愛的泉源是在聖靈裡面（羅五5）
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我何等需要被你的同在所充滿和振奮。賜我在你裡面得著愉快而寧靜的信心，他正是聖靈的憑證。
February 04, 2013
The Compelling Majesty of His Power
The love of Christ compels us . . . —2 Corinthians 5:14
Paul said that he was overpowered, subdued, and held as in a vise by “the love of Christ.” Very few of us really know what it means to be held in the grip of the love of God. We tend so often to be controlled simply by our own experience. The one thing that gripped and held Paul, to the exclusion of everything else, was the love of God. “The love of Christ compels us . . . .” When you hear that coming from the life of a man or woman it is unmistakable. You will know that the Spirit of God is completely unhindered in that person’s life.
When we are born again by the Spirit of God, our testimony is based solely on what God has done for us, and rightly so. But that will change and be removed forever once you “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . .” (Acts 1:8). Only then will you begin to realize what Jesus meant when He went on to say, “. . . you shall be witnesses to Me . . . .” Not witnesses to what Jesus can do— that is basic and understood— but “witnesses to Me . . . .” We will accept everything that happens as if it were happening to Him, whether we receive praise or blame, persecution or reward. No one is able to take this stand for Jesus Christ who is not totally compelled by the majesty of His power. It is the only thing that matters, and yet it is strange that it’s the last thing we as Christian workers realize. Paul said that he was gripped by the love of God and that is why he acted as he did. People could perceive him as mad or sane-he did not care. There was only one thing he lived for— to persuade people of the coming judgment of God and to tell them of “the love of Christ.” This total surrender to “the love of Christ” is the only thing that will bear fruit in your life. And it will always leave the mark of God’s holiness and His power, never drawing attention to your personal holiness.
無以抗拒的大能
原來基督的愛激勵我們。 （林後五14）
保羅說他被基督的愛統管支配，如同給鉗子鉗住一樣。很少人知道被神的愛抓緊是怎麼一回事，因我們往往被自己的經歷所約制。但約制保羅的只有一件，就是神的愛，除此便別無所見。 [基督的愛激勵我們]，信徒身上有沒有這個音符，一聽便知。在這些人的生命裡，聖靈通行無阻。
當聖靈重生了我們，我們作見證的重點在神為我作了什麼，這是對的。但受了聖靈的洗，這些就成為過去的經驗，我們才開始了解耶穌說[你們是我的見證]的意思了。不是見證耶穌能夠做什麼，那是初步的見證，而是[見證我]。我們要視所有的事，都是發生在他身上，不論是稱許或指責，是逼迫或讚賞。人若未曾被他能力的威嚴所感召，絕不能為他站立。只是最要緊的事，而奇怪的，這卻是基督工人最忽略的。保羅說他被神的愛抓住了，就成了他一生行事的動力。
人說他瘋狂，說他拘謹，他也毫不介意。他只為一件事而活，就是叫人相信神的審判和基督的愛。這種為基督的愛丟棄萬事的人生，才可以結出生命的果子，將神聖潔與大能的形象刻在人心裡。這是神的聖潔，絕不是我們個人的聖潔。
祈禱◆﹝在柱頂上刻著百合花。 ]噢，主啊，這句話在我的腦海中，尤其是我對那粗糙、不起眼的[百合花]是何其無知。願我藉著表達和經歷你的恩典，能屬於你。
Paul said that he was overpowered, subdued, and held as in a vise by “the love of Christ.” Very few of us really know what it means to be held in the grip of the love of God. We tend so often to be controlled simply by our own experience. The one thing that gripped and held Paul, to the exclusion of everything else, was the love of God. “The love of Christ compels us . . . .” When you hear that coming from the life of a man or woman it is unmistakable. You will know that the Spirit of God is completely unhindered in that person’s life.
When we are born again by the Spirit of God, our testimony is based solely on what God has done for us, and rightly so. But that will change and be removed forever once you “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . .” (Acts 1:8). Only then will you begin to realize what Jesus meant when He went on to say, “. . . you shall be witnesses to Me . . . .” Not witnesses to what Jesus can do— that is basic and understood— but “witnesses to Me . . . .” We will accept everything that happens as if it were happening to Him, whether we receive praise or blame, persecution or reward. No one is able to take this stand for Jesus Christ who is not totally compelled by the majesty of His power. It is the only thing that matters, and yet it is strange that it’s the last thing we as Christian workers realize. Paul said that he was gripped by the love of God and that is why he acted as he did. People could perceive him as mad or sane-he did not care. There was only one thing he lived for— to persuade people of the coming judgment of God and to tell them of “the love of Christ.” This total surrender to “the love of Christ” is the only thing that will bear fruit in your life. And it will always leave the mark of God’s holiness and His power, never drawing attention to your personal holiness.
無以抗拒的大能
原來基督的愛激勵我們。 （林後五14）
保羅說他被基督的愛統管支配，如同給鉗子鉗住一樣。很少人知道被神的愛抓緊是怎麼一回事，因我們往往被自己的經歷所約制。但約制保羅的只有一件，就是神的愛，除此便別無所見。 [基督的愛激勵我們]，信徒身上有沒有這個音符，一聽便知。在這些人的生命裡，聖靈通行無阻。
當聖靈重生了我們，我們作見證的重點在神為我作了什麼，這是對的。但受了聖靈的洗，這些就成為過去的經驗，我們才開始了解耶穌說[你們是我的見證]的意思了。不是見證耶穌能夠做什麼，那是初步的見證，而是[見證我]。我們要視所有的事，都是發生在他身上，不論是稱許或指責，是逼迫或讚賞。人若未曾被他能力的威嚴所感召，絕不能為他站立。只是最要緊的事，而奇怪的，這卻是基督工人最忽略的。保羅說他被神的愛抓住了，就成了他一生行事的動力。
人說他瘋狂，說他拘謹，他也毫不介意。他只為一件事而活，就是叫人相信神的審判和基督的愛。這種為基督的愛丟棄萬事的人生，才可以結出生命的果子，將神聖潔與大能的形象刻在人心裡。這是神的聖潔，絕不是我們個人的聖潔。
祈禱◆﹝在柱頂上刻著百合花。 ]噢，主啊，這句話在我的腦海中，尤其是我對那粗糙、不起眼的[百合花]是何其無知。願我藉著表達和經歷你的恩典，能屬於你。
October 11, 2012
God’s Silence— Then What?
When He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was —John 11:6
Has God trusted you with His silence— a silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking Him for a visible answer? God will give you the very blessings you ask if you refuse to go any further without them, but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself. Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible— with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him— He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes. The actual evidence of the answer in time is simply a matter of God’s sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you may have said, “I asked God to give me bread, but He gave me a stone instead” (see Matthew 7:9). He did not give you a stone, and today you find that He gave you the “bread of life” (John 6:35).
A wonderful thing about God’s silence is that His stillness is contagious— it gets into you, causing you to become perfectly confident so that you can honestly say, “I know that God has heard me.” His silence is the very proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will always bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of His silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, then He will give you the first sign of His intimacy— silence.
神沉默之後－－怎樣？
聽見拉撒路病了，就在所居之地，仍住了兩天。 （約十一6）
神有沒有因為信任你，對你默不作聲－－一個滿有意義的沉默？神的沉默就是他的回答。試想在伯大尼那幾天的死寂！在你生命中，有類似的日子嗎？神能否這樣信任你？還是你仍不斷求取眼見的答复？要是你得不著那祝福就不肯前行，神也會賜下；但他若沉默，是表示要使你對他有更深切的認識。你是否因為神未明明地回答你而憂感？你會發現神最親密待你，就是完全的沉默，不是絕望的死寂，而是愉快對你，要讚美他，他正待你進入他偉大的計劃中。神何時彰顯他的答覆，在乎他的主權。時間對神不是什麼一回事。你曾說：[我求餅，他卻給石頭。 ]
其實他沒有這樣作，今日你要發現神賜給你的是生命的餅。神的沉默有一奇妙之處，就是把他的安靜傳給你，使你變得完全的堅信－－[我知道神聽了我。 ]他的沉默表示他聽見了。若你一意要神答允賜福你的禱告，他是會成就的；可是他不會賜你沉默的恩典。若耶穌基督引你明白禱告是為榮耀父神，那末，他就會給你一個先兆，表示他與你的親密關係－－沉默。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願這刻你以同在的光輝，和你靠近的感覺來施福予我。雖然我惟獨信靠你，但仍渴求自覺地以你的同在為樂，願你將它賜給我。
Has God trusted you with His silence— a silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking Him for a visible answer? God will give you the very blessings you ask if you refuse to go any further without them, but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself. Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible— with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him— He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes. The actual evidence of the answer in time is simply a matter of God’s sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you may have said, “I asked God to give me bread, but He gave me a stone instead” (see Matthew 7:9). He did not give you a stone, and today you find that He gave you the “bread of life” (John 6:35).
A wonderful thing about God’s silence is that His stillness is contagious— it gets into you, causing you to become perfectly confident so that you can honestly say, “I know that God has heard me.” His silence is the very proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will always bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of His silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, then He will give you the first sign of His intimacy— silence.
神沉默之後－－怎樣？
聽見拉撒路病了，就在所居之地，仍住了兩天。 （約十一6）
神有沒有因為信任你，對你默不作聲－－一個滿有意義的沉默？神的沉默就是他的回答。試想在伯大尼那幾天的死寂！在你生命中，有類似的日子嗎？神能否這樣信任你？還是你仍不斷求取眼見的答复？要是你得不著那祝福就不肯前行，神也會賜下；但他若沉默，是表示要使你對他有更深切的認識。你是否因為神未明明地回答你而憂感？你會發現神最親密待你，就是完全的沉默，不是絕望的死寂，而是愉快對你，要讚美他，他正待你進入他偉大的計劃中。神何時彰顯他的答覆，在乎他的主權。時間對神不是什麼一回事。你曾說：[我求餅，他卻給石頭。 ]
其實他沒有這樣作，今日你要發現神賜給你的是生命的餅。神的沉默有一奇妙之處，就是把他的安靜傳給你，使你變得完全的堅信－－[我知道神聽了我。 ]他的沉默表示他聽見了。若你一意要神答允賜福你的禱告，他是會成就的；可是他不會賜你沉默的恩典。若耶穌基督引你明白禱告是為榮耀父神，那末，他就會給你一個先兆，表示他與你的親密關係－－沉默。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願這刻你以同在的光輝，和你靠近的感覺來施福予我。雖然我惟獨信靠你，但仍渴求自覺地以你的同在為樂，願你將它賜給我。
May 19, 2012
Out of the Wreck I Rise
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? —Romans 8:35
God does not keep His child immune from trouble; He promises, “I will be with him in trouble . . .” (Psalm 91:15). It doesn’t matter how real or intense the adversities may be; nothing can ever separate him from his relationship to God. “In all these things we are more than conquerors . . .” (Romans 8:37). Paul was not referring here to imaginary things, but to things that are dangerously real. And he said we are “super-victors” in the midst of them, not because of our own ingenuity, nor because of our courage, but because none of them affects our essential relationship with God in Jesus Christ. I feel sorry for the Christian who doesn’t have something in the circumstances of his life that he wishes were not there.
“Shall tribulation . . . ?” Tribulation is never a grand, highly welcomed event; but whatever it may be— whether exhausting, irritating, or simply causing some weakness— it is not able to “separate us from the love of Christ.” Never allow tribulations or the “cares of this world” to separate you from remembering that God loves you (Matthew 13:22).
“Shall . . . distress . . . ?” Can God’s love continue to hold fast, even when everyone and everything around us seems to be saying that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice?
“Shall . . . famine . . . ?” Can we not only believe in the love of God but also be “more than conquerors,” even while we are being starved?
Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver, having deceived even Paul, or else some extraordinary thing happens to someone who holds on to the love of God when the odds are totally against him. Logic is silenced in the face of each of these things which come against him. Only one thing can account for it— the love of God in Christ Jesus. “Out of the wreck I rise” every time.
重整旗鼓
誰能使我們與基督的愛隔絕呢？ （羅八35）
神並不叫人與患難絕緣；他說：[在患難中，我要與他同在。 ]人生不管遭受怎樣重大苦難的打擊，一概都不能叫人與神的關係隔絕。我們[在這一切事上已經得勝有餘了]，保羅在此並不是說些虛幻的事，而是指一些極其真實的事；他說我們在這些事上所以是優勝者，不是靠一己的機智，一己的勇氣，也不是靠任何其他事物，乃是根據一件事實；我們與神在基督耶穌裡的關係，而這關係不是任何事物可以影響的。不管對也好錯也好，我們的景況就是這樣，環境際遇就是這樣。那些環境一帆風順的基督徒，我為他們咕噥道可惜。
[難道是患難麼……？ ]患難絕不是什麼賞心樂事；它所包羅的範圍極大，舉凡困倦、屈辱、勞累等都接踵而至，但都不能叫我們與神的愛隔絕。千萬別讓憂慮和患難阻礙你認識神愛你這事實。
[是困苦麼……？ ]當事事不如意，人說神的愛只是謊言，而正義也不存在，神的愛仍然靠得住麼？ [是飢餓麼……？ ]我們餓著肚子的時候，是否仍然相信神的愛，而且得勝有餘呢？除非耶穌基督是個騙子，把保羅蒙在鼓裡；否則，必定有極不尋常發生在這個人身上，叫他在萬事不如意之中，仍然抓緊神的愛。在這一切事情上，邏輯已經失去它的功用。只有一件事可作解釋－－就是神在耶穌基督裡的愛。讓我重整旗鼓，再接再厲吧！
祈禱◆主啊，為著我身處的地方，我讚美你；可是在我裡面正開始猜想－－這是否稱為我預備的地方？求你牢牢地拖帶我實行你的旨意。我可能只是煩躁不安，求你使我安靜和得力，以致我不會因疑惑而得罪你。
God does not keep His child immune from trouble; He promises, “I will be with him in trouble . . .” (Psalm 91:15). It doesn’t matter how real or intense the adversities may be; nothing can ever separate him from his relationship to God. “In all these things we are more than conquerors . . .” (Romans 8:37). Paul was not referring here to imaginary things, but to things that are dangerously real. And he said we are “super-victors” in the midst of them, not because of our own ingenuity, nor because of our courage, but because none of them affects our essential relationship with God in Jesus Christ. I feel sorry for the Christian who doesn’t have something in the circumstances of his life that he wishes were not there.
“Shall tribulation . . . ?” Tribulation is never a grand, highly welcomed event; but whatever it may be— whether exhausting, irritating, or simply causing some weakness— it is not able to “separate us from the love of Christ.” Never allow tribulations or the “cares of this world” to separate you from remembering that God loves you (Matthew 13:22).
“Shall . . . distress . . . ?” Can God’s love continue to hold fast, even when everyone and everything around us seems to be saying that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice?
“Shall . . . famine . . . ?” Can we not only believe in the love of God but also be “more than conquerors,” even while we are being starved?
Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver, having deceived even Paul, or else some extraordinary thing happens to someone who holds on to the love of God when the odds are totally against him. Logic is silenced in the face of each of these things which come against him. Only one thing can account for it— the love of God in Christ Jesus. “Out of the wreck I rise” every time.
重整旗鼓
誰能使我們與基督的愛隔絕呢？ （羅八35）
神並不叫人與患難絕緣；他說：[在患難中，我要與他同在。 ]人生不管遭受怎樣重大苦難的打擊，一概都不能叫人與神的關係隔絕。我們[在這一切事上已經得勝有餘了]，保羅在此並不是說些虛幻的事，而是指一些極其真實的事；他說我們在這些事上所以是優勝者，不是靠一己的機智，一己的勇氣，也不是靠任何其他事物，乃是根據一件事實；我們與神在基督耶穌裡的關係，而這關係不是任何事物可以影響的。不管對也好錯也好，我們的景況就是這樣，環境際遇就是這樣。那些環境一帆風順的基督徒，我為他們咕噥道可惜。
[難道是患難麼……？ ]患難絕不是什麼賞心樂事；它所包羅的範圍極大，舉凡困倦、屈辱、勞累等都接踵而至，但都不能叫我們與神的愛隔絕。千萬別讓憂慮和患難阻礙你認識神愛你這事實。
[是困苦麼……？ ]當事事不如意，人說神的愛只是謊言，而正義也不存在，神的愛仍然靠得住麼？ [是飢餓麼……？ ]我們餓著肚子的時候，是否仍然相信神的愛，而且得勝有餘呢？除非耶穌基督是個騙子，把保羅蒙在鼓裡；否則，必定有極不尋常發生在這個人身上，叫他在萬事不如意之中，仍然抓緊神的愛。在這一切事情上，邏輯已經失去它的功用。只有一件事可作解釋－－就是神在耶穌基督裡的愛。讓我重整旗鼓，再接再厲吧！
祈禱◆主啊，為著我身處的地方，我讚美你；可是在我裡面正開始猜想－－這是否稱為我預備的地方？求你牢牢地拖帶我實行你的旨意。我可能只是煩躁不安，求你使我安靜和得力，以致我不會因疑惑而得罪你。
May 05, 2012
Judgment and the Love of God
The time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God . . . —1 Peter 4:17
The Christian servant must never forget that salvation is God’s idea, not man’s; therefore, it has an unfathomable depth. Salvation is the great thought of God, not an experience. Experience is simply the door through which salvation comes into the conscious level of our life so that we are aware of what has taken place on a much deeper level. Never preach the experience— preach the great thought of God behind the experience. When we preach, we are not simply proclaiming how people can be saved from hell and be made moral and pure; we are conveying good news about God.
In the teachings of Jesus Christ the element of judgment is always brought out— it is the sign of the love of God. Never sympathize with someone who finds it difficult to get to God; God is not to blame. It is not for us to figure out the reason for the difficulty, but only to present the truth of God so that the Spirit of God will reveal what is wrong. The greatest test of the quality of our preaching is whether or not it brings everyone to judgment. When the truth is preached, the Spirit of God brings each person face to face with God Himself.
If Jesus ever commanded us to do something that He was unable to equip us to accomplish, He would be a liar. And if we make our own inability a stumbling block or an excuse not to be obedient, it means that we are telling God that there is something which He has not yet taken into account. Every element of our own self-reliance must be put to death by the power of God. The moment we recognize our complete weakness and our dependence upon Him will be the very moment that the Spirit of God will exhibit His power.
在愛的淵中受審判
因為時候到了,審判要從神的家起首.(彼前四17)
作主的工人必須記住,救恩是從神來的,不是人自己可以得到;因此,這是一道測不透的深淵.救恩是神一個極高超偉大的意念,而不是一個經歷.經歷只不過是一道門,讓救恩進入我們的生命裡。千萬別傳揚經歷,乃要傳揚經歷背後神偉大的意念。我們傳道，並不是宣佈人怎樣可以得救，脫離地獄，變成有道德、聖潔的人；我們乃是傳達神的好消息。
在耶穌基督的教訓中，總夾著審判，這是神愛的表徵。若有人覺得接近神是件難事，我們不必表示同情，因為這不是神的錯。我們也不必設法解釋困難的緣故，只要把神真理講出來，聖靈就會指出毛病所在。傳道最大的考驗，就是要把各人帶進審判裡去。神的靈會個別對付每一個人。
耶穌若給我們一條命令，而不給我們力量去實行的話，他就是個說謊者。若我們讓自己的無力實行成為順服的攔阻，那就是在對神說，他有些事考慮不周詳。任何的自倚自恃，都必須被神粉碎。完全的軟弱與信賴，往往是聖靈彰顯他能力的時候。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願你的賜福今天臨到我們，那麼多人正需要你。求你拯救的大能在我們當中運行，掌管和振奮我們。
The Christian servant must never forget that salvation is God’s idea, not man’s; therefore, it has an unfathomable depth. Salvation is the great thought of God, not an experience. Experience is simply the door through which salvation comes into the conscious level of our life so that we are aware of what has taken place on a much deeper level. Never preach the experience— preach the great thought of God behind the experience. When we preach, we are not simply proclaiming how people can be saved from hell and be made moral and pure; we are conveying good news about God.
In the teachings of Jesus Christ the element of judgment is always brought out— it is the sign of the love of God. Never sympathize with someone who finds it difficult to get to God; God is not to blame. It is not for us to figure out the reason for the difficulty, but only to present the truth of God so that the Spirit of God will reveal what is wrong. The greatest test of the quality of our preaching is whether or not it brings everyone to judgment. When the truth is preached, the Spirit of God brings each person face to face with God Himself.
If Jesus ever commanded us to do something that He was unable to equip us to accomplish, He would be a liar. And if we make our own inability a stumbling block or an excuse not to be obedient, it means that we are telling God that there is something which He has not yet taken into account. Every element of our own self-reliance must be put to death by the power of God. The moment we recognize our complete weakness and our dependence upon Him will be the very moment that the Spirit of God will exhibit His power.
在愛的淵中受審判
因為時候到了,審判要從神的家起首.(彼前四17)
作主的工人必須記住,救恩是從神來的,不是人自己可以得到;因此,這是一道測不透的深淵.救恩是神一個極高超偉大的意念,而不是一個經歷.經歷只不過是一道門,讓救恩進入我們的生命裡。千萬別傳揚經歷,乃要傳揚經歷背後神偉大的意念。我們傳道，並不是宣佈人怎樣可以得救，脫離地獄，變成有道德、聖潔的人；我們乃是傳達神的好消息。
在耶穌基督的教訓中，總夾著審判，這是神愛的表徵。若有人覺得接近神是件難事，我們不必表示同情，因為這不是神的錯。我們也不必設法解釋困難的緣故，只要把神真理講出來，聖靈就會指出毛病所在。傳道最大的考驗，就是要把各人帶進審判裡去。神的靈會個別對付每一個人。
耶穌若給我們一條命令，而不給我們力量去實行的話，他就是個說謊者。若我們讓自己的無力實行成為順服的攔阻，那就是在對神說，他有些事考慮不周詳。任何的自倚自恃，都必須被神粉碎。完全的軟弱與信賴，往往是聖靈彰顯他能力的時候。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願你的賜福今天臨到我們，那麼多人正需要你。求你拯救的大能在我們當中運行，掌管和振奮我們。
April 30, 2012
Spontaneous Love
Love suffers long and is kind . . . —1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is not premeditated—it is spontaneous; that is, it bursts forth in extraordinary ways. There is nothing of precise certainty in Paul’s description of love. We cannot predetermine our thoughts and actions by saying, “Now I will never think any evil thoughts, and I will believe everything that Jesus would have me to believe.” No, the characteristic of love is spontaneity. We don’t deliberately set the statements of Jesus before us as our standard, but when His Spirit is having His way with us, we live according to His standard without even realizing it. And when we look back, we are amazed at how unconcerned we have been over our emotions, which is the very evidence that real spontaneous love was there. The nature of everything involved in the life of God in us is only discerned when we have been through it and it is in our past.
The fountains from which love flows are in God, not in us. It is absurd to think that the love of God is naturally in our hearts, as a result of our own nature. His love is there only because it “has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit . . .” (Romans 5:5).
If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure sign that we really don’t love Him. The evidence of our love for Him is the absolute spontaneity of our love, which flows naturally from His nature within us. And when we look back, we will not be able to determine why we did certain things, but we can know that we did them according to the spontaneous nature of His love in us. The life of God exhibits itself in this spontaneous way because the fountains of His love are in the Holy Spirit.
自發的愛
愛是恆久忍耐，又有恩慈……（林前十三4-8）
愛不是預先精打細算，而是自然流露的，是不知不覺地湧現。保羅所舉出的愛，不是清單式地計算出來。我們不能說：[好，現在我不再思想惡事，我要凡事相信。 ]愛的特質是自動自發。我們不是把耶穌的說話擺在面前，當準則去遵行；而是當他的靈在我們裡面自由作工，我們就不知不覺地照著他的標準去生活。當我們回顧過去的經歷，就會詫異某種感情是如此公正無私，這就證明有真愛自然流露在其中。神的生命在我們裡面，但每每等到我們經歷過後，才恍然發覺。
愛的泉源是在神裡面，而不是在我們裡面。若想在自己天然性情中去找神的愛，簡直是緣木求魚。只有當聖靈將神的愛澆灌在我們心裡，我們才有真正的愛。
若我們想向神證明是多麼愛他，這正表示我們並不愛他；若要證明愛他，就要讓愛自動自發地流露出來。回想起來，也說不出為何我們會這樣做，是神的愛在裡面流露，故我們有這樣的表現。神的生命是自然的彰顯，因為愛的泉源是在聖靈裡面（羅五5）
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我何等需要被你的同在所充滿和振奮。賜我在你裡面得著愉快而寧靜的信心，他正是聖靈的憑證。
Love is not premeditated—it is spontaneous; that is, it bursts forth in extraordinary ways. There is nothing of precise certainty in Paul’s description of love. We cannot predetermine our thoughts and actions by saying, “Now I will never think any evil thoughts, and I will believe everything that Jesus would have me to believe.” No, the characteristic of love is spontaneity. We don’t deliberately set the statements of Jesus before us as our standard, but when His Spirit is having His way with us, we live according to His standard without even realizing it. And when we look back, we are amazed at how unconcerned we have been over our emotions, which is the very evidence that real spontaneous love was there. The nature of everything involved in the life of God in us is only discerned when we have been through it and it is in our past.
The fountains from which love flows are in God, not in us. It is absurd to think that the love of God is naturally in our hearts, as a result of our own nature. His love is there only because it “has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit . . .” (Romans 5:5).
If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure sign that we really don’t love Him. The evidence of our love for Him is the absolute spontaneity of our love, which flows naturally from His nature within us. And when we look back, we will not be able to determine why we did certain things, but we can know that we did them according to the spontaneous nature of His love in us. The life of God exhibits itself in this spontaneous way because the fountains of His love are in the Holy Spirit.
自發的愛
愛是恆久忍耐，又有恩慈……（林前十三4-8）
愛不是預先精打細算，而是自然流露的，是不知不覺地湧現。保羅所舉出的愛，不是清單式地計算出來。我們不能說：[好，現在我不再思想惡事，我要凡事相信。 ]愛的特質是自動自發。我們不是把耶穌的說話擺在面前，當準則去遵行；而是當他的靈在我們裡面自由作工，我們就不知不覺地照著他的標準去生活。當我們回顧過去的經歷，就會詫異某種感情是如此公正無私，這就證明有真愛自然流露在其中。神的生命在我們裡面，但每每等到我們經歷過後，才恍然發覺。
愛的泉源是在神裡面，而不是在我們裡面。若想在自己天然性情中去找神的愛，簡直是緣木求魚。只有當聖靈將神的愛澆灌在我們心裡，我們才有真正的愛。
若我們想向神證明是多麼愛他，這正表示我們並不愛他；若要證明愛他，就要讓愛自動自發地流露出來。回想起來，也說不出為何我們會這樣做，是神的愛在裡面流露，故我們有這樣的表現。神的生命是自然的彰顯，因為愛的泉源是在聖靈裡面（羅五5）
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我何等需要被你的同在所充滿和振奮。賜我在你裡面得著愉快而寧靜的信心，他正是聖靈的憑證。
February 04, 2012
The Compelling Majesty of His Power
The love of Christ compels us . . . —2 Corinthians 5:14
Paul said that he was overpowered, subdued, and held as in a vise by “the love of Christ.” Very few of us really know what it means to be held in the grip of the love of God. We tend so often to be controlled simply by our own experience. The one thing that gripped and held Paul, to the exclusion of everything else, was the love of God. “The love of Christ compels us . . . .” When you hear that coming from the life of a man or woman it is unmistakable. You will know that the Spirit of God is completely unhindered in that person’s life.
When we are born again by the Spirit of God, our testimony is based solely on what God has done for us, and rightly so. But that will change and be removed forever once you “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . .” (Acts 1:8). Only then will you begin to realize what Jesus meant when He went on to say, “. . . you shall be witnesses to Me . . . .” Not witnesses to what Jesus can do— that is basic and understood— but “witnesses to Me . . . .” We will accept everything that happens as if it were happening to Him, whether we receive praise or blame, persecution or reward. No one is able to take this stand for Jesus Christ who is not totally compelled by the majesty of His power. It is the only thing that matters, and yet it is strange that it’s the last thing we as Christian workers realize. Paul said that he was gripped by the love of God and that is why he acted as he did. People could perceive him as mad or sane-he did not care. There was only one thing he lived for— to persuade people of the coming judgment of God and to tell them of “the love of Christ.” This total surrender to “the love of Christ” is the only thing that will bear fruit in your life. And it will always leave the mark of God’s holiness and His power, never drawing attention to your personal holiness.
無以抗拒的大能
原來基督的愛激勵我們。 （林後五14）
保羅說他被基督的愛統管支配，如同給鉗子鉗住一樣。很少人知道被神的愛抓緊是怎麼一回事，因我們往往被自己的經歷所約制。但約制保羅的只有一件，就是神的愛，除此便別無所見。 [基督的愛激勵我們]，信徒身上有沒有這個音符，一聽便知。在這些人的生命裡，聖靈通行無阻。
當聖靈重生了我們，我們作見證的重點在神為我作了什麼，這是對的。但受了聖靈的洗，這些就成為過去的經驗，我們才開始了解耶穌說[你們是我的見證]的意思了。不是見證耶穌能夠做什麼，那是初步的見證，而是[見證我]。我們要視所有的事，都是發生在他身上，不論是稱許或指責，是逼迫或讚賞。人若未曾被他能力的威嚴所感召，絕不能為他站立。只是最要緊的事，而奇怪的，這卻是基督工人最忽略的。保羅說他被神的愛抓住了，就成了他一生行事的動力。
人說他瘋狂，說他拘謹，他也毫不介意。他只為一件事而活，就是叫人相信神的審判和基督的愛。這種為基督的愛丟棄萬事的人生，才可以結出生命的果子，將神聖潔與大能的形象刻在人心裡。這是神的聖潔，絕不是我們個人的聖潔。
祈禱◆﹝在柱頂上刻著百合花。 ]噢，主啊，這句話在我的腦海中，尤其是我對那粗糙、不起眼的[百合花]是何其無知。願我藉著表達和經歷你的恩典，能屬於你。
Paul said that he was overpowered, subdued, and held as in a vise by “the love of Christ.” Very few of us really know what it means to be held in the grip of the love of God. We tend so often to be controlled simply by our own experience. The one thing that gripped and held Paul, to the exclusion of everything else, was the love of God. “The love of Christ compels us . . . .” When you hear that coming from the life of a man or woman it is unmistakable. You will know that the Spirit of God is completely unhindered in that person’s life.
When we are born again by the Spirit of God, our testimony is based solely on what God has done for us, and rightly so. But that will change and be removed forever once you “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . .” (Acts 1:8). Only then will you begin to realize what Jesus meant when He went on to say, “. . . you shall be witnesses to Me . . . .” Not witnesses to what Jesus can do— that is basic and understood— but “witnesses to Me . . . .” We will accept everything that happens as if it were happening to Him, whether we receive praise or blame, persecution or reward. No one is able to take this stand for Jesus Christ who is not totally compelled by the majesty of His power. It is the only thing that matters, and yet it is strange that it’s the last thing we as Christian workers realize. Paul said that he was gripped by the love of God and that is why he acted as he did. People could perceive him as mad or sane-he did not care. There was only one thing he lived for— to persuade people of the coming judgment of God and to tell them of “the love of Christ.” This total surrender to “the love of Christ” is the only thing that will bear fruit in your life. And it will always leave the mark of God’s holiness and His power, never drawing attention to your personal holiness.
無以抗拒的大能
原來基督的愛激勵我們。 （林後五14）
保羅說他被基督的愛統管支配，如同給鉗子鉗住一樣。很少人知道被神的愛抓緊是怎麼一回事，因我們往往被自己的經歷所約制。但約制保羅的只有一件，就是神的愛，除此便別無所見。 [基督的愛激勵我們]，信徒身上有沒有這個音符，一聽便知。在這些人的生命裡，聖靈通行無阻。
當聖靈重生了我們，我們作見證的重點在神為我作了什麼，這是對的。但受了聖靈的洗，這些就成為過去的經驗，我們才開始了解耶穌說[你們是我的見證]的意思了。不是見證耶穌能夠做什麼，那是初步的見證，而是[見證我]。我們要視所有的事，都是發生在他身上，不論是稱許或指責，是逼迫或讚賞。人若未曾被他能力的威嚴所感召，絕不能為他站立。只是最要緊的事，而奇怪的，這卻是基督工人最忽略的。保羅說他被神的愛抓住了，就成了他一生行事的動力。
人說他瘋狂，說他拘謹，他也毫不介意。他只為一件事而活，就是叫人相信神的審判和基督的愛。這種為基督的愛丟棄萬事的人生，才可以結出生命的果子，將神聖潔與大能的形象刻在人心裡。這是神的聖潔，絕不是我們個人的聖潔。
祈禱◆﹝在柱頂上刻著百合花。 ]噢，主啊，這句話在我的腦海中，尤其是我對那粗糙、不起眼的[百合花]是何其無知。願我藉著表達和經歷你的恩典，能屬於你。
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