. . . your life is hidden with Christ in God —Colossians 3:3
The Spirit of God testifies to and confirms the simple, but almighty, security of the life that “is hidden with Christ in God.” Paul continually brought this out in his New Testament letters. We talk as if living a sanctified life were the most uncertain and insecure thing we could do. Yet it is the most secure thing possible, because it has Almighty God in and behind it. The most dangerous and unsure thing is to try to live without God. For one who is born again, it is easier to live in a right-standing relationship with God than it is to go wrong, provided we heed God’s warnings and “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7).
When we think of being delivered from sin, being “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), and “walk[ing] in the light,” we picture the peak of a great mountain. We see it as very high and wonderful, but we say, “Oh, I could never live up there!” However, when we do get there through God’s grace, we find it is not a mountain peak at all, but a plateau with plenty of room to live and to grow. “You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip” (Psalm 18:36).
When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. If you see Him when He says, “Let not your heart be troubled . . .” (John 14:27), I defy you to worry. It is virtually impossible to doubt when He is there. Every time you are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to you. “My peace I give to you . . .” (John 14:27)— a peace which brings an unconstrained confidence and covers you completely, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. “. . . your life is hidden with Christ in God,” and the peace of Jesus Christ that cannot be disturbed has been imparted to you.
隱藏的生命
你們的生命與基督一同藏在神裡面。 （西三3）
我與基督一同藏在神裡面的生命有大能安穩，這事實是神的靈見證的，並且也不斷見諸新約的各書信中。我往往視成聖生活中最不穩定的東西，其實這是最有保障的，因為全能的神在裡面在後面支援著。最不穩固的，是不靠神而活。我們若已重生，只要肯聽神的警告，行在光中，最容易的是與神有正確的關係，而最難的是走差路。有時想脫離罪惡，被聖靈充滿，行在光明中，好像高山的頂崇高峻妙，我們就會說：[可惜，我怎麼也攀不上去！ ]但一旦靠神恩典上去了，卻發現這原來不是一個山頂，而是一片高原，有足夠的地方生長。 [你使我的道路寬廣。 ]
你若真看見耶穌，我保證你不會對他疑惑。當他說[你心裡不要憂愁]，你若真看見他，必然不會憂愁，因為他在這裡，根本不用疑惑。每次你單獨與他相交，他的話都活現出來。 [我將我的平安賜給你們。 ]這平安要從頭頂滲透至腳踵，是無可抗拒的可靠。 [你們的生命與基督一同藏在神裡面]，主無比的平安就臨到你。
祈禱◆[與基督一同藏在神裡面]的生命，是何等喜樂的生命！可是，我的神，儘管有著你一切的恩典和忍耐，我仍然不敢有一刻想到我離開這生命有多遠。然而，我是你所造的，我要感謝你。
Showing posts with label Presence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Presence. Show all posts
December 24, 2014
December 21, 2014
Experience or God’s Revealed Truth?
We have received . . . the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God —1 Corinthians 2:12
My experience is not what makes redemption real— redemption is reality. Redemption has no real meaning for me until it is worked out through my conscious life. When I am born again, the Spirit of God takes me beyond myself and my experiences, and identifies me with Jesus Christ. If I am left only with my personal experiences, I am left with something not produced by redemption. But experiences produced by redemption prove themselves by leading me beyond myself, to the point of no longer paying any attention to experiences as the basis of reality. Instead, I see that only the reality itself produced the experiences. My experiences are not worth anything unless they keep me at the Source of truth— Jesus Christ.
If you try to hold back the Holy Spirit within you, with the desire of producing more inner spiritual experiences, you will find that He will break the hold and take you again to the historic Christ. Never support an experience which does not have God as its Source and faith in God as its result. If you do, your experience is anti-Christian, no matter what visions or insights you may have had. Is Jesus Christ Lord of your experiences, or do you place your experiences above Him? Is any experience dearer to you than your Lord? You must allow Him to be Lord over you, and pay no attention to any experience over which He is not Lord. Then there will come a time when God will make you impatient with your own experience, and you can truthfully say, “I do not care what I experience— I am sure of Him!”
Be relentless and hard on yourself if you are in the habit of talking about the experiences you have had. Faith based on experience is not faith; faith based on God’s revealed truth is the only faith there is.
經歷還是啟示？
我們所領受的……乃是從神來的靈，叫我們能知道神開恩賜給我們的事。 （林前二12）
救贖本身是[真實]的，而不是我對救恩的經歷；不過若不是用我能體會的語言傳遞出來，救恩對我就毫無意義。重生之後，神的靈就立即把我從自己和自己的經歷中領出來，使我與耶穌基督連合。若我仍留在自己的經歷中，那些經歷必然不是從救恩而來。那經歷若是由救恩產生的，最好的明證是我脫離自己，不再以自己的經歷作為[真實]的基礎，而只專注於帶來這些經歷的實體。我的經歷若不叫我對準源頭－－主耶穌，就一文不值。
你若堵住聖靈，要為自己製造一些主觀的經歷，你會發覺他會爆溢而出，把你帶回曆史的基督面前。經歷若不植根於神，也不叫你對神產生信心，就不當培育。若然，不管你所見的異像是什麼，你的經歷與基督敵對的，主耶穌是你經歷中的主？還是你要經歷作他的主？有沒有經歷是比主更寶貴的？他要作你的主，你對那些不以他為主的經歷，不應重視。你會來到一個地步，神叫你對自己的經歷不耐煩－－[不管我的經歷是什麼，我只求持定神。 ]你若有很多機會談及自己的經歷，就得對自己無情一點。肯定自信的信心，不是信心；對神有把握的信心，才是唯一的信心。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，求你除去這思想上的枷鎖，為我帶來平安、純潔和能力。願今天你以溫柔、憐憫和恩典來充滿我。
My experience is not what makes redemption real— redemption is reality. Redemption has no real meaning for me until it is worked out through my conscious life. When I am born again, the Spirit of God takes me beyond myself and my experiences, and identifies me with Jesus Christ. If I am left only with my personal experiences, I am left with something not produced by redemption. But experiences produced by redemption prove themselves by leading me beyond myself, to the point of no longer paying any attention to experiences as the basis of reality. Instead, I see that only the reality itself produced the experiences. My experiences are not worth anything unless they keep me at the Source of truth— Jesus Christ.
If you try to hold back the Holy Spirit within you, with the desire of producing more inner spiritual experiences, you will find that He will break the hold and take you again to the historic Christ. Never support an experience which does not have God as its Source and faith in God as its result. If you do, your experience is anti-Christian, no matter what visions or insights you may have had. Is Jesus Christ Lord of your experiences, or do you place your experiences above Him? Is any experience dearer to you than your Lord? You must allow Him to be Lord over you, and pay no attention to any experience over which He is not Lord. Then there will come a time when God will make you impatient with your own experience, and you can truthfully say, “I do not care what I experience— I am sure of Him!”
Be relentless and hard on yourself if you are in the habit of talking about the experiences you have had. Faith based on experience is not faith; faith based on God’s revealed truth is the only faith there is.
經歷還是啟示？
我們所領受的……乃是從神來的靈，叫我們能知道神開恩賜給我們的事。 （林前二12）
救贖本身是[真實]的，而不是我對救恩的經歷；不過若不是用我能體會的語言傳遞出來，救恩對我就毫無意義。重生之後，神的靈就立即把我從自己和自己的經歷中領出來，使我與耶穌基督連合。若我仍留在自己的經歷中，那些經歷必然不是從救恩而來。那經歷若是由救恩產生的，最好的明證是我脫離自己，不再以自己的經歷作為[真實]的基礎，而只專注於帶來這些經歷的實體。我的經歷若不叫我對準源頭－－主耶穌，就一文不值。
你若堵住聖靈，要為自己製造一些主觀的經歷，你會發覺他會爆溢而出，把你帶回曆史的基督面前。經歷若不植根於神，也不叫你對神產生信心，就不當培育。若然，不管你所見的異像是什麼，你的經歷與基督敵對的，主耶穌是你經歷中的主？還是你要經歷作他的主？有沒有經歷是比主更寶貴的？他要作你的主，你對那些不以他為主的經歷，不應重視。你會來到一個地步，神叫你對自己的經歷不耐煩－－[不管我的經歷是什麼，我只求持定神。 ]你若有很多機會談及自己的經歷，就得對自己無情一點。肯定自信的信心，不是信心；對神有把握的信心，才是唯一的信心。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，求你除去這思想上的枷鎖，為我帶來平安、純潔和能力。願今天你以溫柔、憐憫和恩典來充滿我。
November 16, 2014
Still Human!
. . . whatever you do, do all to the glory of God —1 Corinthians 10:31
In the Scriptures, the great miracle of the incarnation slips into the ordinary life of a child; the great miracle of the transfiguration fades into the demon-possessed valley below; the glory of the resurrection descends into a breakfast on the seashore. This is not an anticlimax, but a great revelation of God.
We have a tendency to look for wonder in our experience, and we mistake heroic actions for real heroes. It’s one thing to go through a crisis grandly, yet quite another to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, and no one paying even the remotest attention to us. If we are not looking for halos, we at least want something that will make people say, “What a wonderful man of prayer he is!” or, “What a great woman of devotion she is!” If you are properly devoted to the Lord Jesus, you have reached the lofty height where no one would ever notice you personally. All that is noticed is the power of God coming through you all the time.
We want to be able to say, “Oh, I have had a wonderful call from God!” But to do even the most humbling tasks to the glory of God takes the Almighty God Incarnate working in us. To be utterly unnoticeable requires God’s Spirit in us making us absolutely humanly His. The true test of a saint’s life is not successfulness but faithfulness on the human level of life. We tend to set up success in Christian work as our purpose, but our purpose should be to display the glory of God in human life, to live a life “hidden with Christ in God” in our everyday human conditions (Colossians 3:3). Our human relationships are the very conditions in which the ideal life of God should be exhibited.
仍然是人
無論作什麼，都要為榮耀神而行。 （林前十31）
道成肉身的超其，湮沒在平凡的童年生活；登山變象的輝煌光彩，消失在鬼附的山谷間；復活的榮耀，降卑成為海旁早餐。這不是反高潮，而是神極大的啟示。我們總有一種傾向，就是想去追求超奇的經歷；錯把英雄感當作英雄。在重大關頭昂然度過是一回事，在每天生活中榮耀神，沒有人作證，沒有光彩，絲毫沒有被注意，又是另一回事。我們 有時雖然不求中世紀那種聖人的光環，也想做些事令人家說：[看他是個多麼會祈禱的人！ ]或[她多虔誠，多熱心！ ]可是，若你對主耶穌有正確的獻上，人所注意的是神透過你流露出來的大能。
[噢，我從神得到一個奇妙的呼召！ ]其實要在最卑微的生活上榮耀神，正需要那全能的神在我們裡面，才可以做得到。惟有聖靈在我們裡面，才能使我們完全地屬於他，以致全不為人所注意。聖徒生命的考驗不在於成功，而是對實際生活的忠心。我們會以在基督教事工上的成功作目標，可是正確的目標，乃是在生活上彰顯神的榮耀，在屬世的環境下，活出與基督一同藏在神裡面的生命。屬神的理想生命，是在人與人之間的實際關係上表現出來。
祈禱◆主啊，在今天的讀經中，一下這句話使我的心靈震盪－－[摩西這樣行，耶和華怎樣吩咐他，他就照樣行了。 ]
In the Scriptures, the great miracle of the incarnation slips into the ordinary life of a child; the great miracle of the transfiguration fades into the demon-possessed valley below; the glory of the resurrection descends into a breakfast on the seashore. This is not an anticlimax, but a great revelation of God.
We have a tendency to look for wonder in our experience, and we mistake heroic actions for real heroes. It’s one thing to go through a crisis grandly, yet quite another to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, and no one paying even the remotest attention to us. If we are not looking for halos, we at least want something that will make people say, “What a wonderful man of prayer he is!” or, “What a great woman of devotion she is!” If you are properly devoted to the Lord Jesus, you have reached the lofty height where no one would ever notice you personally. All that is noticed is the power of God coming through you all the time.
We want to be able to say, “Oh, I have had a wonderful call from God!” But to do even the most humbling tasks to the glory of God takes the Almighty God Incarnate working in us. To be utterly unnoticeable requires God’s Spirit in us making us absolutely humanly His. The true test of a saint’s life is not successfulness but faithfulness on the human level of life. We tend to set up success in Christian work as our purpose, but our purpose should be to display the glory of God in human life, to live a life “hidden with Christ in God” in our everyday human conditions (Colossians 3:3). Our human relationships are the very conditions in which the ideal life of God should be exhibited.
仍然是人
無論作什麼，都要為榮耀神而行。 （林前十31）
道成肉身的超其，湮沒在平凡的童年生活；登山變象的輝煌光彩，消失在鬼附的山谷間；復活的榮耀，降卑成為海旁早餐。這不是反高潮，而是神極大的啟示。我們總有一種傾向，就是想去追求超奇的經歷；錯把英雄感當作英雄。在重大關頭昂然度過是一回事，在每天生活中榮耀神，沒有人作證，沒有光彩，絲毫沒有被注意，又是另一回事。我們 有時雖然不求中世紀那種聖人的光環，也想做些事令人家說：[看他是個多麼會祈禱的人！ ]或[她多虔誠，多熱心！ ]可是，若你對主耶穌有正確的獻上，人所注意的是神透過你流露出來的大能。
[噢，我從神得到一個奇妙的呼召！ ]其實要在最卑微的生活上榮耀神，正需要那全能的神在我們裡面，才可以做得到。惟有聖靈在我們裡面，才能使我們完全地屬於他，以致全不為人所注意。聖徒生命的考驗不在於成功，而是對實際生活的忠心。我們會以在基督教事工上的成功作目標，可是正確的目標，乃是在生活上彰顯神的榮耀，在屬世的環境下，活出與基督一同藏在神裡面的生命。屬神的理想生命，是在人與人之間的實際關係上表現出來。
祈禱◆主啊，在今天的讀經中，一下這句話使我的心靈震盪－－[摩西這樣行，耶和華怎樣吩咐他，他就照樣行了。 ]
October 12, 2014
Getting into God’s Stride
Enoch walked with God . . . —Genesis 5:24
The true test of a person’s spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person’s worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of life when he is not under the spotlight (see John 1:35-37 and John 3:30). It is painful work to get in step with God and to keep pace with Him— it means getting your second wind spiritually. In learning to walk with God, there is always the difficulty of getting into His stride, but once we have done so, the only characteristic that exhibits itself is the very life of God Himself. The individual person is merged into a personal oneness with God, and God’s stride and His power alone are exhibited.
It is difficult to get into stride with God, because as soon as we start walking with Him we find that His pace has surpassed us before we have even taken three steps. He has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined in His ways. It was said of Jesus— “He will not fail nor be discouraged . . .” (Isaiah 42:4) because He never worked from His own individual standpoint, but always worked from the standpoint of His Father. And we must learn to do the same. Spiritual truth is learned through the atmosphere that surrounds us, not through intellectual reasoning. It is God’s Spirit that changes the atmosphere of our way of looking at things, and then things begin to be possible which before were impossible. Getting into God’s stride means nothing less than oneness with Him. It takes a long time to get there, but keep at it. Don’t give up because the pain is intense right now— get on with it, and before long you will find that you have a new vision and a new purpose.
與神同步
以諾與神同行。 （創五24）
一個人屬靈生命與個性的考驗，不是在特殊情況下的表現，乃在平凡無奇的時日中所行所作。人的價值視乎他在隱藏時對普通事物所抱的態度（比較約一36）。要達致與神同步的境地，是一件痛苦的事，那是屬靈上[第二陣風]的經歷。學習與神同行，總有跟不上他步伐的困難；但一旦跟上樂，所表現的唯一特質，就是神的生命。個人的生命在與神結合中隱藏樂，所表現的只有神的步伐與能力。
與神步伐一致是不容易的,因為一開始與神同行,就會發現我們才走了三步,他已在老遠樂.他有他作事的方法,我們必須學習餅接受操練,才能以他的方法作事.耶穌[不灰心,也不喪膽],因為他從不以他個人的觀點去行事,乃是以他父的觀點,我們也要如此.屬靈真理是在薰陶下學習的,而不是靠頭腦的推理.神的靈改變我們看事物的態度,於是從來不可能的事,也變得可能樂.與神同行,就是與神聯合.要做到這個,需時甚久,但要持之以恆。不要因現在的痛苦而放棄，不久，你會得著新的異象與目標。
祈禱◆主啊，如此眾多的活動，如此眾多的事情，如此眾多的人！願你因你的榮耀，以寬大的心胸和美善的屬性來賜福今天。
The true test of a person’s spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person’s worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of life when he is not under the spotlight (see John 1:35-37 and John 3:30). It is painful work to get in step with God and to keep pace with Him— it means getting your second wind spiritually. In learning to walk with God, there is always the difficulty of getting into His stride, but once we have done so, the only characteristic that exhibits itself is the very life of God Himself. The individual person is merged into a personal oneness with God, and God’s stride and His power alone are exhibited.
It is difficult to get into stride with God, because as soon as we start walking with Him we find that His pace has surpassed us before we have even taken three steps. He has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined in His ways. It was said of Jesus— “He will not fail nor be discouraged . . .” (Isaiah 42:4) because He never worked from His own individual standpoint, but always worked from the standpoint of His Father. And we must learn to do the same. Spiritual truth is learned through the atmosphere that surrounds us, not through intellectual reasoning. It is God’s Spirit that changes the atmosphere of our way of looking at things, and then things begin to be possible which before were impossible. Getting into God’s stride means nothing less than oneness with Him. It takes a long time to get there, but keep at it. Don’t give up because the pain is intense right now— get on with it, and before long you will find that you have a new vision and a new purpose.
與神同步
以諾與神同行。 （創五24）
一個人屬靈生命與個性的考驗，不是在特殊情況下的表現，乃在平凡無奇的時日中所行所作。人的價值視乎他在隱藏時對普通事物所抱的態度（比較約一36）。要達致與神同步的境地，是一件痛苦的事，那是屬靈上[第二陣風]的經歷。學習與神同行，總有跟不上他步伐的困難；但一旦跟上樂，所表現的唯一特質，就是神的生命。個人的生命在與神結合中隱藏樂，所表現的只有神的步伐與能力。
與神步伐一致是不容易的,因為一開始與神同行,就會發現我們才走了三步,他已在老遠樂.他有他作事的方法,我們必須學習餅接受操練,才能以他的方法作事.耶穌[不灰心,也不喪膽],因為他從不以他個人的觀點去行事,乃是以他父的觀點,我們也要如此.屬靈真理是在薰陶下學習的,而不是靠頭腦的推理.神的靈改變我們看事物的態度,於是從來不可能的事,也變得可能樂.與神同行,就是與神聯合.要做到這個,需時甚久,但要持之以恆。不要因現在的痛苦而放棄，不久，你會得著新的異象與目標。
祈禱◆主啊，如此眾多的活動，如此眾多的事情，如此眾多的人！願你因你的榮耀，以寬大的心胸和美善的屬性來賜福今天。
October 06, 2014
The Nature of Regeneration
When it pleased God . . . to reveal His Son in me . . . —Galatians 1:15-16
If Jesus Christ is going to regenerate me, what is the problem He faces? It is simply this— I have a heredity in which I had no say or decision; I am not holy, nor am I likely to be; and if all Jesus Christ can do is tell me that I must be holy, His teaching only causes me to despair. But if Jesus Christ is truly a regenerator, someone who can put His own heredity of holiness into me, then I can begin to see what He means when He says that I have to be holy. Redemption means that Jesus Christ can put into anyone the hereditary nature that was in Himself, and all the standards He gives us are based on that nature— His teaching is meant to be applied to the life which He puts within us. The proper action on my part is simply to agree with God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ.
The New Testament teaching about regeneration is that when a person is hit by his own sense of need, God will put the Holy Spirit into his spirit, and his personal spirit will be energized by the Spirit of the Son of God— “. . . until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). The moral miracle of redemption is that God can put a new nature into me through which I can live a totally new life. When I finally reach the edge of my need and know my own limitations, then Jesus says, “Blessed are you . . .” (Matthew 5:11). But I must get to that point. God cannot put into me, the responsible moral person that I am, the nature that was in Jesus Christ unless I am aware of my need for it.
Just as the nature of sin entered into the human race through one man, the Holy Spirit entered into the human race through another Man (see Romans 5:12-19). And redemption means that I can be delivered from the heredity of sin, and that through Jesus Christ I can receive a pure and spotless heredity, namely, the Holy Spirit.
再造的改變
神……樂意將他兒子啟示在我心裡。 （加一15-16）
主耶穌若要把我重生過來，要面對什麼困難呢？我承襲的罪性，是我無能為力的；我並不聖潔，自己也不可能聖潔。若主耶穌所能作的，只是告訴我要聖潔，他的教訓只會帶來絕望；但主耶穌若是生命的再造者，能把自己聖潔的遺傳放進人裡面，我便可以明白要聖潔是什麼意思。救贖就是主耶穌把自己的性情傳襲到任何人身上，而他所設的標準，就是根據他的教訓，為放進去的生命而設的。我在道德方面能作的，就是承認神在十字架上對罪的判定。
新約對重生的教訓，就是當人深深感到屬靈的需要，神就把聖靈放進他的靈裡去，他的靈就被神兒子的靈所感動－－[真等到基督成形在你們心裡]。救贖的道德神蹟，就是神把一個新性情放在我裡面，以致我能活出全新的生命來。當我來到自己欠缺的極限，知道自己的有限時，耶穌說：[你有福了。 ]但要到達那境地，除非我先意識到自己的需要，否則，神不能把耶穌基督的性情放在我裡面。正如罪性是因一人進入人類，同樣，聖潔也藉另一個人進入。救贖就是透過主耶穌，把我從罪的傳襲中救出來，領受一個無玷污的遺傳，就是聖靈。
祈禱◆主啊，我的靈性－－或更準確地說，是我的思想領域－－仍是何等愚鈍和模糊，以致瑣碎的事情佔據了龐大的範圍，卻將生命中那些重要的問題擠掉。求你拯救的大能釋放我。
If Jesus Christ is going to regenerate me, what is the problem He faces? It is simply this— I have a heredity in which I had no say or decision; I am not holy, nor am I likely to be; and if all Jesus Christ can do is tell me that I must be holy, His teaching only causes me to despair. But if Jesus Christ is truly a regenerator, someone who can put His own heredity of holiness into me, then I can begin to see what He means when He says that I have to be holy. Redemption means that Jesus Christ can put into anyone the hereditary nature that was in Himself, and all the standards He gives us are based on that nature— His teaching is meant to be applied to the life which He puts within us. The proper action on my part is simply to agree with God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ.
The New Testament teaching about regeneration is that when a person is hit by his own sense of need, God will put the Holy Spirit into his spirit, and his personal spirit will be energized by the Spirit of the Son of God— “. . . until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). The moral miracle of redemption is that God can put a new nature into me through which I can live a totally new life. When I finally reach the edge of my need and know my own limitations, then Jesus says, “Blessed are you . . .” (Matthew 5:11). But I must get to that point. God cannot put into me, the responsible moral person that I am, the nature that was in Jesus Christ unless I am aware of my need for it.
Just as the nature of sin entered into the human race through one man, the Holy Spirit entered into the human race through another Man (see Romans 5:12-19). And redemption means that I can be delivered from the heredity of sin, and that through Jesus Christ I can receive a pure and spotless heredity, namely, the Holy Spirit.
再造的改變
神……樂意將他兒子啟示在我心裡。 （加一15-16）
主耶穌若要把我重生過來，要面對什麼困難呢？我承襲的罪性，是我無能為力的；我並不聖潔，自己也不可能聖潔。若主耶穌所能作的，只是告訴我要聖潔，他的教訓只會帶來絕望；但主耶穌若是生命的再造者，能把自己聖潔的遺傳放進人裡面，我便可以明白要聖潔是什麼意思。救贖就是主耶穌把自己的性情傳襲到任何人身上，而他所設的標準，就是根據他的教訓，為放進去的生命而設的。我在道德方面能作的，就是承認神在十字架上對罪的判定。
新約對重生的教訓，就是當人深深感到屬靈的需要，神就把聖靈放進他的靈裡去，他的靈就被神兒子的靈所感動－－[真等到基督成形在你們心裡]。救贖的道德神蹟，就是神把一個新性情放在我裡面，以致我能活出全新的生命來。當我來到自己欠缺的極限，知道自己的有限時，耶穌說：[你有福了。 ]但要到達那境地，除非我先意識到自己的需要，否則，神不能把耶穌基督的性情放在我裡面。正如罪性是因一人進入人類，同樣，聖潔也藉另一個人進入。救贖就是透過主耶穌，把我從罪的傳襲中救出來，領受一個無玷污的遺傳，就是聖靈。
祈禱◆主啊，我的靈性－－或更準確地說，是我的思想領域－－仍是何等愚鈍和模糊，以致瑣碎的事情佔據了龐大的範圍，卻將生命中那些重要的問題擠掉。求你拯救的大能釋放我。
September 25, 2014
The “Go” of Relationship
Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two—Matthew 5:41
Our Lord’s teaching can be summed up in this: the relationship that He demands for us is an impossible one unless He has done a super-natural work in us. Jesus Christ demands that His disciple does not allow even the slightest trace of resentment in his heart when faced with tyranny and injustice. No amount of enthusiasm will ever stand up to the strain that Jesus Christ will put upon His servant. Only one thing will bear the strain, and that is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Himself— a relationship that has been examined, purified, and tested until only one purpose remains and I can truly say, “I am here for God to send me where He will.” Everything else may become blurred, but this relationship with Jesus Christ must never be.
The Sermon on the Mount is not some unattainable goal; it is a statement of what will happen in me when Jesus Christ has changed my nature by putting His own nature in me. Jesus Christ is the only One who can fulfill the Sermon on the Mount.
If we are to be disciples of Jesus, we must be made disciples supernaturally. And as long as we consciously maintain the determined purpose to be His disciples, we can be sure that we are not disciples. Jesus says, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you. . .” (John 15:16). That is the way the grace of God begins. It is a constraint we can never escape; we can disobey it, but we can never start it or produce it ourselves. We are drawn to God by a work of His supernatural grace, and we can never trace back to find where the work began. Our Lord’s making of a disciple is supernatural. He does not build on any natural capacity of ours at all. God does not ask us to do the things that are naturally easy for us— He only asks us to do the things that we are perfectly fit to do through His grace, and that is where the cross we must bear will always come.
[去]的關係
有人強逼你走一里路，你就同他走二里。 （太五41）
除非主在我們身上行超然的工作，否則他所要求的那種是不可能的。主耶穌要求門徒在遇到暴虐不平時，不可有絲毫的怨恨，即使藏在內心也不可。無論怎樣的熱誠，也受不住主耶穌加在工人身上的考驗。只有一件事可以，就是與他有密切的關係，經歷過他潔淨的磨坊，以致只有一個心志留存－－[我在此任神差派往何方。 ]別的東西都可以消失，但與主的關係絕對不可。
登山寶訓不是一套理想。它說明了我內心要發生的事：就是當主改變我，把他自己的性情放在我裡面時所要成就的光景。只有耶穌基督才能達成登山寶訓。我們若要做主的門徒，就必須循超然的途徑；若死持作門徒的存心，就必不能作門徒。 [我揀選了你們。 ]這是神恩典的開始。這個催迫是我們無法逃避的，我們可以不聽命，但我們斷不能產生這個催迫。神超然的恩典是圖畫的主筆，我們無法追溯他工作的起源。他塑造門徒的工作是超然的，並不建基於天然的力量。神不會叫我們做人力容易達成的事，他只叫我們做那些憑恩典才能應付裕如的事，而十字架往往就循這個途徑而來。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著那環繞我，是我猶如在天堂的聖徒祈禱，我讚美你。為著那透過你的救贖而臨到我的無言恩典，我稱頌你。
Our Lord’s teaching can be summed up in this: the relationship that He demands for us is an impossible one unless He has done a super-natural work in us. Jesus Christ demands that His disciple does not allow even the slightest trace of resentment in his heart when faced with tyranny and injustice. No amount of enthusiasm will ever stand up to the strain that Jesus Christ will put upon His servant. Only one thing will bear the strain, and that is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Himself— a relationship that has been examined, purified, and tested until only one purpose remains and I can truly say, “I am here for God to send me where He will.” Everything else may become blurred, but this relationship with Jesus Christ must never be.
The Sermon on the Mount is not some unattainable goal; it is a statement of what will happen in me when Jesus Christ has changed my nature by putting His own nature in me. Jesus Christ is the only One who can fulfill the Sermon on the Mount.
If we are to be disciples of Jesus, we must be made disciples supernaturally. And as long as we consciously maintain the determined purpose to be His disciples, we can be sure that we are not disciples. Jesus says, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you. . .” (John 15:16). That is the way the grace of God begins. It is a constraint we can never escape; we can disobey it, but we can never start it or produce it ourselves. We are drawn to God by a work of His supernatural grace, and we can never trace back to find where the work began. Our Lord’s making of a disciple is supernatural. He does not build on any natural capacity of ours at all. God does not ask us to do the things that are naturally easy for us— He only asks us to do the things that we are perfectly fit to do through His grace, and that is where the cross we must bear will always come.
[去]的關係
有人強逼你走一里路，你就同他走二里。 （太五41）
除非主在我們身上行超然的工作，否則他所要求的那種是不可能的。主耶穌要求門徒在遇到暴虐不平時，不可有絲毫的怨恨，即使藏在內心也不可。無論怎樣的熱誠，也受不住主耶穌加在工人身上的考驗。只有一件事可以，就是與他有密切的關係，經歷過他潔淨的磨坊，以致只有一個心志留存－－[我在此任神差派往何方。 ]別的東西都可以消失，但與主的關係絕對不可。
登山寶訓不是一套理想。它說明了我內心要發生的事：就是當主改變我，把他自己的性情放在我裡面時所要成就的光景。只有耶穌基督才能達成登山寶訓。我們若要做主的門徒，就必須循超然的途徑；若死持作門徒的存心，就必不能作門徒。 [我揀選了你們。 ]這是神恩典的開始。這個催迫是我們無法逃避的，我們可以不聽命，但我們斷不能產生這個催迫。神超然的恩典是圖畫的主筆，我們無法追溯他工作的起源。他塑造門徒的工作是超然的，並不建基於天然的力量。神不會叫我們做人力容易達成的事，他只叫我們做那些憑恩典才能應付裕如的事，而十字架往往就循這個途徑而來。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著那環繞我，是我猶如在天堂的聖徒祈禱，我讚美你。為著那透過你的救贖而臨到我的無言恩典，我稱頌你。
September 08, 2014
Do It Yourself (1)
. . . casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God . . . —2 Corinthians 10:5
Determinedly Demolish Some Things. Deliverance from sin is not the same as deliverance from human nature. There are things in human nature, such as prejudices, that the saint can only destroy through sheer neglect. But there are other things that have to be destroyed through violence, that is, through God’s divine strength imparted by His Spirit. There are some things over which we are not to fight, but only to “stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord . . .” (see Exodus 14:13). But every theory or thought that raises itself up as a fortified barrier “against the knowledge of God” is to be determinedly demolished by drawing on God’s power, not through human effort or by compromise (see 2 Corinthians 10:4).
It is only when God has transformed our nature and we have entered into the experience of sanctification that the fight begins. The warfare is not against sin; we can never fight against sin— Jesus Christ conquered that in His redemption of us. The conflict is waged over turning our natural life into a spiritual life. This is never done easily, nor does God intend that it be so. It is accomplished only through a series of moral choices. God does not make us holy in the sense that He makes our character holy. He makes us holy in the sense that He has made us innocent before Him. And then we have to turn that innocence into holy character through the moral choices we make. These choices are continually opposed and hostile to the things of our natural life which have become so deeply entrenched— the very things that raise themselves up as fortified barriers “against the knowledge of God.” We can either turn back, making ourselves of no value to the kingdom of God, or we can determinedly demolish these things, allowing Jesus to bring another son to glory (see Hebrews 2:10).
自己做
將各樣的計謀，各樣阻攔人認識神的那些自高之事，一概攻破了。 （林後十5）
從罪得釋放，並不等於從人性中得釋放。人性中有些東西（例如偏見），聖徒要不顧，才能毀滅；有些東西要靠強力，就是神屬天得能力來拆毀；而另外有些東西則不用爭戰，我們只管站住，靜靜觀看神的拯救。任何理論或觀念，若阻礙了對神的認識，就必須立志靠神的能力去拆毀，而不是靠肉體的努力或妥協（林後十4）。
惟有當我們的性情被神改造，進入成聖的經驗裡去，這一場爭戰才可開始。這場仗不是向罪打，我們永無法與罪對抗：耶穌嫉妒的救贖已對付了罪。戰線是在於把天然生命轉為屬靈生命，這不是容易的，神也不想把這事變得容易。這事的作成，是要經過一連串的道德選擇，神使我們成聖，並不在品性上；乃是叫我們無罪，然後把這無罪透過一連串的道德選擇，轉變成為聖潔的品性。這些選擇往往不斷與我們天然生命的盤踞點，及那些阻攔我們認識神的保壘對抗。我們以回頭，在神的國里一事無成；或者，我們可以決意拆毀這些東西，讓耶穌多得一個兒子進到榮耀裡去。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願你這天成為一個完全屬乎你這位王的日子。感動我們，噢，主啊，讓我們在屬靈和物質上的一切生活，都可以配合你的計劃。只要是出於你的感動，一切都會變得美好。
Determinedly Demolish Some Things. Deliverance from sin is not the same as deliverance from human nature. There are things in human nature, such as prejudices, that the saint can only destroy through sheer neglect. But there are other things that have to be destroyed through violence, that is, through God’s divine strength imparted by His Spirit. There are some things over which we are not to fight, but only to “stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord . . .” (see Exodus 14:13). But every theory or thought that raises itself up as a fortified barrier “against the knowledge of God” is to be determinedly demolished by drawing on God’s power, not through human effort or by compromise (see 2 Corinthians 10:4).
It is only when God has transformed our nature and we have entered into the experience of sanctification that the fight begins. The warfare is not against sin; we can never fight against sin— Jesus Christ conquered that in His redemption of us. The conflict is waged over turning our natural life into a spiritual life. This is never done easily, nor does God intend that it be so. It is accomplished only through a series of moral choices. God does not make us holy in the sense that He makes our character holy. He makes us holy in the sense that He has made us innocent before Him. And then we have to turn that innocence into holy character through the moral choices we make. These choices are continually opposed and hostile to the things of our natural life which have become so deeply entrenched— the very things that raise themselves up as fortified barriers “against the knowledge of God.” We can either turn back, making ourselves of no value to the kingdom of God, or we can determinedly demolish these things, allowing Jesus to bring another son to glory (see Hebrews 2:10).
自己做
將各樣的計謀，各樣阻攔人認識神的那些自高之事，一概攻破了。 （林後十5）
從罪得釋放，並不等於從人性中得釋放。人性中有些東西（例如偏見），聖徒要不顧，才能毀滅；有些東西要靠強力，就是神屬天得能力來拆毀；而另外有些東西則不用爭戰，我們只管站住，靜靜觀看神的拯救。任何理論或觀念，若阻礙了對神的認識，就必須立志靠神的能力去拆毀，而不是靠肉體的努力或妥協（林後十4）。
惟有當我們的性情被神改造，進入成聖的經驗裡去，這一場爭戰才可開始。這場仗不是向罪打，我們永無法與罪對抗：耶穌嫉妒的救贖已對付了罪。戰線是在於把天然生命轉為屬靈生命，這不是容易的，神也不想把這事變得容易。這事的作成，是要經過一連串的道德選擇，神使我們成聖，並不在品性上；乃是叫我們無罪，然後把這無罪透過一連串的道德選擇，轉變成為聖潔的品性。這些選擇往往不斷與我們天然生命的盤踞點，及那些阻攔我們認識神的保壘對抗。我們以回頭，在神的國里一事無成；或者，我們可以決意拆毀這些東西，讓耶穌多得一個兒子進到榮耀裡去。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願你這天成為一個完全屬乎你這位王的日子。感動我們，噢，主啊，讓我們在屬靈和物質上的一切生活，都可以配合你的計劃。只要是出於你的感動，一切都會變得美好。
September 05, 2014
Watching With Jesus
Stay here and watch with Me —Matthew 26:38
“Watch with Me.” Jesus was saying, in effect, “Watch with no private point of view at all, but watch solely and entirely with Me.” In the early stages of our Christian life, we do not watch with Jesus, we watch for Him. We do not watch with Him through the revealed truth of the Bible even in the circumstances of our own lives. Our Lord is trying to introduce us to identification with Himself through a particular “Gethsemane” experience of our own. But we refuse to go, saying, “No, Lord, I can’t see the meaning of this, and besides, it’s very painful.” And how can we possibly watch with Someone who is so incomprehensible? How are we going to understand Jesus sufficiently to watch with Him in His Gethsemane, when we don’t even know why He is suffering? We don’t know how to watch with Him— we are only used to the idea of Jesus watching with us.
The disciples loved Jesus Christ to the limit of their natural capacity, but they did not fully understand His purpose. In the Garden of Gethsemane they slept as a result of their own sorrow, and at the end of three years of the closest and most intimate relationship of their lives they “all . . . forsook Him and fled” (Matthew 26:56).
“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit . . .” (Acts 2:4). “They” refers to the same people, but something wonderful has happened between these two events— our Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension— and the disciples have now been invaded and “filled with the Holy Spirit.” Our Lord had said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . .” (Acts 1:8). This meant that they learned to watch with Him the rest of their lives.
傳道者的警醒
同我警醒。 （太二十六40）
[同我警醒。 ]－－完全沒有自己的私見，單單與主一同警醒。初時，我們不會與主一同警醒，只會為他警醒。我們不懂得透過聖經的啟示和生活的環境，與他一同警醒。主一直想用一個特定的客西馬尼，帶我們與他同心，有一同的體驗，可是我們不肯去。我們說：[不，主啊，我看不出這有何用處，太苦了。 ]怎樣可以與一個難以捉摸的物件一同警醒呢？我們若不明他受苦的目的，怎能對耶穌有充分的了解，以致肯在客西馬尼與他一同警醒？我們根本不懂得怎樣與他一同警醒，只習慣於他與我們一同警醒的觀念。
門徒愛耶穌，只到天然本能的限度為止，因她們不明白他在做什麼。在客西馬尼園中，她們因憂愁睡著了。在三年親密關係結束的時候，他們都離棄他逃跑了。 [他們都被聖靈充滿。 ]同樣是[他們]，只是奇妙的事發生了。就是主的死、復活、升天，門徒被聖靈充滿，主曾說：[聖靈降臨在你們身上，你們就必得著能力。 ]就是他們已學會終其一生與主一同警醒。
祈禱◆主啊，今天早上，為著你的話－－[主用手攙扶他]，我感謝你。
“Watch with Me.” Jesus was saying, in effect, “Watch with no private point of view at all, but watch solely and entirely with Me.” In the early stages of our Christian life, we do not watch with Jesus, we watch for Him. We do not watch with Him through the revealed truth of the Bible even in the circumstances of our own lives. Our Lord is trying to introduce us to identification with Himself through a particular “Gethsemane” experience of our own. But we refuse to go, saying, “No, Lord, I can’t see the meaning of this, and besides, it’s very painful.” And how can we possibly watch with Someone who is so incomprehensible? How are we going to understand Jesus sufficiently to watch with Him in His Gethsemane, when we don’t even know why He is suffering? We don’t know how to watch with Him— we are only used to the idea of Jesus watching with us.
The disciples loved Jesus Christ to the limit of their natural capacity, but they did not fully understand His purpose. In the Garden of Gethsemane they slept as a result of their own sorrow, and at the end of three years of the closest and most intimate relationship of their lives they “all . . . forsook Him and fled” (Matthew 26:56).
“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit . . .” (Acts 2:4). “They” refers to the same people, but something wonderful has happened between these two events— our Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension— and the disciples have now been invaded and “filled with the Holy Spirit.” Our Lord had said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . .” (Acts 1:8). This meant that they learned to watch with Him the rest of their lives.
傳道者的警醒
同我警醒。 （太二十六40）
[同我警醒。 ]－－完全沒有自己的私見，單單與主一同警醒。初時，我們不會與主一同警醒，只會為他警醒。我們不懂得透過聖經的啟示和生活的環境，與他一同警醒。主一直想用一個特定的客西馬尼，帶我們與他同心，有一同的體驗，可是我們不肯去。我們說：[不，主啊，我看不出這有何用處，太苦了。 ]怎樣可以與一個難以捉摸的物件一同警醒呢？我們若不明他受苦的目的，怎能對耶穌有充分的了解，以致肯在客西馬尼與他一同警醒？我們根本不懂得怎樣與他一同警醒，只習慣於他與我們一同警醒的觀念。
門徒愛耶穌，只到天然本能的限度為止，因她們不明白他在做什麼。在客西馬尼園中，她們因憂愁睡著了。在三年親密關係結束的時候，他們都離棄他逃跑了。 [他們都被聖靈充滿。 ]同樣是[他們]，只是奇妙的事發生了。就是主的死、復活、升天，門徒被聖靈充滿，主曾說：[聖靈降臨在你們身上，你們就必得著能力。 ]就是他們已學會終其一生與主一同警醒。
祈禱◆主啊，今天早上，為著你的話－－[主用手攙扶他]，我感謝你。
August 04, 2014
The Brave Friendship of God
He took the twelve aside . . . —Luke 18:31
Oh, the bravery of God in trusting us! Do you say, “But He has been unwise to choose me, because there is nothing good in me and I have no value”? That is exactly why He chose you. As long as you think that you are of value to Him He cannot choose you, because you have purposes of your own to serve. But if you will allow Him to take you to the end of your own self-sufficiency, then He can choose you to go with Him “to Jerusalem” (Luke 18:31). And that will mean the fulfillment of purposes which He does not discuss with you.
We tend to say that because a person has natural ability, he will make a good Christian. It is not a matter of our equipment, but a matter of our poverty; not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a matter of natural virtues, of strength of character, of knowledge, or of experience— all of that is of no avail in this concern. The only thing of value is being taken into the compelling purpose of God and being made His friends (see 1 Corinthians 1:26-31). God’s friendship is with people who know their poverty. He can accomplish nothing with the person who thinks that he is of use to God. As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all— we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same. We do not know what God’s compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain our relationship with Him. We must never allow anything to damage our relationship with God, but if something does damage it, we must take the time to make it right again. The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack.
神與我們同行的勇氣
耶穌帶著十二個門徒。 （路十八31）
神信任我們，這是多大的勇氣！你說：”他挑選了我，實在不智，因為我一無所有，也一文不值。”這正是神揀選你的原因。你若自以為有，神就無法揀選你，因為你還有自己的目的。你若讓他帶你去到自滿自足的盡頭，他就能揀選你一同上耶路撒冷。這樣，就成就他沒有與你商量的計畫。
我們常因一個人具有天然才幹，便說他可以成為好的基督徒。其實，問題不在我們的裝備，而在我們的貧窮；不在我們帶什麼來，而在神放什麼在我們裡面；不在知識、經驗、天然的德行或堅強的個性－－這一切都無關重要。唯一要緊的，是我們在神的強力催策下，成為與他同行的人（比較林前一26-30）。與神同行的人，都是自知貧窮的人。那些自以為於神有用的人，神是無能為力的。作為基督徒，我們絕不是為自己的目標，而是單為神的目標。神的目標絕不同人的目標。我們不知道神怎樣打算，但無論發生什麼事，也必須保持與他的關係。絕不可容讓任何事損害我們與神的關係，若這關係有損，就必須花時間去複原。基督教的重點不在於我們所作的工、乃在我們所持守的關係，與及因著這關係而產生的情操。神要我們看守的就是這個，而不斷受到攻擊的也正是個。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，你何等清楚地向我顯明，最重要的是神，惟獨是神。願我在這偉大的認知上，絕不絆跌任何人。
Oh, the bravery of God in trusting us! Do you say, “But He has been unwise to choose me, because there is nothing good in me and I have no value”? That is exactly why He chose you. As long as you think that you are of value to Him He cannot choose you, because you have purposes of your own to serve. But if you will allow Him to take you to the end of your own self-sufficiency, then He can choose you to go with Him “to Jerusalem” (Luke 18:31). And that will mean the fulfillment of purposes which He does not discuss with you.
We tend to say that because a person has natural ability, he will make a good Christian. It is not a matter of our equipment, but a matter of our poverty; not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a matter of natural virtues, of strength of character, of knowledge, or of experience— all of that is of no avail in this concern. The only thing of value is being taken into the compelling purpose of God and being made His friends (see 1 Corinthians 1:26-31). God’s friendship is with people who know their poverty. He can accomplish nothing with the person who thinks that he is of use to God. As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all— we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same. We do not know what God’s compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain our relationship with Him. We must never allow anything to damage our relationship with God, but if something does damage it, we must take the time to make it right again. The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack.
神與我們同行的勇氣
耶穌帶著十二個門徒。 （路十八31）
神信任我們，這是多大的勇氣！你說：”他挑選了我，實在不智，因為我一無所有，也一文不值。”這正是神揀選你的原因。你若自以為有，神就無法揀選你，因為你還有自己的目的。你若讓他帶你去到自滿自足的盡頭，他就能揀選你一同上耶路撒冷。這樣，就成就他沒有與你商量的計畫。
我們常因一個人具有天然才幹，便說他可以成為好的基督徒。其實，問題不在我們的裝備，而在我們的貧窮；不在我們帶什麼來，而在神放什麼在我們裡面；不在知識、經驗、天然的德行或堅強的個性－－這一切都無關重要。唯一要緊的，是我們在神的強力催策下，成為與他同行的人（比較林前一26-30）。與神同行的人，都是自知貧窮的人。那些自以為於神有用的人，神是無能為力的。作為基督徒，我們絕不是為自己的目標，而是單為神的目標。神的目標絕不同人的目標。我們不知道神怎樣打算，但無論發生什麼事，也必須保持與他的關係。絕不可容讓任何事損害我們與神的關係，若這關係有損，就必須花時間去複原。基督教的重點不在於我們所作的工、乃在我們所持守的關係，與及因著這關係而產生的情操。神要我們看守的就是這個，而不斷受到攻擊的也正是個。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，你何等清楚地向我顯明，最重要的是神，惟獨是神。願我在這偉大的認知上，絕不絆跌任何人。
June 03, 2014
“The Secret of the Lord”
The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him . . . —Psalm 25:14
What is the sign of a friend? Is it that he tells you his secret sorrows? No, it is that he tells you his secret joys. Many people will confide their secret sorrows to you, but the final mark of intimacy is when they share their secret joys with you. Have we ever let God tell us any of His joys? Or are we continually telling God our secrets, leaving Him no time to talk to us? At the beginning of our Christian life we are full of requests to God. But then we find that God wants to get us into an intimate relationship with Himself— to get us in touch with His purposes. Are we so intimately united to Jesus Christ’s idea of prayer— “Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10)— that we catch the secrets of God? What makes God so dear to us is not so much His big blessings to us, but the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us— He knows every detail of each of our individual lives.
“Him shall He teach in the way He chooses” (Psalm 25:12). At first, we want the awareness of being guided by God. But then as we grow spiritually, we live so fully aware of God that we do not even need to ask what His will is, because the thought of choosing another way will never occur to us. If we are saved and sanctified, God guides us by our everyday choices. And if we are about to choose what He does not want, He will give us a sense of doubt or restraint, which we must heed. Whenever there is doubt, stop at once. Never try to reason it out, saying, “I wonder why I shouldn’t do this?” God instructs us in what we choose; that is, He actually guides our common sense. And when we yield to His teachings and guidance, we no longer hinder His Spirit by continually asking, “Now, Lord, what is Your will?”
主的秘密
耶和華與敬畏他的人親密，他必將自己的約指示他們。 （詩二十五14）
朋友的標記是什麼？是他把隱藏的愁苦告訴你？不是的，是他把隱藏的喜樂告訴你。許多人會把心底的愁苦向人傾訴，但是傾吐心底的喜樂才是親密的最高表現。我們是讓神向我們吐露他的喜樂，還是不斷地把自己的心事向他傾吐，不容他有機會向我們說話？初信主的時候，對神有一大堆的請求；後來就發現神希望我們與他建立關係，摸著他的心意。耶穌對禱告的觀念－－照你的旨意而行－－我們有沒有緊緊遵守，以致獲得神的奧秘？哦我們覺得寶貴的往往不是神所賜的大福，而是一些細微的事物。因為這些表示他與我們奇妙無比的親密，深知我們生命的任何細節。
[……耶和華必指示他當選擇的道路。 ]起初我們所要的，知道神愛引導；後來既然知道日益活在神裡面，就不需要追問他的旨意是什麼，因為根本沒有想過還有其他可選擇的旨意。我們得救成聖了，神就依我們一般的選擇來引導我們；若我們選了神不喜悅的，他就會阻止，我們就要聽從。一有疑惑，要立刻止步。切勿諸多辯駁說：[為什麼不可以？ ]神借我們的選擇教導我們，也就是說，他引導我們依常理來選擇，我們不必經常問：[主啊，你的旨意怎樣？ ]這樣反阻礙了聖靈的工作。
祈禱◆啊，主啊，願意跟從你是何等有益和重要的事。我願意和極之渴望你的旨意得以成就。當我預期沒有東西比你的旨意那樣滿有榮耀，我整個人都深深地感到喜樂。
What is the sign of a friend? Is it that he tells you his secret sorrows? No, it is that he tells you his secret joys. Many people will confide their secret sorrows to you, but the final mark of intimacy is when they share their secret joys with you. Have we ever let God tell us any of His joys? Or are we continually telling God our secrets, leaving Him no time to talk to us? At the beginning of our Christian life we are full of requests to God. But then we find that God wants to get us into an intimate relationship with Himself— to get us in touch with His purposes. Are we so intimately united to Jesus Christ’s idea of prayer— “Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10)— that we catch the secrets of God? What makes God so dear to us is not so much His big blessings to us, but the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us— He knows every detail of each of our individual lives.
“Him shall He teach in the way He chooses” (Psalm 25:12). At first, we want the awareness of being guided by God. But then as we grow spiritually, we live so fully aware of God that we do not even need to ask what His will is, because the thought of choosing another way will never occur to us. If we are saved and sanctified, God guides us by our everyday choices. And if we are about to choose what He does not want, He will give us a sense of doubt or restraint, which we must heed. Whenever there is doubt, stop at once. Never try to reason it out, saying, “I wonder why I shouldn’t do this?” God instructs us in what we choose; that is, He actually guides our common sense. And when we yield to His teachings and guidance, we no longer hinder His Spirit by continually asking, “Now, Lord, what is Your will?”
主的秘密
耶和華與敬畏他的人親密，他必將自己的約指示他們。 （詩二十五14）
朋友的標記是什麼？是他把隱藏的愁苦告訴你？不是的，是他把隱藏的喜樂告訴你。許多人會把心底的愁苦向人傾訴，但是傾吐心底的喜樂才是親密的最高表現。我們是讓神向我們吐露他的喜樂，還是不斷地把自己的心事向他傾吐，不容他有機會向我們說話？初信主的時候，對神有一大堆的請求；後來就發現神希望我們與他建立關係，摸著他的心意。耶穌對禱告的觀念－－照你的旨意而行－－我們有沒有緊緊遵守，以致獲得神的奧秘？哦我們覺得寶貴的往往不是神所賜的大福，而是一些細微的事物。因為這些表示他與我們奇妙無比的親密，深知我們生命的任何細節。
[……耶和華必指示他當選擇的道路。 ]起初我們所要的，知道神愛引導；後來既然知道日益活在神裡面，就不需要追問他的旨意是什麼，因為根本沒有想過還有其他可選擇的旨意。我們得救成聖了，神就依我們一般的選擇來引導我們；若我們選了神不喜悅的，他就會阻止，我們就要聽從。一有疑惑，要立刻止步。切勿諸多辯駁說：[為什麼不可以？ ]神借我們的選擇教導我們，也就是說，他引導我們依常理來選擇，我們不必經常問：[主啊，你的旨意怎樣？ ]這樣反阻礙了聖靈的工作。
祈禱◆啊，主啊，願意跟從你是何等有益和重要的事。我願意和極之渴望你的旨意得以成就。當我預期沒有東西比你的旨意那樣滿有榮耀，我整個人都深深地感到喜樂。
June 02, 2014
Are You Obsessed by Something?
Who is the man that fears the Lord? —Psalm 25:12
Are you obsessed by something? You will probably say, “No, by nothing,” but all of us are obsessed by something— usually by ourselves, or, if we are Christians, by our own experience of the Christian life. But the psalmist says that we are to be obsessed by God. The abiding awareness of the Christian life is to be God Himself, not just thoughts about Him. The total being of our life inside and out is to be absolutely obsessed by the presence of God. A child’s awareness is so absorbed in his mother that although he is not consciously thinking of her, when a problem arises, the abiding relationship is that with the mother. In that same way, we are to “live and move and have our being” in God (Acts 17:28), looking at everything in relation to Him, because our abiding awareness of Him continually pushes itself to the forefront of our lives.
If we are obsessed by God, nothing else can get into our lives— not concerns, nor tribulation, nor worries. And now we understand why our Lord so emphasized the sin of worrying. How can we dare to be so absolutely unbelieving when God totally surrounds us? To be obsessed by God is to have an effective barricade against all the assaults of the enemy.
“He himself shall dwell in prosperity . . .” (Psalm 25:13). God will cause us to “dwell in prosperity,” keeping us at ease, even in the midst of tribulation, misunderstanding, and slander, if our “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). We rob ourselves of the miraculous, revealed truth of this abiding companionship with God. “God is our refuge . . .” (Psalm 46:1). Nothing can break through His shelter of protection.
纏繞你的是什麼？
誰敬畏耶和華？ （詩二十五12）
你被什麼纏繞著？你會說：[沒有。 ]其實人都有些東西纏繞著，而這通常就是我們自己；若是信徒，纏繞我們的，就是我們的經歷。詩人說我們要被神纏繞不息。要生命持續不息的，應該是與神同在，而不是單單想念他。我們內外的生命，應該被神無間歇地縈繞著。像一個小孩子對母親的緊纏；雖然他並沒有刻意想著她，可是一有危難，那常存的關係就是他母親。因此，我們生活、作工、存留，都在於神。我們通過神來觀察事物，因為對神常存的知覺，每時每刻都浮現在我們眼前。
神若在我們周遭縈繞不歇，就沒有什麼可以進襲－－沒有憂慮、患難、焦急。這樣，我們就明白為何主這樣強調憂慮的罪。神若圍繞我們，我們豈敢對他毫無信心？神的圍繞，是抵禦敵害的最有效屏障。
[他必安然居住。 ]生命若與基督一同藏在神裡面，即使在患難、誤會、讒謗圍攻之下，他也必保守我們安然無恙。對於神時刻同行的奇妙體會，我們往往失之交臂。 [神是我們的避難所]－－什麼也透不過這蔭庇。
祈禱◆呀，主啊，你的面容、你的感動、你的賜福，是我心所尋求的。主啊，感動我，直至我的每一部分，都被你恩慈和帶有能力的平安所震撼和振奮。
Are you obsessed by something? You will probably say, “No, by nothing,” but all of us are obsessed by something— usually by ourselves, or, if we are Christians, by our own experience of the Christian life. But the psalmist says that we are to be obsessed by God. The abiding awareness of the Christian life is to be God Himself, not just thoughts about Him. The total being of our life inside and out is to be absolutely obsessed by the presence of God. A child’s awareness is so absorbed in his mother that although he is not consciously thinking of her, when a problem arises, the abiding relationship is that with the mother. In that same way, we are to “live and move and have our being” in God (Acts 17:28), looking at everything in relation to Him, because our abiding awareness of Him continually pushes itself to the forefront of our lives.
If we are obsessed by God, nothing else can get into our lives— not concerns, nor tribulation, nor worries. And now we understand why our Lord so emphasized the sin of worrying. How can we dare to be so absolutely unbelieving when God totally surrounds us? To be obsessed by God is to have an effective barricade against all the assaults of the enemy.
“He himself shall dwell in prosperity . . .” (Psalm 25:13). God will cause us to “dwell in prosperity,” keeping us at ease, even in the midst of tribulation, misunderstanding, and slander, if our “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). We rob ourselves of the miraculous, revealed truth of this abiding companionship with God. “God is our refuge . . .” (Psalm 46:1). Nothing can break through His shelter of protection.
纏繞你的是什麼？
誰敬畏耶和華？ （詩二十五12）
你被什麼纏繞著？你會說：[沒有。 ]其實人都有些東西纏繞著，而這通常就是我們自己；若是信徒，纏繞我們的，就是我們的經歷。詩人說我們要被神纏繞不息。要生命持續不息的，應該是與神同在，而不是單單想念他。我們內外的生命，應該被神無間歇地縈繞著。像一個小孩子對母親的緊纏；雖然他並沒有刻意想著她，可是一有危難，那常存的關係就是他母親。因此，我們生活、作工、存留，都在於神。我們通過神來觀察事物，因為對神常存的知覺，每時每刻都浮現在我們眼前。
神若在我們周遭縈繞不歇，就沒有什麼可以進襲－－沒有憂慮、患難、焦急。這樣，我們就明白為何主這樣強調憂慮的罪。神若圍繞我們，我們豈敢對他毫無信心？神的圍繞，是抵禦敵害的最有效屏障。
[他必安然居住。 ]生命若與基督一同藏在神裡面，即使在患難、誤會、讒謗圍攻之下，他也必保守我們安然無恙。對於神時刻同行的奇妙體會，我們往往失之交臂。 [神是我們的避難所]－－什麼也透不過這蔭庇。
祈禱◆呀，主啊，你的面容、你的感動、你的賜福，是我心所尋求的。主啊，感動我，直至我的每一部分，都被你恩慈和帶有能力的平安所震撼和振奮。
January 07, 2014
Intimate With Jesus
Jesus said to him, ’Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?’ —John 14:9
These words were not spoken as a rebuke, nor even with surprise; Jesus was encouraging Philip to draw closer. Yet the last person we get intimate with is Jesus. Before Pentecost the disciples knew Jesus as the One who gave them power to conquer demons and to bring about a revival (see Luke 10:18-20). It was a wonderful intimacy, but there was a much closer intimacy to come: “. . . I have called you friends . . .” (John 15:15). True friendship is rare on earth. It means identifying with someone in thought, heart, and spirit. The whole experience of life is designed to enable us to enter into this closest relationship with Jesus Christ. We receive His blessings and know His Word, but do we really know Him?
Jesus said, “It is to your advantage that I go away . . .” (John 16:7). He left that relationship to lead them even closer. It is a joy to Jesus when a disciple takes time to walk more intimately with Him. The bearing of fruit is always shown in Scripture to be the visible result of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ (see John 15:1-4).
Once we get intimate with Jesus we are never lonely and we never lack for understanding or compassion. We can continually pour out our hearts to Him without being perceived as overly emotional or pitiful. The Christian who is truly intimate with Jesus will never draw attention to himself but will only show the evidence of a life where Jesus is completely in control. This is the outcome of allowing Jesus to satisfy every area of life to its depth. The picture resulting from such a life is that of the strong, calm balance that our Lord gives to those who are intimate with Him.
與耶穌親密
我與你們同在這樣長久，你還不認識我麼？ （約十四9） 這些並不是責備的話，也不是詫異之言，耶穌是領導腓力向前。在我們的密友之中，最末一個是耶穌。五旬節之前，門徒所認識的耶穌，是給他們權柄勝過鬼魔，而且帶來復興的那一位（路十18-20）。這固然是一種密切的關係，但更密切的關係還在未來——[我稱你們為朋友]。友誼是珍貴的，它是人思想與心靈的契合。其實我們整個人生的操練，就是要與耶穌基督進入一個最親密的關係裡去。我們得過他的祝福，明瞭他的話，可是，我們認識他嗎？
耶穌說：[我去是與你們有意的。 ]這是為了增進那關係，引導門徒向前。當一個門徒肯下功夫追求主更親密，他的心就喜樂了。聖經裡說的結果子，總是指由於與耶穌基督合一的必然表現（約十五1-4）。
我們一旦與耶穌建立深交，就永不再孤單，也永不再要人同情。我們可以不住的向主傾訴，而不至於自憐自怨。與耶穌親密的聖徒，從不給人留下他自己的形象。他只將主耶穌的形象毫無阻隔地彰顯出來，因為他天性裡所有的罅隙，已被主填滿了。這種生命給人唯一的印象，就是主賜給與他親密的人那種強烈的平靜與穩妥。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，將你自己那親切。和善的形象賜給我，讓我今天可以討你的喜悅，使我的生命變得完美，成為周圍的人真正的祝福。
These words were not spoken as a rebuke, nor even with surprise; Jesus was encouraging Philip to draw closer. Yet the last person we get intimate with is Jesus. Before Pentecost the disciples knew Jesus as the One who gave them power to conquer demons and to bring about a revival (see Luke 10:18-20). It was a wonderful intimacy, but there was a much closer intimacy to come: “. . . I have called you friends . . .” (John 15:15). True friendship is rare on earth. It means identifying with someone in thought, heart, and spirit. The whole experience of life is designed to enable us to enter into this closest relationship with Jesus Christ. We receive His blessings and know His Word, but do we really know Him?
Jesus said, “It is to your advantage that I go away . . .” (John 16:7). He left that relationship to lead them even closer. It is a joy to Jesus when a disciple takes time to walk more intimately with Him. The bearing of fruit is always shown in Scripture to be the visible result of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ (see John 15:1-4).
Once we get intimate with Jesus we are never lonely and we never lack for understanding or compassion. We can continually pour out our hearts to Him without being perceived as overly emotional or pitiful. The Christian who is truly intimate with Jesus will never draw attention to himself but will only show the evidence of a life where Jesus is completely in control. This is the outcome of allowing Jesus to satisfy every area of life to its depth. The picture resulting from such a life is that of the strong, calm balance that our Lord gives to those who are intimate with Him.
與耶穌親密
我與你們同在這樣長久，你還不認識我麼？ （約十四9） 這些並不是責備的話，也不是詫異之言，耶穌是領導腓力向前。在我們的密友之中，最末一個是耶穌。五旬節之前，門徒所認識的耶穌，是給他們權柄勝過鬼魔，而且帶來復興的那一位（路十18-20）。這固然是一種密切的關係，但更密切的關係還在未來——[我稱你們為朋友]。友誼是珍貴的，它是人思想與心靈的契合。其實我們整個人生的操練，就是要與耶穌基督進入一個最親密的關係裡去。我們得過他的祝福，明瞭他的話，可是，我們認識他嗎？
耶穌說：[我去是與你們有意的。 ]這是為了增進那關係，引導門徒向前。當一個門徒肯下功夫追求主更親密，他的心就喜樂了。聖經裡說的結果子，總是指由於與耶穌基督合一的必然表現（約十五1-4）。
我們一旦與耶穌建立深交，就永不再孤單，也永不再要人同情。我們可以不住的向主傾訴，而不至於自憐自怨。與耶穌親密的聖徒，從不給人留下他自己的形象。他只將主耶穌的形象毫無阻隔地彰顯出來，因為他天性裡所有的罅隙，已被主填滿了。這種生命給人唯一的印象，就是主賜給與他親密的人那種強烈的平靜與穩妥。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，將你自己那親切。和善的形象賜給我，讓我今天可以討你的喜悅，使我的生命變得完美，成為周圍的人真正的祝福。
December 24, 2013
The Hidden Life
. . . your life is hidden with Christ in God —Colossians 3:3
The Spirit of God testifies to and confirms the simple, but almighty, security of the life that “is hidden with Christ in God.” Paul continually brought this out in his New Testament letters. We talk as if living a sanctified life were the most uncertain and insecure thing we could do. Yet it is the most secure thing possible, because it has Almighty God in and behind it. The most dangerous and unsure thing is to try to live without God. For one who is born again, it is easier to live in a right-standing relationship with God than it is to go wrong, provided we heed God’s warnings and “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7).
When we think of being delivered from sin, being “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), and “walk[ing] in the light,” we picture the peak of a great mountain. We see it as very high and wonderful, but we say, “Oh, I could never live up there!” However, when we do get there through God’s grace, we find it is not a mountain peak at all, but a plateau with plenty of room to live and to grow. “You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip” (Psalm 18:36).
When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. If you see Him when He says, “Let not your heart be troubled . . .” (John 14:27), I defy you to worry. It is virtually impossible to doubt when He is there. Every time you are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to you. “My peace I give to you . . .” (John 14:27)— a peace which brings an unconstrained confidence and covers you completely, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. “. . . your life is hidden with Christ in God,” and the peace of Jesus Christ that cannot be disturbed has been imparted to you.
隱藏的生命
你們的生命與基督一同藏在神裡面。 （西三3）
我與基督一同藏在神裡面的生命有大能安穩，這事實是神的靈見證的，並且也不斷見諸新約的各書信中。我往往視成聖生活中最不穩定的東西，其實這是最有保障的，因為全能的神在裡面在後面支援著。最不穩固的，是不靠神而活。我們若已重生，只要肯聽神的警告，行在光中，最容易的是與神有正確的關係，而最難的是走差路。有時想脫離罪惡，被聖靈充滿，行在光明中，好像高山的頂崇高峻妙，我們就會說：[可惜，我怎麼也攀不上去！ ]但一旦靠神恩典上去了，卻發現這原來不是一個山頂，而是一片高原，有足夠的地方生長。 [你使我的道路寬廣。 ]
你若真看見耶穌，我保證你不會對他疑惑。當他說[你心裡不要憂愁]，你若真看見他，必然不會憂愁，因為他在這裡，根本不用疑惑。每次你單獨與他相交，他的話都活現出來。 [我將我的平安賜給你們。 ]這平安要從頭頂滲透至腳踵，是無可抗拒的可靠。 [你們的生命與基督一同藏在神裡面]，主無比的平安就臨到你。
祈禱◆[與基督一同藏在神裡面]的生命，是何等喜樂的生命！可是，我的神，儘管有著你一切的恩典和忍耐，我仍然不敢有一刻想到我離開這生命有多遠。然而，我是你所造的，我要感謝你。
The Spirit of God testifies to and confirms the simple, but almighty, security of the life that “is hidden with Christ in God.” Paul continually brought this out in his New Testament letters. We talk as if living a sanctified life were the most uncertain and insecure thing we could do. Yet it is the most secure thing possible, because it has Almighty God in and behind it. The most dangerous and unsure thing is to try to live without God. For one who is born again, it is easier to live in a right-standing relationship with God than it is to go wrong, provided we heed God’s warnings and “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7).
When we think of being delivered from sin, being “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), and “walk[ing] in the light,” we picture the peak of a great mountain. We see it as very high and wonderful, but we say, “Oh, I could never live up there!” However, when we do get there through God’s grace, we find it is not a mountain peak at all, but a plateau with plenty of room to live and to grow. “You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip” (Psalm 18:36).
When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. If you see Him when He says, “Let not your heart be troubled . . .” (John 14:27), I defy you to worry. It is virtually impossible to doubt when He is there. Every time you are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to you. “My peace I give to you . . .” (John 14:27)— a peace which brings an unconstrained confidence and covers you completely, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. “. . . your life is hidden with Christ in God,” and the peace of Jesus Christ that cannot be disturbed has been imparted to you.
隱藏的生命
你們的生命與基督一同藏在神裡面。 （西三3）
我與基督一同藏在神裡面的生命有大能安穩，這事實是神的靈見證的，並且也不斷見諸新約的各書信中。我往往視成聖生活中最不穩定的東西，其實這是最有保障的，因為全能的神在裡面在後面支援著。最不穩固的，是不靠神而活。我們若已重生，只要肯聽神的警告，行在光中，最容易的是與神有正確的關係，而最難的是走差路。有時想脫離罪惡，被聖靈充滿，行在光明中，好像高山的頂崇高峻妙，我們就會說：[可惜，我怎麼也攀不上去！ ]但一旦靠神恩典上去了，卻發現這原來不是一個山頂，而是一片高原，有足夠的地方生長。 [你使我的道路寬廣。 ]
你若真看見耶穌，我保證你不會對他疑惑。當他說[你心裡不要憂愁]，你若真看見他，必然不會憂愁，因為他在這裡，根本不用疑惑。每次你單獨與他相交，他的話都活現出來。 [我將我的平安賜給你們。 ]這平安要從頭頂滲透至腳踵，是無可抗拒的可靠。 [你們的生命與基督一同藏在神裡面]，主無比的平安就臨到你。
祈禱◆[與基督一同藏在神裡面]的生命，是何等喜樂的生命！可是，我的神，儘管有著你一切的恩典和忍耐，我仍然不敢有一刻想到我離開這生命有多遠。然而，我是你所造的，我要感謝你。
December 21, 2013
Experience or God’s Revealed Truth?
We have received . . . the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God —1 Corinthians 2:12
My experience is not what makes redemption real— redemption is reality. Redemption has no real meaning for me until it is worked out through my conscious life. When I am born again, the Spirit of God takes me beyond myself and my experiences, and identifies me with Jesus Christ. If I am left only with my personal experiences, I am left with something not produced by redemption. But experiences produced by redemption prove themselves by leading me beyond myself, to the point of no longer paying any attention to experiences as the basis of reality. Instead, I see that only the reality itself produced the experiences. My experiences are not worth anything unless they keep me at the Source of truth— Jesus Christ.
If you try to hold back the Holy Spirit within you, with the desire of producing more inner spiritual experiences, you will find that He will break the hold and take you again to the historic Christ. Never support an experience which does not have God as its Source and faith in God as its result. If you do, your experience is anti-Christian, no matter what visions or insights you may have had. Is Jesus Christ Lord of your experiences, or do you place your experiences above Him? Is any experience dearer to you than your Lord? You must allow Him to be Lord over you, and pay no attention to any experience over which He is not Lord. Then there will come a time when God will make you impatient with your own experience, and you can truthfully say, “I do not care what I experience— I am sure of Him!”
Be relentless and hard on yourself if you are in the habit of talking about the experiences you have had. Faith based on experience is not faith; faith based on God’s revealed truth is the only faith there is.
經歷還是啟示？
我們所領受的……乃是從神來的靈，叫我們能知道神開恩賜給我們的事。 （林前二12）
救贖本身是[真實]的，而不是我對救恩的經歷；不過若不是用我能體會的語言傳遞出來，救恩對我就毫無意義。重生之後，神的靈就立即把我從自己和自己的經歷中領出來，使我與耶穌基督連合。若我仍留在自己的經歷中，那些經歷必然不是從救恩而來。那經歷若是由救恩產生的，最好的明證是我脫離自己，不再以自己的經歷作為[真實]的基礎，而只專注於帶來這些經歷的實體。我的經歷若不叫我對準源頭－－主耶穌，就一文不值。
你若堵住聖靈，要為自己製造一些主觀的經歷，你會發覺他會爆溢而出，把你帶回曆史的基督面前。經歷若不植根於神，也不叫你對神產生信心，就不當培育。若然，不管你所見的異像是什麼，你的經歷與基督敵對的，主耶穌是你經歷中的主？還是你要經歷作他的主？有沒有經歷是比主更寶貴的？他要作你的主，你對那些不以他為主的經歷，不應重視。你會來到一個地步，神叫你對自己的經歷不耐煩－－[不管我的經歷是什麼，我只求持定神。 ]你若有很多機會談及自己的經歷，就得對自己無情一點。肯定自信的信心，不是信心；對神有把握的信心，才是唯一的信心。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，求你除去這思想上的枷鎖，為我帶來平安、純潔和能力。願今天你以溫柔、憐憫和恩典來充滿我。
My experience is not what makes redemption real— redemption is reality. Redemption has no real meaning for me until it is worked out through my conscious life. When I am born again, the Spirit of God takes me beyond myself and my experiences, and identifies me with Jesus Christ. If I am left only with my personal experiences, I am left with something not produced by redemption. But experiences produced by redemption prove themselves by leading me beyond myself, to the point of no longer paying any attention to experiences as the basis of reality. Instead, I see that only the reality itself produced the experiences. My experiences are not worth anything unless they keep me at the Source of truth— Jesus Christ.
If you try to hold back the Holy Spirit within you, with the desire of producing more inner spiritual experiences, you will find that He will break the hold and take you again to the historic Christ. Never support an experience which does not have God as its Source and faith in God as its result. If you do, your experience is anti-Christian, no matter what visions or insights you may have had. Is Jesus Christ Lord of your experiences, or do you place your experiences above Him? Is any experience dearer to you than your Lord? You must allow Him to be Lord over you, and pay no attention to any experience over which He is not Lord. Then there will come a time when God will make you impatient with your own experience, and you can truthfully say, “I do not care what I experience— I am sure of Him!”
Be relentless and hard on yourself if you are in the habit of talking about the experiences you have had. Faith based on experience is not faith; faith based on God’s revealed truth is the only faith there is.
經歷還是啟示？
我們所領受的……乃是從神來的靈，叫我們能知道神開恩賜給我們的事。 （林前二12）
救贖本身是[真實]的，而不是我對救恩的經歷；不過若不是用我能體會的語言傳遞出來，救恩對我就毫無意義。重生之後，神的靈就立即把我從自己和自己的經歷中領出來，使我與耶穌基督連合。若我仍留在自己的經歷中，那些經歷必然不是從救恩而來。那經歷若是由救恩產生的，最好的明證是我脫離自己，不再以自己的經歷作為[真實]的基礎，而只專注於帶來這些經歷的實體。我的經歷若不叫我對準源頭－－主耶穌，就一文不值。
你若堵住聖靈，要為自己製造一些主觀的經歷，你會發覺他會爆溢而出，把你帶回曆史的基督面前。經歷若不植根於神，也不叫你對神產生信心，就不當培育。若然，不管你所見的異像是什麼，你的經歷與基督敵對的，主耶穌是你經歷中的主？還是你要經歷作他的主？有沒有經歷是比主更寶貴的？他要作你的主，你對那些不以他為主的經歷，不應重視。你會來到一個地步，神叫你對自己的經歷不耐煩－－[不管我的經歷是什麼，我只求持定神。 ]你若有很多機會談及自己的經歷，就得對自己無情一點。肯定自信的信心，不是信心；對神有把握的信心，才是唯一的信心。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，求你除去這思想上的枷鎖，為我帶來平安、純潔和能力。願今天你以溫柔、憐憫和恩典來充滿我。
November 16, 2013
Still Human!
. . . whatever you do, do all to the glory of God —1 Corinthians 10:31
In the Scriptures, the great miracle of the incarnation slips into the ordinary life of a child; the great miracle of the transfiguration fades into the demon-possessed valley below; the glory of the resurrection descends into a breakfast on the seashore. This is not an anticlimax, but a great revelation of God.
We have a tendency to look for wonder in our experience, and we mistake heroic actions for real heroes. It’s one thing to go through a crisis grandly, yet quite another to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, and no one paying even the remotest attention to us. If we are not looking for halos, we at least want something that will make people say, “What a wonderful man of prayer he is!” or, “What a great woman of devotion she is!” If you are properly devoted to the Lord Jesus, you have reached the lofty height where no one would ever notice you personally. All that is noticed is the power of God coming through you all the time.
We want to be able to say, “Oh, I have had a wonderful call from God!” But to do even the most humbling tasks to the glory of God takes the Almighty God Incarnate working in us. To be utterly unnoticeable requires God’s Spirit in us making us absolutely humanly His. The true test of a saint’s life is not successfulness but faithfulness on the human level of life. We tend to set up success in Christian work as our purpose, but our purpose should be to display the glory of God in human life, to live a life “hidden with Christ in God” in our everyday human conditions (Colossians 3:3). Our human relationships are the very conditions in which the ideal life of God should be exhibited.
仍然是人
無論作什麼，都要為榮耀神而行。 （林前十31）
道成肉身的超其，湮沒在平凡的童年生活；登山變象的輝煌光彩，消失在鬼附的山谷間；復活的榮耀，降卑成為海旁早餐。這不是反高潮，而是神極大的啟示。我們總有一種傾向，就是想去追求超奇的經歷；錯把英雄感當作英雄。在重大關頭昂然度過是一回事，在每天生活中榮耀神，沒有人作證，沒有光彩，絲毫沒有被注意，又是另一回事。我們 有時雖然不求中世紀那種聖人的光環，也想做些事令人家說：[看他是個多麼會祈禱的人！ ]或[她多虔誠，多熱心！ ]可是，若你對主耶穌有正確的獻上，人所注意的是神透過你流露出來的大能。
[噢，我從神得到一個奇妙的呼召！ ]其實要在最卑微的生活上榮耀神，正需要那全能的神在我們裡面，才可以做得到。惟有聖靈在我們裡面，才能使我們完全地屬於他，以致全不為人所注意。聖徒生命的考驗不在於成功，而是對實際生活的忠心。我們會以在基督教事工上的成功作目標，可是正確的目標，乃是在生活上彰顯神的榮耀，在屬世的環境下，活出與基督一同藏在神裡面的生命。屬神的理想生命，是在人與人之間的實際關係上表現出來。
祈禱◆主啊，在今天的讀經中，一下這句話使我的心靈震盪－－[摩西這樣行，耶和華怎樣吩咐他，他就照樣行了。 ]
In the Scriptures, the great miracle of the incarnation slips into the ordinary life of a child; the great miracle of the transfiguration fades into the demon-possessed valley below; the glory of the resurrection descends into a breakfast on the seashore. This is not an anticlimax, but a great revelation of God.
We have a tendency to look for wonder in our experience, and we mistake heroic actions for real heroes. It’s one thing to go through a crisis grandly, yet quite another to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, and no one paying even the remotest attention to us. If we are not looking for halos, we at least want something that will make people say, “What a wonderful man of prayer he is!” or, “What a great woman of devotion she is!” If you are properly devoted to the Lord Jesus, you have reached the lofty height where no one would ever notice you personally. All that is noticed is the power of God coming through you all the time.
We want to be able to say, “Oh, I have had a wonderful call from God!” But to do even the most humbling tasks to the glory of God takes the Almighty God Incarnate working in us. To be utterly unnoticeable requires God’s Spirit in us making us absolutely humanly His. The true test of a saint’s life is not successfulness but faithfulness on the human level of life. We tend to set up success in Christian work as our purpose, but our purpose should be to display the glory of God in human life, to live a life “hidden with Christ in God” in our everyday human conditions (Colossians 3:3). Our human relationships are the very conditions in which the ideal life of God should be exhibited.
仍然是人
無論作什麼，都要為榮耀神而行。 （林前十31）
道成肉身的超其，湮沒在平凡的童年生活；登山變象的輝煌光彩，消失在鬼附的山谷間；復活的榮耀，降卑成為海旁早餐。這不是反高潮，而是神極大的啟示。我們總有一種傾向，就是想去追求超奇的經歷；錯把英雄感當作英雄。在重大關頭昂然度過是一回事，在每天生活中榮耀神，沒有人作證，沒有光彩，絲毫沒有被注意，又是另一回事。我們 有時雖然不求中世紀那種聖人的光環，也想做些事令人家說：[看他是個多麼會祈禱的人！ ]或[她多虔誠，多熱心！ ]可是，若你對主耶穌有正確的獻上，人所注意的是神透過你流露出來的大能。
[噢，我從神得到一個奇妙的呼召！ ]其實要在最卑微的生活上榮耀神，正需要那全能的神在我們裡面，才可以做得到。惟有聖靈在我們裡面，才能使我們完全地屬於他，以致全不為人所注意。聖徒生命的考驗不在於成功，而是對實際生活的忠心。我們會以在基督教事工上的成功作目標，可是正確的目標，乃是在生活上彰顯神的榮耀，在屬世的環境下，活出與基督一同藏在神裡面的生命。屬神的理想生命，是在人與人之間的實際關係上表現出來。
祈禱◆主啊，在今天的讀經中，一下這句話使我的心靈震盪－－[摩西這樣行，耶和華怎樣吩咐他，他就照樣行了。 ]
October 12, 2013
Getting into God’s Stride
Enoch walked with God . . . —Genesis 5:24
The true test of a person’s spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person’s worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of life when he is not under the spotlight (see John 1:35-37 and John 3:30). It is painful work to get in step with God and to keep pace with Him— it means getting your second wind spiritually. In learning to walk with God, there is always the difficulty of getting into His stride, but once we have done so, the only characteristic that exhibits itself is the very life of God Himself. The individual person is merged into a personal oneness with God, and God’s stride and His power alone are exhibited.
It is difficult to get into stride with God, because as soon as we start walking with Him we find that His pace has surpassed us before we have even taken three steps. He has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined in His ways. It was said of Jesus— “He will not fail nor be discouraged . . .” (Isaiah 42:4) because He never worked from His own individual standpoint, but always worked from the standpoint of His Father. And we must learn to do the same. Spiritual truth is learned through the atmosphere that surrounds us, not through intellectual reasoning. It is God’s Spirit that changes the atmosphere of our way of looking at things, and then things begin to be possible which before were impossible. Getting into God’s stride means nothing less than oneness with Him. It takes a long time to get there, but keep at it. Don’t give up because the pain is intense right now— get on with it, and before long you will find that you have a new vision and a new purpose.
與神同步
以諾與神同行。 （創五24）
一個人屬靈生命與個性的考驗，不是在特殊情況下的表現，乃在平凡無奇的時日中所行所作。人的價值視乎他在隱藏時對普通事物所抱的態度（比較約一36）。要達致與神同步的境地，是一件痛苦的事，那是屬靈上[第二陣風]的經歷。學習與神同行，總有跟不上他步伐的困難；但一旦跟上樂，所表現的唯一特質，就是神的生命。個人的生命在與神結合中隱藏樂，所表現的只有神的步伐與能力。
與神步伐一致是不容易的,因為一開始與神同行,就會發現我們才走了三步,他已在老遠樂.他有他作事的方法,我們必須學習餅接受操練,才能以他的方法作事.耶穌[不灰心,也不喪膽],因為他從不以他個人的觀點去行事,乃是以他父的觀點,我們也要如此.屬靈真理是在薰陶下學習的,而不是靠頭腦的推理.神的靈改變我們看事物的態度,於是從來不可能的事,也變得可能樂.與神同行,就是與神聯合.要做到這個,需時甚久,但要持之以恆。不要因現在的痛苦而放棄，不久，你會得著新的異象與目標。
祈禱◆主啊，如此眾多的活動，如此眾多的事情，如此眾多的人！願你因你的榮耀，以寬大的心胸和美善的屬性來賜福今天。
The true test of a person’s spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person’s worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of life when he is not under the spotlight (see John 1:35-37 and John 3:30). It is painful work to get in step with God and to keep pace with Him— it means getting your second wind spiritually. In learning to walk with God, there is always the difficulty of getting into His stride, but once we have done so, the only characteristic that exhibits itself is the very life of God Himself. The individual person is merged into a personal oneness with God, and God’s stride and His power alone are exhibited.
It is difficult to get into stride with God, because as soon as we start walking with Him we find that His pace has surpassed us before we have even taken three steps. He has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined in His ways. It was said of Jesus— “He will not fail nor be discouraged . . .” (Isaiah 42:4) because He never worked from His own individual standpoint, but always worked from the standpoint of His Father. And we must learn to do the same. Spiritual truth is learned through the atmosphere that surrounds us, not through intellectual reasoning. It is God’s Spirit that changes the atmosphere of our way of looking at things, and then things begin to be possible which before were impossible. Getting into God’s stride means nothing less than oneness with Him. It takes a long time to get there, but keep at it. Don’t give up because the pain is intense right now— get on with it, and before long you will find that you have a new vision and a new purpose.
與神同步
以諾與神同行。 （創五24）
一個人屬靈生命與個性的考驗，不是在特殊情況下的表現，乃在平凡無奇的時日中所行所作。人的價值視乎他在隱藏時對普通事物所抱的態度（比較約一36）。要達致與神同步的境地，是一件痛苦的事，那是屬靈上[第二陣風]的經歷。學習與神同行，總有跟不上他步伐的困難；但一旦跟上樂，所表現的唯一特質，就是神的生命。個人的生命在與神結合中隱藏樂，所表現的只有神的步伐與能力。
與神步伐一致是不容易的,因為一開始與神同行,就會發現我們才走了三步,他已在老遠樂.他有他作事的方法,我們必須學習餅接受操練,才能以他的方法作事.耶穌[不灰心,也不喪膽],因為他從不以他個人的觀點去行事,乃是以他父的觀點,我們也要如此.屬靈真理是在薰陶下學習的,而不是靠頭腦的推理.神的靈改變我們看事物的態度,於是從來不可能的事,也變得可能樂.與神同行,就是與神聯合.要做到這個,需時甚久,但要持之以恆。不要因現在的痛苦而放棄，不久，你會得著新的異象與目標。
祈禱◆主啊，如此眾多的活動，如此眾多的事情，如此眾多的人！願你因你的榮耀，以寬大的心胸和美善的屬性來賜福今天。
October 06, 2013
The Nature of Regeneration
When it pleased God . . . to reveal His Son in me . . . —Galatians 1:15-16
If Jesus Christ is going to regenerate me, what is the problem He faces? It is simply this— I have a heredity in which I had no say or decision; I am not holy, nor am I likely to be; and if all Jesus Christ can do is tell me that I must be holy, His teaching only causes me to despair. But if Jesus Christ is truly a regenerator, someone who can put His own heredity of holiness into me, then I can begin to see what He means when He says that I have to be holy. Redemption means that Jesus Christ can put into anyone the hereditary nature that was in Himself, and all the standards He gives us are based on that nature— His teaching is meant to be applied to the life which He puts within us. The proper action on my part is simply to agree with God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ.
The New Testament teaching about regeneration is that when a person is hit by his own sense of need, God will put the Holy Spirit into his spirit, and his personal spirit will be energized by the Spirit of the Son of God— “. . . until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). The moral miracle of redemption is that God can put a new nature into me through which I can live a totally new life. When I finally reach the edge of my need and know my own limitations, then Jesus says, “Blessed are you . . .” (Matthew 5:11). But I must get to that point. God cannot put into me, the responsible moral person that I am, the nature that was in Jesus Christ unless I am aware of my need for it.
Just as the nature of sin entered into the human race through one man, the Holy Spirit entered into the human race through another Man (see Romans 5:12-19). And redemption means that I can be delivered from the heredity of sin, and that through Jesus Christ I can receive a pure and spotless heredity, namely, the Holy Spirit.
再造的改變
神……樂意將他兒子啟示在我心裡。 （加一15-16）
主耶穌若要把我重生過來，要面對什麼困難呢？我承襲的罪性，是我無能為力的；我並不聖潔，自己也不可能聖潔。若主耶穌所能作的，只是告訴我要聖潔，他的教訓只會帶來絕望；但主耶穌若是生命的再造者，能把自己聖潔的遺傳放進人裡面，我便可以明白要聖潔是什麼意思。救贖就是主耶穌把自己的性情傳襲到任何人身上，而他所設的標準，就是根據他的教訓，為放進去的生命而設的。我在道德方面能作的，就是承認神在十字架上對罪的判定。
新約對重生的教訓，就是當人深深感到屬靈的需要，神就把聖靈放進他的靈裡去，他的靈就被神兒子的靈所感動－－[真等到基督成形在你們心裡]。救贖的道德神蹟，就是神把一個新性情放在我裡面，以致我能活出全新的生命來。當我來到自己欠缺的極限，知道自己的有限時，耶穌說：[你有福了。 ]但要到達那境地，除非我先意識到自己的需要，否則，神不能把耶穌基督的性情放在我裡面。正如罪性是因一人進入人類，同樣，聖潔也藉另一個人進入。救贖就是透過主耶穌，把我從罪的傳襲中救出來，領受一個無玷污的遺傳，就是聖靈。
祈禱◆主啊，我的靈性－－或更準確地說，是我的思想領域－－仍是何等愚鈍和模糊，以致瑣碎的事情佔據了龐大的範圍，卻將生命中那些重要的問題擠掉。求你拯救的大能釋放我。
If Jesus Christ is going to regenerate me, what is the problem He faces? It is simply this— I have a heredity in which I had no say or decision; I am not holy, nor am I likely to be; and if all Jesus Christ can do is tell me that I must be holy, His teaching only causes me to despair. But if Jesus Christ is truly a regenerator, someone who can put His own heredity of holiness into me, then I can begin to see what He means when He says that I have to be holy. Redemption means that Jesus Christ can put into anyone the hereditary nature that was in Himself, and all the standards He gives us are based on that nature— His teaching is meant to be applied to the life which He puts within us. The proper action on my part is simply to agree with God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ.
The New Testament teaching about regeneration is that when a person is hit by his own sense of need, God will put the Holy Spirit into his spirit, and his personal spirit will be energized by the Spirit of the Son of God— “. . . until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). The moral miracle of redemption is that God can put a new nature into me through which I can live a totally new life. When I finally reach the edge of my need and know my own limitations, then Jesus says, “Blessed are you . . .” (Matthew 5:11). But I must get to that point. God cannot put into me, the responsible moral person that I am, the nature that was in Jesus Christ unless I am aware of my need for it.
Just as the nature of sin entered into the human race through one man, the Holy Spirit entered into the human race through another Man (see Romans 5:12-19). And redemption means that I can be delivered from the heredity of sin, and that through Jesus Christ I can receive a pure and spotless heredity, namely, the Holy Spirit.
再造的改變
神……樂意將他兒子啟示在我心裡。 （加一15-16）
主耶穌若要把我重生過來，要面對什麼困難呢？我承襲的罪性，是我無能為力的；我並不聖潔，自己也不可能聖潔。若主耶穌所能作的，只是告訴我要聖潔，他的教訓只會帶來絕望；但主耶穌若是生命的再造者，能把自己聖潔的遺傳放進人裡面，我便可以明白要聖潔是什麼意思。救贖就是主耶穌把自己的性情傳襲到任何人身上，而他所設的標準，就是根據他的教訓，為放進去的生命而設的。我在道德方面能作的，就是承認神在十字架上對罪的判定。
新約對重生的教訓，就是當人深深感到屬靈的需要，神就把聖靈放進他的靈裡去，他的靈就被神兒子的靈所感動－－[真等到基督成形在你們心裡]。救贖的道德神蹟，就是神把一個新性情放在我裡面，以致我能活出全新的生命來。當我來到自己欠缺的極限，知道自己的有限時，耶穌說：[你有福了。 ]但要到達那境地，除非我先意識到自己的需要，否則，神不能把耶穌基督的性情放在我裡面。正如罪性是因一人進入人類，同樣，聖潔也藉另一個人進入。救贖就是透過主耶穌，把我從罪的傳襲中救出來，領受一個無玷污的遺傳，就是聖靈。
祈禱◆主啊，我的靈性－－或更準確地說，是我的思想領域－－仍是何等愚鈍和模糊，以致瑣碎的事情佔據了龐大的範圍，卻將生命中那些重要的問題擠掉。求你拯救的大能釋放我。
September 25, 2013
The “Go” of Relationship
Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two—Matthew 5:41
Our Lord’s teaching can be summed up in this: the relationship that He demands for us is an impossible one unless He has done a super-natural work in us. Jesus Christ demands that His disciple does not allow even the slightest trace of resentment in his heart when faced with tyranny and injustice. No amount of enthusiasm will ever stand up to the strain that Jesus Christ will put upon His servant. Only one thing will bear the strain, and that is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Himself— a relationship that has been examined, purified, and tested until only one purpose remains and I can truly say, “I am here for God to send me where He will.” Everything else may become blurred, but this relationship with Jesus Christ must never be.
The Sermon on the Mount is not some unattainable goal; it is a statement of what will happen in me when Jesus Christ has changed my nature by putting His own nature in me. Jesus Christ is the only One who can fulfill the Sermon on the Mount.
If we are to be disciples of Jesus, we must be made disciples supernaturally. And as long as we consciously maintain the determined purpose to be His disciples, we can be sure that we are not disciples. Jesus says, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you. . .” (John 15:16). That is the way the grace of God begins. It is a constraint we can never escape; we can disobey it, but we can never start it or produce it ourselves. We are drawn to God by a work of His supernatural grace, and we can never trace back to find where the work began. Our Lord’s making of a disciple is supernatural. He does not build on any natural capacity of ours at all. God does not ask us to do the things that are naturally easy for us— He only asks us to do the things that we are perfectly fit to do through His grace, and that is where the cross we must bear will always come.
[去]的關係
有人強逼你走一里路，你就同他走二里。 （太五41）
除非主在我們身上行超然的工作，否則他所要求的那種是不可能的。主耶穌要求門徒在遇到暴虐不平時，不可有絲毫的怨恨，即使藏在內心也不可。無論怎樣的熱誠，也受不住主耶穌加在工人身上的考驗。只有一件事可以，就是與他有密切的關係，經歷過他潔淨的磨坊，以致只有一個心志留存－－[我在此任神差派往何方。 ]別的東西都可以消失，但與主的關係絕對不可。
登山寶訓不是一套理想。它說明了我內心要發生的事：就是當主改變我，把他自己的性情放在我裡面時所要成就的光景。只有耶穌基督才能達成登山寶訓。我們若要做主的門徒，就必須循超然的途徑；若死持作門徒的存心，就必不能作門徒。 [我揀選了你們。 ]這是神恩典的開始。這個催迫是我們無法逃避的，我們可以不聽命，但我們斷不能產生這個催迫。神超然的恩典是圖畫的主筆，我們無法追溯他工作的起源。他塑造門徒的工作是超然的，並不建基於天然的力量。神不會叫我們做人力容易達成的事，他只叫我們做那些憑恩典才能應付裕如的事，而十字架往往就循這個途徑而來。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著那環繞我，是我猶如在天堂的聖徒祈禱，我讚美你。為著那透過你的救贖而臨到我的無言恩典，我稱頌你。
Our Lord’s teaching can be summed up in this: the relationship that He demands for us is an impossible one unless He has done a super-natural work in us. Jesus Christ demands that His disciple does not allow even the slightest trace of resentment in his heart when faced with tyranny and injustice. No amount of enthusiasm will ever stand up to the strain that Jesus Christ will put upon His servant. Only one thing will bear the strain, and that is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Himself— a relationship that has been examined, purified, and tested until only one purpose remains and I can truly say, “I am here for God to send me where He will.” Everything else may become blurred, but this relationship with Jesus Christ must never be.
The Sermon on the Mount is not some unattainable goal; it is a statement of what will happen in me when Jesus Christ has changed my nature by putting His own nature in me. Jesus Christ is the only One who can fulfill the Sermon on the Mount.
If we are to be disciples of Jesus, we must be made disciples supernaturally. And as long as we consciously maintain the determined purpose to be His disciples, we can be sure that we are not disciples. Jesus says, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you. . .” (John 15:16). That is the way the grace of God begins. It is a constraint we can never escape; we can disobey it, but we can never start it or produce it ourselves. We are drawn to God by a work of His supernatural grace, and we can never trace back to find where the work began. Our Lord’s making of a disciple is supernatural. He does not build on any natural capacity of ours at all. God does not ask us to do the things that are naturally easy for us— He only asks us to do the things that we are perfectly fit to do through His grace, and that is where the cross we must bear will always come.
[去]的關係
有人強逼你走一里路，你就同他走二里。 （太五41）
除非主在我們身上行超然的工作，否則他所要求的那種是不可能的。主耶穌要求門徒在遇到暴虐不平時，不可有絲毫的怨恨，即使藏在內心也不可。無論怎樣的熱誠，也受不住主耶穌加在工人身上的考驗。只有一件事可以，就是與他有密切的關係，經歷過他潔淨的磨坊，以致只有一個心志留存－－[我在此任神差派往何方。 ]別的東西都可以消失，但與主的關係絕對不可。
登山寶訓不是一套理想。它說明了我內心要發生的事：就是當主改變我，把他自己的性情放在我裡面時所要成就的光景。只有耶穌基督才能達成登山寶訓。我們若要做主的門徒，就必須循超然的途徑；若死持作門徒的存心，就必不能作門徒。 [我揀選了你們。 ]這是神恩典的開始。這個催迫是我們無法逃避的，我們可以不聽命，但我們斷不能產生這個催迫。神超然的恩典是圖畫的主筆，我們無法追溯他工作的起源。他塑造門徒的工作是超然的，並不建基於天然的力量。神不會叫我們做人力容易達成的事，他只叫我們做那些憑恩典才能應付裕如的事，而十字架往往就循這個途徑而來。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著那環繞我，是我猶如在天堂的聖徒祈禱，我讚美你。為著那透過你的救贖而臨到我的無言恩典，我稱頌你。
September 08, 2013
Do It Yourself (1)
. . . casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God . . . —2 Corinthians 10:5
Determinedly Demolish Some Things. Deliverance from sin is not the same as deliverance from human nature. There are things in human nature, such as prejudices, that the saint can only destroy through sheer neglect. But there are other things that have to be destroyed through violence, that is, through God’s divine strength imparted by His Spirit. There are some things over which we are not to fight, but only to “stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord . . .” (see Exodus 14:13). But every theory or thought that raises itself up as a fortified barrier “against the knowledge of God” is to be determinedly demolished by drawing on God’s power, not through human effort or by compromise (see 2 Corinthians 10:4).
It is only when God has transformed our nature and we have entered into the experience of sanctification that the fight begins. The warfare is not against sin; we can never fight against sin— Jesus Christ conquered that in His redemption of us. The conflict is waged over turning our natural life into a spiritual life. This is never done easily, nor does God intend that it be so. It is accomplished only through a series of moral choices. God does not make us holy in the sense that He makes our character holy. He makes us holy in the sense that He has made us innocent before Him. And then we have to turn that innocence into holy character through the moral choices we make. These choices are continually opposed and hostile to the things of our natural life which have become so deeply entrenched— the very things that raise themselves up as fortified barriers “against the knowledge of God.” We can either turn back, making ourselves of no value to the kingdom of God, or we can determinedly demolish these things, allowing Jesus to bring another son to glory (see Hebrews 2:10).
自己做
將各樣的計謀，各樣阻攔人認識神的那些自高之事，一概攻破了。 （林後十5）
從罪得釋放，並不等於從人性中得釋放。人性中有些東西（例如偏見），聖徒要不顧，才能毀滅；有些東西要靠強力，就是神屬天得能力來拆毀；而另外有些東西則不用爭戰，我們只管站住，靜靜觀看神的拯救。任何理論或觀念，若阻礙了對神的認識，就必須立志靠神的能力去拆毀，而不是靠肉體的努力或妥協（林後十4）。
惟有當我們的性情被神改造，進入成聖的經驗裡去，這一場爭戰才可開始。這場仗不是向罪打，我們永無法與罪對抗：耶穌嫉妒的救贖已對付了罪。戰線是在於把天然生命轉為屬靈生命，這不是容易的，神也不想把這事變得容易。這事的作成，是要經過一連串的道德選擇，神使我們成聖，並不在品性上；乃是叫我們無罪，然後把這無罪透過一連串的道德選擇，轉變成為聖潔的品性。這些選擇往往不斷與我們天然生命的盤踞點，及那些阻攔我們認識神的保壘對抗。我們以回頭，在神的國里一事無成；或者，我們可以決意拆毀這些東西，讓耶穌多得一個兒子進到榮耀裡去。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願你這天成為一個完全屬乎你這位王的日子。感動我們，噢，主啊，讓我們在屬靈和物質上的一切生活，都可以配合你的計劃。只要是出於你的感動，一切都會變得美好。
Determinedly Demolish Some Things. Deliverance from sin is not the same as deliverance from human nature. There are things in human nature, such as prejudices, that the saint can only destroy through sheer neglect. But there are other things that have to be destroyed through violence, that is, through God’s divine strength imparted by His Spirit. There are some things over which we are not to fight, but only to “stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord . . .” (see Exodus 14:13). But every theory or thought that raises itself up as a fortified barrier “against the knowledge of God” is to be determinedly demolished by drawing on God’s power, not through human effort or by compromise (see 2 Corinthians 10:4).
It is only when God has transformed our nature and we have entered into the experience of sanctification that the fight begins. The warfare is not against sin; we can never fight against sin— Jesus Christ conquered that in His redemption of us. The conflict is waged over turning our natural life into a spiritual life. This is never done easily, nor does God intend that it be so. It is accomplished only through a series of moral choices. God does not make us holy in the sense that He makes our character holy. He makes us holy in the sense that He has made us innocent before Him. And then we have to turn that innocence into holy character through the moral choices we make. These choices are continually opposed and hostile to the things of our natural life which have become so deeply entrenched— the very things that raise themselves up as fortified barriers “against the knowledge of God.” We can either turn back, making ourselves of no value to the kingdom of God, or we can determinedly demolish these things, allowing Jesus to bring another son to glory (see Hebrews 2:10).
自己做
將各樣的計謀，各樣阻攔人認識神的那些自高之事，一概攻破了。 （林後十5）
從罪得釋放，並不等於從人性中得釋放。人性中有些東西（例如偏見），聖徒要不顧，才能毀滅；有些東西要靠強力，就是神屬天得能力來拆毀；而另外有些東西則不用爭戰，我們只管站住，靜靜觀看神的拯救。任何理論或觀念，若阻礙了對神的認識，就必須立志靠神的能力去拆毀，而不是靠肉體的努力或妥協（林後十4）。
惟有當我們的性情被神改造，進入成聖的經驗裡去，這一場爭戰才可開始。這場仗不是向罪打，我們永無法與罪對抗：耶穌嫉妒的救贖已對付了罪。戰線是在於把天然生命轉為屬靈生命，這不是容易的，神也不想把這事變得容易。這事的作成，是要經過一連串的道德選擇，神使我們成聖，並不在品性上；乃是叫我們無罪，然後把這無罪透過一連串的道德選擇，轉變成為聖潔的品性。這些選擇往往不斷與我們天然生命的盤踞點，及那些阻攔我們認識神的保壘對抗。我們以回頭，在神的國里一事無成；或者，我們可以決意拆毀這些東西，讓耶穌多得一個兒子進到榮耀裡去。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願你這天成為一個完全屬乎你這位王的日子。感動我們，噢，主啊，讓我們在屬靈和物質上的一切生活，都可以配合你的計劃。只要是出於你的感動，一切都會變得美好。
September 05, 2013
Watching With Jesus
Stay here and watch with Me —Matthew 26:38
“Watch with Me.” Jesus was saying, in effect, “Watch with no private point of view at all, but watch solely and entirely with Me.” In the early stages of our Christian life, we do not watch with Jesus, we watch for Him. We do not watch with Him through the revealed truth of the Bible even in the circumstances of our own lives. Our Lord is trying to introduce us to identification with Himself through a particular “Gethsemane” experience of our own. But we refuse to go, saying, “No, Lord, I can’t see the meaning of this, and besides, it’s very painful.” And how can we possibly watch with Someone who is so incomprehensible? How are we going to understand Jesus sufficiently to watch with Him in His Gethsemane, when we don’t even know why He is suffering? We don’t know how to watch with Him— we are only used to the idea of Jesus watching with us.
The disciples loved Jesus Christ to the limit of their natural capacity, but they did not fully understand His purpose. In the Garden of Gethsemane they slept as a result of their own sorrow, and at the end of three years of the closest and most intimate relationship of their lives they “all . . . forsook Him and fled” (Matthew 26:56).
“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit . . .” (Acts 2:4). “They” refers to the same people, but something wonderful has happened between these two events— our Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension— and the disciples have now been invaded and “filled with the Holy Spirit.” Our Lord had said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . .” (Acts 1:8). This meant that they learned to watch with Him the rest of their lives.
傳道者的警醒
同我警醒。 （太二十六40）
[同我警醒。 ]－－完全沒有自己的私見，單單與主一同警醒。初時，我們不會與主一同警醒，只會為他警醒。我們不懂得透過聖經的啟示和生活的環境，與他一同警醒。主一直想用一個特定的客西馬尼，帶我們與他同心，有一同的體驗，可是我們不肯去。我們說：[不，主啊，我看不出這有何用處，太苦了。 ]怎樣可以與一個難以捉摸的物件一同警醒呢？我們若不明他受苦的目的，怎能對耶穌有充分的了解，以致肯在客西馬尼與他一同警醒？我們根本不懂得怎樣與他一同警醒，只習慣於他與我們一同警醒的觀念。
門徒愛耶穌，只到天然本能的限度為止，因她們不明白他在做什麼。在客西馬尼園中，她們因憂愁睡著了。在三年親密關係結束的時候，他們都離棄他逃跑了。 [他們都被聖靈充滿。 ]同樣是[他們]，只是奇妙的事發生了。就是主的死、復活、升天，門徒被聖靈充滿，主曾說：[聖靈降臨在你們身上，你們就必得著能力。 ]就是他們已學會終其一生與主一同警醒。
祈禱◆主啊，今天早上，為著你的話－－[主用手攙扶他]，我感謝你。
“Watch with Me.” Jesus was saying, in effect, “Watch with no private point of view at all, but watch solely and entirely with Me.” In the early stages of our Christian life, we do not watch with Jesus, we watch for Him. We do not watch with Him through the revealed truth of the Bible even in the circumstances of our own lives. Our Lord is trying to introduce us to identification with Himself through a particular “Gethsemane” experience of our own. But we refuse to go, saying, “No, Lord, I can’t see the meaning of this, and besides, it’s very painful.” And how can we possibly watch with Someone who is so incomprehensible? How are we going to understand Jesus sufficiently to watch with Him in His Gethsemane, when we don’t even know why He is suffering? We don’t know how to watch with Him— we are only used to the idea of Jesus watching with us.
The disciples loved Jesus Christ to the limit of their natural capacity, but they did not fully understand His purpose. In the Garden of Gethsemane they slept as a result of their own sorrow, and at the end of three years of the closest and most intimate relationship of their lives they “all . . . forsook Him and fled” (Matthew 26:56).
“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit . . .” (Acts 2:4). “They” refers to the same people, but something wonderful has happened between these two events— our Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension— and the disciples have now been invaded and “filled with the Holy Spirit.” Our Lord had said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . .” (Acts 1:8). This meant that they learned to watch with Him the rest of their lives.
傳道者的警醒
同我警醒。 （太二十六40）
[同我警醒。 ]－－完全沒有自己的私見，單單與主一同警醒。初時，我們不會與主一同警醒，只會為他警醒。我們不懂得透過聖經的啟示和生活的環境，與他一同警醒。主一直想用一個特定的客西馬尼，帶我們與他同心，有一同的體驗，可是我們不肯去。我們說：[不，主啊，我看不出這有何用處，太苦了。 ]怎樣可以與一個難以捉摸的物件一同警醒呢？我們若不明他受苦的目的，怎能對耶穌有充分的了解，以致肯在客西馬尼與他一同警醒？我們根本不懂得怎樣與他一同警醒，只習慣於他與我們一同警醒的觀念。
門徒愛耶穌，只到天然本能的限度為止，因她們不明白他在做什麼。在客西馬尼園中，她們因憂愁睡著了。在三年親密關係結束的時候，他們都離棄他逃跑了。 [他們都被聖靈充滿。 ]同樣是[他們]，只是奇妙的事發生了。就是主的死、復活、升天，門徒被聖靈充滿，主曾說：[聖靈降臨在你們身上，你們就必得著能力。 ]就是他們已學會終其一生與主一同警醒。
祈禱◆主啊，今天早上，為著你的話－－[主用手攙扶他]，我感謝你。
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