The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life —John 4:14
The picture our Lord described here is not that of a simple stream of water, but an overflowing fountain. Continue to “be filled” (Ephesians 5:18) and the sweetness of your vital relationship to Jesus will flow as generously out of you as it has been given to you. If you find that His life is not springing up as it should, you are to blame— something is obstructing the flow. Was Jesus saying to stay focused on the Source so that you may be blessed personally? No, you are to focus on the Source so that out of you “will flow rivers of living water”— irrepressible life (John 7:38).
We are to be fountains through which Jesus can flow as “rivers of living water” in blessing to everyone. Yet some of us are like the Dead Sea, always receiving but never giving, because our relationship is not right with the Lord Jesus. As surely as we receive blessings from Him, He will pour out blessings through us. But whenever the blessings are not being poured out in the same measure they are received, there is a defect in our relationship with Him. Is there anything between you and Jesus Christ? Is there anything hindering your faith in Him? If not, then Jesus says that out of you “will flow rivers of living water.” It is not a blessing that you pass on, or an experience that you share with others, but a river that continually flows through you. Stay at the Source, closely guarding your faith in Jesus Christ and your relationship to Him, and there will be a steady flow into the lives of others with no dryness or deadness whatsoever.
Is it excessive to say that rivers will flow out of one individual believer? Do you look at yourself and say, “But I don’t see the rivers”? Through the history of God’s work you will usually find that He has started with the obscure, the unknown, the ignored, but those who have been steadfastly true to Jesus Christ.
福泉
我所賜的水，要在他裡頭成為泉源。 （約四14）
主所描寫的，不是一條河道，乃是一個活泉。 [要被充滿]，這樣，聖徒與主耶穌生命關係的甜美，就會豐富不絕地湧流，正如主傾倒給他的一樣。你若發現生命並不能如意地湧流，問題一定是在你身上；一定是有阻塞的障礙物。要保持與源頭接駁，這樣你就會大得福祉？不，你會有活水江流湧流，是無法歇止的生命。
我們要成為活水湧流的江河，讓主耶穌湧流而出，使每個人得福。有些人像死海，只接受而不付出，因為他們與主耶穌得關係並不和諧。我們接受他的生命，是肯定的；這樣，他透過我們湧流，也該是肯定的。主若沒有暢順的湧流，你與他的關係必然有了缺陷。你與他之間有何阻隔？什麼阻攔你對他的信念？若沒有，耶穌說：[你要湧流出活水江河。 ]不是福氣的傳遞，不是經驗的申述，乃是江河的湧流。要持定源頭，謹守對主的信心和與他的關係，這樣，你就有不住
的水供應別人，不枯乾，也不死涸。
個別信徒要湧流出江河，是否誇張之言？你會說：[我看不見江河。 ]記著不要從[我是什麼人？ ]的觀點來看自己。神工作的歷史，往往是從隱藏的、不為人知的、被人忽視的，但對主耶穌基督堅貞不移的人開始。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，讓我重拾那因你與我同在而有的獨特喜樂，使我在這個地方全屬於你。我似乎不適宜作任何事情，惟獨等候你。噢，主啊，給我顯示一個永久的標記。
September 07, 2013
September 06, 2013
The Far-Reaching Rivers of Life
He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow rivers of living water —John 7:38
A river reaches places which its source never knows. And Jesus said that, if we have received His fullness, “rivers of living water” will flow out of us, reaching in blessing even “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8) regardless of how small the visible effects of our lives may appear to be. We have nothing to do with the outflow— “This is the work of God, that you believe. . .” (John 6:29). God rarely allows a person to see how great a blessing he is to others.
A river is victoriously persistent, overcoming all barriers. For a while it goes steadily on its course, but then comes to an obstacle. And for a while it is blocked, yet it soon makes a pathway around the obstacle. Or a river will drop out of sight for miles, only later to emerge again even broader and greater than ever. Do you see God using the lives of others, but an obstacle has come into your life and you do not seem to be of any use to God? Then keep paying attention to the Source, and God will either take you around the obstacle or remove it. The river of the Spirit of God overcomes all obstacles. Never focus your eyes on the obstacle or the difficulty. The obstacle will be a matter of total indifference to the river that will flow steadily through you if you will simply remember to stay focused on the Source. Never allow anything to come between you and Jesus Christ— not emotion nor experience— nothing must keep you from the one great sovereign Source.
Think of the healing and far-reaching rivers developing and nourishing themselves in our souls! God has been opening up wonderful truths to our minds, and every point He has opened up is another indication of the wider power of the river that He will flow through us. If you believe in Jesus, you will find that God has developed and nourished in you mighty, rushing rivers of blessing for others.
生命的擴散力
活水……江河。 （約七38）
河流所到之處，是源頭無法可知的。耶穌說我們若領受了他的豐盛，不管我們的生命多微小，也能像活水江河，造福地極。這湧流不是我們的功勞－－[信……這就是神的工作……]。神很少讓一個人知道自己給別人帶來多大的祝福。河流是百折不撓的，能克服一切障礙。它順流而下，遇到障礙物，停滯一下，不一會又會繞過它繼續湧流。有時河流好像突然消失好幾里，但一下子又再复現，變得又大又寬闊。你看見神在使用很多人的生命，但你的生命卻出現了障礙物，你覺得自己毫無用處。這時要注目源頭，神會帶你繞道而行，或是把障礙挪開。不要注目在難處上，只要對準源頭，難處對於從你裡面流出的江河，是毫無辦法的。不要讓任何事物，包括感情與經歷，介入你與主耶穌之間；不要讓任何事物，使你與那最高的總源頭隔開。
想想你裡頭孕育著何等光遠而又具醫治力的河流！神向我們敞開他奇妙的真理，每一個敞開處，都表示他要把江河更大的能力透過我們湧流，你若相信主耶穌，就必發現神正在你裡面培育強而有力的水流，要成為別人的祝福。
祈禱◆[你不要怕他們，因那為你爭戰的是耶和華－－你的神。 ]主啊，今早當我讀經，這句話一直浮現在我腦海中。我何等完全地仰賴你！
A river reaches places which its source never knows. And Jesus said that, if we have received His fullness, “rivers of living water” will flow out of us, reaching in blessing even “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8) regardless of how small the visible effects of our lives may appear to be. We have nothing to do with the outflow— “This is the work of God, that you believe. . .” (John 6:29). God rarely allows a person to see how great a blessing he is to others.
A river is victoriously persistent, overcoming all barriers. For a while it goes steadily on its course, but then comes to an obstacle. And for a while it is blocked, yet it soon makes a pathway around the obstacle. Or a river will drop out of sight for miles, only later to emerge again even broader and greater than ever. Do you see God using the lives of others, but an obstacle has come into your life and you do not seem to be of any use to God? Then keep paying attention to the Source, and God will either take you around the obstacle or remove it. The river of the Spirit of God overcomes all obstacles. Never focus your eyes on the obstacle or the difficulty. The obstacle will be a matter of total indifference to the river that will flow steadily through you if you will simply remember to stay focused on the Source. Never allow anything to come between you and Jesus Christ— not emotion nor experience— nothing must keep you from the one great sovereign Source.
Think of the healing and far-reaching rivers developing and nourishing themselves in our souls! God has been opening up wonderful truths to our minds, and every point He has opened up is another indication of the wider power of the river that He will flow through us. If you believe in Jesus, you will find that God has developed and nourished in you mighty, rushing rivers of blessing for others.
生命的擴散力
活水……江河。 （約七38）
河流所到之處，是源頭無法可知的。耶穌說我們若領受了他的豐盛，不管我們的生命多微小，也能像活水江河，造福地極。這湧流不是我們的功勞－－[信……這就是神的工作……]。神很少讓一個人知道自己給別人帶來多大的祝福。河流是百折不撓的，能克服一切障礙。它順流而下，遇到障礙物，停滯一下，不一會又會繞過它繼續湧流。有時河流好像突然消失好幾里，但一下子又再复現，變得又大又寬闊。你看見神在使用很多人的生命，但你的生命卻出現了障礙物，你覺得自己毫無用處。這時要注目源頭，神會帶你繞道而行，或是把障礙挪開。不要注目在難處上，只要對準源頭，難處對於從你裡面流出的江河，是毫無辦法的。不要讓任何事物，包括感情與經歷，介入你與主耶穌之間；不要讓任何事物，使你與那最高的總源頭隔開。
想想你裡頭孕育著何等光遠而又具醫治力的河流！神向我們敞開他奇妙的真理，每一個敞開處，都表示他要把江河更大的能力透過我們湧流，你若相信主耶穌，就必發現神正在你裡面培育強而有力的水流，要成為別人的祝福。
祈禱◆[你不要怕他們，因那為你爭戰的是耶和華－－你的神。 ]主啊，今早當我讀經，這句話一直浮現在我腦海中。我何等完全地仰賴你！
September 05, 2013
Watching With Jesus
Stay here and watch with Me —Matthew 26:38
“Watch with Me.” Jesus was saying, in effect, “Watch with no private point of view at all, but watch solely and entirely with Me.” In the early stages of our Christian life, we do not watch with Jesus, we watch for Him. We do not watch with Him through the revealed truth of the Bible even in the circumstances of our own lives. Our Lord is trying to introduce us to identification with Himself through a particular “Gethsemane” experience of our own. But we refuse to go, saying, “No, Lord, I can’t see the meaning of this, and besides, it’s very painful.” And how can we possibly watch with Someone who is so incomprehensible? How are we going to understand Jesus sufficiently to watch with Him in His Gethsemane, when we don’t even know why He is suffering? We don’t know how to watch with Him— we are only used to the idea of Jesus watching with us.
The disciples loved Jesus Christ to the limit of their natural capacity, but they did not fully understand His purpose. In the Garden of Gethsemane they slept as a result of their own sorrow, and at the end of three years of the closest and most intimate relationship of their lives they “all . . . forsook Him and fled” (Matthew 26:56).
“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit . . .” (Acts 2:4). “They” refers to the same people, but something wonderful has happened between these two events— our Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension— and the disciples have now been invaded and “filled with the Holy Spirit.” Our Lord had said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . .” (Acts 1:8). This meant that they learned to watch with Him the rest of their lives.
傳道者的警醒
同我警醒。 （太二十六40）
[同我警醒。 ]－－完全沒有自己的私見，單單與主一同警醒。初時，我們不會與主一同警醒，只會為他警醒。我們不懂得透過聖經的啟示和生活的環境，與他一同警醒。主一直想用一個特定的客西馬尼，帶我們與他同心，有一同的體驗，可是我們不肯去。我們說：[不，主啊，我看不出這有何用處，太苦了。 ]怎樣可以與一個難以捉摸的物件一同警醒呢？我們若不明他受苦的目的，怎能對耶穌有充分的了解，以致肯在客西馬尼與他一同警醒？我們根本不懂得怎樣與他一同警醒，只習慣於他與我們一同警醒的觀念。
門徒愛耶穌，只到天然本能的限度為止，因她們不明白他在做什麼。在客西馬尼園中，她們因憂愁睡著了。在三年親密關係結束的時候，他們都離棄他逃跑了。 [他們都被聖靈充滿。 ]同樣是[他們]，只是奇妙的事發生了。就是主的死、復活、升天，門徒被聖靈充滿，主曾說：[聖靈降臨在你們身上，你們就必得著能力。 ]就是他們已學會終其一生與主一同警醒。
祈禱◆主啊，今天早上，為著你的話－－[主用手攙扶他]，我感謝你。
“Watch with Me.” Jesus was saying, in effect, “Watch with no private point of view at all, but watch solely and entirely with Me.” In the early stages of our Christian life, we do not watch with Jesus, we watch for Him. We do not watch with Him through the revealed truth of the Bible even in the circumstances of our own lives. Our Lord is trying to introduce us to identification with Himself through a particular “Gethsemane” experience of our own. But we refuse to go, saying, “No, Lord, I can’t see the meaning of this, and besides, it’s very painful.” And how can we possibly watch with Someone who is so incomprehensible? How are we going to understand Jesus sufficiently to watch with Him in His Gethsemane, when we don’t even know why He is suffering? We don’t know how to watch with Him— we are only used to the idea of Jesus watching with us.
The disciples loved Jesus Christ to the limit of their natural capacity, but they did not fully understand His purpose. In the Garden of Gethsemane they slept as a result of their own sorrow, and at the end of three years of the closest and most intimate relationship of their lives they “all . . . forsook Him and fled” (Matthew 26:56).
“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit . . .” (Acts 2:4). “They” refers to the same people, but something wonderful has happened between these two events— our Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension— and the disciples have now been invaded and “filled with the Holy Spirit.” Our Lord had said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . .” (Acts 1:8). This meant that they learned to watch with Him the rest of their lives.
傳道者的警醒
同我警醒。 （太二十六40）
[同我警醒。 ]－－完全沒有自己的私見，單單與主一同警醒。初時，我們不會與主一同警醒，只會為他警醒。我們不懂得透過聖經的啟示和生活的環境，與他一同警醒。主一直想用一個特定的客西馬尼，帶我們與他同心，有一同的體驗，可是我們不肯去。我們說：[不，主啊，我看不出這有何用處，太苦了。 ]怎樣可以與一個難以捉摸的物件一同警醒呢？我們若不明他受苦的目的，怎能對耶穌有充分的了解，以致肯在客西馬尼與他一同警醒？我們根本不懂得怎樣與他一同警醒，只習慣於他與我們一同警醒的觀念。
門徒愛耶穌，只到天然本能的限度為止，因她們不明白他在做什麼。在客西馬尼園中，她們因憂愁睡著了。在三年親密關係結束的時候，他們都離棄他逃跑了。 [他們都被聖靈充滿。 ]同樣是[他們]，只是奇妙的事發生了。就是主的死、復活、升天，門徒被聖靈充滿，主曾說：[聖靈降臨在你們身上，你們就必得著能力。 ]就是他們已學會終其一生與主一同警醒。
祈禱◆主啊，今天早上，為著你的話－－[主用手攙扶他]，我感謝你。
September 04, 2013
His!
They were Yours, You gave them to Me . . . —John 17:6
A missionary is someone in whom the Holy Spirit has brought about this realization: “You are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). To say, “I am not my own,” is to have reached a high point in my spiritual stature. The true nature of that life in actual everyday confusion is evidenced by the deliberate giving up of myself to another Person through a sovereign decision, and that Person is Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit interprets and explains the nature of Jesus to me to make me one with my Lord, not that I might simply become a trophy for His showcase. Our Lord never sent any of His disciples out on the basis of what He had done for them. It was not until after the resurrection, when the disciples had perceived through the power of the Holy Spirit who Jesus really was, that He said, “Go” (Matthew 28:19; also see Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8).
“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, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). He was not saying that this person cannot be good and upright, but that he cannot be someone over whom Jesus can write the word Mine. Any one of the relationships our Lord mentions in this verse can compete with our relationship with Him. I may prefer to belong to my mother, or to my wife, or to myself, but if that is the case, then, Jesus said, “[You] cannot be My disciple.” This does not mean that I will not be saved, but it does mean that I cannot be entirely His.
Our Lord makes His disciple His very own possession, becoming responsible for him. “. . . you shall be witnesses to Me . . .” (Acts 1:8). The desire that comes into a disciple is not one of doing anything for Jesus, but of being a perfect delight to Him. The missionary’s secret is truly being able to say, “I am His, and He is accomplishing His work and His purposes through me.”
Be entirely His!
我們要完全屬祂！
他們本是你的，你將他們賜給我。 （約十七6）
傳道者就是得到聖靈啟迪，知道[你不是自己]的人。能夠說[我不屬於自己]，就是靈命達到了一個高峰。生命的真正本質，是故意把主權放棄，一心尊尚另一位為主，這另一位就是耶穌基督。聖靈把耶穌的本性向我解明，是要叫我與主合一，而不是要我成為可誇耀的展覽品。主從不單憑他為門徒所作的事，而差派他們出去，直到他復活了，因聖靈的能力，門徒認識耶穌是誰，然後他才說：[去。 ][人到我這裡來，若不恨……不能作我的門徒。 ]他不是說他不能做個正直良善的人，而是不能稱為[我的]。每一個主所說的關係，都可以是與主爭競的。我若選擇屬於母親，或妻子，或自己，這樣耶穌會說：[你不能作我的門徒。 ]這不是說我並不得救，而是我不能成為[他的]。主視門徒為他的產業，他為耶穌做什麼，乃是要成為他所喜悅的。作傳道人的秘訣是－－我屬他，透過我成就他的大工。我們要完全屬他。
祈禱◆主啊，願你今天臨到我，帶領我進入你神性計劃的一切美善中；感動我的心，讓我能明白你的道路，並在其中歡喜快樂。
A missionary is someone in whom the Holy Spirit has brought about this realization: “You are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). To say, “I am not my own,” is to have reached a high point in my spiritual stature. The true nature of that life in actual everyday confusion is evidenced by the deliberate giving up of myself to another Person through a sovereign decision, and that Person is Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit interprets and explains the nature of Jesus to me to make me one with my Lord, not that I might simply become a trophy for His showcase. Our Lord never sent any of His disciples out on the basis of what He had done for them. It was not until after the resurrection, when the disciples had perceived through the power of the Holy Spirit who Jesus really was, that He said, “Go” (Matthew 28:19; also see Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8).
“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, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). He was not saying that this person cannot be good and upright, but that he cannot be someone over whom Jesus can write the word Mine. Any one of the relationships our Lord mentions in this verse can compete with our relationship with Him. I may prefer to belong to my mother, or to my wife, or to myself, but if that is the case, then, Jesus said, “[You] cannot be My disciple.” This does not mean that I will not be saved, but it does mean that I cannot be entirely His.
Our Lord makes His disciple His very own possession, becoming responsible for him. “. . . you shall be witnesses to Me . . .” (Acts 1:8). The desire that comes into a disciple is not one of doing anything for Jesus, but of being a perfect delight to Him. The missionary’s secret is truly being able to say, “I am His, and He is accomplishing His work and His purposes through me.”
Be entirely His!
我們要完全屬祂！
他們本是你的，你將他們賜給我。 （約十七6）
傳道者就是得到聖靈啟迪，知道[你不是自己]的人。能夠說[我不屬於自己]，就是靈命達到了一個高峰。生命的真正本質，是故意把主權放棄，一心尊尚另一位為主，這另一位就是耶穌基督。聖靈把耶穌的本性向我解明，是要叫我與主合一，而不是要我成為可誇耀的展覽品。主從不單憑他為門徒所作的事，而差派他們出去，直到他復活了，因聖靈的能力，門徒認識耶穌是誰，然後他才說：[去。 ][人到我這裡來，若不恨……不能作我的門徒。 ]他不是說他不能做個正直良善的人，而是不能稱為[我的]。每一個主所說的關係，都可以是與主爭競的。我若選擇屬於母親，或妻子，或自己，這樣耶穌會說：[你不能作我的門徒。 ]這不是說我並不得救，而是我不能成為[他的]。主視門徒為他的產業，他為耶穌做什麼，乃是要成為他所喜悅的。作傳道人的秘訣是－－我屬他，透過我成就他的大工。我們要完全屬他。
祈禱◆主啊，願你今天臨到我，帶領我進入你神性計劃的一切美善中；感動我的心，讓我能明白你的道路，並在其中歡喜快樂。
September 03, 2013
Pouring Out the Water of Satisfaction
He would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord —2 Samuel 23:16
What has been like “water from the well of Bethlehem” to you recently— love, friendship, or maybe some spiritual blessing (2 Samuel 23:16)? Have you taken whatever it may be, even at the risk of damaging your own soul, simply to satisfy yourself? If you have, then you cannot pour it out “to the Lord.” You can never set apart for God something that you desire for yourself to achieve your own satisfaction. If you try to satisfy yourself with a blessing from God, it will corrupt you. You must sacrifice it, pouring it out to God— something that your common sense says is an absurd waste.
How can I pour out “to the Lord” natural love and spiritual blessings? There is only one way— I must make a determination in my mind to do so. There are certain things other people do that could never be received by someone who does not know God, because it is humanly impossible to repay them. As soon as I realize that something is too wonderful for me, that I am not worthy to receive it, and that it is not meant for a human being at all, I must pour it out “to the Lord.” Then these very things that have come to me will be poured out as “rivers of living water” all around me (John 7:38). And until I pour these things out to God, they actually endanger those I love, as well as myself, because they will be turned into lust. Yes, we can be lustful in things that are not sordid and vile. Even love must be transformed by being poured out “to the Lord.”
If you have become bitter and sour, it is because when God gave you a blessing you hoarded it. Yet if you had poured it out to Him, you would have been the sweetest person on earth. If you are always keeping blessings to yourself and never learning to pour out anything “to the Lord,” other people will never have their vision of God expanded through you.
把滿足的水澆奠
……他卻不肯喝，將水奠在耶和華面前……(撒下二十三16)
對你來說，什麼東西像是從伯利恆井裡打來的水？是愛？朋友？還是屬靈的祝福？你若只顧滿足自己，就必危害自己的靈命。這樣，就無法把它傾在主面前。凡是拿來滿足自己的東西，必無法分別為聖歸神。你若拿神的賜福來滿足自己，就必致敗壞。你必須把它獻上，完全傾倒。
我怎樣把天然的愛或屬靈的祝福傾倒給主呢？只有一個方法，就是立定心志。一個不認識神的人，永沒法接受別人所作的某些事，因為這些事並非人力所能報償的。要是我說：[這太偉大了，我不配受，根本不是血肉之軀的人可以接受的，我必須把它傾出來給主。 ]就在這一刻，這些東西就傾在湧流四方的活泉里。我若不這樣傾倒，就會危害自己和所愛的人，因為它會變成情慾。在並不污穢卑劣的事情上，也可以產生貪戀的情慾。愛必須為主完全傾倒，才能達到主變象的境界。
若為自己緊緊抓住神的賜福，你就會愈來愈苦澀煩躁；相反地，你若早把它澆奠在主前，就早已成為從天而降最愉快的人。你若只會一味接受賜福，而從不學習為主傾倒，別人的眼界就永不會因你得著擴闊。
祈禱◆主啊，這個早上，我懷著一份靈性失敗的感覺，來到你面前。藉著你的恩典來潔淨我，讓我重回基督耶穌在天上的地方。
What has been like “water from the well of Bethlehem” to you recently— love, friendship, or maybe some spiritual blessing (2 Samuel 23:16)? Have you taken whatever it may be, even at the risk of damaging your own soul, simply to satisfy yourself? If you have, then you cannot pour it out “to the Lord.” You can never set apart for God something that you desire for yourself to achieve your own satisfaction. If you try to satisfy yourself with a blessing from God, it will corrupt you. You must sacrifice it, pouring it out to God— something that your common sense says is an absurd waste.
How can I pour out “to the Lord” natural love and spiritual blessings? There is only one way— I must make a determination in my mind to do so. There are certain things other people do that could never be received by someone who does not know God, because it is humanly impossible to repay them. As soon as I realize that something is too wonderful for me, that I am not worthy to receive it, and that it is not meant for a human being at all, I must pour it out “to the Lord.” Then these very things that have come to me will be poured out as “rivers of living water” all around me (John 7:38). And until I pour these things out to God, they actually endanger those I love, as well as myself, because they will be turned into lust. Yes, we can be lustful in things that are not sordid and vile. Even love must be transformed by being poured out “to the Lord.”
If you have become bitter and sour, it is because when God gave you a blessing you hoarded it. Yet if you had poured it out to Him, you would have been the sweetest person on earth. If you are always keeping blessings to yourself and never learning to pour out anything “to the Lord,” other people will never have their vision of God expanded through you.
把滿足的水澆奠
……他卻不肯喝，將水奠在耶和華面前……(撒下二十三16)
對你來說，什麼東西像是從伯利恆井裡打來的水？是愛？朋友？還是屬靈的祝福？你若只顧滿足自己，就必危害自己的靈命。這樣，就無法把它傾在主面前。凡是拿來滿足自己的東西，必無法分別為聖歸神。你若拿神的賜福來滿足自己，就必致敗壞。你必須把它獻上，完全傾倒。
我怎樣把天然的愛或屬靈的祝福傾倒給主呢？只有一個方法，就是立定心志。一個不認識神的人，永沒法接受別人所作的某些事，因為這些事並非人力所能報償的。要是我說：[這太偉大了，我不配受，根本不是血肉之軀的人可以接受的，我必須把它傾出來給主。 ]就在這一刻，這些東西就傾在湧流四方的活泉里。我若不這樣傾倒，就會危害自己和所愛的人，因為它會變成情慾。在並不污穢卑劣的事情上，也可以產生貪戀的情慾。愛必須為主完全傾倒，才能達到主變象的境界。
若為自己緊緊抓住神的賜福，你就會愈來愈苦澀煩躁；相反地，你若早把它澆奠在主前，就早已成為從天而降最愉快的人。你若只會一味接受賜福，而從不學習為主傾倒，別人的眼界就永不會因你得著擴闊。
祈禱◆主啊，這個早上，我懷著一份靈性失敗的感覺，來到你面前。藉著你的恩典來潔淨我，讓我重回基督耶穌在天上的地方。
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。
September 01, 2013
Destined To Be Holy
. . it is written, ’Be holy, for I am holy’ —1 Peter 1:16
We must continually remind ourselves of the purpose of life. We are not destined to happiness, nor to health, but to holiness. Today we have far too many desires and interests, and our lives are being consumed and wasted by them. Many of them may be right, noble, and good, and may later be fulfilled, but in the meantime God must cause their importance to us to decrease. The only thing that truly matters is whether a person will accept the God who will make him holy. At all costs, a person must have the right relationship with God.
Do I believe I need to be holy? Do I believe that God can come into me and make me holy? If through your preaching you convince me that I am unholy, I then resent your preaching. The preaching of the gospel awakens an intense resentment because it is designed to reveal my unholiness, but it also awakens an intense yearning and desire within me. God has only one intended destiny for mankind— holiness. His only goal is to produce saints. God is not some eternal blessing-machine for people to use, and He did not come to save us out of pity— He came to save us because He created us to be holy. Atonement through the Cross of Christ means that God can put me back into perfect oneness with Himself through the death of Jesus Christ, without a trace of anything coming between us any longer.
Never tolerate, because of sympathy for yourself or for others, any practice that is not in keeping with a holy God. Holiness means absolute purity of your walk before God, the words coming from your mouth, and every thought in your mind— placing every detail of your life under the scrutiny of God Himself. Holiness is not simply what God gives me, but what God has given me that is being exhibited in my life.
命定的聖潔
你們要聖潔，因為我是聖潔的。 （彼前一16）
要經常對自己重申人生的目標。人最終的目標，不是幸福，不是健康，而是聖潔。今天我們有太多要眷戀的東西，以致分心。正直、良善、崇高的喜好，自有它們的價值；可是，神卻要叫它們退縮一旁。因為最重要的事，是人願否接納那能使他變得聖潔的神。人要不惜任何代價，與神建立密切正確的關係。
我真相信要成為聖潔麼？真相信神能進入我裡面，使我成聖麼？若你的講道真叫我相信自己不潔，我會對你所講的產生反感。我對所傳的福音產生強烈的反感，因為它暴露了我的不潔，但同時也挑起了我強烈的強求。神對人類一項終極的命定，就是要我們聖潔。他唯一目的是製造聖徒。神不是一副永遠只賜福予人的機器；他來救人也不是出於可憐同情。他來拯救，因為他創造的人原是聖潔的。救贖就是藉著耶穌基督的死，神把我重新與他聯合，再沒有任何阻隔的影兒。
千萬不可因同情自己或別人，而容許任何與聖潔的神不相合的事。聖潔就是不玷污－－舌頭不玷污，思想不玷污，因為生活上任何細節都在神細察之下。聖潔不單是神賜給我的，更是我怎樣彰顯神所賜給我的。
祈禱◆主，全能的神，你是聖潔的；你的奇妙非讚美所能說盡，你應許過以你的恩典來使我成為聖潔。
We must continually remind ourselves of the purpose of life. We are not destined to happiness, nor to health, but to holiness. Today we have far too many desires and interests, and our lives are being consumed and wasted by them. Many of them may be right, noble, and good, and may later be fulfilled, but in the meantime God must cause their importance to us to decrease. The only thing that truly matters is whether a person will accept the God who will make him holy. At all costs, a person must have the right relationship with God.
Do I believe I need to be holy? Do I believe that God can come into me and make me holy? If through your preaching you convince me that I am unholy, I then resent your preaching. The preaching of the gospel awakens an intense resentment because it is designed to reveal my unholiness, but it also awakens an intense yearning and desire within me. God has only one intended destiny for mankind— holiness. His only goal is to produce saints. God is not some eternal blessing-machine for people to use, and He did not come to save us out of pity— He came to save us because He created us to be holy. Atonement through the Cross of Christ means that God can put me back into perfect oneness with Himself through the death of Jesus Christ, without a trace of anything coming between us any longer.
Never tolerate, because of sympathy for yourself or for others, any practice that is not in keeping with a holy God. Holiness means absolute purity of your walk before God, the words coming from your mouth, and every thought in your mind— placing every detail of your life under the scrutiny of God Himself. Holiness is not simply what God gives me, but what God has given me that is being exhibited in my life.
命定的聖潔
你們要聖潔，因為我是聖潔的。 （彼前一16）
要經常對自己重申人生的目標。人最終的目標，不是幸福，不是健康，而是聖潔。今天我們有太多要眷戀的東西，以致分心。正直、良善、崇高的喜好，自有它們的價值；可是，神卻要叫它們退縮一旁。因為最重要的事，是人願否接納那能使他變得聖潔的神。人要不惜任何代價，與神建立密切正確的關係。
我真相信要成為聖潔麼？真相信神能進入我裡面，使我成聖麼？若你的講道真叫我相信自己不潔，我會對你所講的產生反感。我對所傳的福音產生強烈的反感，因為它暴露了我的不潔，但同時也挑起了我強烈的強求。神對人類一項終極的命定，就是要我們聖潔。他唯一目的是製造聖徒。神不是一副永遠只賜福予人的機器；他來救人也不是出於可憐同情。他來拯救，因為他創造的人原是聖潔的。救贖就是藉著耶穌基督的死，神把我重新與他聯合，再沒有任何阻隔的影兒。
千萬不可因同情自己或別人，而容許任何與聖潔的神不相合的事。聖潔就是不玷污－－舌頭不玷污，思想不玷污，因為生活上任何細節都在神細察之下。聖潔不單是神賜給我的，更是我怎樣彰顯神所賜給我的。
祈禱◆主，全能的神，你是聖潔的；你的奇妙非讚美所能說盡，你應許過以你的恩典來使我成為聖潔。
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