God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . —Galatians 6:14
The gospel of Jesus Christ always forces a decision of our will. Have I accepted God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ? Do I have even the slightest interest in the death of Jesus? Do I want to be identified with His death— to be completely dead to all interest in sin, worldliness, and self? Do I long to be so closely identified with Jesus that I am of no value for anything except Him and His purposes? The great privilege of discipleship is that I can commit myself under the banner of His Cross, and that means death to sin. You must get alone with Jesus and either decide to tell Him that you do not want sin to die out in you, or that at any cost you want to be identified with His death. When you act in confident faith in what our Lord did on the cross, a supernatural identification with His death takes place immediately. And you will come to know through a higher knowledge that your old life was “crucified with Him” (Romans 6:6). The proof that your old life is dead, having been “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20), is the amazing ease with which the life of God in you now enables you to obey the voice of Jesus Christ.
Every once in a while our Lord gives us a glimpse of what we would be like if it were not for Him. This is a confirmation of what He said— “. . . without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). That is why the underlying foundation of Christianity is personal, passionate devotion to the Lord Jesus. We mistake the joy of our first introduction into God’s kingdom as His purpose for getting us there. Yet God’s purpose in getting us into His kingdom is that we may realize all that identification with Jesus Christ means.
個人怎樣有分於救贖？
但我斷不以別的誇口，只誇我們主耶穌基督的十字架。 （加六14）
耶穌基督的福音總牽涉到意志的問題。我接受神在基督十字架上對罪的宣判麼？我對耶穌的死，有絲毫興趣麼？我願意與他的死連合，對罪、對世界、對自己的興趣完全殺滅；以致除了他，一概看為有損麼？作門徒的最大權利，就是在十字架上籤上名字，表示對罪死了。你要單獨來到耶穌面前，對他說你不願意罪從你身上除淨，或對他說你願意不計代價，與他的死聯合。只要你超乎知識的知識，告訴你是神在你裡面的生命，叫你順服主的聲音，這是出奇的輕省容易。
有時候，主會讓我們看看沒有了他我們會怎樣，要證明他說：[離了我，你們就不能作什麼。 ]因此，基督徒的基石是個人對主耶穌全心全意的愛慕效忠。我們往往以為初信主進入天國時那種驚喜之情，就是神的目的。其實他給我們這經歷，目的是要我們體會什麼是與主耶穌合一。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著你自己，和靠著你那無所不能的恩典，我學習進入你的同在中；我讚美你。願你的恩典，亮光和智慧觸摸我的身體和心靈；願你的觸摸帶來光明和生氣。
Showing posts with label Power For Living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Power For Living. Show all posts
December 23, 2014
December 16, 2014
Wrestling Before God
Take up the whole armor of God . . . praying always . . . —Ephesians 6:13,18
You must learn to wrestle against the things that hinder your communication with God, and wrestle in prayer for other people; but to wrestle with God in prayer is unscriptural. If you ever do wrestle with God, you will be crippled for the rest of your life. If you grab hold of God and wrestle with Him, as Jacob did, simply because He is working in a way that doesn’t meet with your approval, you force Him to put you out of joint (see Genesis 32:24-25). Don’t become a cripple by wrestling with the ways of God, but be someone who wrestles before God with the things of this world, because “we are more than conquerors through Him . . .” (Romans 8:37). Wrestling before God makes an impact in His kingdom. If you ask me to pray for you, and I am not complete in Christ, my prayer accomplishes nothing. But if I am complete in Christ, my prayer brings victory all the time. Prayer is effective only when there is completeness— “take up the whole armor of God . . .”
Always make a distinction between God’s perfect will and His permissive will, which He uses to accomplish His divine purpose for our lives. God’s perfect will is unchangeable. It is with His permissive will, or the various things that He allows into our lives, that we must wrestle before Him. It is our reaction to these things allowed by His permissive will that enables us to come to the point of seeing His perfect will for us. “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . .” (Romans 8:28)— to those who remain true to God’s perfect will— His calling in Christ Jesus. God’s permissive will is the testing He uses to reveal His true sons and daughters. We should not be spineless and automatically say, “Yes, it is the Lord’s will.” We don’t have to fight or wrestle with God, but we must wrestle before God with things. Beware of lazily giving up. Instead, put up a glorious fight and you will find yourself empowered with His strength.
在神面前摔跤
所以要拿起神所賜的全副軍裝……隨時多方禱告祈求……（弗六13-18）
你要與攔阻你親近神的東西摔跤，為別人禱告時也要摔跤；但千萬不要在禱告中與神摔跤，那是不合聖經真理的。你若真與神摔跤，勢必一生瘸腿。若神給你一些你不想要的東西，就像雅各一樣抓住神，與他摔跤，你就逼使神折斷你的腿骨。不要做阻擋神路的人，要在神面前摔跤，必在他國度裡見功效。若要我為你代求，而我在基督裡並不完全的話，禱告就無功效；但若我在基督裡完全，禱告就隨時生效。惟有在完全裡禱告才有功效，[所以要拿起神所賜的全副軍裝。 ]
總要分辨什麼是神的命令，什麼是他的旨意，就是他在我們身上的計劃。我們不能更改神的命令，但必須在他面前與他的旨意摔跤。對神旨意的反應，能幫助我們遵守他的命令。 [萬事都互相效力，叫愛神的人得益處]－－就是忠於神的吩咐和主耶穌恩召人。神的旨意是神兒女顯露出來的途徑。我們不必像水母般軟綿綿地說：[這是神的旨意。 ]我們不是再神面前爭鬥，也不是與神摔跤，乃是與事物摔跤。當心不可在神面前怠惰地閒坐，應光榮而戰，直到抓住了他的能力。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，倘若我有任何剛強的一面，那隻是在你裡面得著的剛強。今天早上，我因想起這話而滿心歡喜－－[你們要靠著主，倚賴他的大能大力作剛強的人。 ]
You must learn to wrestle against the things that hinder your communication with God, and wrestle in prayer for other people; but to wrestle with God in prayer is unscriptural. If you ever do wrestle with God, you will be crippled for the rest of your life. If you grab hold of God and wrestle with Him, as Jacob did, simply because He is working in a way that doesn’t meet with your approval, you force Him to put you out of joint (see Genesis 32:24-25). Don’t become a cripple by wrestling with the ways of God, but be someone who wrestles before God with the things of this world, because “we are more than conquerors through Him . . .” (Romans 8:37). Wrestling before God makes an impact in His kingdom. If you ask me to pray for you, and I am not complete in Christ, my prayer accomplishes nothing. But if I am complete in Christ, my prayer brings victory all the time. Prayer is effective only when there is completeness— “take up the whole armor of God . . .”
Always make a distinction between God’s perfect will and His permissive will, which He uses to accomplish His divine purpose for our lives. God’s perfect will is unchangeable. It is with His permissive will, or the various things that He allows into our lives, that we must wrestle before Him. It is our reaction to these things allowed by His permissive will that enables us to come to the point of seeing His perfect will for us. “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . .” (Romans 8:28)— to those who remain true to God’s perfect will— His calling in Christ Jesus. God’s permissive will is the testing He uses to reveal His true sons and daughters. We should not be spineless and automatically say, “Yes, it is the Lord’s will.” We don’t have to fight or wrestle with God, but we must wrestle before God with things. Beware of lazily giving up. Instead, put up a glorious fight and you will find yourself empowered with His strength.
在神面前摔跤
所以要拿起神所賜的全副軍裝……隨時多方禱告祈求……（弗六13-18）
你要與攔阻你親近神的東西摔跤，為別人禱告時也要摔跤；但千萬不要在禱告中與神摔跤，那是不合聖經真理的。你若真與神摔跤，勢必一生瘸腿。若神給你一些你不想要的東西，就像雅各一樣抓住神，與他摔跤，你就逼使神折斷你的腿骨。不要做阻擋神路的人，要在神面前摔跤，必在他國度裡見功效。若要我為你代求，而我在基督裡並不完全的話，禱告就無功效；但若我在基督裡完全，禱告就隨時生效。惟有在完全裡禱告才有功效，[所以要拿起神所賜的全副軍裝。 ]
總要分辨什麼是神的命令，什麼是他的旨意，就是他在我們身上的計劃。我們不能更改神的命令，但必須在他面前與他的旨意摔跤。對神旨意的反應，能幫助我們遵守他的命令。 [萬事都互相效力，叫愛神的人得益處]－－就是忠於神的吩咐和主耶穌恩召人。神的旨意是神兒女顯露出來的途徑。我們不必像水母般軟綿綿地說：[這是神的旨意。 ]我們不是再神面前爭鬥，也不是與神摔跤，乃是與事物摔跤。當心不可在神面前怠惰地閒坐，應光榮而戰，直到抓住了他的能力。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，倘若我有任何剛強的一面，那隻是在你裡面得著的剛強。今天早上，我因想起這話而滿心歡喜－－[你們要靠著主，倚賴他的大能大力作剛強的人。 ]
December 11, 2014
Individuality
Jesus said to His disciples, ’If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself . . .’ —Matthew 16:24
Individuality is the hard outer layer surrounding the inner spiritual life. Individuality shoves others aside, separating and isolating people. We see it as the primary characteristic of a child, and rightly so. When we confuse individuality with the spiritual life, we remain isolated. This shell of individuality is God’s created natural covering designed to protect the spiritual life. But our individuality must be yielded to God so that our spiritual life may be brought forth into fellowship with Him. Individuality counterfeits spirituality, just as lust counterfeits love. God designed human nature for Himself, but individuality corrupts that human nature for its own purposes.
The characteristics of individuality are independence and self-will. We hinder our spiritual growth more than any other way by continually asserting our individuality. If you say, “I can’t believe,” it is because your individuality is blocking the way; individuality can never believe. But our spirit cannot help believing. Watch yourself closely when the Spirit of God is at work in you. He pushes you to the limits of your individuality where a choice must be made. The choice is either to say, “I will not surrender,” or to surrender, breaking the hard shell of individuality, which allows the spiritual life to emerge. The Holy Spirit narrows it down every time to one thing (see Matthew 5:23-24). It is your individuality that refuses to “be reconciled to your brother” (Matthew 5:24). God wants to bring you into union with Himself, but unless you are willing to give up your right to yourself, He cannot. “. . . let him deny himself . . .”— deny his independent right to himself. Then the real life-the spiritual life-is allowed the opportunity to grow.
個性
若有人要跟從我，就當捨己。 （太十六24）
個性是個人生命的外殼，會拒人千里之外，又會把人隔離。不錯，個性是每個人的特質，但若錯把個性當作個人生命的話，我們只會一直與人隔絕。個性是神創造的天然保障，為覆庇生命的外衣。但是若要生命與神相交，則必須放下我們的個性。個性會冒充性格，正如情慾冒充愛情。神造人的天性，是為他自己；而個性卻把人的天性低貶成只為自己。
個性的特徵，就是獨立自主，自我表現。最攔阻屬靈生命的，是個性不斷湧流。你若說[我不相信]，是因為個性的攔阻。個性永不會相信。反之，性格卻不能不信。聖靈在你身上作工時，會把你推到個性的盡頭處，這時你只能說[我不願]；或降服神，打破個性的外殼，讓個人生命流出來。聖靈每次往往集中在一件事上（參太五23-24）。叫你不肯與弟兄和好的，就是你的個性。神要你與他聯合，可是你若不肯放下自己的主權，就無法實現。 [就當捨己]－－捨棄自己獨立的主權，這樣，真正的生命才有生長的機會。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我的主人，願我今天自覺地屬於你，以致我與你在一起。因著你擁有了我而充滿了童真的喜悅。
Individuality is the hard outer layer surrounding the inner spiritual life. Individuality shoves others aside, separating and isolating people. We see it as the primary characteristic of a child, and rightly so. When we confuse individuality with the spiritual life, we remain isolated. This shell of individuality is God’s created natural covering designed to protect the spiritual life. But our individuality must be yielded to God so that our spiritual life may be brought forth into fellowship with Him. Individuality counterfeits spirituality, just as lust counterfeits love. God designed human nature for Himself, but individuality corrupts that human nature for its own purposes.
The characteristics of individuality are independence and self-will. We hinder our spiritual growth more than any other way by continually asserting our individuality. If you say, “I can’t believe,” it is because your individuality is blocking the way; individuality can never believe. But our spirit cannot help believing. Watch yourself closely when the Spirit of God is at work in you. He pushes you to the limits of your individuality where a choice must be made. The choice is either to say, “I will not surrender,” or to surrender, breaking the hard shell of individuality, which allows the spiritual life to emerge. The Holy Spirit narrows it down every time to one thing (see Matthew 5:23-24). It is your individuality that refuses to “be reconciled to your brother” (Matthew 5:24). God wants to bring you into union with Himself, but unless you are willing to give up your right to yourself, He cannot. “. . . let him deny himself . . .”— deny his independent right to himself. Then the real life-the spiritual life-is allowed the opportunity to grow.
個性
若有人要跟從我，就當捨己。 （太十六24）
個性是個人生命的外殼，會拒人千里之外，又會把人隔離。不錯，個性是每個人的特質，但若錯把個性當作個人生命的話，我們只會一直與人隔絕。個性是神創造的天然保障，為覆庇生命的外衣。但是若要生命與神相交，則必須放下我們的個性。個性會冒充性格，正如情慾冒充愛情。神造人的天性，是為他自己；而個性卻把人的天性低貶成只為自己。
個性的特徵，就是獨立自主，自我表現。最攔阻屬靈生命的，是個性不斷湧流。你若說[我不相信]，是因為個性的攔阻。個性永不會相信。反之，性格卻不能不信。聖靈在你身上作工時，會把你推到個性的盡頭處，這時你只能說[我不願]；或降服神，打破個性的外殼，讓個人生命流出來。聖靈每次往往集中在一件事上（參太五23-24）。叫你不肯與弟兄和好的，就是你的個性。神要你與他聯合，可是你若不肯放下自己的主權，就無法實現。 [就當捨己]－－捨棄自己獨立的主權，這樣，真正的生命才有生長的機會。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我的主人，願我今天自覺地屬於你，以致我與你在一起。因著你擁有了我而充滿了童真的喜悅。
December 02, 2014
Christian Perfection
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfect . . . —Philippians 3:12
It is a trap to presume that God wants to make us perfect specimens of what He can do— God’s purpose is to make us one with Himself. The emphasis of holiness movements tends to be that God is producing specimens of holiness to put in His museum. If you accept this concept of personal holiness, your life’s determined purpose will not be for God, but for what you call the evidence of God in your life. How can we say, “It could never be God’s will for me to be sick”? If it was God’s will to bruise His own Son (Isaiah 53:10), why shouldn’t He bruise you? What shines forth and reveals God in your life is not your relative consistency to an idea of what a saint should be, but your genuine, living relationship with Jesus Christ, and your unrestrained devotion to Him whether you are well or sick.
Christian perfection is not, and never can be, human perfection. Christian perfection is the perfection of a relationship with God that shows itself to be true even amid the seemingly unimportant aspects of human life. When you obey the call of Jesus Christ, the first thing that hits you is the pointlessness of the things you have to do. The next thought that strikes you is that other people seem to be living perfectly consistent lives. Such lives may leave you with the idea that God is unnecessary— that through your own human effort and devotion you can attain God’s standard for your life. In a fallen world this can never be done. I am called to live in such a perfect relationship with God that my life produces a yearning for God in the lives of others, not admiration for myself. Thoughts about myself hinder my usefulness to God. God’s purpose is not to perfect me to make me a trophy in His showcase; He is getting me to the place where He can use me. Let Him do what He wants.
信徒的完全
這不是說，我已經得著了，已經完全了……（腓三12）
以為神要把我們造成一個完全的樣本，好表彰他的能力，這是個陷阱。神的目的是要我們與他合一。強調聖潔的運動，很容易使我們有一種觀念，就是以為神要製造一些聖潔的樣本，放在他的博物館裡。你若一心追求這種個人聖潔的觀念，你生命的指標就不是神。而是你所稱為彰顯神的東西。你說：[神的旨意絕不會叫我生病。 ]若按神的旨意，他的兒子也要受壓傷的話，為什麼他不可以壓傷你？神旨意的彰顯，不再乎你認為聖徒應該怎樣；你與耶穌基督的關係，才是最重要的。不論健康或生病，都要一心一歸依他。
信徒的完全，絕不是人的完全。信徒的完全是與神關係的完全，在人生毫不相干的大小事上顯明出來。當你順服主耶穌的呼召，第一件叫你驚訝的事，就是你所作的都無關痛癢。另一件叫你詫異的事，是別人都似乎過著合情合理的生活。他們的生活很容易使你覺得不需要神。即使單靠人努力與熱心，也能達到神的要求。可是在失落的世界裡，這是絕不可能的。我被召，是要過一個與神有完美關係的生活，以致我的生命能引發別人對神的渴慕，而不是對我本身的欽仰。只顧自己會減低給神使用的效能。神不是要把我塑造到十全十美，好放在陳列室裡；他是要帶領我到一個她可以使用我的地方。讓神喜歡怎樣做就怎樣做。
祈禱◆主啊，今天早上，我察覺自己多麼強烈的需要你；願你照你在基督耶穌裡的豐盛，滿足我的需要，直至我完全被你的供應所改變。
It is a trap to presume that God wants to make us perfect specimens of what He can do— God’s purpose is to make us one with Himself. The emphasis of holiness movements tends to be that God is producing specimens of holiness to put in His museum. If you accept this concept of personal holiness, your life’s determined purpose will not be for God, but for what you call the evidence of God in your life. How can we say, “It could never be God’s will for me to be sick”? If it was God’s will to bruise His own Son (Isaiah 53:10), why shouldn’t He bruise you? What shines forth and reveals God in your life is not your relative consistency to an idea of what a saint should be, but your genuine, living relationship with Jesus Christ, and your unrestrained devotion to Him whether you are well or sick.
Christian perfection is not, and never can be, human perfection. Christian perfection is the perfection of a relationship with God that shows itself to be true even amid the seemingly unimportant aspects of human life. When you obey the call of Jesus Christ, the first thing that hits you is the pointlessness of the things you have to do. The next thought that strikes you is that other people seem to be living perfectly consistent lives. Such lives may leave you with the idea that God is unnecessary— that through your own human effort and devotion you can attain God’s standard for your life. In a fallen world this can never be done. I am called to live in such a perfect relationship with God that my life produces a yearning for God in the lives of others, not admiration for myself. Thoughts about myself hinder my usefulness to God. God’s purpose is not to perfect me to make me a trophy in His showcase; He is getting me to the place where He can use me. Let Him do what He wants.
信徒的完全
這不是說，我已經得著了，已經完全了……（腓三12）
以為神要把我們造成一個完全的樣本，好表彰他的能力，這是個陷阱。神的目的是要我們與他合一。強調聖潔的運動，很容易使我們有一種觀念，就是以為神要製造一些聖潔的樣本，放在他的博物館裡。你若一心追求這種個人聖潔的觀念，你生命的指標就不是神。而是你所稱為彰顯神的東西。你說：[神的旨意絕不會叫我生病。 ]若按神的旨意，他的兒子也要受壓傷的話，為什麼他不可以壓傷你？神旨意的彰顯，不再乎你認為聖徒應該怎樣；你與耶穌基督的關係，才是最重要的。不論健康或生病，都要一心一歸依他。
信徒的完全，絕不是人的完全。信徒的完全是與神關係的完全，在人生毫不相干的大小事上顯明出來。當你順服主耶穌的呼召，第一件叫你驚訝的事，就是你所作的都無關痛癢。另一件叫你詫異的事，是別人都似乎過著合情合理的生活。他們的生活很容易使你覺得不需要神。即使單靠人努力與熱心，也能達到神的要求。可是在失落的世界裡，這是絕不可能的。我被召，是要過一個與神有完美關係的生活，以致我的生命能引發別人對神的渴慕，而不是對我本身的欽仰。只顧自己會減低給神使用的效能。神不是要把我塑造到十全十美，好放在陳列室裡；他是要帶領我到一個她可以使用我的地方。讓神喜歡怎樣做就怎樣做。
祈禱◆主啊，今天早上，我察覺自己多麼強烈的需要你；願你照你在基督耶穌裡的豐盛，滿足我的需要，直至我完全被你的供應所改變。
December 01, 2014
The Law and the Gospel
Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all —James 2:10
The moral law does not consider our weaknesses as human beings; in fact, it does not take into account our heredity or infirmities. It simply demands that we be absolutely moral. The moral law never changes, either for the highest of society or for the weakest in the world. It is enduring and eternally the same. The moral law, ordained by God, does not make itself weak to the weak by excusing our shortcomings. It remains absolute for all time and eternity. If we are not aware of this, it is because we are less than alive. Once we do realize it, our life immediately becomes a fatal tragedy. “I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died” (Romans 7:9). The moment we realize this, the Spirit of God convicts us of sin. Until a person gets there and sees that there is no hope, the Cross of Christ remains absurd to him. Conviction of sin always brings a fearful, confining sense of the law. It makes a person hopeless— “. . . sold under sin” (Romans 7:14). I, a guilty sinner, can never work to get right with God— it is impossible. There is only one way by which I can get right with God, and that is through the death of Jesus Christ. I must get rid of the underlying idea that I can ever be right with God because of my obedience. Who of us could ever obey God to absolute perfection!
We only begin to realize the power of the moral law once we see that it comes with a condition and a promise. But God never coerces us. Sometimes we wish He would make us be obedient, and at other times we wish He would leave us alone. Whenever God’s will is in complete control, He removes all pressure. And when we deliberately choose to obey Him, He will reach to the remotest star and to the ends of the earth to assist us with all of His almighty power.
律法與福音
因為凡遵守金法律的，只在一條上跌倒，他就是犯了眾條。 （雅二10)
律法並不因我們是軟弱的人而稍徇情面，它不理會我們有什麼遺傳因素和缺陷，只要求我們絕對道德。律法從不更改，不管你是最高尚還是最軟弱的，它永遠都不改變。神所定的律法，並不遷就人的軟弱，也不因人的缺點而修改，它是永遠絕對的。我們若不領會這一點，是因為我們並未真正活著；一旦活著，生命就成了一個悲劇。 [我以前沒有律法是活著的，但是誡命來到，罪又活了，我就死了。 ]若明白這點，神的靈就叫我們自知有罪。除非人到了自知絕望的地步，否則耶穌基督的十字架不過是一場鬧劇。自覺有罪，叫人對捆綁人的律法產生恐懼，又叫人絕望，因為[被賣給罪]。我，一個污穢的罪人，永無法與神和好，是絕無可能的。只有一個方法可以與神和好，就是藉耶穌基督的死。我必須除掉那潛伏的思想，以為可以因順服得與神和好－－有誰能絕對完全順服神哩！
當律法帶著[假若]而來，我們才體會它勢力之大。神從不勉強我們。我們有時想神逼我們去做，但心情變了時，又想神不要管我們。當神的旨意得勢，就不會有被逼的感覺了。我們若是定志順服他，他就會以無窮的大能，召喚最遠的星，乃最後的一粒沙來幫助我們。
祈禱◆主啊，我完全投向你。願這樣的氣氛充滿我們環繞我們，好叫我們成為湧流活水江河的人。
The moral law does not consider our weaknesses as human beings; in fact, it does not take into account our heredity or infirmities. It simply demands that we be absolutely moral. The moral law never changes, either for the highest of society or for the weakest in the world. It is enduring and eternally the same. The moral law, ordained by God, does not make itself weak to the weak by excusing our shortcomings. It remains absolute for all time and eternity. If we are not aware of this, it is because we are less than alive. Once we do realize it, our life immediately becomes a fatal tragedy. “I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died” (Romans 7:9). The moment we realize this, the Spirit of God convicts us of sin. Until a person gets there and sees that there is no hope, the Cross of Christ remains absurd to him. Conviction of sin always brings a fearful, confining sense of the law. It makes a person hopeless— “. . . sold under sin” (Romans 7:14). I, a guilty sinner, can never work to get right with God— it is impossible. There is only one way by which I can get right with God, and that is through the death of Jesus Christ. I must get rid of the underlying idea that I can ever be right with God because of my obedience. Who of us could ever obey God to absolute perfection!
We only begin to realize the power of the moral law once we see that it comes with a condition and a promise. But God never coerces us. Sometimes we wish He would make us be obedient, and at other times we wish He would leave us alone. Whenever God’s will is in complete control, He removes all pressure. And when we deliberately choose to obey Him, He will reach to the remotest star and to the ends of the earth to assist us with all of His almighty power.
律法與福音
因為凡遵守金法律的，只在一條上跌倒，他就是犯了眾條。 （雅二10)
律法並不因我們是軟弱的人而稍徇情面，它不理會我們有什麼遺傳因素和缺陷，只要求我們絕對道德。律法從不更改，不管你是最高尚還是最軟弱的，它永遠都不改變。神所定的律法，並不遷就人的軟弱，也不因人的缺點而修改，它是永遠絕對的。我們若不領會這一點，是因為我們並未真正活著；一旦活著，生命就成了一個悲劇。 [我以前沒有律法是活著的，但是誡命來到，罪又活了，我就死了。 ]若明白這點，神的靈就叫我們自知有罪。除非人到了自知絕望的地步，否則耶穌基督的十字架不過是一場鬧劇。自覺有罪，叫人對捆綁人的律法產生恐懼，又叫人絕望，因為[被賣給罪]。我，一個污穢的罪人，永無法與神和好，是絕無可能的。只有一個方法可以與神和好，就是藉耶穌基督的死。我必須除掉那潛伏的思想，以為可以因順服得與神和好－－有誰能絕對完全順服神哩！
當律法帶著[假若]而來，我們才體會它勢力之大。神從不勉強我們。我們有時想神逼我們去做，但心情變了時，又想神不要管我們。當神的旨意得勢，就不會有被逼的感覺了。我們若是定志順服他，他就會以無窮的大能，召喚最遠的星，乃最後的一粒沙來幫助我們。
祈禱◆主啊，我完全投向你。願這樣的氣氛充滿我們環繞我們，好叫我們成為湧流活水江河的人。
November 27, 2014
The Consecration of Spiritual Power
. . . by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world —Galatians 6:14
If I dwell on the Cross of Christ, I do not simply become inwardly devout and solely interested in my own holiness— I become strongly focused on Jesus Christ’s interests. Our Lord was not a recluse nor a fanatical holy man practicing self-denial. He did not physically cut Himself off from society, but He was inwardly disconnected all the time. He was not aloof, but He lived in another world. In fact, He was so much in the common everyday world that the religious people of His day accused Him of being a glutton and a drunkard. Yet our Lord never allowed anything to interfere with His consecration of spiritual power.
It is not genuine consecration to think that we can refuse to be used of God now in order to store up our spiritual power for later use. That is a hopeless mistake. The Spirit of God has set a great many people free from their sin, yet they are experiencing no fullness in their lives— no true sense of freedom. The kind of religious life we see around the world today is entirely different from the vigorous holiness of the life of Jesus Christ. “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). We are to be in the world but not of it— to be separated internally, not externally (see John 17:16).
We must never allow anything to interfere with the consecration of our spiritual power. Consecration (being dedicated to God’s service) is our part; sanctification (being set apart from sin and being made holy) is God’s part. We must make a deliberate determination to be interested only in what God is interested. The way to make that determination, when faced with a perplexing problem, is to ask yourself, “Is this the kind of thing in which Jesus Christ is interested, or is it something in which the spirit that is diametrically opposed to Jesus is interested?”
屬靈能力的分別為聖
因這十字架，就我而論，世界已經釘在十字架上。就世界而論，我已經釘在十字架上。 （加六14）
我若著眼於基督的十字架，就不會成為一個主觀的敬虔者，只注意自己的潔白；而會一心一意關注主耶穌所關注的事。我們的主不是隱逸者，也不是遁世苦行者，他沒有把自己與社會割絕，可是在他裡面，卻是一直與這世界分開。他並不是高高在上，活在另一個世界裡。他十分入世，甚至當時一些宗教人士形容他為貪食好酒，但主從不讓任何事物阻礙他分別為聖。
假冒的分別為聖，就是故意放棄一些東西，以為這樣可以儲藏屬靈的能力，留日後之用，但那是絕對錯誤的。神的靈曾粉碎許多人的罪，可是人仍未得釋放。今日所見得宗教生活，與主耶穌一生活著聖潔生活，是截然不同。 [我不求你叫他們離開世界，只求你保守他們脫離那惡者。 ]我們活在世上，卻不屬這世界；我們得分割是在根基上，不是在外表。
我們絕不可讓任何事物干擾屬靈能力的分別為聖。分別出來是我們的本份，成聖則是神的工作；我們必須堅心決意只關注神所關注的事。對於困擾的問題，就問一問---[這是主耶穌所關注的嗎？還是與主為敵的靈所關注的事？ ]
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願你膏立這個地方來讚美你；願你膏立我們這裡的每一個人來讚美你。願你在這一刻，將聖靈那愉快的微風吹拂我們。
If I dwell on the Cross of Christ, I do not simply become inwardly devout and solely interested in my own holiness— I become strongly focused on Jesus Christ’s interests. Our Lord was not a recluse nor a fanatical holy man practicing self-denial. He did not physically cut Himself off from society, but He was inwardly disconnected all the time. He was not aloof, but He lived in another world. In fact, He was so much in the common everyday world that the religious people of His day accused Him of being a glutton and a drunkard. Yet our Lord never allowed anything to interfere with His consecration of spiritual power.
It is not genuine consecration to think that we can refuse to be used of God now in order to store up our spiritual power for later use. That is a hopeless mistake. The Spirit of God has set a great many people free from their sin, yet they are experiencing no fullness in their lives— no true sense of freedom. The kind of religious life we see around the world today is entirely different from the vigorous holiness of the life of Jesus Christ. “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). We are to be in the world but not of it— to be separated internally, not externally (see John 17:16).
We must never allow anything to interfere with the consecration of our spiritual power. Consecration (being dedicated to God’s service) is our part; sanctification (being set apart from sin and being made holy) is God’s part. We must make a deliberate determination to be interested only in what God is interested. The way to make that determination, when faced with a perplexing problem, is to ask yourself, “Is this the kind of thing in which Jesus Christ is interested, or is it something in which the spirit that is diametrically opposed to Jesus is interested?”
屬靈能力的分別為聖
因這十字架，就我而論，世界已經釘在十字架上。就世界而論，我已經釘在十字架上。 （加六14）
我若著眼於基督的十字架，就不會成為一個主觀的敬虔者，只注意自己的潔白；而會一心一意關注主耶穌所關注的事。我們的主不是隱逸者，也不是遁世苦行者，他沒有把自己與社會割絕，可是在他裡面，卻是一直與這世界分開。他並不是高高在上，活在另一個世界裡。他十分入世，甚至當時一些宗教人士形容他為貪食好酒，但主從不讓任何事物阻礙他分別為聖。
假冒的分別為聖，就是故意放棄一些東西，以為這樣可以儲藏屬靈的能力，留日後之用，但那是絕對錯誤的。神的靈曾粉碎許多人的罪，可是人仍未得釋放。今日所見得宗教生活，與主耶穌一生活著聖潔生活，是截然不同。 [我不求你叫他們離開世界，只求你保守他們脫離那惡者。 ]我們活在世上，卻不屬這世界；我們得分割是在根基上，不是在外表。
我們絕不可讓任何事物干擾屬靈能力的分別為聖。分別出來是我們的本份，成聖則是神的工作；我們必須堅心決意只關注神所關注的事。對於困擾的問題，就問一問---[這是主耶穌所關注的嗎？還是與主為敵的靈所關注的事？ ]
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願你膏立這個地方來讚美你；願你膏立我們這裡的每一個人來讚美你。願你在這一刻，將聖靈那愉快的微風吹拂我們。
November 06, 2014
Intimate Theology
Do you believe this? —John 11:26
Martha believed in the power available to Jesus Christ; she believed that if He had been there He could have healed her brother; she also believed that Jesus had a special intimacy with God, and that whatever He asked of God, God would do. But— she needed a closer personal intimacy with Jesus. Martha’s theology had its fulfillment in the future. But Jesus continued to attract and draw her in until her belief became an intimate possession. It then slowly emerged into a personal inheritance— “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ . . .” (John 11:27).
Is the Lord dealing with you in the same way? Is Jesus teaching you to have a personal intimacy with Himself? Allow Him to drive His question home to you— “Do you believe this?” Are you facing an area of doubt in your life? Have you come, like Martha, to a crossroads of overwhelming circumstances where your theology is about to become a very personal belief? This happens only when a personal problem brings the awareness of our personal need.
To believe is to commit. In the area of intellectual learning I commit myself mentally, and reject anything not related to that belief. In the realm of personal belief I commit myself morally to my convictions and refuse to compromise. But in intimate personal belief I commit myself spiritually to Jesus Christ and make a determination to be dominated by Him alone.
Then, when I stand face to face with Jesus Christ and He says to me, “Do you believe this?” I find that faith is as natural as breathing. And I am staggered when I think how foolish I have been in not trusting Him earlier
信心歷程
你信這話麽？ （約十一26）
馬大相信耶穌有能力行事；她型心他若在場，就可以醫治她的弟弟。她也相信與神有特別的關係，他求神什麽，神都成就。可是，她需要與耶穌有更親密的個人關係。馬大的信心是在未來才實現的；耶穌領她體驗，直至信心成為她個人的財富，然後形成一個特有的產業- [主啊，是的，我信你是基督……]
主對你是否也一樣？主是否教導你，使你進入與他個人親密的關係裡？讓神的問題追逼你 - [你信這話麽？ ]你懷疑的是什麽？你所遭遇的，有否像馬大的一樣，把你帶到一處，叫你的信仰快要變成個人的信仰？這個地步，非透過難處而產生個人問題，不能達致。
相信就是完全委身。在心智上委身，就是把一切與這委身無關的事擯棄；在信仰上委身，在道德上就絕不與其他信仰妥協；在特殊信仰上委身，就把靈交給耶穌基督，決志只讓主居首位。當我面對主耶穌，他對我說：[你信這話麽？ ]我會發現信心像呼吸一樣自然，而詫異以往為何愚昧地不信靠。
祈禱◆主啊，並非基於任何不配的感覺，或自覺不足，或是任何關乎自己的思想；我來，只因你是你。
Martha believed in the power available to Jesus Christ; she believed that if He had been there He could have healed her brother; she also believed that Jesus had a special intimacy with God, and that whatever He asked of God, God would do. But— she needed a closer personal intimacy with Jesus. Martha’s theology had its fulfillment in the future. But Jesus continued to attract and draw her in until her belief became an intimate possession. It then slowly emerged into a personal inheritance— “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ . . .” (John 11:27).
Is the Lord dealing with you in the same way? Is Jesus teaching you to have a personal intimacy with Himself? Allow Him to drive His question home to you— “Do you believe this?” Are you facing an area of doubt in your life? Have you come, like Martha, to a crossroads of overwhelming circumstances where your theology is about to become a very personal belief? This happens only when a personal problem brings the awareness of our personal need.
To believe is to commit. In the area of intellectual learning I commit myself mentally, and reject anything not related to that belief. In the realm of personal belief I commit myself morally to my convictions and refuse to compromise. But in intimate personal belief I commit myself spiritually to Jesus Christ and make a determination to be dominated by Him alone.
Then, when I stand face to face with Jesus Christ and He says to me, “Do you believe this?” I find that faith is as natural as breathing. And I am staggered when I think how foolish I have been in not trusting Him earlier
信心歷程
你信這話麽？ （約十一26）
馬大相信耶穌有能力行事；她型心他若在場，就可以醫治她的弟弟。她也相信與神有特別的關係，他求神什麽，神都成就。可是，她需要與耶穌有更親密的個人關係。馬大的信心是在未來才實現的；耶穌領她體驗，直至信心成為她個人的財富，然後形成一個特有的產業- [主啊，是的，我信你是基督……]
主對你是否也一樣？主是否教導你，使你進入與他個人親密的關係裡？讓神的問題追逼你 - [你信這話麽？ ]你懷疑的是什麽？你所遭遇的，有否像馬大的一樣，把你帶到一處，叫你的信仰快要變成個人的信仰？這個地步，非透過難處而產生個人問題，不能達致。
相信就是完全委身。在心智上委身，就是把一切與這委身無關的事擯棄；在信仰上委身，在道德上就絕不與其他信仰妥協；在特殊信仰上委身，就把靈交給耶穌基督，決志只讓主居首位。當我面對主耶穌，他對我說：[你信這話麽？ ]我會發現信心像呼吸一樣自然，而詫異以往為何愚昧地不信靠。
祈禱◆主啊，並非基於任何不配的感覺，或自覺不足，或是任何關乎自己的思想；我來，只因你是你。
October 22, 2014
The Witness of the Spirit
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit . . . —Romans 8:16
We are in danger of getting into a bargaining spirit with God when we come to Him—we want the witness of the Spirit before we have done what God tells us to do.
Why doesn’t God reveal Himself to you? He cannot. It is not that He will not, but He cannot, because you are in the way as long as you won’t abandon yourself to Him in total surrender. Yet once you do, immediately God witnesses to Himself—He cannot witness to you, but He instantly witnesses to His own nature in you. If you received the witness of the Spirit before the reality and truth that comes from obedience, it would simply result in sentimental emotion. But when you act on the basis of redemption, and stop the disrespectfulness of debating with God, He immediately gives His witness. As soon as you abandon your own reasoning and arguing, God witnesses to what He has done, and you are amazed at your total disrespect in having kept Him waiting. If you are debating as to whether or not God can deliver from sin, then either let Him do it or tell Him that He cannot. Do not quote this or that person to Him. Simply obey Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden . . . .” Come, if you are weary, and ask, if you know you are evil (see Luke 11:9-13).
The Spirit of God witnesses to the redemption of our Lord, and to nothing else. He cannot witness to our reason. We are inclined to mistake the simplicity that comes from our natural commonsense decisions for the witness of the Spirit, but the Spirit witnesses only to His own nature, and to the work of redemption, never to our reason. If we are trying to make Him witness to our reason, it is no wonder that we are in darkness and uncertainty. Throw it all overboard, trust in Him, and He will give you the witness of the Spirit.
聖靈的見證
聖靈與我們的心同證……（羅八16）
我們常存交易的心到神面前。我們順服神吩咐之前，先要求見證。 [為什麼神不向我顯示他自己？ ]他不能。不是他不肯，而是不能，因為你若不完全降服於神，你就成為神向你顯示的攔阻。你一降服，她就即時為自己作見證；他不能向你見證，乃是向他在你裡面的本性見證。若你先得著見證，那不過是情感作用。在你不再理論爭辯的那一刻，神見證他的作為，你會因自己的悖逆而詫異，因為你竟讓神苦等。若以仍為神是否能救人脫罪的問題爭辯的話，最好是讓他去做，或乾脆對他說：你無此能力。不要引用這人或那人的說話，試試馬太福音十一章28節的話－－[到我這裡來。 ]你若勞苦擔重擔，來吧；你若自知有罪，求吧（路十一13）。
我們天然常理的抉擇，往往來得很簡單，很容易誤認作聖靈的見證；可是，聖靈只對他的本性，和救贖的工作見證，而不能向我們的推理見證。若一味要聖靈向我們的理性見證，難怪我們總在黑暗疑雲中。把這些一概拋開，信靠神，他自然給我們見證。
祈禱◆主啊，我無助地來到你面前，卻盼望因著你的靈的內住，我可以被你的愛、你神性無私的屬性，你慈憐的忍耐所充滿，不再被個人的因素所傷害。
We are in danger of getting into a bargaining spirit with God when we come to Him—we want the witness of the Spirit before we have done what God tells us to do.
Why doesn’t God reveal Himself to you? He cannot. It is not that He will not, but He cannot, because you are in the way as long as you won’t abandon yourself to Him in total surrender. Yet once you do, immediately God witnesses to Himself—He cannot witness to you, but He instantly witnesses to His own nature in you. If you received the witness of the Spirit before the reality and truth that comes from obedience, it would simply result in sentimental emotion. But when you act on the basis of redemption, and stop the disrespectfulness of debating with God, He immediately gives His witness. As soon as you abandon your own reasoning and arguing, God witnesses to what He has done, and you are amazed at your total disrespect in having kept Him waiting. If you are debating as to whether or not God can deliver from sin, then either let Him do it or tell Him that He cannot. Do not quote this or that person to Him. Simply obey Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden . . . .” Come, if you are weary, and ask, if you know you are evil (see Luke 11:9-13).
The Spirit of God witnesses to the redemption of our Lord, and to nothing else. He cannot witness to our reason. We are inclined to mistake the simplicity that comes from our natural commonsense decisions for the witness of the Spirit, but the Spirit witnesses only to His own nature, and to the work of redemption, never to our reason. If we are trying to make Him witness to our reason, it is no wonder that we are in darkness and uncertainty. Throw it all overboard, trust in Him, and He will give you the witness of the Spirit.
聖靈的見證
聖靈與我們的心同證……（羅八16）
我們常存交易的心到神面前。我們順服神吩咐之前，先要求見證。 [為什麼神不向我顯示他自己？ ]他不能。不是他不肯，而是不能，因為你若不完全降服於神，你就成為神向你顯示的攔阻。你一降服，她就即時為自己作見證；他不能向你見證，乃是向他在你裡面的本性見證。若你先得著見證，那不過是情感作用。在你不再理論爭辯的那一刻，神見證他的作為，你會因自己的悖逆而詫異，因為你竟讓神苦等。若以仍為神是否能救人脫罪的問題爭辯的話，最好是讓他去做，或乾脆對他說：你無此能力。不要引用這人或那人的說話，試試馬太福音十一章28節的話－－[到我這裡來。 ]你若勞苦擔重擔，來吧；你若自知有罪，求吧（路十一13）。
我們天然常理的抉擇，往往來得很簡單，很容易誤認作聖靈的見證；可是，聖靈只對他的本性，和救贖的工作見證，而不能向我們的推理見證。若一味要聖靈向我們的理性見證，難怪我們總在黑暗疑雲中。把這些一概拋開，信靠神，他自然給我們見證。
祈禱◆主啊，我無助地來到你面前，卻盼望因著你的靈的內住，我可以被你的愛、你神性無私的屬性，你慈憐的忍耐所充滿，不再被個人的因素所傷害。
October 17, 2014
The Key of the Greater Work
. . . I say to you, he who believes in Me, . . . greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father —John 14:12
Prayer does not equip us for greater works— prayer is the greater work. Yet we think of prayer as some commonsense exercise of our higher powers that simply prepares us for God’s work. In the teachings of Jesus Christ, prayer is the working of the miracle of redemption in me, which produces the miracle of redemption in others, through the power of God. The way fruit remains firm is through prayer, but remember that it is prayer based on the agony of Christ in redemption, not on my own agony. We must go to God as His child, because only a child gets his prayers answered; a “wise” man does not (see Matthew 11:25).
Prayer is the battle, and it makes no difference where you are. However God may engineer your circumstances, your duty is to pray. Never allow yourself this thought, “I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly cannot be used where you have not yet been placed. Wherever God has placed you and whatever your circumstances, you should pray, continually offering up prayers to Him. And He promises, “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do . . .” (John 14:13). Yet we refuse to pray unless it thrills or excites us, which is the most intense form of spiritual selfishness. We must learn to work according to God’s direction, and He says to pray. “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:38).
There is nothing thrilling about a laboring person’s work, but it is the laboring person who makes the ideas of the genius possible. And it is the laboring saint who makes the ideas of his Master possible. When you labor at prayer, from God’s perspective there are always results. What an astonishment it will be to see, once the veil is finally lifted, all the souls that have been reaped by you, simply because you have been in the habit of taking your orders from Jesus Christ.
更大的事
我實實在在地告訴你們，我所作的事，信我的人也要作；並且要作比這更大的事，因為我往父那裡去。 （約翰福音14：12）
禱告不是裝備我們去做更大的事；禱告本身就是最大的事。我們往往視禱告為超然能力的操練，好預備我們做神的工。但按主的教訓，禱告是救贖的神蹟在我身上運行，以致神的大能可把這神蹟成就在別人身上。果子若要存留，必須藉禱告，但得記著禱告是建基在救贖的苦痛上，而不是自我的痛苦。惟有小孩子的禱告才蒙應允，明哲人反得不著。
不管你在什麼地方，禱告就是那要打的仗。不管神安排怎麼樣的環境，你的責任就是禱告。切勿這樣想：“我在這崗位上一無用處。”因為你不守住崗位，那才真是一無用處。神不論加給你怎樣的際遇，總要禱告，每時每刻向祂傾吐。 「你們若奉我的名求什麼，我必成就。（約翰福音14:14） 」我們激奮時才肯禱告，這其實是最嚴重的屬靈自私。我們要依著神的方向去做工，而祂說「要禱告」，「所以你們當求莊稼的主，打發工人出去收他的莊稼。”（馬太福音9:38 ） 」
勞苦的工作，沒有刺激興奮可言；但惟有藉勞苦做工的人，理想才得以實現。同樣，做工的信徒能使主的心意實現。你在禱告中勞苦，從神的角度看來，果效是不住實現的。將來當帕子揭開，知道不少靈魂因著你不住的順服而得救，那是何等的驚喜。
Prayer does not equip us for greater works— prayer is the greater work. Yet we think of prayer as some commonsense exercise of our higher powers that simply prepares us for God’s work. In the teachings of Jesus Christ, prayer is the working of the miracle of redemption in me, which produces the miracle of redemption in others, through the power of God. The way fruit remains firm is through prayer, but remember that it is prayer based on the agony of Christ in redemption, not on my own agony. We must go to God as His child, because only a child gets his prayers answered; a “wise” man does not (see Matthew 11:25).
Prayer is the battle, and it makes no difference where you are. However God may engineer your circumstances, your duty is to pray. Never allow yourself this thought, “I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly cannot be used where you have not yet been placed. Wherever God has placed you and whatever your circumstances, you should pray, continually offering up prayers to Him. And He promises, “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do . . .” (John 14:13). Yet we refuse to pray unless it thrills or excites us, which is the most intense form of spiritual selfishness. We must learn to work according to God’s direction, and He says to pray. “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:38).
There is nothing thrilling about a laboring person’s work, but it is the laboring person who makes the ideas of the genius possible. And it is the laboring saint who makes the ideas of his Master possible. When you labor at prayer, from God’s perspective there are always results. What an astonishment it will be to see, once the veil is finally lifted, all the souls that have been reaped by you, simply because you have been in the habit of taking your orders from Jesus Christ.
更大的事
我實實在在地告訴你們，我所作的事，信我的人也要作；並且要作比這更大的事，因為我往父那裡去。 （約翰福音14：12）
禱告不是裝備我們去做更大的事；禱告本身就是最大的事。我們往往視禱告為超然能力的操練，好預備我們做神的工。但按主的教訓，禱告是救贖的神蹟在我身上運行，以致神的大能可把這神蹟成就在別人身上。果子若要存留，必須藉禱告，但得記著禱告是建基在救贖的苦痛上，而不是自我的痛苦。惟有小孩子的禱告才蒙應允，明哲人反得不著。
不管你在什麼地方，禱告就是那要打的仗。不管神安排怎麼樣的環境，你的責任就是禱告。切勿這樣想：“我在這崗位上一無用處。”因為你不守住崗位，那才真是一無用處。神不論加給你怎樣的際遇，總要禱告，每時每刻向祂傾吐。 「你們若奉我的名求什麼，我必成就。（約翰福音14:14） 」我們激奮時才肯禱告，這其實是最嚴重的屬靈自私。我們要依著神的方向去做工，而祂說「要禱告」，「所以你們當求莊稼的主，打發工人出去收他的莊稼。”（馬太福音9:38 ） 」
勞苦的工作，沒有刺激興奮可言；但惟有藉勞苦做工的人，理想才得以實現。同樣，做工的信徒能使主的心意實現。你在禱告中勞苦，從神的角度看來，果效是不住實現的。將來當帕子揭開，知道不少靈魂因著你不住的順服而得救，那是何等的驚喜。
October 03, 2014
The Place of Ministry
He said to them, ’This kind [of unclean spirit] can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting’ —Mark 9:29
His disciples asked Him privately, ’Why could we not cast it out?’ ” (Mark 9:28). The answer lies in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. “This kind can come out by nothing but” concentrating on Him, and then doubling and redoubling that concentration on Him. We can remain powerless forever, as the disciples were in this situation, by trying to do God’s work without concentrating on His power, and by following instead the ideas that we draw from our own nature. We actually slander and dishonor God by our very eagerness to serve Him without knowing Him.
When you are brought face to face with a difficult situation and nothing happens externally, you can still know that freedom and release will be given because of your continued concentration on Jesus Christ. Your duty in service and ministry is to see that there is nothing between Jesus and yourself. Is there anything between you and Jesus even now? If there is, you must get through it, not by ignoring it as an irritation, or by going up and over it, but by facing it and getting through it into the presence of Jesus Christ. Then that very problem itself, and all that you have been through in connection with it, will glorify Jesus Christ in a way that you will never know until you see Him face to face.
We must be able to “mount up with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31), but we must also know how to come down. The power of the saint lies in the coming down and in the living that is done in the valley. Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) and what he was referring to were mostly humiliating things. And yet it is in our power to refuse to be humiliated and to say, “No, thank you, I much prefer to be on the mountaintop with God.” Can I face things as they actually are in the light of the reality of Jesus Christ, or do things as they really are destroy my faith in Him, and put me into a panic?
事奉的領域
非用禱告禁食，這一類的鬼，不能出來。 （可九29）
[我們為什麼不能趕他出去呢？ ]這問題的答案在於人與主耶穌的關係。只有集中在主身上，加倍的仰望主，才能把這類鬼趕出去。若不集中靠神的能力去作神的工，只靠自己的主意，就變得無能，像昔日門徒一樣。我們熱心為他作工，卻又不認識他，只會給神帶來羞辱。
當你面臨一件困難的事，外表看來好像沒有什麼改變，可是你卻曉得事情必得以解決，因為你專注在主耶穌身上。這就是你事奉的途徑－－與主之間毫無阻隔。若有任何阻隔的話，就必須挪開，不是因惱怒而置之不理，也不是越過它，而是面對它，把它直接帶到主耶穌面前。那樣，這件事和所有與此相關的，都會榮耀神；你甚至詫異莫名，知道面對面見主那一天才會完全明白。
我們要像鷹一般展翅上騰，但必須知道如何降落。聖徒的能力，就是能降落，能在平地上生活。保羅說：[我靠著那加給我力量的，凡事都能作。 ]他所指的事，多半是低賤的事，我們大可拒絕降卑，說：[謝了，我還是喜歡與神在山頂上。 ]主耶穌是真實的，我能否在這亮光中，面對現實？還是讓事情完全抹煞了我對他的信心，以致陷在恐慌中？
祈禱◆主啊，將我高舉至你那裡，以致你救恩那豐富和充滿光輝的喜樂，能為著你的榮耀而面臨我和照亮我。願你使我與你之間的祈禱保持暢通。
His disciples asked Him privately, ’Why could we not cast it out?’ ” (Mark 9:28). The answer lies in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. “This kind can come out by nothing but” concentrating on Him, and then doubling and redoubling that concentration on Him. We can remain powerless forever, as the disciples were in this situation, by trying to do God’s work without concentrating on His power, and by following instead the ideas that we draw from our own nature. We actually slander and dishonor God by our very eagerness to serve Him without knowing Him.
When you are brought face to face with a difficult situation and nothing happens externally, you can still know that freedom and release will be given because of your continued concentration on Jesus Christ. Your duty in service and ministry is to see that there is nothing between Jesus and yourself. Is there anything between you and Jesus even now? If there is, you must get through it, not by ignoring it as an irritation, or by going up and over it, but by facing it and getting through it into the presence of Jesus Christ. Then that very problem itself, and all that you have been through in connection with it, will glorify Jesus Christ in a way that you will never know until you see Him face to face.
We must be able to “mount up with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31), but we must also know how to come down. The power of the saint lies in the coming down and in the living that is done in the valley. Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) and what he was referring to were mostly humiliating things. And yet it is in our power to refuse to be humiliated and to say, “No, thank you, I much prefer to be on the mountaintop with God.” Can I face things as they actually are in the light of the reality of Jesus Christ, or do things as they really are destroy my faith in Him, and put me into a panic?
事奉的領域
非用禱告禁食，這一類的鬼，不能出來。 （可九29）
[我們為什麼不能趕他出去呢？ ]這問題的答案在於人與主耶穌的關係。只有集中在主身上，加倍的仰望主，才能把這類鬼趕出去。若不集中靠神的能力去作神的工，只靠自己的主意，就變得無能，像昔日門徒一樣。我們熱心為他作工，卻又不認識他，只會給神帶來羞辱。
當你面臨一件困難的事，外表看來好像沒有什麼改變，可是你卻曉得事情必得以解決，因為你專注在主耶穌身上。這就是你事奉的途徑－－與主之間毫無阻隔。若有任何阻隔的話，就必須挪開，不是因惱怒而置之不理，也不是越過它，而是面對它，把它直接帶到主耶穌面前。那樣，這件事和所有與此相關的，都會榮耀神；你甚至詫異莫名，知道面對面見主那一天才會完全明白。
我們要像鷹一般展翅上騰，但必須知道如何降落。聖徒的能力，就是能降落，能在平地上生活。保羅說：[我靠著那加給我力量的，凡事都能作。 ]他所指的事，多半是低賤的事，我們大可拒絕降卑，說：[謝了，我還是喜歡與神在山頂上。 ]主耶穌是真實的，我能否在這亮光中，面對現實？還是讓事情完全抹煞了我對他的信心，以致陷在恐慌中？
祈禱◆主啊，將我高舉至你那裡，以致你救恩那豐富和充滿光輝的喜樂，能為著你的榮耀而面臨我和照亮我。願你使我與你之間的祈禱保持暢通。
October 01, 2014
The Place of Exaltation
. . . Jesus took . . . them up on a high mountain apart by themselves . . . —Mark 9:2
We have all experienced times of exaltation on the mountain, when we have seen things from God’s perspective and have wanted to stay there. But God will never allow us to stay there. The true test of our spiritual life is in exhibiting the power to descend from the mountain. If we only have the power to go up, something is wrong. It is a wonderful thing to be on the mountain with God, but a person only gets there so that he may later go down and lift up the demon-possessed people in the valley (see Mark 9:14-18). We are not made for the mountains, for sunrises, or for the other beautiful attractions in life— those are simply intended to be moments of inspiration. We are made for the valley and the ordinary things of life, and that is where we have to prove our stamina and strength. Yet our spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mountain. We feel that we could talk and live like perfect angels, if we could only stay on the mountaintop. Those times of exaltation are exceptional and they have their meaning in our life with God, but we must beware to prevent our spiritual selfishness from wanting to make them the only time.
We are inclined to think that everything that happens is to be turned into useful teaching. In actual fact, it is to be turned into something even better than teaching, namely, character. The mountaintop is not meant to teach us anything, it is meant to make us something. There is a terrible trap in always asking, “What’s the use of this experience?” We can never measure spiritual matters in that way. The moments on the mountaintop are rare moments, and they are meant for something in God’s purpose.
超升的領域
耶穌帶著彼得、雅各、約翰，暗暗的上了高山……(可九2)
我們都有過山上的經歷－－從神的觀點看事物，於是就想留在那裡不再下來。可是，神絕不容許我們留在那裡。屬靈生命的考驗，是看你下山以後的能力。若只有上山才有能力，那就有點不對勁了。在神的山上，固然好極了，但上山的目的，是叫人以後下來到被魔鬼轄制的人中間，把他們向上推。我們不是為山峰、晨曦、美景而造，那些只是感性的時刻。我們乃是為山谷而造，為那日常平凡的事而造，為要考驗我們的能力。屬靈的自私總是盼望可以重演山上的經歷，以為只要留在山上，就可以說話生活如天使一般。其實，高峰的生活是例外的，在與神的相交忠，有它的作用；但必須當心，別讓屬靈的自私把高山的經歷，視作唯一去追求的東西。
我們常以為凡事都是為教導我們，但其實比教導更好的，就是使凡遭遇的變成我們的個性。山頂的經歷不是要教導我們，乃是要塑造我們。 [這事有什麼用處？ ]這樣問有很大的危險。屬靈的事不是這樣計算的。山頂上的經歷是罕有的，是神為特別的目的而設的。
祈禱◆主啊，我最渴望的，是在你裡面生根建造－－以神為中心，專注於神，熱心於神和愛神。我的靈魂何等渴望認識你，並且得著平靜。
We have all experienced times of exaltation on the mountain, when we have seen things from God’s perspective and have wanted to stay there. But God will never allow us to stay there. The true test of our spiritual life is in exhibiting the power to descend from the mountain. If we only have the power to go up, something is wrong. It is a wonderful thing to be on the mountain with God, but a person only gets there so that he may later go down and lift up the demon-possessed people in the valley (see Mark 9:14-18). We are not made for the mountains, for sunrises, or for the other beautiful attractions in life— those are simply intended to be moments of inspiration. We are made for the valley and the ordinary things of life, and that is where we have to prove our stamina and strength. Yet our spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mountain. We feel that we could talk and live like perfect angels, if we could only stay on the mountaintop. Those times of exaltation are exceptional and they have their meaning in our life with God, but we must beware to prevent our spiritual selfishness from wanting to make them the only time.
We are inclined to think that everything that happens is to be turned into useful teaching. In actual fact, it is to be turned into something even better than teaching, namely, character. The mountaintop is not meant to teach us anything, it is meant to make us something. There is a terrible trap in always asking, “What’s the use of this experience?” We can never measure spiritual matters in that way. The moments on the mountaintop are rare moments, and they are meant for something in God’s purpose.
超升的領域
耶穌帶著彼得、雅各、約翰，暗暗的上了高山……(可九2)
我們都有過山上的經歷－－從神的觀點看事物，於是就想留在那裡不再下來。可是，神絕不容許我們留在那裡。屬靈生命的考驗，是看你下山以後的能力。若只有上山才有能力，那就有點不對勁了。在神的山上，固然好極了，但上山的目的，是叫人以後下來到被魔鬼轄制的人中間，把他們向上推。我們不是為山峰、晨曦、美景而造，那些只是感性的時刻。我們乃是為山谷而造，為那日常平凡的事而造，為要考驗我們的能力。屬靈的自私總是盼望可以重演山上的經歷，以為只要留在山上，就可以說話生活如天使一般。其實，高峰的生活是例外的，在與神的相交忠，有它的作用；但必須當心，別讓屬靈的自私把高山的經歷，視作唯一去追求的東西。
我們常以為凡事都是為教導我們，但其實比教導更好的，就是使凡遭遇的變成我們的個性。山頂的經歷不是要教導我們，乃是要塑造我們。 [這事有什麼用處？ ]這樣問有很大的危險。屬靈的事不是這樣計算的。山頂上的經歷是罕有的，是神為特別的目的而設的。
祈禱◆主啊，我最渴望的，是在你裡面生根建造－－以神為中心，專注於神，熱心於神和愛神。我的靈魂何等渴望認識你，並且得著平靜。
September 07, 2014
Fountains of Blessings
The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life —John 4:14
The picture our Lord described here is not that of a simple stream of water, but an overflowing fountain. Continue to “be filled” (Ephesians 5:18) and the sweetness of your vital relationship to Jesus will flow as generously out of you as it has been given to you. If you find that His life is not springing up as it should, you are to blame— something is obstructing the flow. Was Jesus saying to stay focused on the Source so that you may be blessed personally? No, you are to focus on the Source so that out of you “will flow rivers of living water”— irrepressible life (John 7:38).
We are to be fountains through which Jesus can flow as “rivers of living water” in blessing to everyone. Yet some of us are like the Dead Sea, always receiving but never giving, because our relationship is not right with the Lord Jesus. As surely as we receive blessings from Him, He will pour out blessings through us. But whenever the blessings are not being poured out in the same measure they are received, there is a defect in our relationship with Him. Is there anything between you and Jesus Christ? Is there anything hindering your faith in Him? If not, then Jesus says that out of you “will flow rivers of living water.” It is not a blessing that you pass on, or an experience that you share with others, but a river that continually flows through you. Stay at the Source, closely guarding your faith in Jesus Christ and your relationship to Him, and there will be a steady flow into the lives of others with no dryness or deadness whatsoever.
Is it excessive to say that rivers will flow out of one individual believer? Do you look at yourself and say, “But I don’t see the rivers”? Through the history of God’s work you will usually find that He has started with the obscure, the unknown, the ignored, but those who have been steadfastly true to Jesus Christ.
福泉
我所賜的水，要在他裡頭成為泉源。 （約四14）
主所描寫的，不是一條河道，乃是一個活泉。 [要被充滿]，這樣，聖徒與主耶穌生命關係的甜美，就會豐富不絕地湧流，正如主傾倒給他的一樣。你若發現生命並不能如意地湧流，問題一定是在你身上；一定是有阻塞的障礙物。要保持與源頭接駁，這樣你就會大得福祉？不，你會有活水江流湧流，是無法歇止的生命。
我們要成為活水湧流的江河，讓主耶穌湧流而出，使每個人得福。有些人像死海，只接受而不付出，因為他們與主耶穌得關係並不和諧。我們接受他的生命，是肯定的；這樣，他透過我們湧流，也該是肯定的。主若沒有暢順的湧流，你與他的關係必然有了缺陷。你與他之間有何阻隔？什麼阻攔你對他的信念？若沒有，耶穌說：[你要湧流出活水江河。 ]不是福氣的傳遞，不是經驗的申述，乃是江河的湧流。要持定源頭，謹守對主的信心和與他的關係，這樣，你就有不住 的水供應別人，不枯乾，也不死涸。
個別信徒要湧流出江河，是否誇張之言？你會說：[我看不見江河。 ]記著不要從[我是什麼人？ ]的觀點來看自己。神工作的歷史，往往是從隱藏的、不為人知的、被人忽視的，但對主耶穌基督堅貞不移的人開始。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，讓我重拾那因你與我同在而有的獨特喜樂，使我在這個地方全屬於你。我似乎不適宜作任何事情，惟獨等候你。噢，主啊，給我顯示一個永久的標記。
The picture our Lord described here is not that of a simple stream of water, but an overflowing fountain. Continue to “be filled” (Ephesians 5:18) and the sweetness of your vital relationship to Jesus will flow as generously out of you as it has been given to you. If you find that His life is not springing up as it should, you are to blame— something is obstructing the flow. Was Jesus saying to stay focused on the Source so that you may be blessed personally? No, you are to focus on the Source so that out of you “will flow rivers of living water”— irrepressible life (John 7:38).
We are to be fountains through which Jesus can flow as “rivers of living water” in blessing to everyone. Yet some of us are like the Dead Sea, always receiving but never giving, because our relationship is not right with the Lord Jesus. As surely as we receive blessings from Him, He will pour out blessings through us. But whenever the blessings are not being poured out in the same measure they are received, there is a defect in our relationship with Him. Is there anything between you and Jesus Christ? Is there anything hindering your faith in Him? If not, then Jesus says that out of you “will flow rivers of living water.” It is not a blessing that you pass on, or an experience that you share with others, but a river that continually flows through you. Stay at the Source, closely guarding your faith in Jesus Christ and your relationship to Him, and there will be a steady flow into the lives of others with no dryness or deadness whatsoever.
Is it excessive to say that rivers will flow out of one individual believer? Do you look at yourself and say, “But I don’t see the rivers”? Through the history of God’s work you will usually find that He has started with the obscure, the unknown, the ignored, but those who have been steadfastly true to Jesus Christ.
福泉
我所賜的水，要在他裡頭成為泉源。 （約四14）
主所描寫的，不是一條河道，乃是一個活泉。 [要被充滿]，這樣，聖徒與主耶穌生命關係的甜美，就會豐富不絕地湧流，正如主傾倒給他的一樣。你若發現生命並不能如意地湧流，問題一定是在你身上；一定是有阻塞的障礙物。要保持與源頭接駁，這樣你就會大得福祉？不，你會有活水江流湧流，是無法歇止的生命。
我們要成為活水湧流的江河，讓主耶穌湧流而出，使每個人得福。有些人像死海，只接受而不付出，因為他們與主耶穌得關係並不和諧。我們接受他的生命，是肯定的；這樣，他透過我們湧流，也該是肯定的。主若沒有暢順的湧流，你與他的關係必然有了缺陷。你與他之間有何阻隔？什麼阻攔你對他的信念？若沒有，耶穌說：[你要湧流出活水江河。 ]不是福氣的傳遞，不是經驗的申述，乃是江河的湧流。要持定源頭，謹守對主的信心和與他的關係，這樣，你就有不住 的水供應別人，不枯乾，也不死涸。
個別信徒要湧流出江河，是否誇張之言？你會說：[我看不見江河。 ]記著不要從[我是什麼人？ ]的觀點來看自己。神工作的歷史，往往是從隱藏的、不為人知的、被人忽視的，但對主耶穌基督堅貞不移的人開始。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，讓我重拾那因你與我同在而有的獨特喜樂，使我在這個地方全屬於你。我似乎不適宜作任何事情，惟獨等候你。噢，主啊，給我顯示一個永久的標記。
August 30, 2014
Usefulness or Relationship?
Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven —Luke 10:20
Jesus Christ is saying here, “Don’t rejoice in your successful service for Me, but rejoice because of your right relationship with Me.” The trap you may fall into in Christian work is to rejoice in successful service— rejoicing in the fact that God has used you. Yet you will never be able to measure fully what God will do through you if you have a right-standing relationship with Jesus Christ. If you keep your relationship right with Him, then regardless of your circumstances or whoever you encounter each day, He will continue to pour “rivers of living water” through you (John 7:38). And it is actually by His mercy that He does not let you know it. Once you have the right relationship with God through salvation and sanctification, remember that whatever your circumstances may be, you have been placed in them by God. And God uses the reaction of your life to your circumstances to fulfill His purpose, as long as you continue to “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7).
Our tendency today is to put the emphasis on service. Beware of the people who make their request for help on the basis of someone’s usefulness. If you make usefulness the test, then Jesus Christ was the greatest failure who ever lived. For the saint, direction and guidance come from God Himself, not some measure of that saint’s usefulness. It is the work that God does through us that counts, not what we do for Him. All that our Lord gives His attention to in a person’s life is that person’s relationship with God— something of great value to His Father. Jesus is “bringing many sons to glory . . .” (Hebrews 2:10).
我信服基督麼？
然而不要因鬼服了你們就歡喜，要因你們的名記錄在天上歡喜。 （路十20）
耶穌在這裡其實是說：不要因工作成功而歡喜，要因與我親密的關係而歡喜。信徒事奉的網羅，往往是因成功而歡喜，因得神使用而歡喜。其實你若與他有正確的關係，他要藉你成就的，實難以估量。所以，要保持與他緊密的相連，那末不論環境如何，不管你每天碰見什麼人，他都會透過你傾倒活水，而因著他的憐憫不讓你察覺。藉救贖及成聖你與神連合了，那麼不論你在那裡，都是出於神。若你保守自己在光明中，正如神在光明中一樣，他就會藉著你在環境中的反應，成就他的計劃。
今日的趨勢是把重點放在事奉上。當心有些人把自己的用處，作為身分的根據。若拿用處作考驗的根據，耶穌基督就是地上最大的失敗。聖徒的指標該是神自己，不是用處有多少。算得上有價值的是神透過我們所作的工，而不是我們自己為神作的工。我們的主所關注的，是一個人與父的關係有多深。耶穌正率領許多兒子進到榮耀裡去。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我因你的說話－－[好像人得了許多擄物]－－而感到歡喜。當我今天向你祈求，願你將你的說話放在我的口中，求你成就，以致凡我口所發出的，都是你的說話。
Jesus Christ is saying here, “Don’t rejoice in your successful service for Me, but rejoice because of your right relationship with Me.” The trap you may fall into in Christian work is to rejoice in successful service— rejoicing in the fact that God has used you. Yet you will never be able to measure fully what God will do through you if you have a right-standing relationship with Jesus Christ. If you keep your relationship right with Him, then regardless of your circumstances or whoever you encounter each day, He will continue to pour “rivers of living water” through you (John 7:38). And it is actually by His mercy that He does not let you know it. Once you have the right relationship with God through salvation and sanctification, remember that whatever your circumstances may be, you have been placed in them by God. And God uses the reaction of your life to your circumstances to fulfill His purpose, as long as you continue to “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7).
Our tendency today is to put the emphasis on service. Beware of the people who make their request for help on the basis of someone’s usefulness. If you make usefulness the test, then Jesus Christ was the greatest failure who ever lived. For the saint, direction and guidance come from God Himself, not some measure of that saint’s usefulness. It is the work that God does through us that counts, not what we do for Him. All that our Lord gives His attention to in a person’s life is that person’s relationship with God— something of great value to His Father. Jesus is “bringing many sons to glory . . .” (Hebrews 2:10).
我信服基督麼？
然而不要因鬼服了你們就歡喜，要因你們的名記錄在天上歡喜。 （路十20）
耶穌在這裡其實是說：不要因工作成功而歡喜，要因與我親密的關係而歡喜。信徒事奉的網羅，往往是因成功而歡喜，因得神使用而歡喜。其實你若與他有正確的關係，他要藉你成就的，實難以估量。所以，要保持與他緊密的相連，那末不論環境如何，不管你每天碰見什麼人，他都會透過你傾倒活水，而因著他的憐憫不讓你察覺。藉救贖及成聖你與神連合了，那麼不論你在那裡，都是出於神。若你保守自己在光明中，正如神在光明中一樣，他就會藉著你在環境中的反應，成就他的計劃。
今日的趨勢是把重點放在事奉上。當心有些人把自己的用處，作為身分的根據。若拿用處作考驗的根據，耶穌基督就是地上最大的失敗。聖徒的指標該是神自己，不是用處有多少。算得上有價值的是神透過我們所作的工，而不是我們自己為神作的工。我們的主所關注的，是一個人與父的關係有多深。耶穌正率領許多兒子進到榮耀裡去。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我因你的說話－－[好像人得了許多擄物]－－而感到歡喜。當我今天向你祈求，願你將你的說話放在我的口中，求你成就，以致凡我口所發出的，都是你的說話。
August 22, 2014
“I Indeed . . . But He”
I indeed baptize you with water . . . but He . . . will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire —Matthew 3:11
Have I ever come to the point in my life where I can say, “I indeed . . . but He . . .”? Until that moment comes, I will never know what the baptism of the Holy Spirit means. I indeed am at the end, and I cannot do anything more— but He begins right there— He does the things that no one else can ever do. Am I prepared for His coming? Jesus cannot come and do His work in me as long as there is anything blocking the way, whether it is something good or bad. When He comes to me, am I prepared for Him to drag every wrong thing I have ever done into the light? That is exactly where He comes. Wherever I know I am unclean is where He will put His feet and stand, and wherever I think I am clean is where He will remove His feet and walk away.
Repentance does not cause a sense of sin— it causes a sense of inexpressible unworthiness. When I repent, I realize that I am absolutely helpless, and I know that through and through I am not worthy even to carry His sandals. Have I repented like that, or do I have a lingering thought of possibly trying to defend my actions? The reason God cannot come into my life is that I am not at the point of complete repentance.
“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John is not speaking here of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as an experience, but as a work performed by Jesus Christ. “He will baptize you . . . .” The only experience that those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit are ever conscious of is the experience of sensing their absolute unworthiness.
“I indeed” was this in the past, “but He” came and something miraculous happened. Get to the end of yourself where you can do nothing, but where He does everything.
我是……但祂
我是用水給你們施洗，……但……他要用聖靈與火給你們施洗。 （太三11）
我是否已經到達可以說[我是……但他]的地步？未經歷這一刻，便實在不知道聖靈的洗到底是什麼意思。我果真到了盡頭，一無辦法；他就在此開始作人所無法作的。我預備好迎接他的來臨嗎？若路上有東西阻隔，不論是好是壞，他都不能來。在他來的時候，我是否預備好讓他把我一切的錯失帶到光中對付？他正要在這些事上臨到你。我明知不潔的地方，他就插足其中；我以為潔淨的地方，他就離去。
悔改並不會帶來罪疚感，只會叫人覺得自己絕對的不配。我悔改時，知道自己無能為力，連替他提鞋也不配。我有沒有這樣悔改過？還是暗地裡還為自己留一點餘地？神仍未能進入我的生命，是因為我還未徹底悔改。 [他要用聖靈與火給你們施洗。 ]約翰並沒有把聖靈的洗當作一個經歷，他是視之為耶穌基督的工作。 [他要給你們施洗。 ]凡受過聖靈施洗的人，唯一的知覺就是自己完全不配。 [我是……]這樣或那樣，[但他]來了，奇妙的事就發生。我們退居末位吧，讓他成就一切。
祈禱◆主啊，我多麼貧乏！那麼多的軟弱潛伏在隱藏的地方，要將我整個人摧毀。噢，主啊，我投向你。我何等需要認識到，離開了你，我便不能作什麼。
Have I ever come to the point in my life where I can say, “I indeed . . . but He . . .”? Until that moment comes, I will never know what the baptism of the Holy Spirit means. I indeed am at the end, and I cannot do anything more— but He begins right there— He does the things that no one else can ever do. Am I prepared for His coming? Jesus cannot come and do His work in me as long as there is anything blocking the way, whether it is something good or bad. When He comes to me, am I prepared for Him to drag every wrong thing I have ever done into the light? That is exactly where He comes. Wherever I know I am unclean is where He will put His feet and stand, and wherever I think I am clean is where He will remove His feet and walk away.
Repentance does not cause a sense of sin— it causes a sense of inexpressible unworthiness. When I repent, I realize that I am absolutely helpless, and I know that through and through I am not worthy even to carry His sandals. Have I repented like that, or do I have a lingering thought of possibly trying to defend my actions? The reason God cannot come into my life is that I am not at the point of complete repentance.
“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John is not speaking here of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as an experience, but as a work performed by Jesus Christ. “He will baptize you . . . .” The only experience that those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit are ever conscious of is the experience of sensing their absolute unworthiness.
“I indeed” was this in the past, “but He” came and something miraculous happened. Get to the end of yourself where you can do nothing, but where He does everything.
我是……但祂
我是用水給你們施洗，……但……他要用聖靈與火給你們施洗。 （太三11）
我是否已經到達可以說[我是……但他]的地步？未經歷這一刻，便實在不知道聖靈的洗到底是什麼意思。我果真到了盡頭，一無辦法；他就在此開始作人所無法作的。我預備好迎接他的來臨嗎？若路上有東西阻隔，不論是好是壞，他都不能來。在他來的時候，我是否預備好讓他把我一切的錯失帶到光中對付？他正要在這些事上臨到你。我明知不潔的地方，他就插足其中；我以為潔淨的地方，他就離去。
悔改並不會帶來罪疚感，只會叫人覺得自己絕對的不配。我悔改時，知道自己無能為力，連替他提鞋也不配。我有沒有這樣悔改過？還是暗地裡還為自己留一點餘地？神仍未能進入我的生命，是因為我還未徹底悔改。 [他要用聖靈與火給你們施洗。 ]約翰並沒有把聖靈的洗當作一個經歷，他是視之為耶穌基督的工作。 [他要給你們施洗。 ]凡受過聖靈施洗的人，唯一的知覺就是自己完全不配。 [我是……]這樣或那樣，[但他]來了，奇妙的事就發生。我們退居末位吧，讓他成就一切。
祈禱◆主啊，我多麼貧乏！那麼多的軟弱潛伏在隱藏的地方，要將我整個人摧毀。噢，主啊，我投向你。我何等需要認識到，離開了你，我便不能作什麼。
August 15, 2014
The Evidence of the New Birth
You must be born again —John 3:7
The answer to Nicodemus’ question, “How can a man be born when he is old?” is: Only when he is willing to die to everything in his life, including his rights, his virtues, and his religion, and becomes willing to receive into himself a new life that he has never before experienced (John 3:4). This new life exhibits itself in our conscious repentance and through our unconscious holiness.
“But as many as received Him. . .” (John 1:12). Is my knowledge of Jesus the result of my own internal spiritual perception, or is it only what I have learned through listening to others? Is there something in my life that unites me with the Lord Jesus as my personal Savior? My spiritual history must have as its underlying foundation a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ. To be born again means that I see Jesus.
“. . . unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God ” (John 3:3). Am I seeking only for the evidence of God’s kingdom, or am I actually recognizing His absolute sovereign control? The new birth gives me a new power of vision by which I begin to discern God’s control. His sovereignty was there all the time, but with God being true to His nature, I could not see it until I received His very nature myself.
“Whoever has been born of God does not sin. . .” (1 John 3:9). Am I seeking to stop sinning or have I actually stopped? To be born of God means that I have His supernatural power to stop sinning. The Bible never asks, “Should a Christian sin?” The Bible emphatically states that a Christian must not sin. The work of the new birth is being effective in us when we do not commit sin. It is not merely that we have the power not to sin, but that we have actually stopped sinning. Yet 1 John 3:9 does not mean that we cannot sin— it simply means that if we will obey the life of God in us, that we do not have to sin.
新生的跡象
你們必須重生。 （約三7）
[人老了，如何能重生呢？ ]答案是在於人肯死去－－對自己的權利、德行、宗教，以及其他一切全然死去，然後接受一個他從來沒有的生命。這新生命是從有意識的悔改，及不自覺的成聖中孕育出來。
[凡接待他的。 ]（約一12）我對耶穌的認識，是因內在屬靈生命的體會，還是從聽人家講論而來？我生命中有沒有什麼使我與主耶穌相連，使我以他為個人救主？一切的靈性歷史，都必須以個人認識作為基石。重生的意思，就是我看見了主耶穌。
[人若不重生，就不能見神的國。 ]（約三3）我是否再尋找天國？還是看到神的統治？重生使我有了新的異象，叫我能夠體察神的統治。他的統治其實一直存在，是與他的本性相符的；如今我既接受了他，就看得見他的統治。 [凡從神生的，就不犯罪。 ]（約壹三9）我是設法不犯罪？還是已經停止犯罪？從神生的，就有神超然的能力，可以停止犯罪。聖經從沒有問：基督徒應否犯罪？聖經強調基督徒必不可犯罪。新生命的效能就是使我們不犯罪，不單是有能力不犯罪，而是根本停止去犯。約翰一書三章9節不是說我們沒有犯罪的可能；乃是說我們若順服神的我們裡面的生命，就不會犯罪。
祈禱◆主啊，我似乎令你憂心－－那將會帶來什麼後果呢？讓我在你的門口守候和等待。
The answer to Nicodemus’ question, “How can a man be born when he is old?” is: Only when he is willing to die to everything in his life, including his rights, his virtues, and his religion, and becomes willing to receive into himself a new life that he has never before experienced (John 3:4). This new life exhibits itself in our conscious repentance and through our unconscious holiness.
“But as many as received Him. . .” (John 1:12). Is my knowledge of Jesus the result of my own internal spiritual perception, or is it only what I have learned through listening to others? Is there something in my life that unites me with the Lord Jesus as my personal Savior? My spiritual history must have as its underlying foundation a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ. To be born again means that I see Jesus.
“. . . unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God ” (John 3:3). Am I seeking only for the evidence of God’s kingdom, or am I actually recognizing His absolute sovereign control? The new birth gives me a new power of vision by which I begin to discern God’s control. His sovereignty was there all the time, but with God being true to His nature, I could not see it until I received His very nature myself.
“Whoever has been born of God does not sin. . .” (1 John 3:9). Am I seeking to stop sinning or have I actually stopped? To be born of God means that I have His supernatural power to stop sinning. The Bible never asks, “Should a Christian sin?” The Bible emphatically states that a Christian must not sin. The work of the new birth is being effective in us when we do not commit sin. It is not merely that we have the power not to sin, but that we have actually stopped sinning. Yet 1 John 3:9 does not mean that we cannot sin— it simply means that if we will obey the life of God in us, that we do not have to sin.
新生的跡象
你們必須重生。 （約三7）
[人老了，如何能重生呢？ ]答案是在於人肯死去－－對自己的權利、德行、宗教，以及其他一切全然死去，然後接受一個他從來沒有的生命。這新生命是從有意識的悔改，及不自覺的成聖中孕育出來。
[凡接待他的。 ]（約一12）我對耶穌的認識，是因內在屬靈生命的體會，還是從聽人家講論而來？我生命中有沒有什麼使我與主耶穌相連，使我以他為個人救主？一切的靈性歷史，都必須以個人認識作為基石。重生的意思，就是我看見了主耶穌。
[人若不重生，就不能見神的國。 ]（約三3）我是否再尋找天國？還是看到神的統治？重生使我有了新的異象，叫我能夠體察神的統治。他的統治其實一直存在，是與他的本性相符的；如今我既接受了他，就看得見他的統治。 [凡從神生的，就不犯罪。 ]（約壹三9）我是設法不犯罪？還是已經停止犯罪？從神生的，就有神超然的能力，可以停止犯罪。聖經從沒有問：基督徒應否犯罪？聖經強調基督徒必不可犯罪。新生命的效能就是使我們不犯罪，不單是有能力不犯罪，而是根本停止去犯。約翰一書三章9節不是說我們沒有犯罪的可能；乃是說我們若順服神的我們裡面的生命，就不會犯罪。
祈禱◆主啊，我似乎令你憂心－－那將會帶來什麼後果呢？讓我在你的門口守候和等待。
July 20, 2014
Dependent on God’s Presence
Those who wait on the Lord . . . shall walk and not faint —Isaiah 40:31
There is no thrill for us in walking, yet it is the test for all of our steady and enduring qualities. To “walk and not faint” is the highest stretch possible as a measure of strength. The word walk is used in the Bible to express the character of a person— “. . . John . . . looking at Jesus as He walked. . . said, ’Behold the Lamb of God!’ ” (John 1:35-36). There is nothing abstract or obscure in the Bible; everything is vivid and real. God does not say, “Be spiritual,” but He says, “Walk before Me. . .” (Genesis 17:1).
When we are in an unhealthy condition either physically or emotionally, we always look for thrills in life. In our physical life this leads to our efforts to counterfeit the work of the Holy Spirit; in our emotional life it leads to obsessions and to the destruction of our morality; and in our spiritual life, if we insist on pursuing only thrills, on mounting up “with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31), it will result in the destruction of our spirituality.
Having the reality of God’s presence is not dependent on our being in a particular circumstance or place, but is only dependent on our determination to keep the Lord before us continually. Our problems arise when we refuse to place our trust in the reality of His presence. The experience the psalmist speaks of— “We will not fear, even though . . .” (Psalm 46:2)— will be ours once we are grounded on the truth of the reality of God’s presence, not just a simple awareness of it, but an understanding of the reality of it. Then we will exclaim, “He has been here all the time!” At critical moments in our lives it is necessary to ask God for guidance, but it should be unnecessary to be constantly saying, “Oh, Lord, direct me in this, and in that.” Of course He will, and in fact, He is doing it already! If our everyday decisions are not according to His will, He will press through them, bringing restraint to our spirit. Then we must be quiet and wait for the direction of His presence.
倚靠神的同在
但那等候耶和華的……行走卻不疲乏。 （賽四十31）
行路並無甚刺激，但卻是一切堅定品質的考驗。 [行走卻不疲乏]，是能力最高的境地。聖經中用[行走]來描畫人的品質——[約翰見耶穌行走，就說，看哪，這是神的羔羊！ ]聖經的話從不抽象，總是生動而真實。神沒有說：[你要屬靈。 ]他是說：[行在我裡面。 ]我們的身體或情緒上處於不健康的狀態，就會尋求刺激，尋求凌空飛翔的經歷，就會招來屬靈破產的結局。
神同在的真實，不在乎地方，只在乎我們決心把主常擺在面前。許多的問題，都出自不肯信賴他同在的事實。詩人說：[雖然……我們也不害怕。 ]若我們倚靠他，也能有同樣的經歷；者不是倚靠神同在的感覺，而是抓緊神同在的真實。 ——[噢，他原來一直都在這裡！ ]。當然，在緊急關頭時可以求主指引，但卻不需要一天到晚說：[主啊，帶領我這個，帶領我那個。 ]他必會帶領的。我們按常理作的決定，若不合神的心，他自會插手阻攔；這是，我們就得安靜，等候他的引導。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，你的道路何等奇妙！當我回想你帶領和陪同我走過的道路，我便在驚嘆、愛意和讚美中渾然忘我。
There is no thrill for us in walking, yet it is the test for all of our steady and enduring qualities. To “walk and not faint” is the highest stretch possible as a measure of strength. The word walk is used in the Bible to express the character of a person— “. . . John . . . looking at Jesus as He walked. . . said, ’Behold the Lamb of God!’ ” (John 1:35-36). There is nothing abstract or obscure in the Bible; everything is vivid and real. God does not say, “Be spiritual,” but He says, “Walk before Me. . .” (Genesis 17:1).
When we are in an unhealthy condition either physically or emotionally, we always look for thrills in life. In our physical life this leads to our efforts to counterfeit the work of the Holy Spirit; in our emotional life it leads to obsessions and to the destruction of our morality; and in our spiritual life, if we insist on pursuing only thrills, on mounting up “with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31), it will result in the destruction of our spirituality.
Having the reality of God’s presence is not dependent on our being in a particular circumstance or place, but is only dependent on our determination to keep the Lord before us continually. Our problems arise when we refuse to place our trust in the reality of His presence. The experience the psalmist speaks of— “We will not fear, even though . . .” (Psalm 46:2)— will be ours once we are grounded on the truth of the reality of God’s presence, not just a simple awareness of it, but an understanding of the reality of it. Then we will exclaim, “He has been here all the time!” At critical moments in our lives it is necessary to ask God for guidance, but it should be unnecessary to be constantly saying, “Oh, Lord, direct me in this, and in that.” Of course He will, and in fact, He is doing it already! If our everyday decisions are not according to His will, He will press through them, bringing restraint to our spirit. Then we must be quiet and wait for the direction of His presence.
倚靠神的同在
但那等候耶和華的……行走卻不疲乏。 （賽四十31）
行路並無甚刺激，但卻是一切堅定品質的考驗。 [行走卻不疲乏]，是能力最高的境地。聖經中用[行走]來描畫人的品質——[約翰見耶穌行走，就說，看哪，這是神的羔羊！ ]聖經的話從不抽象，總是生動而真實。神沒有說：[你要屬靈。 ]他是說：[行在我裡面。 ]我們的身體或情緒上處於不健康的狀態，就會尋求刺激，尋求凌空飛翔的經歷，就會招來屬靈破產的結局。
神同在的真實，不在乎地方，只在乎我們決心把主常擺在面前。許多的問題，都出自不肯信賴他同在的事實。詩人說：[雖然……我們也不害怕。 ]若我們倚靠他，也能有同樣的經歷；者不是倚靠神同在的感覺，而是抓緊神同在的真實。 ——[噢，他原來一直都在這裡！ ]。當然，在緊急關頭時可以求主指引，但卻不需要一天到晚說：[主啊，帶領我這個，帶領我那個。 ]他必會帶領的。我們按常理作的決定，若不合神的心，他自會插手阻攔；這是，我們就得安靜，等候他的引導。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，你的道路何等奇妙！當我回想你帶領和陪同我走過的道路，我便在驚嘆、愛意和讚美中渾然忘我。
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。
May 27, 2014
The Life To Know Him
. . . tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high —Luke 24:49
The disciples had to tarry, staying in Jerusalem until the day of Pentecost, not only for their own preparation but because they had to wait until the Lord was actually glorified. And as soon as He was glorified, what happened? “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” (Acts 2:33). The statement in John 7:39 — “. . . for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified”— does not pertain to us. The Holy Spirit has been given; the Lord is glorified— our waiting is not dependent on the providence of God, but on our own spiritual fitness.
The Holy Spirit’s influence and power were at work before Pentecost, but He was not here. Once our Lord was glorified in His ascension, the Holy Spirit came into the world, and He has been here ever since. We have to receive the revealed truth that He is here. The attitude of receiving and welcoming the Holy Spirit into our lives is to be the continual attitude of a believer. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive reviving life from our ascended Lord.
It is not the baptism of the Holy Spirit that changes people, but the power of the ascended Christ coming into their lives through the Holy Spirit. We all too often separate things that the New Testament never separates. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not an experience apart from Jesus Christ— it is the evidence of the ascended Christ.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit does not make you think of time or eternity— it is one amazing glorious now. “This is eternal life, that they may know You . . .” (John 17:3). Begin to know Him now, and never finish.
活的生命
你們要在城裡等候，直到你們領受從上頭來的能力。 （路二十四49）
門徒要等候五旬節的來臨，不單是為了準備自己，更是要等主得榮耀，成為一件歷史事實。他得榮耀就怎樣了？ [他既被神得右手高舉，又從父受了所應許的聖靈，就把你們所看見所聽見的，澆灌下來]。約翰福音七章39節所作的註解－－[那時還沒有賜下聖靈來，因為耶穌尚未得著榮耀。 ]並不適用在我們身上，因為聖靈已經賜下來了，主也得了榮耀。我們所等候的，不是神旨，而是自己有沒有預備好。
五旬節前，聖靈的感動與能力已在作工，但他並不在那裡。主一升天得榮耀，聖靈就降臨世間，而且一直在這裡了。我們必須領受這個啟示，知道他在這裡。接受聖靈，是信徒必須一直持守的。我們接受了聖靈，就從升天的主接受了生氣蓬勃的生命。
叫人改變的並不是聖靈的洗，乃是升天的基督藉聖靈進入人生命中。我們往往把新約中不可分割的事分割開來。聖靈的洗不是一種在耶穌基督之外的經歷，而是基督升了天的明證。
聖靈的洗不會叫你想到時間和永恆，卻令你想到寶貴的現今。 [認識你……這就是永生。 ]現在就開始認識他，直到永遠。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我感謝你的話語－－[不是倚靠勢力，不是倚靠才能，乃是倚靠我得靈方能成事。 ]今天，我祈求你的靈給予我這種幫助，讓我可以使你滿意。
The disciples had to tarry, staying in Jerusalem until the day of Pentecost, not only for their own preparation but because they had to wait until the Lord was actually glorified. And as soon as He was glorified, what happened? “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” (Acts 2:33). The statement in John 7:39 — “. . . for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified”— does not pertain to us. The Holy Spirit has been given; the Lord is glorified— our waiting is not dependent on the providence of God, but on our own spiritual fitness.
The Holy Spirit’s influence and power were at work before Pentecost, but He was not here. Once our Lord was glorified in His ascension, the Holy Spirit came into the world, and He has been here ever since. We have to receive the revealed truth that He is here. The attitude of receiving and welcoming the Holy Spirit into our lives is to be the continual attitude of a believer. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive reviving life from our ascended Lord.
It is not the baptism of the Holy Spirit that changes people, but the power of the ascended Christ coming into their lives through the Holy Spirit. We all too often separate things that the New Testament never separates. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not an experience apart from Jesus Christ— it is the evidence of the ascended Christ.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit does not make you think of time or eternity— it is one amazing glorious now. “This is eternal life, that they may know You . . .” (John 17:3). Begin to know Him now, and never finish.
活的生命
你們要在城裡等候，直到你們領受從上頭來的能力。 （路二十四49）
門徒要等候五旬節的來臨，不單是為了準備自己，更是要等主得榮耀，成為一件歷史事實。他得榮耀就怎樣了？ [他既被神得右手高舉，又從父受了所應許的聖靈，就把你們所看見所聽見的，澆灌下來]。約翰福音七章39節所作的註解－－[那時還沒有賜下聖靈來，因為耶穌尚未得著榮耀。 ]並不適用在我們身上，因為聖靈已經賜下來了，主也得了榮耀。我們所等候的，不是神旨，而是自己有沒有預備好。
五旬節前，聖靈的感動與能力已在作工，但他並不在那裡。主一升天得榮耀，聖靈就降臨世間，而且一直在這裡了。我們必須領受這個啟示，知道他在這裡。接受聖靈，是信徒必須一直持守的。我們接受了聖靈，就從升天的主接受了生氣蓬勃的生命。
叫人改變的並不是聖靈的洗，乃是升天的基督藉聖靈進入人生命中。我們往往把新約中不可分割的事分割開來。聖靈的洗不是一種在耶穌基督之外的經歷，而是基督升了天的明證。
聖靈的洗不會叫你想到時間和永恆，卻令你想到寶貴的現今。 [認識你……這就是永生。 ]現在就開始認識他，直到永遠。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我感謝你的話語－－[不是倚靠勢力，不是倚靠才能，乃是倚靠我得靈方能成事。 ]今天，我祈求你的靈給予我這種幫助，讓我可以使你滿意。
May 26, 2014
Thinking of Prayer as Jesus Taught
Pray without ceasing . . . —1 Thessalonians 5:17
Our thinking about prayer, whether right or wrong, is based on our own mental conception of it. The correct concept is to think of prayer as the breath in our lungs and the blood from our hearts. Our blood flows and our breathing continues “without ceasing”; we are not even conscious of it, but it never stops. And we are not always conscious of Jesus keeping us in perfect oneness with God, but if we are obeying Him, He always is. Prayer is not an exercise, it is the life of the saint. Beware of anything that stops the offering up of prayer. “Pray without ceasing . . .”— maintain the childlike habit of offering up prayer in your heart to God all the time.
Jesus never mentioned unanswered prayer. He had the unlimited certainty of knowing that prayer is always answered. Do we have through the Spirit of God that inexpressible certainty that Jesus had about prayer, or do we think of the times when it seemed that God did not answer our prayer? Jesus said, “. . . everyone who asks receives . . .” (Matthew 7:8). Yet we say, “But . . . , but . . . .” God answers prayer in the best way— not just sometimes, but every time. However, the evidence of the answer in the area we want it may not always immediately follow. Do we expect God to answer prayer?
The danger we have is that we want to water down what Jesus said to make it mean something that aligns with our common sense. But if it were only common sense, what He said would not even be worthwhile. The things Jesus taught about prayer are supernatural truths He reveals to us.
照耶穌所說的去思想
不住的禱告。 （帖前五17）
我們對禱告的觀念，會影響我們對禱告態度的正誤。我們若視禱告如胸中的呼吸，如心中的血液，這就對了。血不停地流，呼吸也不間斷；我們雖不自覺，它卻一直在運行著。耶穌使我們與神聯合，我們未必時常感覺得到。若我們順服他，就知道他實在是時常如此。禱告不是一項活動，乃是生命。當心那些阻礙隨時禱告的東西。 [不住禱告]，保持赤子般的習慣，隨時在心中向神禱告。
耶穌從未提及落空的禱告。他確實知道禱告必蒙應允。我們有沒有靠著聖靈，有主耶穌對禱告那種不可言狀的信心？還是覺得神有時不聽人禱告？ [祈求就得著。 ]我們說：[但……但……]。
神永最奇妙的辦法應允禱告，不是有時聽有時不聽，乃是時時都聽。不過禱告得應允，未必是照我們所要得。我們指望神答允禱告嗎？我們的危險就是把耶穌所說的簡化，使之符合人的常理；其實若只是常理，就不值得說出了。耶穌所講的禱告，是超然的啟示。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，有太多的事需要祈求，有太多的人需要拯救。我何等渴望地仰望你。
Our thinking about prayer, whether right or wrong, is based on our own mental conception of it. The correct concept is to think of prayer as the breath in our lungs and the blood from our hearts. Our blood flows and our breathing continues “without ceasing”; we are not even conscious of it, but it never stops. And we are not always conscious of Jesus keeping us in perfect oneness with God, but if we are obeying Him, He always is. Prayer is not an exercise, it is the life of the saint. Beware of anything that stops the offering up of prayer. “Pray without ceasing . . .”— maintain the childlike habit of offering up prayer in your heart to God all the time.
Jesus never mentioned unanswered prayer. He had the unlimited certainty of knowing that prayer is always answered. Do we have through the Spirit of God that inexpressible certainty that Jesus had about prayer, or do we think of the times when it seemed that God did not answer our prayer? Jesus said, “. . . everyone who asks receives . . .” (Matthew 7:8). Yet we say, “But . . . , but . . . .” God answers prayer in the best way— not just sometimes, but every time. However, the evidence of the answer in the area we want it may not always immediately follow. Do we expect God to answer prayer?
The danger we have is that we want to water down what Jesus said to make it mean something that aligns with our common sense. But if it were only common sense, what He said would not even be worthwhile. The things Jesus taught about prayer are supernatural truths He reveals to us.
照耶穌所說的去思想
不住的禱告。 （帖前五17）
我們對禱告的觀念，會影響我們對禱告態度的正誤。我們若視禱告如胸中的呼吸，如心中的血液，這就對了。血不停地流，呼吸也不間斷；我們雖不自覺，它卻一直在運行著。耶穌使我們與神聯合，我們未必時常感覺得到。若我們順服他，就知道他實在是時常如此。禱告不是一項活動，乃是生命。當心那些阻礙隨時禱告的東西。 [不住禱告]，保持赤子般的習慣，隨時在心中向神禱告。
耶穌從未提及落空的禱告。他確實知道禱告必蒙應允。我們有沒有靠著聖靈，有主耶穌對禱告那種不可言狀的信心？還是覺得神有時不聽人禱告？ [祈求就得著。 ]我們說：[但……但……]。
神永最奇妙的辦法應允禱告，不是有時聽有時不聽，乃是時時都聽。不過禱告得應允，未必是照我們所要得。我們指望神答允禱告嗎？我們的危險就是把耶穌所說的簡化，使之符合人的常理；其實若只是常理，就不值得說出了。耶穌所講的禱告，是超然的啟示。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，有太多的事需要祈求，有太多的人需要拯救。我何等渴望地仰望你。
May 15, 2014
The Habit of Rising to the Occasion
. . . that you may know what is the hope of His calling . . . —Ephesians 1:18
Remember that you have been saved so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in your body (see 2 Corinthians 4:10). Direct the total energy of your powers so that you may achieve everything your election as a child of God provides; rise every time to whatever occasion may come your way.
You did not do anything to achieve your salvation, but you must do something to exhibit it. You must “work out your own salvation” which God has worked in you already (Philippians 2:12). Are your speech, your thinking, and your emotions evidence that you are working it “out”? If you are still the same miserable, grouchy person, set on having your own way, then it is a lie to say that God has saved and sanctified you.
God is the Master Designer, and He allows adversities into your life to see if you can jump over them properly—”By my God I can leap over a wall” (Psalm 18:29). God will never shield you from the requirements of being His son or daughter. First Peter 4:12 says, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you . . . .” Rise to the occasion—do what the trial demands of you. It does not matter how much it hurts as long as it gives God the opportunity to manifest the life of Jesus in your body.
May God not find complaints in us anymore, but spiritual vitality—a readiness to face anything He brings our way. The only proper goal of life is that we manifest the Son of God; and when this occurs, all of our dictating of our demands to God disappears. Our Lord never dictated demands to His Father, and neither are we to make demands on God. We are here to submit to His will so that He may work through us what He wants. Once we realize this, He will make us broken bread and poured-out wine with which to feed and nourish others.
把握機會，面對現實
使你們知道他的恩召有何等指望。 （弗一18）
要記得你蒙拯救的目的是什麼－－是叫神兒子的生命在你必朽的肉身上彰顯出來。要殫精竭慮，去體會成為神兒女的恩召；要每次正面面對所遭遇的。
你雖然沒有辦法救自己，卻必須有所事事，以表彰所得的救恩。你要把神做在你身上的表揚出來。你有沒有用舌頭、腦筋、精神去努力表揚？你若仍然是昔日可憐的老樣子，孤行己意，那麼你說神已拯救你，並叫你成聖，這不過是謊話。
神是大工程師，他容許困難臨到你身上，要看你能否越過－－[我靠著神跳過牆垣]。神不會放鬆對他兒女的要求。彼得說：[有火煉的試驗臨到你們，不要以為奇怪。 ]把握機會，面對現實，付諸行動！不管痛苦多大，只要身有機會藉著你彰顯他自己就好了。
但願神不再看見我們裡面的怨嘆，卻看見我們充滿屬靈的果敢與奮勇，準備面對任何從神而來的事物。我們必須操練自己，叫神兒子可以在我們必朽的肉身上彰顯出來。生命唯一的目標，就是彰顯神的兒子，並且不再向神發號施令。我們的主從來沒有指揮他的父，我們在此也不得指揮神；我們在世上是要順服他的旨意，使他能在我們身上成就他所要成就的。我們若明白這點，神就會使我們成為擘開的餅，傾出來的酒，去餵養與滋潤別人。
祈禱◆主啊，你已經啟示了很多真理，還有不少事情要告訴我們，可是，我感到自己的生活太少按著你所指示的去行。主啊，加力給我，讓我彰顯你的榮耀。
Remember that you have been saved so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in your body (see 2 Corinthians 4:10). Direct the total energy of your powers so that you may achieve everything your election as a child of God provides; rise every time to whatever occasion may come your way.
You did not do anything to achieve your salvation, but you must do something to exhibit it. You must “work out your own salvation” which God has worked in you already (Philippians 2:12). Are your speech, your thinking, and your emotions evidence that you are working it “out”? If you are still the same miserable, grouchy person, set on having your own way, then it is a lie to say that God has saved and sanctified you.
God is the Master Designer, and He allows adversities into your life to see if you can jump over them properly—”By my God I can leap over a wall” (Psalm 18:29). God will never shield you from the requirements of being His son or daughter. First Peter 4:12 says, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you . . . .” Rise to the occasion—do what the trial demands of you. It does not matter how much it hurts as long as it gives God the opportunity to manifest the life of Jesus in your body.
May God not find complaints in us anymore, but spiritual vitality—a readiness to face anything He brings our way. The only proper goal of life is that we manifest the Son of God; and when this occurs, all of our dictating of our demands to God disappears. Our Lord never dictated demands to His Father, and neither are we to make demands on God. We are here to submit to His will so that He may work through us what He wants. Once we realize this, He will make us broken bread and poured-out wine with which to feed and nourish others.
把握機會，面對現實
使你們知道他的恩召有何等指望。 （弗一18）
要記得你蒙拯救的目的是什麼－－是叫神兒子的生命在你必朽的肉身上彰顯出來。要殫精竭慮，去體會成為神兒女的恩召；要每次正面面對所遭遇的。
你雖然沒有辦法救自己，卻必須有所事事，以表彰所得的救恩。你要把神做在你身上的表揚出來。你有沒有用舌頭、腦筋、精神去努力表揚？你若仍然是昔日可憐的老樣子，孤行己意，那麼你說神已拯救你，並叫你成聖，這不過是謊話。
神是大工程師，他容許困難臨到你身上，要看你能否越過－－[我靠著神跳過牆垣]。神不會放鬆對他兒女的要求。彼得說：[有火煉的試驗臨到你們，不要以為奇怪。 ]把握機會，面對現實，付諸行動！不管痛苦多大，只要身有機會藉著你彰顯他自己就好了。
但願神不再看見我們裡面的怨嘆，卻看見我們充滿屬靈的果敢與奮勇，準備面對任何從神而來的事物。我們必須操練自己，叫神兒子可以在我們必朽的肉身上彰顯出來。生命唯一的目標，就是彰顯神的兒子，並且不再向神發號施令。我們的主從來沒有指揮他的父，我們在此也不得指揮神；我們在世上是要順服他的旨意，使他能在我們身上成就他所要成就的。我們若明白這點，神就會使我們成為擘開的餅，傾出來的酒，去餵養與滋潤別人。
祈禱◆主啊，你已經啟示了很多真理，還有不少事情要告訴我們，可是，我感到自己的生活太少按著你所指示的去行。主啊，加力給我，讓我彰顯你的榮耀。
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