. . . fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ . . . —1 Thessalonians 3:2
After sanctification, it is difficult to state what your purpose in life is, because God has moved you into His purpose through the Holy Spirit. He is using you now for His purposes throughout the world as He used His Son for the purpose of our salvation. If you seek great things for yourself, thinking, “God has called me for this and for that,” you barricade God from using you. As long as you maintain your own personal interests and ambitions, you cannot be completely aligned or identified with God’s interests. This can only be accomplished by giving up all of your personal plans once and for all, and by allowing God to take you directly into His purpose for the world. Your understanding of your ways must also be surrendered, because they are now the ways of the Lord.
I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all He asks of me is that I trust Him. I should never say, “Lord, this causes me such heartache.” To talk that way makes me a stumbling block. When I stop telling God what I want, He can freely work His will in me without any hindrance. He can crush me, exalt me, or do anything else He chooses. He simply asks me to have absolute faith in Him and His goodness. Self-pity is of the devil, and if I wallow in it I cannot be used by God for His purpose in the world. Doing this creates for me my own cozy “world within the world,” and God will not be allowed to move me from it because of my fear of being “frost-bitten.”
福音裡的相交
……在基督福音上和神同工……（帖三2，新譯本）
人成聖以後，很難再明說自己的人生目標是什麽，因為神已藉聖靈把你放在他的計畫裡。如今在他對全世界的計畫中，他使用你，正如他在我們的救贖計畫中，使用他的名字一樣。你若為自己求大事- 神呼召我做這個那個，就是限制了神對你的使用。只要你對自己的品性仍感關注，或仍抱個人的野心，就無法與神的心意認同。要與神合一，必須把自己的意念決絕地拋棄，讓神待你到他對全世界的計畫中。這樣，你的行動既全在主裡，就必無法明白所行的路。
人生的目標是屬神的，不是屬自己的，這一點我們必須學習。神按著他美好的旨意用我，要求我信賴他，不要說：[主啊，這事叫我心痛。 ]我這樣說就成了一個阻礙。若不再對神說我要什麽，他才能毫無阻隔地把所要的給我。他可以把我壓碎，也可以叫我高升，他可以隨己意而行。神只要求我對他完全信任，信任他和他的良善。自憐自憫出於魔鬼，我若走這條路，神就不能用我於全世界的計畫裡。我若活在一個[世界裡的世界]，深怕走到外面會凍僵，深就永無法帶我出來。
祈禱◆主啊，願你發聲，讓我可以聽見和明白。我的屬靈生命似乎太表面化，能察覺到帶有恩慈的能力是那麽少；求你激勵我，直至我與你一同發光。
Showing posts with label Purpose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Purpose. Show all posts
November 10, 2014
October 25, 2014
Submitting to God’s Purpose
I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some —1 Corinthians 9:22
A Christian worker has to learn how to be God’s man or woman of great worth and excellence in the midst of a multitude of meager and worthless things. Never protest by saying, “If only I were somewhere else!” All of God’s people are ordinary people who have been made extraordinary by the purpose He has given them. Unless we have the right purpose intellectually in our minds and lovingly in our hearts, we will very quickly be diverted from being useful to God. We are not workers for God by choice. Many people deliberately choose to be workers, but they have no purpose of God’s almighty grace or His mighty Word in them. Paul’s whole heart, mind, and soul were consumed with the great purpose of what Jesus Christ came to do, and he never lost sight of that one thing. We must continually confront ourselves with one central fact— “. . . Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
“I chose you . . .” (John 15:16). Keep these words as a wonderful reminder in your theology. It is not that you have gotten God, but that He has gotten you. God is at work bending, breaking, molding, and doing exactly as He chooses. And why is He doing it? He is doing it for only one purpose— that He may be able to say, “This is My man, and this is My woman.” We have to be in God’s hand so that He can place others on the Rock, Jesus Christ, just as He has placed us.
Never choose to be a worker, but once God has placed His call upon you, woe be to you if you “turn aside . . . to the right or the left . . .” (Deuteronomy 28:14). He will do with you what He never did before His call came to you, and He will do with you what He is not doing with other people. Let Him have His way.
永遠的破碎
"向什麼樣的人，我就作什麼樣的人。無論如何總要救些人。"林前9：22
一個基督徒工人要學會如何在卑賤的事中成為屬神的高尚之人。千萬不要用這個藉口－－如果我在其他地方就好了！所有屬神的人都是平凡人，只是因神所給予他們的內容而成為特別。除非我們在心智和情感上都有了正確的內容，否則我們會對神毫無用處。我們不是選擇作神的工人。許多人刻意地選擇作神的工人，但在他們裡面沒有神全能的恩典，也沒有他大能的話語。保羅的整個心、思想和靈魂都被耶穌基督降世的偉大使命所吸引，他從沒有忘記這件事。我們也要面對自己在這個中心的事實－－耶穌基督並他釘十字架。
"我已經揀選了你。"要在你的信條裡牢記這偉大的話語。不是你得到了神，而是他得到了你。在這所學校裡，神在做工，他改變人，他打碎人，他模造人，按照他所揀選的去做。我們不知道他為什麼做這個，他只是為了一個唯一的目的－－就是他可以說，這是屬於我的男人，這是屬於我的女人。我們要在神的手裡，好讓他把人栽種在磐石上，就像栽種我們一樣。
不要自己選擇去做一個工人，但是當神呼召你時，如果你左推右搪，就有禍了。他會在你身上做些事情，是呼召你以前所未做過的；他會對付你，不像對其他人那樣。讓他按他的方式做吧。
A Christian worker has to learn how to be God’s man or woman of great worth and excellence in the midst of a multitude of meager and worthless things. Never protest by saying, “If only I were somewhere else!” All of God’s people are ordinary people who have been made extraordinary by the purpose He has given them. Unless we have the right purpose intellectually in our minds and lovingly in our hearts, we will very quickly be diverted from being useful to God. We are not workers for God by choice. Many people deliberately choose to be workers, but they have no purpose of God’s almighty grace or His mighty Word in them. Paul’s whole heart, mind, and soul were consumed with the great purpose of what Jesus Christ came to do, and he never lost sight of that one thing. We must continually confront ourselves with one central fact— “. . . Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
“I chose you . . .” (John 15:16). Keep these words as a wonderful reminder in your theology. It is not that you have gotten God, but that He has gotten you. God is at work bending, breaking, molding, and doing exactly as He chooses. And why is He doing it? He is doing it for only one purpose— that He may be able to say, “This is My man, and this is My woman.” We have to be in God’s hand so that He can place others on the Rock, Jesus Christ, just as He has placed us.
Never choose to be a worker, but once God has placed His call upon you, woe be to you if you “turn aside . . . to the right or the left . . .” (Deuteronomy 28:14). He will do with you what He never did before His call came to you, and He will do with you what He is not doing with other people. Let Him have His way.
永遠的破碎
"向什麼樣的人，我就作什麼樣的人。無論如何總要救些人。"林前9：22
一個基督徒工人要學會如何在卑賤的事中成為屬神的高尚之人。千萬不要用這個藉口－－如果我在其他地方就好了！所有屬神的人都是平凡人，只是因神所給予他們的內容而成為特別。除非我們在心智和情感上都有了正確的內容，否則我們會對神毫無用處。我們不是選擇作神的工人。許多人刻意地選擇作神的工人，但在他們裡面沒有神全能的恩典，也沒有他大能的話語。保羅的整個心、思想和靈魂都被耶穌基督降世的偉大使命所吸引，他從沒有忘記這件事。我們也要面對自己在這個中心的事實－－耶穌基督並他釘十字架。
"我已經揀選了你。"要在你的信條裡牢記這偉大的話語。不是你得到了神，而是他得到了你。在這所學校裡，神在做工，他改變人，他打碎人，他模造人，按照他所揀選的去做。我們不知道他為什麼做這個，他只是為了一個唯一的目的－－就是他可以說，這是屬於我的男人，這是屬於我的女人。我們要在神的手裡，好讓他把人栽種在磐石上，就像栽種我們一樣。
不要自己選擇去做一個工人，但是當神呼召你時，如果你左推右搪，就有禍了。他會在你身上做些事情，是呼召你以前所未做過的；他會對付你，不像對其他人那樣。讓他按他的方式做吧。
September 02, 2014
A Life of Pure and Holy Sacrifice
He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow . . . —John 7:38
Jesus did not say, “He who believes in Me will realize all the blessings of the fullness of God,” but, in essence, “He who believes in Me will have everything he receives escape out of him.” Our Lord’s teaching was always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a person— His purpose is to make a person exactly like Himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us— and we cannot measure that at all.
When Mary of Bethany “broke the flask . . . of very costly oil . . . and poured it on [Jesus’] head,” it was an act for which no one else saw any special occasion; in fact, “. . . there were some who . . . said, ’Why was this fragrant oil wasted?’ ” (Mark 14:3-4). But Jesus commended Mary for her extravagant act of devotion, and said, “. . . wherever this gospel is preached . . . what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (Mark 14:9). Our Lord is filled with overflowing joy whenever He sees any of us doing what Mary did— not being bound by a particular set of rules, but being totally surrendered to Him. God poured out the life of His Son “that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). Are we prepared to pour out our lives for Him?
“He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”— and hundreds of other lives will be continually refreshed. Now is the time for us to break “the flask” of our lives, to stop seeking our own satisfaction, and to pour out our lives before Him. Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him?
神聖的祭
信我的人……從他腹中要流出……（約七38）
耶穌不是說：[信我的人，要領受神豐盛的福分。 ]他乃是說：[信我的人，要從他裡面流出領受的一切。 ]主的教訓總是與自我實現相違。他的目的不是要發揮個人，而是要使人完全像他。神兒子的特質就是自我的傾倒。我們若相信耶穌，那麼最重要的不是得著什麼，乃是我們信耶穌，那麼最重要的不是得著什麼，乃是我們倒出多少。神不是造我們成為顆顆圓潤的葡萄，乃是要把我們的甜汁擠出來。在屬靈的領域裡，生命不能以成功來衡量，而是要看我們倒出什麼，這個也是我們無法量估的。
伯大尼的馬利亞打破玉瓶，倒在耶穌的頭上，沒有人能看出是什麼理由；門徒甚至看為浪費。但耶穌稱讚馬利亞這愛的傾盡，並說凡福音傳到的地方，[也要述說這女人所作的以為紀念]。主若看見我們行馬利亞所行的，不計較經濟得失，完全獻上給他的時候，他的喜樂是無法形容。神傾盡他兒子的生命，為拯救世界，我們能否為他傾盡生命？ [信我的人，從他腹中要流出活水的江河來。 ]－－許多的生命會不斷得著更新。如今是把生命之瓶打破的時候，不要再眷戀追求自我滿足，要把生命傾出去。主正在問誰肯為他這樣傾出？
祈禱◆噢，主啊，在絕對的貧乏中，我投向尼。求你在肉身、思想、道德和靈性上臨到我，使我有效地彰顯你、歸榮耀予你。
Jesus did not say, “He who believes in Me will realize all the blessings of the fullness of God,” but, in essence, “He who believes in Me will have everything he receives escape out of him.” Our Lord’s teaching was always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a person— His purpose is to make a person exactly like Himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us— and we cannot measure that at all.
When Mary of Bethany “broke the flask . . . of very costly oil . . . and poured it on [Jesus’] head,” it was an act for which no one else saw any special occasion; in fact, “. . . there were some who . . . said, ’Why was this fragrant oil wasted?’ ” (Mark 14:3-4). But Jesus commended Mary for her extravagant act of devotion, and said, “. . . wherever this gospel is preached . . . what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (Mark 14:9). Our Lord is filled with overflowing joy whenever He sees any of us doing what Mary did— not being bound by a particular set of rules, but being totally surrendered to Him. God poured out the life of His Son “that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). Are we prepared to pour out our lives for Him?
“He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”— and hundreds of other lives will be continually refreshed. Now is the time for us to break “the flask” of our lives, to stop seeking our own satisfaction, and to pour out our lives before Him. Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him?
神聖的祭
信我的人……從他腹中要流出……（約七38）
耶穌不是說：[信我的人，要領受神豐盛的福分。 ]他乃是說：[信我的人，要從他裡面流出領受的一切。 ]主的教訓總是與自我實現相違。他的目的不是要發揮個人，而是要使人完全像他。神兒子的特質就是自我的傾倒。我們若相信耶穌，那麼最重要的不是得著什麼，乃是我們信耶穌，那麼最重要的不是得著什麼，乃是我們倒出多少。神不是造我們成為顆顆圓潤的葡萄，乃是要把我們的甜汁擠出來。在屬靈的領域裡，生命不能以成功來衡量，而是要看我們倒出什麼，這個也是我們無法量估的。
伯大尼的馬利亞打破玉瓶，倒在耶穌的頭上，沒有人能看出是什麼理由；門徒甚至看為浪費。但耶穌稱讚馬利亞這愛的傾盡，並說凡福音傳到的地方，[也要述說這女人所作的以為紀念]。主若看見我們行馬利亞所行的，不計較經濟得失，完全獻上給他的時候，他的喜樂是無法形容。神傾盡他兒子的生命，為拯救世界，我們能否為他傾盡生命？ [信我的人，從他腹中要流出活水的江河來。 ]－－許多的生命會不斷得著更新。如今是把生命之瓶打破的時候，不要再眷戀追求自我滿足，要把生命傾出去。主正在問誰肯為他這樣傾出？
祈禱◆噢，主啊，在絕對的貧乏中，我投向尼。求你在肉身、思想、道德和靈性上臨到我，使我有效地彰顯你、歸榮耀予你。
August 05, 2014
The Bewildering Call of God
'. . . and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.' . . . But they understood none of these things . . . —Luke 18:31, 34
God called Jesus Christ to what seemed absolute disaster. And Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death, leading every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. His life was an absolute failure from every standpoint except God’s. But what seemed to be failure from man’s standpoint was a triumph from God’s standpoint, because God’s purpose is never the same as man’s purpose.
This bewildering call of God comes into our lives as well. The call of God can never be understood absolutely or explained externally; it is a call that can only be perceived and understood internally by our true inner-nature. The call of God is like the call of the sea— no one hears it except the person who has the nature of the sea in him. What God calls us to cannot be definitely stated, because His call is simply to be His friend to accomplish His own purposes. Our real test is in truly believing that God knows what He desires. The things that happen do not happen by chance— they happen entirely by the decree of God. God is sovereignly working out His own purposes.
If we are in fellowship and oneness with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, then we will no longer strive to find out what His purposes are. As we grow in the Christian life, it becomes simpler to us, because we are less inclined to say, “I wonder why God allowed this or that?” And we begin to see that the compelling purpose of God lies behind everything in life, and that God is divinely shaping us into oneness with that purpose. A Christian is someone who trusts in the knowledge and the wisdom of God, not in his own abilities. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the calm, relaxed pace which should be characteristic of the children of God.
令人迷惘的呼召
先知所寫的一切事，都要成就在人子身上……他們不曉得所說的是什麼。 （路十八31、34）
神要耶穌基督所受的，似乎是徹頭徹尾的酷災。耶穌基督叫門徒親眼看他受死，領他們到心碎欲絕的境地。耶穌基督的一生，除了從神的觀點以外，無論從任何角度看來，都是絕對的慘敗。可是，在人看來的失敗，在神卻為極大的勝利，因為神的心思永遠與人的不同。在我們生命中，令人狐疑的呼召也會臨到。神的呼召永不明確的說明，乃是內蘊的。神的呼召像海洋的呼召，除了那與海有緣的人外，沒有人聽得見。神的呼召難以明說，因為他的呼召是要人作他的戰友，完成他的計劃。而考驗就是要我們相信神確知自己的目的。事情發生絕非出於偶然，一切全出於神的吩咐。因為神在進行他的計劃。
我們若與神相交，又知道他要帶我們進入他的計劃裡去，就不用再追問他的計劃到底是怎樣。我們在信主的路上愈久，久愈單純，我們不會再問－－[為什麼神讓這事發生？ ]整件事情的背後，是神莫大的催策。 [我的結局都有全能者去塑造。 ]信徒該信賴的，不是自己的智慧而是神的智慧聰明。我們若有自己的目標，就會破壞那單純與悠然的安息，而這正是神兒女該有的特徵。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，釋放我，我極之渴望與你有著單純的關係，以致能改變任何事情，並向周遭的人散播恩福和福氣。
God called Jesus Christ to what seemed absolute disaster. And Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death, leading every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. His life was an absolute failure from every standpoint except God’s. But what seemed to be failure from man’s standpoint was a triumph from God’s standpoint, because God’s purpose is never the same as man’s purpose.
This bewildering call of God comes into our lives as well. The call of God can never be understood absolutely or explained externally; it is a call that can only be perceived and understood internally by our true inner-nature. The call of God is like the call of the sea— no one hears it except the person who has the nature of the sea in him. What God calls us to cannot be definitely stated, because His call is simply to be His friend to accomplish His own purposes. Our real test is in truly believing that God knows what He desires. The things that happen do not happen by chance— they happen entirely by the decree of God. God is sovereignly working out His own purposes.
If we are in fellowship and oneness with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, then we will no longer strive to find out what His purposes are. As we grow in the Christian life, it becomes simpler to us, because we are less inclined to say, “I wonder why God allowed this or that?” And we begin to see that the compelling purpose of God lies behind everything in life, and that God is divinely shaping us into oneness with that purpose. A Christian is someone who trusts in the knowledge and the wisdom of God, not in his own abilities. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the calm, relaxed pace which should be characteristic of the children of God.
令人迷惘的呼召
先知所寫的一切事，都要成就在人子身上……他們不曉得所說的是什麼。 （路十八31、34）
神要耶穌基督所受的，似乎是徹頭徹尾的酷災。耶穌基督叫門徒親眼看他受死，領他們到心碎欲絕的境地。耶穌基督的一生，除了從神的觀點以外，無論從任何角度看來，都是絕對的慘敗。可是，在人看來的失敗，在神卻為極大的勝利，因為神的心思永遠與人的不同。在我們生命中，令人狐疑的呼召也會臨到。神的呼召永不明確的說明，乃是內蘊的。神的呼召像海洋的呼召，除了那與海有緣的人外，沒有人聽得見。神的呼召難以明說，因為他的呼召是要人作他的戰友，完成他的計劃。而考驗就是要我們相信神確知自己的目的。事情發生絕非出於偶然，一切全出於神的吩咐。因為神在進行他的計劃。
我們若與神相交，又知道他要帶我們進入他的計劃裡去，就不用再追問他的計劃到底是怎樣。我們在信主的路上愈久，久愈單純，我們不會再問－－[為什麼神讓這事發生？ ]整件事情的背後，是神莫大的催策。 [我的結局都有全能者去塑造。 ]信徒該信賴的，不是自己的智慧而是神的智慧聰明。我們若有自己的目標，就會破壞那單純與悠然的安息，而這正是神兒女該有的特徵。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，釋放我，我極之渴望與你有著單純的關係，以致能改變任何事情，並向周遭的人散播恩福和福氣。
August 03, 2014
The Compelling Purpose of God
He . . . said to them, ’Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem . . —Luke 18:31
Jerusalem, in the life of our Lord, represents the place where He reached the culmination of His Father’s will. Jesus said, “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). Seeking to do “the will of the Father” was the one dominating concern throughout our Lord’s life. And whatever He encountered along the way, whether joy or sorrow, success or failure, He was never deterred from that purpose. “. . . He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem . . .” (Luke 9:51).
The greatest thing for us to remember is that we go up to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s purpose, not our own. In the natural life our ambitions are our own, but in the Christian life we have no goals of our own. We talk so much today about our decisions for Christ, our determination to be Christians, and our decisions for this and that, but in the New Testament the only aspect that is brought out is the compelling purpose of God. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you . . .” (John 15:16).
We are not taken into a conscious agreement with God’s purpose— we are taken into God’s purpose with no awareness of it at all. We have no idea what God’s goal may be; as we continue, His purpose becomes even more and more vague. God’s aim appears to have missed the mark, because we are too nearsighted to see the target at which He is aiming. At the beginning of the Christian life, we have our own ideas as to what God’s purpose is. We say, “God means for me to go over there,” and, “God has called me to do this special work.” We do what we think is right, and yet the compelling purpose of God remains upon us. The work we do is of no account when compared with the compelling purpose of God. It is simply the scaffolding surrounding His work and His plan. “He took the twelve aside . . .” (Luke 18:31). God takes us aside all the time. We have not yet understood all there is to know of the compelling purpose of God.
神的催逼
看哪，我們上耶路撒冷去。 （路十八31）
在主耶穌的生命中，耶路撒冷是他成就父神旨意的頂峰。 [我不求自己的意思，只求那差我來者的意思。 ]在救主的一生中，這是他唯一最大的關注。路途上所遇的一切，不論憂喜成敗，從不使他偏離這個目標。
[他就定意向耶路撒冷去。 ]最重要的是知道上耶路撒冷去，是要完成神的計劃，而不是我們自己的計劃。很自然的，雄心是出於我們自己；但在信徒的生命中，該沒有自己的目標。今天太多人提出自己為基督而作的決定－－我們決志作基督徒，我們決定做這做那－－但新約帶出的資訊，卻是神自己的催逼。
[不是你們揀選了我，是我揀選了你們。 ]我們並沒有意識地同意神的計劃，乃是在不知不覺中進到神的計劃裡去。我們根本不知道神怎樣籌算，而且一日比一日模糊。神的目標似乎總是達不到，其實是因為我們太短視，看不見他的射標。初信之時，我們對神的計劃有自己的想法－－[我應該到某處某處。 ]
[神呼召我作這特別的工作。 ]於是，我們去了，做了，但神的催逼依然存在。我們所作的工算不得什麼，與神的催逼比較，不過是平台架而已。 [耶穌帶著十二個門徒。 ]他不住地帶領著我們，我們還有許多未進入之地。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我來到你面前；無論自覺或非自覺地，我懷著極大的需要靠近你。求你為著你的榮耀高舉我、帶領我、充滿我，使我能和諧地配合你的計劃和旨意。
Jerusalem, in the life of our Lord, represents the place where He reached the culmination of His Father’s will. Jesus said, “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). Seeking to do “the will of the Father” was the one dominating concern throughout our Lord’s life. And whatever He encountered along the way, whether joy or sorrow, success or failure, He was never deterred from that purpose. “. . . He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem . . .” (Luke 9:51).
The greatest thing for us to remember is that we go up to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s purpose, not our own. In the natural life our ambitions are our own, but in the Christian life we have no goals of our own. We talk so much today about our decisions for Christ, our determination to be Christians, and our decisions for this and that, but in the New Testament the only aspect that is brought out is the compelling purpose of God. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you . . .” (John 15:16).
We are not taken into a conscious agreement with God’s purpose— we are taken into God’s purpose with no awareness of it at all. We have no idea what God’s goal may be; as we continue, His purpose becomes even more and more vague. God’s aim appears to have missed the mark, because we are too nearsighted to see the target at which He is aiming. At the beginning of the Christian life, we have our own ideas as to what God’s purpose is. We say, “God means for me to go over there,” and, “God has called me to do this special work.” We do what we think is right, and yet the compelling purpose of God remains upon us. The work we do is of no account when compared with the compelling purpose of God. It is simply the scaffolding surrounding His work and His plan. “He took the twelve aside . . .” (Luke 18:31). God takes us aside all the time. We have not yet understood all there is to know of the compelling purpose of God.
神的催逼
看哪，我們上耶路撒冷去。 （路十八31）
在主耶穌的生命中，耶路撒冷是他成就父神旨意的頂峰。 [我不求自己的意思，只求那差我來者的意思。 ]在救主的一生中，這是他唯一最大的關注。路途上所遇的一切，不論憂喜成敗，從不使他偏離這個目標。
[他就定意向耶路撒冷去。 ]最重要的是知道上耶路撒冷去，是要完成神的計劃，而不是我們自己的計劃。很自然的，雄心是出於我們自己；但在信徒的生命中，該沒有自己的目標。今天太多人提出自己為基督而作的決定－－我們決志作基督徒，我們決定做這做那－－但新約帶出的資訊，卻是神自己的催逼。
[不是你們揀選了我，是我揀選了你們。 ]我們並沒有意識地同意神的計劃，乃是在不知不覺中進到神的計劃裡去。我們根本不知道神怎樣籌算，而且一日比一日模糊。神的目標似乎總是達不到，其實是因為我們太短視，看不見他的射標。初信之時，我們對神的計劃有自己的想法－－[我應該到某處某處。 ]
[神呼召我作這特別的工作。 ]於是，我們去了，做了，但神的催逼依然存在。我們所作的工算不得什麼，與神的催逼比較，不過是平台架而已。 [耶穌帶著十二個門徒。 ]他不住地帶領著我們，我們還有許多未進入之地。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我來到你面前；無論自覺或非自覺地，我懷著極大的需要靠近你。求你為著你的榮耀高舉我、帶領我、充滿我，使我能和諧地配合你的計劃和旨意。
July 28, 2014
God’s Purpose or Mine?
He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side . . . —Mark 6:45
We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.
What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” (Mark 6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.
God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.
God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.
順服之後又如何？
耶穌隨即催門徒上船，先渡到那邊……（可六45-52）
我們很容易這樣想：主若催逼我們，我們若順服他，他就必叫我們大大的成功。千萬別把成功的夢想，當作神對我們的計畫；神的計畫可能恰好相反。我們以為神要領我們到某一特定的目的——一個理想的目標；其實並不是。到達某一目的，只是附帶的事。我們所稱為過程的，神卻稱為目標。
我對神的計畫有何夢想？他的計畫就是要我現在倚靠他和他的能力。在動盪不安之中，我若能保持平靜不疑惑，這就是神計畫的目標。神作工不是為某一個特別的終點；他的目標就在過程之中——要我看見他正行在波浪上；雖然不見邊岸，沒有目的地，但有一個肯定的確信，深知必然平安無事，因為我看見他正在海面上行走。這是過程，不是目標，使神得著榮耀。神的訓練是即時的，不是等一會兒的。他的計畫是這一分鐘，不是將來某件事。我們不必顧及順服之後會怎樣；若牽掛以後會怎樣，就走錯了路。人所謂的訓練與預備，神卻稱為目的。
神的目的是要我如今就知道，他能在我生命的混亂動盪中行走。若我們在前方另有目標，那麼，臨到我們的每一刻都變得如珍如寶了。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，倘若那需要是出於你，我便歡喜！為著你教訓我們[有火煉的試驗臨到你們，不要以為奇怪，倒要歡喜]，我讚美你。
We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.
What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” (Mark 6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.
God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.
God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.
順服之後又如何？
耶穌隨即催門徒上船，先渡到那邊……（可六45-52）
我們很容易這樣想：主若催逼我們，我們若順服他，他就必叫我們大大的成功。千萬別把成功的夢想，當作神對我們的計畫；神的計畫可能恰好相反。我們以為神要領我們到某一特定的目的——一個理想的目標；其實並不是。到達某一目的，只是附帶的事。我們所稱為過程的，神卻稱為目標。
我對神的計畫有何夢想？他的計畫就是要我現在倚靠他和他的能力。在動盪不安之中，我若能保持平靜不疑惑，這就是神計畫的目標。神作工不是為某一個特別的終點；他的目標就在過程之中——要我看見他正行在波浪上；雖然不見邊岸，沒有目的地，但有一個肯定的確信，深知必然平安無事，因為我看見他正在海面上行走。這是過程，不是目標，使神得著榮耀。神的訓練是即時的，不是等一會兒的。他的計畫是這一分鐘，不是將來某件事。我們不必顧及順服之後會怎樣；若牽掛以後會怎樣，就走錯了路。人所謂的訓練與預備，神卻稱為目的。
神的目的是要我如今就知道，他能在我生命的混亂動盪中行走。若我們在前方另有目標，那麼，臨到我們的每一刻都變得如珍如寶了。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，倘若那需要是出於你，我便歡喜！為著你教訓我們[有火煉的試驗臨到你們，不要以為奇怪，倒要歡喜]，我讚美你。
November 10, 2013
Fellowship in the Gospel
. . . fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ . . . —1 Thessalonians 3:2
After sanctification, it is difficult to state what your purpose in life is, because God has moved you into His purpose through the Holy Spirit. He is using you now for His purposes throughout the world as He used His Son for the purpose of our salvation. If you seek great things for yourself, thinking, “God has called me for this and for that,” you barricade God from using you. As long as you maintain your own personal interests and ambitions, you cannot be completely aligned or identified with God’s interests. This can only be accomplished by giving up all of your personal plans once and for all, and by allowing God to take you directly into His purpose for the world. Your understanding of your ways must also be surrendered, because they are now the ways of the Lord.
I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all He asks of me is that I trust Him. I should never say, “Lord, this causes me such heartache.” To talk that way makes me a stumbling block. When I stop telling God what I want, He can freely work His will in me without any hindrance. He can crush me, exalt me, or do anything else He chooses. He simply asks me to have absolute faith in Him and His goodness. Self-pity is of the devil, and if I wallow in it I cannot be used by God for His purpose in the world. Doing this creates for me my own cozy “world within the world,” and God will not be allowed to move me from it because of my fear of being “frost-bitten.”
福音裡的相交
……在基督福音上和神同工……（帖三2，新譯本）
人成聖以後，很難再明說自己的人生目標是什麽，因為神已藉聖靈把你放在他的計畫裡。如今在他對全世界的計畫中，他使用你，正如他在我們的救贖計畫中，使用他的名字一樣。你若為自己求大事- 神呼召我做這個那個，就是限制了神對你的使用。只要你對自己的品性仍感關注，或仍抱個人的野心，就無法與神的心意認同。要與神合一，必須把自己的意念決絕地拋棄，讓神待你到他對全世界的計畫中。這樣，你的行動既全在主裡，就必無法明白所行的路。
人生的目標是屬神的，不是屬自己的，這一點我們必須學習。神按著他美好的旨意用我，要求我信賴他，不要說：[主啊，這事叫我心痛。 ]我這樣說就成了一個阻礙。若不再對神說我要什麽，他才能毫無阻隔地把所要的給我。他可以把我壓碎，也可以叫我高升，他可以隨己意而行。神只要求我對他完全信任，信任他和他的良善。自憐自憫出於魔鬼，我若走這條路，神就不能用我於全世界的計畫裡。我若活在一個[世界裡的世界]，深怕走到外面會凍僵，深就永無法帶我出來。
祈禱◆主啊，願你發聲，讓我可以聽見和明白。我的屬靈生命似乎太表面化，能察覺到帶有恩慈的能力是那麽少；求你激勵我，直至我與你一同發光。
After sanctification, it is difficult to state what your purpose in life is, because God has moved you into His purpose through the Holy Spirit. He is using you now for His purposes throughout the world as He used His Son for the purpose of our salvation. If you seek great things for yourself, thinking, “God has called me for this and for that,” you barricade God from using you. As long as you maintain your own personal interests and ambitions, you cannot be completely aligned or identified with God’s interests. This can only be accomplished by giving up all of your personal plans once and for all, and by allowing God to take you directly into His purpose for the world. Your understanding of your ways must also be surrendered, because they are now the ways of the Lord.
I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all He asks of me is that I trust Him. I should never say, “Lord, this causes me such heartache.” To talk that way makes me a stumbling block. When I stop telling God what I want, He can freely work His will in me without any hindrance. He can crush me, exalt me, or do anything else He chooses. He simply asks me to have absolute faith in Him and His goodness. Self-pity is of the devil, and if I wallow in it I cannot be used by God for His purpose in the world. Doing this creates for me my own cozy “world within the world,” and God will not be allowed to move me from it because of my fear of being “frost-bitten.”
福音裡的相交
……在基督福音上和神同工……（帖三2，新譯本）
人成聖以後，很難再明說自己的人生目標是什麽，因為神已藉聖靈把你放在他的計畫裡。如今在他對全世界的計畫中，他使用你，正如他在我們的救贖計畫中，使用他的名字一樣。你若為自己求大事- 神呼召我做這個那個，就是限制了神對你的使用。只要你對自己的品性仍感關注，或仍抱個人的野心，就無法與神的心意認同。要與神合一，必須把自己的意念決絕地拋棄，讓神待你到他對全世界的計畫中。這樣，你的行動既全在主裡，就必無法明白所行的路。
人生的目標是屬神的，不是屬自己的，這一點我們必須學習。神按著他美好的旨意用我，要求我信賴他，不要說：[主啊，這事叫我心痛。 ]我這樣說就成了一個阻礙。若不再對神說我要什麽，他才能毫無阻隔地把所要的給我。他可以把我壓碎，也可以叫我高升，他可以隨己意而行。神只要求我對他完全信任，信任他和他的良善。自憐自憫出於魔鬼，我若走這條路，神就不能用我於全世界的計畫裡。我若活在一個[世界裡的世界]，深怕走到外面會凍僵，深就永無法帶我出來。
祈禱◆主啊，願你發聲，讓我可以聽見和明白。我的屬靈生命似乎太表面化，能察覺到帶有恩慈的能力是那麽少；求你激勵我，直至我與你一同發光。
October 25, 2013
Submitting to God’s Purpose
I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some —1 Corinthians 9:22
A Christian worker has to learn how to be God’s man or woman of great worth and excellence in the midst of a multitude of meager and worthless things. Never protest by saying, “If only I were somewhere else!” All of God’s people are ordinary people who have been made extraordinary by the purpose He has given them. Unless we have the right purpose intellectually in our minds and lovingly in our hearts, we will very quickly be diverted from being useful to God. We are not workers for God by choice. Many people deliberately choose to be workers, but they have no purpose of God’s almighty grace or His mighty Word in them. Paul’s whole heart, mind, and soul were consumed with the great purpose of what Jesus Christ came to do, and he never lost sight of that one thing. We must continually confront ourselves with one central fact— “. . . Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
“I chose you . . .” (John 15:16). Keep these words as a wonderful reminder in your theology. It is not that you have gotten God, but that He has gotten you. God is at work bending, breaking, molding, and doing exactly as He chooses. And why is He doing it? He is doing it for only one purpose— that He may be able to say, “This is My man, and this is My woman.” We have to be in God’s hand so that He can place others on the Rock, Jesus Christ, just as He has placed us.
Never choose to be a worker, but once God has placed His call upon you, woe be to you if you “turn aside . . . to the right or the left . . .” (Deuteronomy 28:14). He will do with you what He never did before His call came to you, and He will do with you what He is not doing with other people. Let Him have His way.
永遠的破碎
"向什麼樣的人，我就作什麼樣的人。無論如何總要救些人。"林前9：22
一個基督徒工人要學會如何在卑賤的事中成為屬神的高尚之人。千萬不要用這個藉口－－如果我在其他地方就好了！所有屬神的人都是平凡人，只是因神所給予他們的內容而成為特別。除非我們在心智和情感上都有了正確的內容，否則我們會對神毫無用處。我們不是選擇作神的工人。許多人刻意地選擇作神的工人，但在他們裡面沒有神全能的恩典，也沒有他大能的話語。保羅的整個心、思想和靈魂都被耶穌基督降世的偉大使命所吸引，他從沒有忘記這件事。我們也要面對自己在這個中心的事實－－耶穌基督並他釘十字架。
"我已經揀選了你。"要在你的信條裡牢記這偉大的話語。不是你得到了神，而是他得到了你。在這所學校裡，神在做工，他改變人，他打碎人，他模造人，按照他所揀選的去做。我們不知道他為什麼做這個，他只是為了一個唯一的目的－－就是他可以說，這是屬於我的男人，這是屬於我的女人。我們要在神的手裡，好讓他把人栽種在磐石上，就像栽種我們一樣。
不要自己選擇去做一個工人，但是當神呼召你時，如果你左推右搪，就有禍了。他會在你身上做些事情，是呼召你以前所未做過的；他會對付你，不像對其他人那樣。讓他按他的方式做吧。
A Christian worker has to learn how to be God’s man or woman of great worth and excellence in the midst of a multitude of meager and worthless things. Never protest by saying, “If only I were somewhere else!” All of God’s people are ordinary people who have been made extraordinary by the purpose He has given them. Unless we have the right purpose intellectually in our minds and lovingly in our hearts, we will very quickly be diverted from being useful to God. We are not workers for God by choice. Many people deliberately choose to be workers, but they have no purpose of God’s almighty grace or His mighty Word in them. Paul’s whole heart, mind, and soul were consumed with the great purpose of what Jesus Christ came to do, and he never lost sight of that one thing. We must continually confront ourselves with one central fact— “. . . Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
“I chose you . . .” (John 15:16). Keep these words as a wonderful reminder in your theology. It is not that you have gotten God, but that He has gotten you. God is at work bending, breaking, molding, and doing exactly as He chooses. And why is He doing it? He is doing it for only one purpose— that He may be able to say, “This is My man, and this is My woman.” We have to be in God’s hand so that He can place others on the Rock, Jesus Christ, just as He has placed us.
Never choose to be a worker, but once God has placed His call upon you, woe be to you if you “turn aside . . . to the right or the left . . .” (Deuteronomy 28:14). He will do with you what He never did before His call came to you, and He will do with you what He is not doing with other people. Let Him have His way.
永遠的破碎
"向什麼樣的人，我就作什麼樣的人。無論如何總要救些人。"林前9：22
一個基督徒工人要學會如何在卑賤的事中成為屬神的高尚之人。千萬不要用這個藉口－－如果我在其他地方就好了！所有屬神的人都是平凡人，只是因神所給予他們的內容而成為特別。除非我們在心智和情感上都有了正確的內容，否則我們會對神毫無用處。我們不是選擇作神的工人。許多人刻意地選擇作神的工人，但在他們裡面沒有神全能的恩典，也沒有他大能的話語。保羅的整個心、思想和靈魂都被耶穌基督降世的偉大使命所吸引，他從沒有忘記這件事。我們也要面對自己在這個中心的事實－－耶穌基督並他釘十字架。
"我已經揀選了你。"要在你的信條裡牢記這偉大的話語。不是你得到了神，而是他得到了你。在這所學校裡，神在做工，他改變人，他打碎人，他模造人，按照他所揀選的去做。我們不知道他為什麼做這個，他只是為了一個唯一的目的－－就是他可以說，這是屬於我的男人，這是屬於我的女人。我們要在神的手裡，好讓他把人栽種在磐石上，就像栽種我們一樣。
不要自己選擇去做一個工人，但是當神呼召你時，如果你左推右搪，就有禍了。他會在你身上做些事情，是呼召你以前所未做過的；他會對付你，不像對其他人那樣。讓他按他的方式做吧。
October 21, 2013
Submitting to God’s Purpose
I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some —1 Corinthians 9:22
A Christian worker has to learn how to be God’s man or woman of great worth and excellence in the midst of a multitude of meager and worthless things. Never protest by saying, “If only I were somewhere else!” All of God’s people are ordinary people who have been made extraordinary by the purpose He has given them. Unless we have the right purpose intellectually in our minds and lovingly in our hearts, we will very quickly be diverted from being useful to God. We are not workers for God by choice. Many people deliberately choose to be workers, but they have no purpose of God’s almighty grace or His mighty Word in them. Paul’s whole heart, mind, and soul were consumed with the great purpose of what Jesus Christ came to do, and he never lost sight of that one thing. We must continually confront ourselves with one central fact— “. . . Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
“I chose you . . .” (John 15:16). Keep these words as a wonderful reminder in your theology. It is not that you have gotten God, but that He has gotten you. God is at work bending, breaking, molding, and doing exactly as He chooses. And why is He doing it? He is doing it for only one purpose— that He may be able to say, “This is My man, and this is My woman.” We have to be in God’s hand so that He can place others on the Rock, Jesus Christ, just as He has placed us.
Never choose to be a worker, but once God has placed His call upon you, woe be to you if you “turn aside . . . to the right or the left . . .” (Deuteronomy 28:14). He will do with you what He never did before His call came to you, and He will do with you what He is not doing with other people. Let Him have His way.
永遠的破碎
"向什麼樣的人，我就作什麼樣的人。無論如何總要救些人。"林前9：22
一個基督徒工人要學會如何在卑賤的事中成為屬神的高尚之人。千萬不要用這個藉口－－如果我在其他地方就好了！所有屬神的人都是平凡人，只是因神所給予他們的內容而成為特別。除非我們在心智和情感上都有了正確的內容，否則我們會對神毫無用處。我們不是選擇作神的工人。許多人刻意地選擇作神的工人，但在他們裡面沒有神全能的恩典，也沒有他大能的話語。保羅的整個心、思想和靈魂都被耶穌基督降世的偉大使命所吸引，他從沒有忘記這件事。我們也要面對自己在這個中心的事實－－耶穌基督並他釘十字架。
"我已經揀選了你。"要在你的信條裡牢記這偉大的話語。不是你得到了神，而是他得到了你。在這所學校裡，神在做工，他改變人，他打碎人，他模造人，按照他所揀選的去做。我們不知道他為什麼做這個，他只是為了一個唯一的目的－－就是他可以說，這是屬於我的男人，這是屬於我的女人。我們要在神的手裡，好讓他把人栽種在磐石上，就像栽種我們一樣。
不要自己選擇去做一個工人，但是當神呼召你時，如果你左推右搪，就有禍了。他會在你身上做些事情，是呼召你以前所未做過的；他會對付你，不像對其他人那樣。讓他按他的方式做吧。
A Christian worker has to learn how to be God’s man or woman of great worth and excellence in the midst of a multitude of meager and worthless things. Never protest by saying, “If only I were somewhere else!” All of God’s people are ordinary people who have been made extraordinary by the purpose He has given them. Unless we have the right purpose intellectually in our minds and lovingly in our hearts, we will very quickly be diverted from being useful to God. We are not workers for God by choice. Many people deliberately choose to be workers, but they have no purpose of God’s almighty grace or His mighty Word in them. Paul’s whole heart, mind, and soul were consumed with the great purpose of what Jesus Christ came to do, and he never lost sight of that one thing. We must continually confront ourselves with one central fact— “. . . Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
“I chose you . . .” (John 15:16). Keep these words as a wonderful reminder in your theology. It is not that you have gotten God, but that He has gotten you. God is at work bending, breaking, molding, and doing exactly as He chooses. And why is He doing it? He is doing it for only one purpose— that He may be able to say, “This is My man, and this is My woman.” We have to be in God’s hand so that He can place others on the Rock, Jesus Christ, just as He has placed us.
Never choose to be a worker, but once God has placed His call upon you, woe be to you if you “turn aside . . . to the right or the left . . .” (Deuteronomy 28:14). He will do with you what He never did before His call came to you, and He will do with you what He is not doing with other people. Let Him have His way.
永遠的破碎
"向什麼樣的人，我就作什麼樣的人。無論如何總要救些人。"林前9：22
一個基督徒工人要學會如何在卑賤的事中成為屬神的高尚之人。千萬不要用這個藉口－－如果我在其他地方就好了！所有屬神的人都是平凡人，只是因神所給予他們的內容而成為特別。除非我們在心智和情感上都有了正確的內容，否則我們會對神毫無用處。我們不是選擇作神的工人。許多人刻意地選擇作神的工人，但在他們裡面沒有神全能的恩典，也沒有他大能的話語。保羅的整個心、思想和靈魂都被耶穌基督降世的偉大使命所吸引，他從沒有忘記這件事。我們也要面對自己在這個中心的事實－－耶穌基督並他釘十字架。
"我已經揀選了你。"要在你的信條裡牢記這偉大的話語。不是你得到了神，而是他得到了你。在這所學校裡，神在做工，他改變人，他打碎人，他模造人，按照他所揀選的去做。我們不知道他為什麼做這個，他只是為了一個唯一的目的－－就是他可以說，這是屬於我的男人，這是屬於我的女人。我們要在神的手裡，好讓他把人栽種在磐石上，就像栽種我們一樣。
不要自己選擇去做一個工人，但是當神呼召你時，如果你左推右搪，就有禍了。他會在你身上做些事情，是呼召你以前所未做過的；他會對付你，不像對其他人那樣。讓他按他的方式做吧。
September 02, 2013
A Life of Pure and Holy Sacrifice
He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow . . . —John 7:38
Jesus did not say, “He who believes in Me will realize all the blessings of the fullness of God,” but, in essence, “He who believes in Me will have everything he receives escape out of him.” Our Lord’s teaching was always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a person— His purpose is to make a person exactly like Himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us— and we cannot measure that at all.
When Mary of Bethany “broke the flask . . . of very costly oil . . . and poured it on [Jesus’] head,” it was an act for which no one else saw any special occasion; in fact, “. . . there were some who . . . said, ’Why was this fragrant oil wasted?’ ” (Mark 14:3-4). But Jesus commended Mary for her extravagant act of devotion, and said, “. . . wherever this gospel is preached . . . what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (Mark 14:9). Our Lord is filled with overflowing joy whenever He sees any of us doing what Mary did— not being bound by a particular set of rules, but being totally surrendered to Him. God poured out the life of His Son “that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). Are we prepared to pour out our lives for Him?
“He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”— and hundreds of other lives will be continually refreshed. Now is the time for us to break “the flask” of our lives, to stop seeking our own satisfaction, and to pour out our lives before Him. Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him?
神聖的祭
信我的人……從他腹中要流出……（約七38）
耶穌不是說：[信我的人，要領受神豐盛的福分。 ]他乃是說：[信我的人，要從他裡面流出領受的一切。 ]主的教訓總是與自我實現相違。他的目的不是要發揮個人，而是要使人完全像他。神兒子的特質就是自我的傾倒。我們若相信耶穌，那麼最重要的不是得著什麼，乃是我們信耶穌，那麼最重要的不是得著什麼，乃是我們倒出多少。神不是造我們成為顆顆圓潤的葡萄，乃是要把我們的甜汁擠出來。在屬靈的領域裡，生命不能以成功來衡量，而是要看我們倒出什麼，這個也是我們無法量估的。
伯大尼的馬利亞打破玉瓶，倒在耶穌的頭上，沒有人能看出是什麼理由；門徒甚至看為浪費。但耶穌稱讚馬利亞這愛的傾盡，並說凡福音傳到的地方，[也要述說這女人所作的以為紀念]。主若看見我們行馬利亞所行的，不計較經濟得失，完全獻上給他的時候，他的喜樂是無法形容。神傾盡他兒子的生命，為拯救世界，我們能否為他傾盡生命？ [信我的人，從他腹中要流出活水的江河來。 ]－－許多的生命會不斷得著更新。如今是把生命之瓶打破的時候，不要再眷戀追求自我滿足，要把生命傾出去。主正在問誰肯為他這樣傾出？
祈禱◆噢，主啊，在絕對的貧乏中，我投向尼。求你在肉身、思想、道德和靈性上臨到我，使我有效地彰顯你、歸榮耀予你。
Jesus did not say, “He who believes in Me will realize all the blessings of the fullness of God,” but, in essence, “He who believes in Me will have everything he receives escape out of him.” Our Lord’s teaching was always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a person— His purpose is to make a person exactly like Himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us— and we cannot measure that at all.
When Mary of Bethany “broke the flask . . . of very costly oil . . . and poured it on [Jesus’] head,” it was an act for which no one else saw any special occasion; in fact, “. . . there were some who . . . said, ’Why was this fragrant oil wasted?’ ” (Mark 14:3-4). But Jesus commended Mary for her extravagant act of devotion, and said, “. . . wherever this gospel is preached . . . what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (Mark 14:9). Our Lord is filled with overflowing joy whenever He sees any of us doing what Mary did— not being bound by a particular set of rules, but being totally surrendered to Him. God poured out the life of His Son “that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). Are we prepared to pour out our lives for Him?
“He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”— and hundreds of other lives will be continually refreshed. Now is the time for us to break “the flask” of our lives, to stop seeking our own satisfaction, and to pour out our lives before Him. Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him?
神聖的祭
信我的人……從他腹中要流出……（約七38）
耶穌不是說：[信我的人，要領受神豐盛的福分。 ]他乃是說：[信我的人，要從他裡面流出領受的一切。 ]主的教訓總是與自我實現相違。他的目的不是要發揮個人，而是要使人完全像他。神兒子的特質就是自我的傾倒。我們若相信耶穌，那麼最重要的不是得著什麼，乃是我們信耶穌，那麼最重要的不是得著什麼，乃是我們倒出多少。神不是造我們成為顆顆圓潤的葡萄，乃是要把我們的甜汁擠出來。在屬靈的領域裡，生命不能以成功來衡量，而是要看我們倒出什麼，這個也是我們無法量估的。
伯大尼的馬利亞打破玉瓶，倒在耶穌的頭上，沒有人能看出是什麼理由；門徒甚至看為浪費。但耶穌稱讚馬利亞這愛的傾盡，並說凡福音傳到的地方，[也要述說這女人所作的以為紀念]。主若看見我們行馬利亞所行的，不計較經濟得失，完全獻上給他的時候，他的喜樂是無法形容。神傾盡他兒子的生命，為拯救世界，我們能否為他傾盡生命？ [信我的人，從他腹中要流出活水的江河來。 ]－－許多的生命會不斷得著更新。如今是把生命之瓶打破的時候，不要再眷戀追求自我滿足，要把生命傾出去。主正在問誰肯為他這樣傾出？
祈禱◆噢，主啊，在絕對的貧乏中，我投向尼。求你在肉身、思想、道德和靈性上臨到我，使我有效地彰顯你、歸榮耀予你。
August 05, 2013
The Bewildering Call of God
'. . . and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.' . . . But they understood none of these things . . . —Luke 18:31, 34
God called Jesus Christ to what seemed absolute disaster. And Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death, leading every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. His life was an absolute failure from every standpoint except God’s. But what seemed to be failure from man’s standpoint was a triumph from God’s standpoint, because God’s purpose is never the same as man’s purpose.
This bewildering call of God comes into our lives as well. The call of God can never be understood absolutely or explained externally; it is a call that can only be perceived and understood internally by our true inner-nature. The call of God is like the call of the sea— no one hears it except the person who has the nature of the sea in him. What God calls us to cannot be definitely stated, because His call is simply to be His friend to accomplish His own purposes. Our real test is in truly believing that God knows what He desires. The things that happen do not happen by chance— they happen entirely by the decree of God. God is sovereignly working out His own purposes.
If we are in fellowship and oneness with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, then we will no longer strive to find out what His purposes are. As we grow in the Christian life, it becomes simpler to us, because we are less inclined to say, “I wonder why God allowed this or that?” And we begin to see that the compelling purpose of God lies behind everything in life, and that God is divinely shaping us into oneness with that purpose. A Christian is someone who trusts in the knowledge and the wisdom of God, not in his own abilities. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the calm, relaxed pace which should be characteristic of the children of God.
令人迷惘的呼召
先知所寫的一切事，都要成就在人子身上……他們不曉得所說的是什麼。 （路十八31、34）
神要耶穌基督所受的，似乎是徹頭徹尾的酷災。耶穌基督叫門徒親眼看他受死，領他們到心碎欲絕的境地。耶穌基督的一生，除了從神的觀點以外，無論從任何角度看來，都是絕對的慘敗。可是，在人看來的失敗，在神卻為極大的勝利，因為神的心思永遠與人的不同。在我們生命中，令人狐疑的呼召也會臨到。神的呼召永不明確的說明，乃是內蘊的。神的呼召像海洋的呼召，除了那與海有緣的人外，沒有人聽得見。神的呼召難以明說，因為他的呼召是要人作他的戰友，完成他的計劃。而考驗就是要我們相信神確知自己的目的。事情發生絕非出於偶然，一切全出於神的吩咐。因為神在進行他的計劃。
我們若與神相交，又知道他要帶我們進入他的計劃裡去，就不用再追問他的計劃到底是怎樣。我們在信主的路上愈久，久愈單純，我們不會再問－－[為什麼神讓這事發生？ ]整件事情的背後，是神莫大的催策。 [我的結局都有全能者去塑造。 ]信徒該信賴的，不是自己的智慧而是神的智慧聰明。我們若有自己的目標，就會破壞那單純與悠然的安息，而這正是神兒女該有的特徵。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，釋放我，我極之渴望與你有著單純的關係，以致能改變任何事情，並向周遭的人散播恩福和福氣。
God called Jesus Christ to what seemed absolute disaster. And Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death, leading every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. His life was an absolute failure from every standpoint except God’s. But what seemed to be failure from man’s standpoint was a triumph from God’s standpoint, because God’s purpose is never the same as man’s purpose.
This bewildering call of God comes into our lives as well. The call of God can never be understood absolutely or explained externally; it is a call that can only be perceived and understood internally by our true inner-nature. The call of God is like the call of the sea— no one hears it except the person who has the nature of the sea in him. What God calls us to cannot be definitely stated, because His call is simply to be His friend to accomplish His own purposes. Our real test is in truly believing that God knows what He desires. The things that happen do not happen by chance— they happen entirely by the decree of God. God is sovereignly working out His own purposes.
If we are in fellowship and oneness with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, then we will no longer strive to find out what His purposes are. As we grow in the Christian life, it becomes simpler to us, because we are less inclined to say, “I wonder why God allowed this or that?” And we begin to see that the compelling purpose of God lies behind everything in life, and that God is divinely shaping us into oneness with that purpose. A Christian is someone who trusts in the knowledge and the wisdom of God, not in his own abilities. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the calm, relaxed pace which should be characteristic of the children of God.
令人迷惘的呼召
先知所寫的一切事，都要成就在人子身上……他們不曉得所說的是什麼。 （路十八31、34）
神要耶穌基督所受的，似乎是徹頭徹尾的酷災。耶穌基督叫門徒親眼看他受死，領他們到心碎欲絕的境地。耶穌基督的一生，除了從神的觀點以外，無論從任何角度看來，都是絕對的慘敗。可是，在人看來的失敗，在神卻為極大的勝利，因為神的心思永遠與人的不同。在我們生命中，令人狐疑的呼召也會臨到。神的呼召永不明確的說明，乃是內蘊的。神的呼召像海洋的呼召，除了那與海有緣的人外，沒有人聽得見。神的呼召難以明說，因為他的呼召是要人作他的戰友，完成他的計劃。而考驗就是要我們相信神確知自己的目的。事情發生絕非出於偶然，一切全出於神的吩咐。因為神在進行他的計劃。
我們若與神相交，又知道他要帶我們進入他的計劃裡去，就不用再追問他的計劃到底是怎樣。我們在信主的路上愈久，久愈單純，我們不會再問－－[為什麼神讓這事發生？ ]整件事情的背後，是神莫大的催策。 [我的結局都有全能者去塑造。 ]信徒該信賴的，不是自己的智慧而是神的智慧聰明。我們若有自己的目標，就會破壞那單純與悠然的安息，而這正是神兒女該有的特徵。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，釋放我，我極之渴望與你有著單純的關係，以致能改變任何事情，並向周遭的人散播恩福和福氣。
August 03, 2013
The Compelling Purpose of God
He . . . said to them, ’Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem . . —Luke 18:31
Jerusalem, in the life of our Lord, represents the place where He reached the culmination of His Father’s will. Jesus said, “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). Seeking to do “the will of the Father” was the one dominating concern throughout our Lord’s life. And whatever He encountered along the way, whether joy or sorrow, success or failure, He was never deterred from that purpose. “. . . He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem . . .” (Luke 9:51).
The greatest thing for us to remember is that we go up to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s purpose, not our own. In the natural life our ambitions are our own, but in the Christian life we have no goals of our own. We talk so much today about our decisions for Christ, our determination to be Christians, and our decisions for this and that, but in the New Testament the only aspect that is brought out is the compelling purpose of God. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you . . .” (John 15:16).
We are not taken into a conscious agreement with God’s purpose— we are taken into God’s purpose with no awareness of it at all. We have no idea what God’s goal may be; as we continue, His purpose becomes even more and more vague. God’s aim appears to have missed the mark, because we are too nearsighted to see the target at which He is aiming. At the beginning of the Christian life, we have our own ideas as to what God’s purpose is. We say, “God means for me to go over there,” and, “God has called me to do this special work.” We do what we think is right, and yet the compelling purpose of God remains upon us. The work we do is of no account when compared with the compelling purpose of God. It is simply the scaffolding surrounding His work and His plan. “He took the twelve aside . . .” (Luke 18:31). God takes us aside all the time. We have not yet understood all there is to know of the compelling purpose of God.
神的催逼
看哪，我們上耶路撒冷去。 （路十八31）
在主耶穌的生命中，耶路撒冷是他成就父神旨意的頂峰。 [我不求自己的意思，只求那差我來者的意思。 ]在救主的一生中，這是他唯一最大的關注。路途上所遇的一切，不論憂喜成敗，從不使他偏離這個目標。
[他就定意向耶路撒冷去。 ]最重要的是知道上耶路撒冷去，是要完成神的計劃，而不是我們自己的計劃。很自然的，雄心是出於我們自己；但在信徒的生命中，該沒有自己的目標。今天太多人提出自己為基督而作的決定－－我們決志作基督徒，我們決定做這做那－－但新約帶出的資訊，卻是神自己的催逼。
[不是你們揀選了我，是我揀選了你們。 ]我們並沒有意識地同意神的計劃，乃是在不知不覺中進到神的計劃裡去。我們根本不知道神怎樣籌算，而且一日比一日模糊。神的目標似乎總是達不到，其實是因為我們太短視，看不見他的射標。初信之時，我們對神的計劃有自己的想法－－[我應該到某處某處。 ]
[神呼召我作這特別的工作。 ]於是，我們去了，做了，但神的催逼依然存在。我們所作的工算不得什麼，與神的催逼比較，不過是平台架而已。 [耶穌帶著十二個門徒。 ]他不住地帶領著我們，我們還有許多未進入之地。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我來到你面前；無論自覺或非自覺地，我懷著極大的需要靠近你。求你為著你的榮耀高舉我、帶領我、充滿我，使我能和諧地配合你的計劃和旨意。
Jerusalem, in the life of our Lord, represents the place where He reached the culmination of His Father’s will. Jesus said, “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). Seeking to do “the will of the Father” was the one dominating concern throughout our Lord’s life. And whatever He encountered along the way, whether joy or sorrow, success or failure, He was never deterred from that purpose. “. . . He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem . . .” (Luke 9:51).
The greatest thing for us to remember is that we go up to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s purpose, not our own. In the natural life our ambitions are our own, but in the Christian life we have no goals of our own. We talk so much today about our decisions for Christ, our determination to be Christians, and our decisions for this and that, but in the New Testament the only aspect that is brought out is the compelling purpose of God. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you . . .” (John 15:16).
We are not taken into a conscious agreement with God’s purpose— we are taken into God’s purpose with no awareness of it at all. We have no idea what God’s goal may be; as we continue, His purpose becomes even more and more vague. God’s aim appears to have missed the mark, because we are too nearsighted to see the target at which He is aiming. At the beginning of the Christian life, we have our own ideas as to what God’s purpose is. We say, “God means for me to go over there,” and, “God has called me to do this special work.” We do what we think is right, and yet the compelling purpose of God remains upon us. The work we do is of no account when compared with the compelling purpose of God. It is simply the scaffolding surrounding His work and His plan. “He took the twelve aside . . .” (Luke 18:31). God takes us aside all the time. We have not yet understood all there is to know of the compelling purpose of God.
神的催逼
看哪，我們上耶路撒冷去。 （路十八31）
在主耶穌的生命中，耶路撒冷是他成就父神旨意的頂峰。 [我不求自己的意思，只求那差我來者的意思。 ]在救主的一生中，這是他唯一最大的關注。路途上所遇的一切，不論憂喜成敗，從不使他偏離這個目標。
[他就定意向耶路撒冷去。 ]最重要的是知道上耶路撒冷去，是要完成神的計劃，而不是我們自己的計劃。很自然的，雄心是出於我們自己；但在信徒的生命中，該沒有自己的目標。今天太多人提出自己為基督而作的決定－－我們決志作基督徒，我們決定做這做那－－但新約帶出的資訊，卻是神自己的催逼。
[不是你們揀選了我，是我揀選了你們。 ]我們並沒有意識地同意神的計劃，乃是在不知不覺中進到神的計劃裡去。我們根本不知道神怎樣籌算，而且一日比一日模糊。神的目標似乎總是達不到，其實是因為我們太短視，看不見他的射標。初信之時，我們對神的計劃有自己的想法－－[我應該到某處某處。 ]
[神呼召我作這特別的工作。 ]於是，我們去了，做了，但神的催逼依然存在。我們所作的工算不得什麼，與神的催逼比較，不過是平台架而已。 [耶穌帶著十二個門徒。 ]他不住地帶領著我們，我們還有許多未進入之地。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我來到你面前；無論自覺或非自覺地，我懷著極大的需要靠近你。求你為著你的榮耀高舉我、帶領我、充滿我，使我能和諧地配合你的計劃和旨意。
July 28, 2013
God’s Purpose or Mine?
He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side . . . —Mark 6:45
We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.
What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” (Mark 6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.
God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.
God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.
順服之後又如何？
耶穌隨即催門徒上船，先渡到那邊……（可六45-52）
我們很容易這樣想：主若催逼我們，我們若順服他，他就必叫我們大大的成功。千萬別把成功的夢想，當作神對我們的計畫；神的計畫可能恰好相反。我們以為神要領我們到某一特定的目的——一個理想的目標；其實並不是。到達某一目的，只是附帶的事。我們所稱為過程的，神卻稱為目標。
我對神的計畫有何夢想？他的計畫就是要我現在倚靠他和他的能力。在動盪不安之中，我若能保持平靜不疑惑，這就是神計畫的目標。神作工不是為某一個特別的終點；他的目標就在過程之中——要我看見他正行在波浪上；雖然不見邊岸，沒有目的地，但有一個肯定的確信，深知必然平安無事，因為我看見他正在海面上行走。這是過程，不是目標，使神得著榮耀。神的訓練是即時的，不是等一會兒的。他的計畫是這一分鐘，不是將來某件事。我們不必顧及順服之後會怎樣；若牽掛以後會怎樣，就走錯了路。人所謂的訓練與預備，神卻稱為目的。
神的目的是要我如今就知道，他能在我生命的混亂動盪中行走。若我們在前方另有目標，那麼，臨到我們的每一刻都變得如珍如寶了。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，倘若那需要是出於你，我便歡喜！為著你教訓我們[有火煉的試驗臨到你們，不要以為奇怪，倒要歡喜]，我讚美你。
We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.
What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” (Mark 6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.
God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.
God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.
順服之後又如何？
耶穌隨即催門徒上船，先渡到那邊……（可六45-52）
我們很容易這樣想：主若催逼我們，我們若順服他，他就必叫我們大大的成功。千萬別把成功的夢想，當作神對我們的計畫；神的計畫可能恰好相反。我們以為神要領我們到某一特定的目的——一個理想的目標；其實並不是。到達某一目的，只是附帶的事。我們所稱為過程的，神卻稱為目標。
我對神的計畫有何夢想？他的計畫就是要我現在倚靠他和他的能力。在動盪不安之中，我若能保持平靜不疑惑，這就是神計畫的目標。神作工不是為某一個特別的終點；他的目標就在過程之中——要我看見他正行在波浪上；雖然不見邊岸，沒有目的地，但有一個肯定的確信，深知必然平安無事，因為我看見他正在海面上行走。這是過程，不是目標，使神得著榮耀。神的訓練是即時的，不是等一會兒的。他的計畫是這一分鐘，不是將來某件事。我們不必顧及順服之後會怎樣；若牽掛以後會怎樣，就走錯了路。人所謂的訓練與預備，神卻稱為目的。
神的目的是要我如今就知道，他能在我生命的混亂動盪中行走。若我們在前方另有目標，那麼，臨到我們的每一刻都變得如珍如寶了。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，倘若那需要是出於你，我便歡喜！為著你教訓我們[有火煉的試驗臨到你們，不要以為奇怪，倒要歡喜]，我讚美你。
November 10, 2012
Fellowship in the Gospel
. . . fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ . . . —1 Thessalonians 3:2
After sanctification, it is difficult to state what your purpose in life is, because God has moved you into His purpose through the Holy Spirit. He is using you now for His purposes throughout the world as He used His Son for the purpose of our salvation. If you seek great things for yourself, thinking, “God has called me for this and for that,” you barricade God from using you. As long as you maintain your own personal interests and ambitions, you cannot be completely aligned or identified with God’s interests. This can only be accomplished by giving up all of your personal plans once and for all, and by allowing God to take you directly into His purpose for the world. Your understanding of your ways must also be surrendered, because they are now the ways of the Lord.
I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all He asks of me is that I trust Him. I should never say, “Lord, this causes me such heartache.” To talk that way makes me a stumbling block. When I stop telling God what I want, He can freely work His will in me without any hindrance. He can crush me, exalt me, or do anything else He chooses. He simply asks me to have absolute faith in Him and His goodness. Self-pity is of the devil, and if I wallow in it I cannot be used by God for His purpose in the world. Doing this creates for me my own cozy “world within the world,” and God will not be allowed to move me from it because of my fear of being “frost-bitten.”
福音裡的相交
……在基督福音上和神同工……（帖三2，新譯本）
人成聖以後，很難再明說自己的人生目標是什麽，因為神已藉聖靈把你放在他的計畫裡。如今在他對全世界的計畫中，他使用你，正如他在我們的救贖計畫中，使用他的名字一樣。你若為自己求大事- 神呼召我做這個那個，就是限制了神對你的使用。只要你對自己的品性仍感關注，或仍抱個人的野心，就無法與神的心意認同。要與神合一，必須把自己的意念決絕地拋棄，讓神待你到他對全世界的計畫中。這樣，你的行動既全在主裡，就必無法明白所行的路。
人生的目標是屬神的，不是屬自己的，這一點我們必須學習。神按著他美好的旨意用我，要求我信賴他，不要說：[主啊，這事叫我心痛。 ]我這樣說就成了一個阻礙。若不再對神說我要什麽，他才能毫無阻隔地把所要的給我。他可以把我壓碎，也可以叫我高升，他可以隨己意而行。神只要求我對他完全信任，信任他和他的良善。自憐自憫出於魔鬼，我若走這條路，神就不能用我於全世界的計畫裡。我若活在一個[世界裡的世界]，深怕走到外面會凍僵，深就永無法帶我出來。
祈禱◆主啊，願你發聲，讓我可以聽見和明白。我的屬靈生命似乎太表面化，能察覺到帶有恩慈的能力是那麽少；求你激勵我，直至我與你一同發光。
After sanctification, it is difficult to state what your purpose in life is, because God has moved you into His purpose through the Holy Spirit. He is using you now for His purposes throughout the world as He used His Son for the purpose of our salvation. If you seek great things for yourself, thinking, “God has called me for this and for that,” you barricade God from using you. As long as you maintain your own personal interests and ambitions, you cannot be completely aligned or identified with God’s interests. This can only be accomplished by giving up all of your personal plans once and for all, and by allowing God to take you directly into His purpose for the world. Your understanding of your ways must also be surrendered, because they are now the ways of the Lord.
I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all He asks of me is that I trust Him. I should never say, “Lord, this causes me such heartache.” To talk that way makes me a stumbling block. When I stop telling God what I want, He can freely work His will in me without any hindrance. He can crush me, exalt me, or do anything else He chooses. He simply asks me to have absolute faith in Him and His goodness. Self-pity is of the devil, and if I wallow in it I cannot be used by God for His purpose in the world. Doing this creates for me my own cozy “world within the world,” and God will not be allowed to move me from it because of my fear of being “frost-bitten.”
福音裡的相交
……在基督福音上和神同工……（帖三2，新譯本）
人成聖以後，很難再明說自己的人生目標是什麽，因為神已藉聖靈把你放在他的計畫裡。如今在他對全世界的計畫中，他使用你，正如他在我們的救贖計畫中，使用他的名字一樣。你若為自己求大事- 神呼召我做這個那個，就是限制了神對你的使用。只要你對自己的品性仍感關注，或仍抱個人的野心，就無法與神的心意認同。要與神合一，必須把自己的意念決絕地拋棄，讓神待你到他對全世界的計畫中。這樣，你的行動既全在主裡，就必無法明白所行的路。
人生的目標是屬神的，不是屬自己的，這一點我們必須學習。神按著他美好的旨意用我，要求我信賴他，不要說：[主啊，這事叫我心痛。 ]我這樣說就成了一個阻礙。若不再對神說我要什麽，他才能毫無阻隔地把所要的給我。他可以把我壓碎，也可以叫我高升，他可以隨己意而行。神只要求我對他完全信任，信任他和他的良善。自憐自憫出於魔鬼，我若走這條路，神就不能用我於全世界的計畫裡。我若活在一個[世界裡的世界]，深怕走到外面會凍僵，深就永無法帶我出來。
祈禱◆主啊，願你發聲，讓我可以聽見和明白。我的屬靈生命似乎太表面化，能察覺到帶有恩慈的能力是那麽少；求你激勵我，直至我與你一同發光。
October 25, 2012
Submitting to God’s Purpose
I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some —1 Corinthians 9:22
A Christian worker has to learn how to be God’s man or woman of great worth and excellence in the midst of a multitude of meager and worthless things. Never protest by saying, “If only I were somewhere else!” All of God’s people are ordinary people who have been made extraordinary by the purpose He has given them. Unless we have the right purpose intellectually in our minds and lovingly in our hearts, we will very quickly be diverted from being useful to God. We are not workers for God by choice. Many people deliberately choose to be workers, but they have no purpose of God’s almighty grace or His mighty Word in them. Paul’s whole heart, mind, and soul were consumed with the great purpose of what Jesus Christ came to do, and he never lost sight of that one thing. We must continually confront ourselves with one central fact— “. . . Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
“I chose you . . .” (John 15:16). Keep these words as a wonderful reminder in your theology. It is not that you have gotten God, but that He has gotten you. God is at work bending, breaking, molding, and doing exactly as He chooses. And why is He doing it? He is doing it for only one purpose— that He may be able to say, “This is My man, and this is My woman.” We have to be in God’s hand so that He can place others on the Rock, Jesus Christ, just as He has placed us.
Never choose to be a worker, but once God has placed His call upon you, woe be to you if you “turn aside . . . to the right or the left . . .” (Deuteronomy 28:14). He will do with you what He never did before His call came to you, and He will do with you what He is not doing with other people. Let Him have His way.
永遠的破碎
"向什麼樣的人，我就作什麼樣的人。無論如何總要救些人。"林前9：22
一個基督徒工人要學會如何在卑賤的事中成為屬神的高尚之人。千萬不要用這個藉口－－如果我在其他地方就好了！所有屬神的人都是平凡人，只是因神所給予他們的內容而成為特別。除非我們在心智和情感上都有了正確的內容，否則我們會對神毫無用處。我們不是選擇作神的工人。許多人刻意地選擇作神的工人，但在他們裡面沒有神全能的恩典，也沒有他大能的話語。保羅的整個心、思想和靈魂都被耶穌基督降世的偉大使命所吸引，他從沒有忘記這件事。我們也要面對自己在這個中心的事實－－耶穌基督並他釘十字架。
"我已經揀選了你。"要在你的信條裡牢記這偉大的話語。不是你得到了神，而是他得到了你。在這所學校裡，神在做工，他改變人，他打碎人，他模造人，按照他所揀選的去做。我們不知道他為什麼做這個，他只是為了一個唯一的目的－－就是他可以說，這是屬於我的男人，這是屬於我的女人。我們要在神的手裡，好讓他把人栽種在磐石上，就像栽種我們一樣。
不要自己選擇去做一個工人，但是當神呼召你時，如果你左推右搪，就有禍了。他會在你身上做些事情，是呼召你以前所未做過的；他會對付你，不像對其他人那樣。讓他按他的方式做吧。
A Christian worker has to learn how to be God’s man or woman of great worth and excellence in the midst of a multitude of meager and worthless things. Never protest by saying, “If only I were somewhere else!” All of God’s people are ordinary people who have been made extraordinary by the purpose He has given them. Unless we have the right purpose intellectually in our minds and lovingly in our hearts, we will very quickly be diverted from being useful to God. We are not workers for God by choice. Many people deliberately choose to be workers, but they have no purpose of God’s almighty grace or His mighty Word in them. Paul’s whole heart, mind, and soul were consumed with the great purpose of what Jesus Christ came to do, and he never lost sight of that one thing. We must continually confront ourselves with one central fact— “. . . Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
“I chose you . . .” (John 15:16). Keep these words as a wonderful reminder in your theology. It is not that you have gotten God, but that He has gotten you. God is at work bending, breaking, molding, and doing exactly as He chooses. And why is He doing it? He is doing it for only one purpose— that He may be able to say, “This is My man, and this is My woman.” We have to be in God’s hand so that He can place others on the Rock, Jesus Christ, just as He has placed us.
Never choose to be a worker, but once God has placed His call upon you, woe be to you if you “turn aside . . . to the right or the left . . .” (Deuteronomy 28:14). He will do with you what He never did before His call came to you, and He will do with you what He is not doing with other people. Let Him have His way.
永遠的破碎
"向什麼樣的人，我就作什麼樣的人。無論如何總要救些人。"林前9：22
一個基督徒工人要學會如何在卑賤的事中成為屬神的高尚之人。千萬不要用這個藉口－－如果我在其他地方就好了！所有屬神的人都是平凡人，只是因神所給予他們的內容而成為特別。除非我們在心智和情感上都有了正確的內容，否則我們會對神毫無用處。我們不是選擇作神的工人。許多人刻意地選擇作神的工人，但在他們裡面沒有神全能的恩典，也沒有他大能的話語。保羅的整個心、思想和靈魂都被耶穌基督降世的偉大使命所吸引，他從沒有忘記這件事。我們也要面對自己在這個中心的事實－－耶穌基督並他釘十字架。
"我已經揀選了你。"要在你的信條裡牢記這偉大的話語。不是你得到了神，而是他得到了你。在這所學校裡，神在做工，他改變人，他打碎人，他模造人，按照他所揀選的去做。我們不知道他為什麼做這個，他只是為了一個唯一的目的－－就是他可以說，這是屬於我的男人，這是屬於我的女人。我們要在神的手裡，好讓他把人栽種在磐石上，就像栽種我們一樣。
不要自己選擇去做一個工人，但是當神呼召你時，如果你左推右搪，就有禍了。他會在你身上做些事情，是呼召你以前所未做過的；他會對付你，不像對其他人那樣。讓他按他的方式做吧。
September 02, 2012
A Life of Pure and Holy Sacrifice
He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow . . . —John 7:38
Jesus did not say, “He who believes in Me will realize all the blessings of the fullness of God,” but, in essence, “He who believes in Me will have everything he receives escape out of him.” Our Lord’s teaching was always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a person— His purpose is to make a person exactly like Himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us— and we cannot measure that at all.
When Mary of Bethany “broke the flask . . . of very costly oil . . . and poured it on [Jesus’] head,” it was an act for which no one else saw any special occasion; in fact, “. . . there were some who . . . said, ’Why was this fragrant oil wasted?’ ” (Mark 14:3-4). But Jesus commended Mary for her extravagant act of devotion, and said, “. . . wherever this gospel is preached . . . what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (Mark 14:9). Our Lord is filled with overflowing joy whenever He sees any of us doing what Mary did— not being bound by a particular set of rules, but being totally surrendered to Him. God poured out the life of His Son “that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). Are we prepared to pour out our lives for Him?
“He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”— and hundreds of other lives will be continually refreshed. Now is the time for us to break “the flask” of our lives, to stop seeking our own satisfaction, and to pour out our lives before Him. Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him?
神聖的祭
信我的人……從他腹中要流出……（約七38）
耶穌不是說：[信我的人，要領受神豐盛的福分。 ]他乃是說：[信我的人，要從他裡面流出領受的一切。 ]主的教訓總是與自我實現相違。他的目的不是要發揮個人，而是要使人完全像他。神兒子的特質就是自我的傾倒。我們若相信耶穌，那麼最重要的不是得著什麼，乃是我們信耶穌，那麼最重要的不是得著什麼，乃是我們倒出多少。神不是造我們成為顆顆圓潤的葡萄，乃是要把我們的甜汁擠出來。在屬靈的領域裡，生命不能以成功來衡量，而是要看我們倒出什麼，這個也是我們無法量估的。
伯大尼的馬利亞打破玉瓶，倒在耶穌的頭上，沒有人能看出是什麼理由；門徒甚至看為浪費。但耶穌稱讚馬利亞這愛的傾盡，並說凡福音傳到的地方，[也要述說這女人所作的以為紀念]。主若看見我們行馬利亞所行的，不計較經濟得失，完全獻上給他的時候，他的喜樂是無法形容。神傾盡他兒子的生命，為拯救世界，我們能否為他傾盡生命？ [信我的人，從他腹中要流出活水的江河來。 ]－－許多的生命會不斷得著更新。如今是把生命之瓶打破的時候，不要再眷戀追求自我滿足，要把生命傾出去。主正在問誰肯為他這樣傾出？
祈禱◆噢，主啊，在絕對的貧乏中，我投向尼。求你在肉身、思想、道德和靈性上臨到我，使我有效地彰顯你、歸榮耀予你。
Jesus did not say, “He who believes in Me will realize all the blessings of the fullness of God,” but, in essence, “He who believes in Me will have everything he receives escape out of him.” Our Lord’s teaching was always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a person— His purpose is to make a person exactly like Himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us— and we cannot measure that at all.
When Mary of Bethany “broke the flask . . . of very costly oil . . . and poured it on [Jesus’] head,” it was an act for which no one else saw any special occasion; in fact, “. . . there were some who . . . said, ’Why was this fragrant oil wasted?’ ” (Mark 14:3-4). But Jesus commended Mary for her extravagant act of devotion, and said, “. . . wherever this gospel is preached . . . what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (Mark 14:9). Our Lord is filled with overflowing joy whenever He sees any of us doing what Mary did— not being bound by a particular set of rules, but being totally surrendered to Him. God poured out the life of His Son “that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). Are we prepared to pour out our lives for Him?
“He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”— and hundreds of other lives will be continually refreshed. Now is the time for us to break “the flask” of our lives, to stop seeking our own satisfaction, and to pour out our lives before Him. Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him?
神聖的祭
信我的人……從他腹中要流出……（約七38）
耶穌不是說：[信我的人，要領受神豐盛的福分。 ]他乃是說：[信我的人，要從他裡面流出領受的一切。 ]主的教訓總是與自我實現相違。他的目的不是要發揮個人，而是要使人完全像他。神兒子的特質就是自我的傾倒。我們若相信耶穌，那麼最重要的不是得著什麼，乃是我們信耶穌，那麼最重要的不是得著什麼，乃是我們倒出多少。神不是造我們成為顆顆圓潤的葡萄，乃是要把我們的甜汁擠出來。在屬靈的領域裡，生命不能以成功來衡量，而是要看我們倒出什麼，這個也是我們無法量估的。
伯大尼的馬利亞打破玉瓶，倒在耶穌的頭上，沒有人能看出是什麼理由；門徒甚至看為浪費。但耶穌稱讚馬利亞這愛的傾盡，並說凡福音傳到的地方，[也要述說這女人所作的以為紀念]。主若看見我們行馬利亞所行的，不計較經濟得失，完全獻上給他的時候，他的喜樂是無法形容。神傾盡他兒子的生命，為拯救世界，我們能否為他傾盡生命？ [信我的人，從他腹中要流出活水的江河來。 ]－－許多的生命會不斷得著更新。如今是把生命之瓶打破的時候，不要再眷戀追求自我滿足，要把生命傾出去。主正在問誰肯為他這樣傾出？
祈禱◆噢，主啊，在絕對的貧乏中，我投向尼。求你在肉身、思想、道德和靈性上臨到我，使我有效地彰顯你、歸榮耀予你。
August 05, 2012
The Bewildering Call of God
'. . . and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.' . . . But they understood none of these things . . . —Luke 18:31, 34
God called Jesus Christ to what seemed absolute disaster. And Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death, leading every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. His life was an absolute failure from every standpoint except God’s. But what seemed to be failure from man’s standpoint was a triumph from God’s standpoint, because God’s purpose is never the same as man’s purpose.
This bewildering call of God comes into our lives as well. The call of God can never be understood absolutely or explained externally; it is a call that can only be perceived and understood internally by our true inner-nature. The call of God is like the call of the sea— no one hears it except the person who has the nature of the sea in him. What God calls us to cannot be definitely stated, because His call is simply to be His friend to accomplish His own purposes. Our real test is in truly believing that God knows what He desires. The things that happen do not happen by chance— they happen entirely by the decree of God. God is sovereignly working out His own purposes.
If we are in fellowship and oneness with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, then we will no longer strive to find out what His purposes are. As we grow in the Christian life, it becomes simpler to us, because we are less inclined to say, “I wonder why God allowed this or that?” And we begin to see that the compelling purpose of God lies behind everything in life, and that God is divinely shaping us into oneness with that purpose. A Christian is someone who trusts in the knowledge and the wisdom of God, not in his own abilities. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the calm, relaxed pace which should be characteristic of the children of God.
令人迷惘的呼召
先知所寫的一切事，都要成就在人子身上……他們不曉得所說的是什麼。 （路十八31、34）
神要耶穌基督所受的，似乎是徹頭徹尾的酷災。耶穌基督叫門徒親眼看他受死，領他們到心碎欲絕的境地。耶穌基督的一生，除了從神的觀點以外，無論從任何角度看來，都是絕對的慘敗。可是，在人看來的失敗，在神卻為極大的勝利，因為神的心思永遠與人的不同。在我們生命中，令人狐疑的呼召也會臨到。神的呼召永不明確的說明，乃是內蘊的。神的呼召像海洋的呼召，除了那與海有緣的人外，沒有人聽得見。神的呼召難以明說，因為他的呼召是要人作他的戰友，完成他的計劃。而考驗就是要我們相信神確知自己的目的。事情發生絕非出於偶然，一切全出於神的吩咐。因為神在進行他的計劃。
我們若與神相交，又知道他要帶我們進入他的計劃裡去，就不用再追問他的計劃到底是怎樣。我們在信主的路上愈久，久愈單純，我們不會再問－－[為什麼神讓這事發生？ ]整件事情的背後，是神莫大的催策。 [我的結局都有全能者去塑造。 ]信徒該信賴的，不是自己的智慧而是神的智慧聰明。我們若有自己的目標，就會破壞那單純與悠然的安息，而這正是神兒女該有的特徵。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，釋放我，我極之渴望與你有著單純的關係，以致能改變任何事情，並向周遭的人散播恩福和福氣。
God called Jesus Christ to what seemed absolute disaster. And Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death, leading every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. His life was an absolute failure from every standpoint except God’s. But what seemed to be failure from man’s standpoint was a triumph from God’s standpoint, because God’s purpose is never the same as man’s purpose.
This bewildering call of God comes into our lives as well. The call of God can never be understood absolutely or explained externally; it is a call that can only be perceived and understood internally by our true inner-nature. The call of God is like the call of the sea— no one hears it except the person who has the nature of the sea in him. What God calls us to cannot be definitely stated, because His call is simply to be His friend to accomplish His own purposes. Our real test is in truly believing that God knows what He desires. The things that happen do not happen by chance— they happen entirely by the decree of God. God is sovereignly working out His own purposes.
If we are in fellowship and oneness with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, then we will no longer strive to find out what His purposes are. As we grow in the Christian life, it becomes simpler to us, because we are less inclined to say, “I wonder why God allowed this or that?” And we begin to see that the compelling purpose of God lies behind everything in life, and that God is divinely shaping us into oneness with that purpose. A Christian is someone who trusts in the knowledge and the wisdom of God, not in his own abilities. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the calm, relaxed pace which should be characteristic of the children of God.
令人迷惘的呼召
先知所寫的一切事，都要成就在人子身上……他們不曉得所說的是什麼。 （路十八31、34）
神要耶穌基督所受的，似乎是徹頭徹尾的酷災。耶穌基督叫門徒親眼看他受死，領他們到心碎欲絕的境地。耶穌基督的一生，除了從神的觀點以外，無論從任何角度看來，都是絕對的慘敗。可是，在人看來的失敗，在神卻為極大的勝利，因為神的心思永遠與人的不同。在我們生命中，令人狐疑的呼召也會臨到。神的呼召永不明確的說明，乃是內蘊的。神的呼召像海洋的呼召，除了那與海有緣的人外，沒有人聽得見。神的呼召難以明說，因為他的呼召是要人作他的戰友，完成他的計劃。而考驗就是要我們相信神確知自己的目的。事情發生絕非出於偶然，一切全出於神的吩咐。因為神在進行他的計劃。
我們若與神相交，又知道他要帶我們進入他的計劃裡去，就不用再追問他的計劃到底是怎樣。我們在信主的路上愈久，久愈單純，我們不會再問－－[為什麼神讓這事發生？ ]整件事情的背後，是神莫大的催策。 [我的結局都有全能者去塑造。 ]信徒該信賴的，不是自己的智慧而是神的智慧聰明。我們若有自己的目標，就會破壞那單純與悠然的安息，而這正是神兒女該有的特徵。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，釋放我，我極之渴望與你有著單純的關係，以致能改變任何事情，並向周遭的人散播恩福和福氣。
August 03, 2012
The Compelling Purpose of God
He . . . said to them, ’Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem . . —Luke 18:31
Jerusalem, in the life of our Lord, represents the place where He reached the culmination of His Father’s will. Jesus said, “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). Seeking to do “the will of the Father” was the one dominating concern throughout our Lord’s life. And whatever He encountered along the way, whether joy or sorrow, success or failure, He was never deterred from that purpose. “. . . He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem . . .” (Luke 9:51).
The greatest thing for us to remember is that we go up to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s purpose, not our own. In the natural life our ambitions are our own, but in the Christian life we have no goals of our own. We talk so much today about our decisions for Christ, our determination to be Christians, and our decisions for this and that, but in the New Testament the only aspect that is brought out is the compelling purpose of God. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you . . .” (John 15:16).
We are not taken into a conscious agreement with God’s purpose— we are taken into God’s purpose with no awareness of it at all. We have no idea what God’s goal may be; as we continue, His purpose becomes even more and more vague. God’s aim appears to have missed the mark, because we are too nearsighted to see the target at which He is aiming. At the beginning of the Christian life, we have our own ideas as to what God’s purpose is. We say, “God means for me to go over there,” and, “God has called me to do this special work.” We do what we think is right, and yet the compelling purpose of God remains upon us. The work we do is of no account when compared with the compelling purpose of God. It is simply the scaffolding surrounding His work and His plan. “He took the twelve aside . . .” (Luke 18:31). God takes us aside all the time. We have not yet understood all there is to know of the compelling purpose of God.
神的催逼
看哪，我們上耶路撒冷去。 （路十八31）
在主耶穌的生命中，耶路撒冷是他成就父神旨意的頂峰。 [我不求自己的意思，只求那差我來者的意思。 ]在救主的一生中，這是他唯一最大的關注。路途上所遇的一切，不論憂喜成敗，從不使他偏離這個目標。
[他就定意向耶路撒冷去。 ]最重要的是知道上耶路撒冷去，是要完成神的計劃，而不是我們自己的計劃。很自然的，雄心是出於我們自己；但在信徒的生命中，該沒有自己的目標。今天太多人提出自己為基督而作的決定－－我們決志作基督徒，我們決定做這做那－－但新約帶出的資訊，卻是神自己的催逼。
[不是你們揀選了我，是我揀選了你們。 ]我們並沒有意識地同意神的計劃，乃是在不知不覺中進到神的計劃裡去。我們根本不知道神怎樣籌算，而且一日比一日模糊。神的目標似乎總是達不到，其實是因為我們太短視，看不見他的射標。初信之時，我們對神的計劃有自己的想法－－[我應該到某處某處。 ]
[神呼召我作這特別的工作。 ]於是，我們去了，做了，但神的催逼依然存在。我們所作的工算不得什麼，與神的催逼比較，不過是平台架而已。 [耶穌帶著十二個門徒。 ]他不住地帶領著我們，我們還有許多未進入之地。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我來到你面前；無論自覺或非自覺地，我懷著極大的需要靠近你。求你為著你的榮耀高舉我、帶領我、充滿我，使我能和諧地配合你的計劃和旨意。
Jerusalem, in the life of our Lord, represents the place where He reached the culmination of His Father’s will. Jesus said, “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). Seeking to do “the will of the Father” was the one dominating concern throughout our Lord’s life. And whatever He encountered along the way, whether joy or sorrow, success or failure, He was never deterred from that purpose. “. . . He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem . . .” (Luke 9:51).
The greatest thing for us to remember is that we go up to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s purpose, not our own. In the natural life our ambitions are our own, but in the Christian life we have no goals of our own. We talk so much today about our decisions for Christ, our determination to be Christians, and our decisions for this and that, but in the New Testament the only aspect that is brought out is the compelling purpose of God. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you . . .” (John 15:16).
We are not taken into a conscious agreement with God’s purpose— we are taken into God’s purpose with no awareness of it at all. We have no idea what God’s goal may be; as we continue, His purpose becomes even more and more vague. God’s aim appears to have missed the mark, because we are too nearsighted to see the target at which He is aiming. At the beginning of the Christian life, we have our own ideas as to what God’s purpose is. We say, “God means for me to go over there,” and, “God has called me to do this special work.” We do what we think is right, and yet the compelling purpose of God remains upon us. The work we do is of no account when compared with the compelling purpose of God. It is simply the scaffolding surrounding His work and His plan. “He took the twelve aside . . .” (Luke 18:31). God takes us aside all the time. We have not yet understood all there is to know of the compelling purpose of God.
神的催逼
看哪，我們上耶路撒冷去。 （路十八31）
在主耶穌的生命中，耶路撒冷是他成就父神旨意的頂峰。 [我不求自己的意思，只求那差我來者的意思。 ]在救主的一生中，這是他唯一最大的關注。路途上所遇的一切，不論憂喜成敗，從不使他偏離這個目標。
[他就定意向耶路撒冷去。 ]最重要的是知道上耶路撒冷去，是要完成神的計劃，而不是我們自己的計劃。很自然的，雄心是出於我們自己；但在信徒的生命中，該沒有自己的目標。今天太多人提出自己為基督而作的決定－－我們決志作基督徒，我們決定做這做那－－但新約帶出的資訊，卻是神自己的催逼。
[不是你們揀選了我，是我揀選了你們。 ]我們並沒有意識地同意神的計劃，乃是在不知不覺中進到神的計劃裡去。我們根本不知道神怎樣籌算，而且一日比一日模糊。神的目標似乎總是達不到，其實是因為我們太短視，看不見他的射標。初信之時，我們對神的計劃有自己的想法－－[我應該到某處某處。 ]
[神呼召我作這特別的工作。 ]於是，我們去了，做了，但神的催逼依然存在。我們所作的工算不得什麼，與神的催逼比較，不過是平台架而已。 [耶穌帶著十二個門徒。 ]他不住地帶領著我們，我們還有許多未進入之地。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，我來到你面前；無論自覺或非自覺地，我懷著極大的需要靠近你。求你為著你的榮耀高舉我、帶領我、充滿我，使我能和諧地配合你的計劃和旨意。
July 28, 2012
God’s Purpose or Mine?
He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side . . . —Mark 6:45
We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.
What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” (Mark 6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.
God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.
God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.
順服之後又如何？
耶穌隨即催門徒上船，先渡到那邊……（可六45-52）
我們很容易這樣想：主若催逼我們，我們若順服他，他就必叫我們大大的成功。千萬別把成功的夢想，當作神對我們的計畫；神的計畫可能恰好相反。我們以為神要領我們到某一特定的目的——一個理想的目標；其實並不是。到達某一目的，只是附帶的事。我們所稱為過程的，神卻稱為目標。
我對神的計畫有何夢想？他的計畫就是要我現在倚靠他和他的能力。在動盪不安之中，我若能保持平靜不疑惑，這就是神計畫的目標。神作工不是為某一個特別的終點；他的目標就在過程之中——要我看見他正行在波浪上；雖然不見邊岸，沒有目的地，但有一個肯定的確信，深知必然平安無事，因為我看見他正在海面上行走。這是過程，不是目標，使神得著榮耀。神的訓練是即時的，不是等一會兒的。他的計畫是這一分鐘，不是將來某件事。我們不必顧及順服之後會怎樣；若牽掛以後會怎樣，就走錯了路。人所謂的訓練與預備，神卻稱為目的。
神的目的是要我如今就知道，他能在我生命的混亂動盪中行走。若我們在前方另有目標，那麼，臨到我們的每一刻都變得如珍如寶了。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，倘若那需要是出於你，我便歡喜！為著你教訓我們[有火煉的試驗臨到你們，不要以為奇怪，倒要歡喜]，我讚美你。
We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.
What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” (Mark 6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.
God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.
God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.
順服之後又如何？
耶穌隨即催門徒上船，先渡到那邊……（可六45-52）
我們很容易這樣想：主若催逼我們，我們若順服他，他就必叫我們大大的成功。千萬別把成功的夢想，當作神對我們的計畫；神的計畫可能恰好相反。我們以為神要領我們到某一特定的目的——一個理想的目標；其實並不是。到達某一目的，只是附帶的事。我們所稱為過程的，神卻稱為目標。
我對神的計畫有何夢想？他的計畫就是要我現在倚靠他和他的能力。在動盪不安之中，我若能保持平靜不疑惑，這就是神計畫的目標。神作工不是為某一個特別的終點；他的目標就在過程之中——要我看見他正行在波浪上；雖然不見邊岸，沒有目的地，但有一個肯定的確信，深知必然平安無事，因為我看見他正在海面上行走。這是過程，不是目標，使神得著榮耀。神的訓練是即時的，不是等一會兒的。他的計畫是這一分鐘，不是將來某件事。我們不必顧及順服之後會怎樣；若牽掛以後會怎樣，就走錯了路。人所謂的訓練與預備，神卻稱為目的。
神的目的是要我如今就知道，他能在我生命的混亂動盪中行走。若我們在前方另有目標，那麼，臨到我們的每一刻都變得如珍如寶了。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，倘若那需要是出於你，我便歡喜！為著你教訓我們[有火煉的試驗臨到你們，不要以為奇怪，倒要歡喜]，我讚美你。
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