Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips . . . —Isaiah 6:5
When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, “Oh yes, I know I am a sinner,” but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are. This is always the sign that a person is in the presence of God. There is never any vague sense of sin, but a focusing on the concentration of sin in some specific, personal area of life. God begins by convicting us of the very thing to which His Spirit has directed our mind’s attention. If we will surrender, submitting to His conviction of that particular sin, He will lead us down to where He can reveal the vast underlying nature of sin. That is the way God always deals with us when we are consciously aware of His presence.
This experience of our attention being directed to our concentration of personal sin is true in everyone’s life, from the greatest of saints to the worst of sinners. When a person first begins climbing the ladder of experience, he might say, “I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong,” but the Spirit of God will point out some definite and specific thing to him. The effect of Isaiah’s vision of the holiness of the Lord was the directing of his attention to the fact that he was “a man of unclean lips.” “He touched my mouth with it, and said: ’Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged’ ” (Isaiah 6:7). The cleansing fire had to be applied where the sin had been concentrated.
人罪惡的集中地
禍哉，我滅亡了。因為我是嘴唇不潔的人。 （賽六5）
我來到神面前，自覺是個罪人。那意識不會是模棱兩可的，我必然是意識到我生命的某一方面有罪。人可以很容易地說：[是的，我是個罪人。 ]但當他一旦來到神面前，就不能憑這句話輕輕逃過去。那知罪的意念會集中在——[我這個不是，那個不對。 ]人來到神面前總有這個表記。罪的意識不會模糊不清，一定是集中在個人的某一些事上。神起初總是藉聖靈指控我們心中的某一件事，我們若在這件事上承認自己有罪，他便把我們引進下面最大的罪根性區。我們若是在神面前，他總是這樣對付我們。
這個把罪惡集中的經歷，不論在最偉大的聖徒或最渺小的罪人身上，都毫無分別。在這經歷第一級階梯上的人會說：[我不知過錯何在，但神的靈必會指出我在哪一件事上犯了錯。 ]以賽亞看見聖潔的神，他就察覺自己是嘴唇不潔的人。 [將炭沾我的口說，看哪，這炭沾了你的嘴，你的罪孽便除掉，你的罪惡就赦免了。 ]潔淨的火必要施於罪惡集中之處。
祈禱◆主啊，願你的純潔滲透我們的思想、身體和感情；讓我們完全認知和迅速彰顯你那活潑而使人充滿生氣的作為。願你那豐富的能力，進入我們的生活中。
July 03, 2012
July 02, 2012
The Conditions of Discipleship
If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also . . . . And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me . . . . So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple —Luke 14:26-27, 33
If the closest relationships of a disciple’s life conflict with the claims of Jesus Christ, then our Lord requires instant obedience to Himself. Discipleship means personal, passionate devotion to a Person— our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a vast difference between devotion to a person and devotion to principles or to a cause. Our Lord never proclaimed a cause— He proclaimed personal devotion to Himself. To be a disciple is to be a devoted bondservant motivated by love for the Lord Jesus. Many of us who call ourselves Christians are not truly devoted to Jesus Christ. No one on earth has this passionate love for the Lord Jesus unless the Holy Spirit has given it to him. We may admire, respect, and revere Him, but we cannot love Him on our own. The only One who truly loves the Lord Jesus is the Holy Spirit, and it is He who has “poured out in our hearts” the very “love of God” (Romans 5:5). Whenever the Holy Spirit sees an opportunity to glorify Jesus through you, He will take your entire being and set you ablaze with glowing devotion to Jesus Christ.
The Christian life is a life characterized by true and spontaneous creativity. Consequently, a disciple is subject to the same charge that was leveled against Jesus Christ, namely, the charge of inconsistency. But Jesus Christ was always consistent in His relationship to God, and a Christian must be consistent in his relationship to the life of the Son of God in him, not consistent to strict, unyielding doctrines. People pour themselves into their own doctrines, and God has to blast them out of their preconceived ideas before they can become devoted to Jesus Christ.
作門徒的條件
人到我這裡來，若不愛我勝過……就不能作我的門徒。 （路十四26、27、33）
耶穌基督說人生中最親密的關係，若與他的要求相衝突的話，就必須立刻選擇順服他。作門徒的意思，就是把自己誠意地奉獻給一位——我們的主耶穌基督。對一個有位格的主奉獻，與對一個原則或運動獻身，並不相同。我們的主從沒有宣告一項運動，他宣告的乃是叫人對他個別的獻身。作門徒就是做主忠誠的愛奴。我們這些自稱基督徒的人，許多根本就不專心愛主。除非聖靈把愛澆灌給人，否則世上沒有一個人懂得熱誠愛主。我們也許會仰慕他、尊敬他，但卻不會愛他。唯一愛耶穌的就是聖靈，是他把神的愛傾瀉入我們心中。聖靈一見有榮耀耶穌的機會，就會佔有你的心、你整個的人，使你在主耶穌的熱愛中燃燒發光。
基督徒的生命，都蓋上了[自然的道德創造力]的印記，所以門徒像主耶穌一樣被人指責為：矛盾不一。其實，主耶穌時刻對神都是如一。信徒也該對神的兒子始終如一，而不是在死硬的教條上持守。人把自己傾進教條里去，神卻要把人的偏見炸毀，叫她們懂得專心愛他。
祈禱◆我何等需要看見你那威嚴、大能和榮耀的作為！我們所有人都只需要你的觸摸，使一切事物都變成嶄新而奇妙，並且抗衡任何不屬於你的影響和標準。願你的同在使我們得以潔淨和滿有能力。
If the closest relationships of a disciple’s life conflict with the claims of Jesus Christ, then our Lord requires instant obedience to Himself. Discipleship means personal, passionate devotion to a Person— our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a vast difference between devotion to a person and devotion to principles or to a cause. Our Lord never proclaimed a cause— He proclaimed personal devotion to Himself. To be a disciple is to be a devoted bondservant motivated by love for the Lord Jesus. Many of us who call ourselves Christians are not truly devoted to Jesus Christ. No one on earth has this passionate love for the Lord Jesus unless the Holy Spirit has given it to him. We may admire, respect, and revere Him, but we cannot love Him on our own. The only One who truly loves the Lord Jesus is the Holy Spirit, and it is He who has “poured out in our hearts” the very “love of God” (Romans 5:5). Whenever the Holy Spirit sees an opportunity to glorify Jesus through you, He will take your entire being and set you ablaze with glowing devotion to Jesus Christ.
The Christian life is a life characterized by true and spontaneous creativity. Consequently, a disciple is subject to the same charge that was leveled against Jesus Christ, namely, the charge of inconsistency. But Jesus Christ was always consistent in His relationship to God, and a Christian must be consistent in his relationship to the life of the Son of God in him, not consistent to strict, unyielding doctrines. People pour themselves into their own doctrines, and God has to blast them out of their preconceived ideas before they can become devoted to Jesus Christ.
作門徒的條件
人到我這裡來，若不愛我勝過……就不能作我的門徒。 （路十四26、27、33）
耶穌基督說人生中最親密的關係，若與他的要求相衝突的話，就必須立刻選擇順服他。作門徒的意思，就是把自己誠意地奉獻給一位——我們的主耶穌基督。對一個有位格的主奉獻，與對一個原則或運動獻身，並不相同。我們的主從沒有宣告一項運動，他宣告的乃是叫人對他個別的獻身。作門徒就是做主忠誠的愛奴。我們這些自稱基督徒的人，許多根本就不專心愛主。除非聖靈把愛澆灌給人，否則世上沒有一個人懂得熱誠愛主。我們也許會仰慕他、尊敬他，但卻不會愛他。唯一愛耶穌的就是聖靈，是他把神的愛傾瀉入我們心中。聖靈一見有榮耀耶穌的機會，就會佔有你的心、你整個的人，使你在主耶穌的熱愛中燃燒發光。
基督徒的生命，都蓋上了[自然的道德創造力]的印記，所以門徒像主耶穌一樣被人指責為：矛盾不一。其實，主耶穌時刻對神都是如一。信徒也該對神的兒子始終如一，而不是在死硬的教條上持守。人把自己傾進教條里去，神卻要把人的偏見炸毀，叫她們懂得專心愛他。
祈禱◆我何等需要看見你那威嚴、大能和榮耀的作為！我們所有人都只需要你的觸摸，使一切事物都變成嶄新而奇妙，並且抗衡任何不屬於你的影響和標準。願你的同在使我們得以潔淨和滿有能力。
July 01, 2012
The Inevitable Penalty
You will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny —Matthew 5:26
There is no heaven that has a little corner of hell in it. God is determined to make you pure, holy, and right, and He will not allow you to escape from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit for even one moment. He urged you to come to judgment immediately when He convicted you, but you did not obey. Then the inevitable process began to work, bringing its inevitable penalty. Now you have been “thrown into prison, [and] . . . you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny” (5:25-26). Yet you ask, “Is this a God of mercy and love?” When seen from God’s perspective, it is a glorious ministry of love. God is going to bring you out pure, spotless, and undefiled, but He wants you to recognize the nature you were exhibiting— the nature of demanding your right to yourself. The moment you are willing for God to change your nature, His recreating forces will begin to work. And the moment you realize that God’s purpose is to get you into the right relationship with Himself and then with others, He will reach to the very limits of the universe to help you take the right road. Decide to do it right now, saying, “Yes, Lord, I will write that letter,” or, “I will be reconciled to that person now.”
These sermons of Jesus Christ are meant for your will and your conscience, not for your head. If you dispute these verses from the Sermon on the Mount with your head, you will dull the appeal to your heart.
If you find yourself asking, “I wonder why I’m not growing spiritually with God?”— then ask yourself if you are paying your debts from God’s standpoint. Do now what you will have to do someday. Every moral question or call comes with an “ought” behind it— the knowledge of knowing what we ought to do.
免不了的刑罰
[沒有一個天堂一個地獄的角落。 ]神一心要使你純潔、正直、無暇；就一刻不容你離開聖靈的監察。他催逼你一知罪，便立刻接受審判。可是你不肯，於是後果就來了，你如今在監牢中，必須還清每一文錢，才可以出來。你會說：[這豈是慈悲仁愛的神麼？ ]從神那方面看來，這正是他榮耀的愛。神要叫你出來時聖潔無暇；同時他要你看透自己的本性－－就是要抓緊權利。一旦你肯讓神改變你，他再造的大能就產生功效。一旦你明白神的用心，時要你與他有正確的關係，也與其他人有正確的關係，神就會用盡宇宙一切的權能，助你走上正途。
請你現在立志－－[我肯，主啊，今晚我必定寫那封信]；[我現在就與那人和好]。
耶穌基督這信息對你的意志與良心而講的，而不是對你的理智而發出。你若拿登山寶訓去強辯，就會把心中的呼召聲沖淡了。
[我不明白為什麼與神沒有進展？ ]你有沒有償還神心目中的債？你一直拖延的事，現在就做吧。每一個道德呼聲背後，都有一個[應該]。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，但願我能看見你的面容，認識你的能力和那使人興奮的恩典。願你靠近我這個已完全復元的生命，並且求你寬恕我忽略了你如何使我複元。
There is no heaven that has a little corner of hell in it. God is determined to make you pure, holy, and right, and He will not allow you to escape from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit for even one moment. He urged you to come to judgment immediately when He convicted you, but you did not obey. Then the inevitable process began to work, bringing its inevitable penalty. Now you have been “thrown into prison, [and] . . . you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny” (5:25-26). Yet you ask, “Is this a God of mercy and love?” When seen from God’s perspective, it is a glorious ministry of love. God is going to bring you out pure, spotless, and undefiled, but He wants you to recognize the nature you were exhibiting— the nature of demanding your right to yourself. The moment you are willing for God to change your nature, His recreating forces will begin to work. And the moment you realize that God’s purpose is to get you into the right relationship with Himself and then with others, He will reach to the very limits of the universe to help you take the right road. Decide to do it right now, saying, “Yes, Lord, I will write that letter,” or, “I will be reconciled to that person now.”
These sermons of Jesus Christ are meant for your will and your conscience, not for your head. If you dispute these verses from the Sermon on the Mount with your head, you will dull the appeal to your heart.
If you find yourself asking, “I wonder why I’m not growing spiritually with God?”— then ask yourself if you are paying your debts from God’s standpoint. Do now what you will have to do someday. Every moral question or call comes with an “ought” behind it— the knowledge of knowing what we ought to do.
免不了的刑罰
[沒有一個天堂一個地獄的角落。 ]神一心要使你純潔、正直、無暇；就一刻不容你離開聖靈的監察。他催逼你一知罪，便立刻接受審判。可是你不肯，於是後果就來了，你如今在監牢中，必須還清每一文錢，才可以出來。你會說：[這豈是慈悲仁愛的神麼？ ]從神那方面看來，這正是他榮耀的愛。神要叫你出來時聖潔無暇；同時他要你看透自己的本性－－就是要抓緊權利。一旦你肯讓神改變你，他再造的大能就產生功效。一旦你明白神的用心，時要你與他有正確的關係，也與其他人有正確的關係，神就會用盡宇宙一切的權能，助你走上正途。
請你現在立志－－[我肯，主啊，今晚我必定寫那封信]；[我現在就與那人和好]。
耶穌基督這信息對你的意志與良心而講的，而不是對你的理智而發出。你若拿登山寶訓去強辯，就會把心中的呼召聲沖淡了。
[我不明白為什麼與神沒有進展？ ]你有沒有償還神心目中的債？你一直拖延的事，現在就做吧。每一個道德呼聲背後，都有一個[應該]。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，但願我能看見你的面容，認識你的能力和那使人興奮的恩典。願你靠近我這個已完全復元的生命，並且求你寬恕我忽略了你如何使我複元。
June 30, 2012
Do It Now!
Agree with your adversary quickly . . . —Matthew 5:25
In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, “Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ’till you have paid the last penny’ (Matthew 5:26) in pain, agony, and distress.” God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.
Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint?
Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit of God so strongly urges us to stay steadfastly in the light! (see John 3:19-21).
“Agree with your adversary quickly . . . .” Have you suddenly reached a certain place in your relationship with someone, only to find that you have anger in your heart? Confess it quickly— make it right before God. Be reconciled to that person— do it now!
In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, “Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ’till you have paid the last penny’ (Matthew 5:26) in pain, agony, and distress.” God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.
Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint?
Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit of God so strongly urges us to stay steadfastly in the light! (see John 3:19-21).
“Agree with your adversary quickly . . . .” Have you suddenly reached a certain place in your relationship with someone, only to find that you have anger in your heart? Confess it quickly— make it right before God. Be reconciled to that person— do it now!
June 29, 2012
The Strictest Discipline
If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell —Matthew 5:30
Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that “if your right hand causes you to sin” in your walk with Him, then it is better to “cut it off.” There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them. Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then “cut it off.” The principle taught here is the strictest discipline or lesson that ever hit humankind.
When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed. There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you. But the unspiritual people around you will say, “What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!” There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God’s sight than to appear lovely to man’s eyes but lame to God’s. At first, Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you. Yet, see that you don’t use your restrictions to criticize someone else.
The Christian life is a maimed life initially, but in Matthew 5:48 Jesus gave us the picture of a perfectly well-rounded life— “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
操練的方向
若是右手叫你跌倒，就砍下來丟掉。寧可失去百體中的一體，不叫全身下入地獄。 （太五30）
耶穌並沒有叫人把手砍掉，他只是說：[若你右手阻礙你與我同行，就把它砍下來。 ]有許多事本來是完全合情合理的，但你若要專心跟從神，就不能去做了。右手是你最有用的東西，但耶穌說如果它阻礙你跟從他，就把它砍掉。這種鍛煉的方法，是人類空前最嚴厲的。
神藉著重生改變了一個人，那生命起初的特徵就是殘廢。你有許多事不敢做了，而那些事在你眼中，在認識你的世界眼中，是等於你的右手或眼睛那樣重要。不屬靈的人就會說：[這件事有何不妥？你真是太古怪了！ ]有史以來，從沒有一個聖徒開始的時候，不是從無手無足的殘缺中起步的。可是，寧可被神視為美好而帶著殘廢進入永生，勝過在人眼中看為美麗，在神卻視為殘廢。重生初期，有許多事情是耶穌藉著殘廢禁止你做的；雖然別人作這些事或許完全沒有問題，你卻不可作。但得小心；不可以用你所受的限制去批評別人。
生命的開始是殘廢的，但在第四十八節中，耶穌卻展開了一幅豐盛生命的圖畫－－[你們要完全，像你們的天父完全一樣。 ]
祈禱◆主啊！願你今天帶領我進入你更多恩慈和奇妙的作為中。願你那滿有恩典和能力的慈手，今天覆庇我。
Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that “if your right hand causes you to sin” in your walk with Him, then it is better to “cut it off.” There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them. Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then “cut it off.” The principle taught here is the strictest discipline or lesson that ever hit humankind.
When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed. There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you. But the unspiritual people around you will say, “What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!” There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God’s sight than to appear lovely to man’s eyes but lame to God’s. At first, Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you. Yet, see that you don’t use your restrictions to criticize someone else.
The Christian life is a maimed life initially, but in Matthew 5:48 Jesus gave us the picture of a perfectly well-rounded life— “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
操練的方向
若是右手叫你跌倒，就砍下來丟掉。寧可失去百體中的一體，不叫全身下入地獄。 （太五30）
耶穌並沒有叫人把手砍掉，他只是說：[若你右手阻礙你與我同行，就把它砍下來。 ]有許多事本來是完全合情合理的，但你若要專心跟從神，就不能去做了。右手是你最有用的東西，但耶穌說如果它阻礙你跟從他，就把它砍掉。這種鍛煉的方法，是人類空前最嚴厲的。
神藉著重生改變了一個人，那生命起初的特徵就是殘廢。你有許多事不敢做了，而那些事在你眼中，在認識你的世界眼中，是等於你的右手或眼睛那樣重要。不屬靈的人就會說：[這件事有何不妥？你真是太古怪了！ ]有史以來，從沒有一個聖徒開始的時候，不是從無手無足的殘缺中起步的。可是，寧可被神視為美好而帶著殘廢進入永生，勝過在人眼中看為美麗，在神卻視為殘廢。重生初期，有許多事情是耶穌藉著殘廢禁止你做的；雖然別人作這些事或許完全沒有問題，你卻不可作。但得小心；不可以用你所受的限制去批評別人。
生命的開始是殘廢的，但在第四十八節中，耶穌卻展開了一幅豐盛生命的圖畫－－[你們要完全，像你們的天父完全一樣。 ]
祈禱◆主啊！願你今天帶領我進入你更多恩慈和奇妙的作為中。願你那滿有恩典和能力的慈手，今天覆庇我。
June 28, 2012
Held by the Grip of God
I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me —Philippians 3:12
Never choose to be a worker for God, but once God has placed His call on you, woe be to you if you “turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32). We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but because God has “laid hold of” us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, “Well, I’m really not suited for this.” What you are to preach is also determined by God, not by your own natural leanings or desires. Keep your soul steadfastly related to God, and remember that you are called not simply to convey your testimony but also to preach the gospel. Every Christian must testify to the truth of God, but when it comes to the call to preach, there must be the agonizing grip of God’s hand on you— your life is in the grip of God for that very purpose. How many of us are held like that?
Never water down the Word of God, but preach it in its undiluted sternness. There must be unflinching faithfulness to the Word of God, but when you come to personal dealings with others, remember who you are— you are not some special being created in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace.
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do. . . I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
被神得著
或者可以得著基督耶穌所以得著我的。 （腓三12）
切勿自告奮勇作主的工人；可是一旦被神呼召，你若偏左又偏右，就有禍了。我們原不是選擇為神工作，所以去作工，乃是因為神得著了我們。絕不該這樣想：[噢，我不適合做這個。 ]你所要傳的道，是由神決定的，不是憑你個人天然的喜好決定。你的心靈要緊緊貼近神，要記住你蒙召不單是作見證，更要傳福音。每個信徒都要作見證，但傳道的呼召，則必須有神的手狠狠地抓住。你的生命是單為這一件事被神抓住嗎？我們有多少人是這樣？
千萬不可把神的話打折扣，要按照他最嚴肅的真理去傳。對神的話要忠心；但對人的關係上，則記住你是誰－－不是天上製造的特種人，而只是一個蒙恩的罪人。 [我不是以為自己已經得著了。我只有一件事……]
祈禱◆主啊，求你按照你容許的方式和程度，讓我能看見你、感受你、相信你和完全認識你。除你以外，我還等候誰呢？
Never choose to be a worker for God, but once God has placed His call on you, woe be to you if you “turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32). We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but because God has “laid hold of” us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, “Well, I’m really not suited for this.” What you are to preach is also determined by God, not by your own natural leanings or desires. Keep your soul steadfastly related to God, and remember that you are called not simply to convey your testimony but also to preach the gospel. Every Christian must testify to the truth of God, but when it comes to the call to preach, there must be the agonizing grip of God’s hand on you— your life is in the grip of God for that very purpose. How many of us are held like that?
Never water down the Word of God, but preach it in its undiluted sternness. There must be unflinching faithfulness to the Word of God, but when you come to personal dealings with others, remember who you are— you are not some special being created in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace.
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do. . . I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
被神得著
或者可以得著基督耶穌所以得著我的。 （腓三12）
切勿自告奮勇作主的工人；可是一旦被神呼召，你若偏左又偏右，就有禍了。我們原不是選擇為神工作，所以去作工，乃是因為神得著了我們。絕不該這樣想：[噢，我不適合做這個。 ]你所要傳的道，是由神決定的，不是憑你個人天然的喜好決定。你的心靈要緊緊貼近神，要記住你蒙召不單是作見證，更要傳福音。每個信徒都要作見證，但傳道的呼召，則必須有神的手狠狠地抓住。你的生命是單為這一件事被神抓住嗎？我們有多少人是這樣？
千萬不可把神的話打折扣，要按照他最嚴肅的真理去傳。對神的話要忠心；但對人的關係上，則記住你是誰－－不是天上製造的特種人，而只是一個蒙恩的罪人。 [我不是以為自己已經得著了。我只有一件事……]
祈禱◆主啊，求你按照你容許的方式和程度，讓我能看見你、感受你、相信你和完全認識你。除你以外，我還等候誰呢？
June 27, 2012
The Overshadowing of God’s Personal Deliverance
. . . I am with you to deliver you,’ says the Lord —Jeremiah 1:8
God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally— “. . . your life shall be as a prize to you . . .” (Jeremiah 39:18). That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache, and distress. Having the proper outlook is evidence of the deeply rooted belief in the overshadowing of God’s personal deliverance.
The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on a mission for Jesus Christ, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, “Don’t worry about whether or not you are being treated justly.” Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say, “Why should I be treated like this?” If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we encounter, whether it is just or unjust. In essence, Jesus says, “Continue steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance.” Even the most devout among us become atheistic in this regard— we do not believe Him. We put our common sense on the throne and then attach God’s name to it. We do lean to our own understanding, instead of trusting God with all our hearts (see Proverbs 3:5-6).
全能的拯救
我與你同在，要拯救你。 （耶一8）
神應允耶利米要親自拯救他－－[要以自己的命為掠物。 ]這是神對他兒女的應許。神不論差我們到那裡，都必保護我們。私人財物是無足輕重的，對這些東西我們要看得開，否則，就會有震驚、傷心和痛苦。這就是在全能者的蔭下得拯救。
登山寶訓中說，我們若奉主耶穌得差遣，就無暇為自己爭取什麼。耶穌的意思其實是說：[不必理會人家是否對你公平。 ]追求公平，表示人偏離了對主的忠誠。不要指望在這世界中找到公平，但要不斷的施行公平。我們若求公平，就會抱怨，沉溺在自憐不滿的光景中－－[我為何受這樣的待遇？ ]我們只要專心愛主，就不用理會任何遭遇：公平也好，不公平也好。
耶穌說：人若恆久遵行他的話，他必保護他；人若要自己保護自己，就在他的拯救裡無分了。有些敬虔熱心的人，在這事上卻與不信者無異；他們不信任神，高舉理智，只把神的名掛上去吧。的確，我們往往倚靠自己的聰明，沒有一心仰賴神。
祈禱◆噢，主啊！我認識你的恩福並讚美你，作為你僕人的我所尋求的，正是那難以描述的感動和動力－－我不知道自己要尋求的是什麼，但你卻知道。我何等渴慕你！
God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally— “. . . your life shall be as a prize to you . . .” (Jeremiah 39:18). That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache, and distress. Having the proper outlook is evidence of the deeply rooted belief in the overshadowing of God’s personal deliverance.
The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on a mission for Jesus Christ, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, “Don’t worry about whether or not you are being treated justly.” Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say, “Why should I be treated like this?” If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we encounter, whether it is just or unjust. In essence, Jesus says, “Continue steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance.” Even the most devout among us become atheistic in this regard— we do not believe Him. We put our common sense on the throne and then attach God’s name to it. We do lean to our own understanding, instead of trusting God with all our hearts (see Proverbs 3:5-6).
全能的拯救
我與你同在，要拯救你。 （耶一8）
神應允耶利米要親自拯救他－－[要以自己的命為掠物。 ]這是神對他兒女的應許。神不論差我們到那裡，都必保護我們。私人財物是無足輕重的，對這些東西我們要看得開，否則，就會有震驚、傷心和痛苦。這就是在全能者的蔭下得拯救。
登山寶訓中說，我們若奉主耶穌得差遣，就無暇為自己爭取什麼。耶穌的意思其實是說：[不必理會人家是否對你公平。 ]追求公平，表示人偏離了對主的忠誠。不要指望在這世界中找到公平，但要不斷的施行公平。我們若求公平，就會抱怨，沉溺在自憐不滿的光景中－－[我為何受這樣的待遇？ ]我們只要專心愛主，就不用理會任何遭遇：公平也好，不公平也好。
耶穌說：人若恆久遵行他的話，他必保護他；人若要自己保護自己，就在他的拯救裡無分了。有些敬虔熱心的人，在這事上卻與不信者無異；他們不信任神，高舉理智，只把神的名掛上去吧。的確，我們往往倚靠自己的聰明，沒有一心仰賴神。
祈禱◆噢，主啊！我認識你的恩福並讚美你，作為你僕人的我所尋求的，正是那難以描述的感動和動力－－我不知道自己要尋求的是什麼，但你卻知道。我何等渴慕你！
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