. . . when Moses was grown . . . he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens —Exodus 2:11
Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt certain that he was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his own spirit he started to right their wrongs. After he launched his first strike for God and for what was right, God allowed Moses to be driven into empty discouragement, sending him into the desert to feed sheep for forty years. At the end of that time, God appeared to Moses and said to him, ” ’. . . bring My people . . . out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ’Who am I that I should go . . . ?’ ” (Exodus 3:10-11). In the beginning Moses had realized that he was the one to deliver the people, but he had to be trained and disciplined by God first. He was right in his individual perspective, but he was not the person for the work until he had learned true fellowship and oneness with God.
We may have the vision of God and a very clear understanding of what God wants, and yet when we start to do it, there comes to us something equivalent to Moses’ forty years in the wilderness. It’s as if God had ignored the entire thing, and when we are thoroughly discouraged, God comes back and revives His call to us. And then we begin to tremble and say, “Who am I that I should go . . . ?” We must learn that God’s great stride is summed up in these words— “I AM WHO I AM . . . has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). We must also learn that our individual effort for God shows nothing but disrespect for Him— our individuality is to be rendered radiant through a personal relationship with God, so that He may be “well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). We are focused on the right individual perspective of things; we have the vision and can say, “I know this is what God wants me to do.” But we have not yet learned to get into God’s stride. If you are going through a time of discouragement, there is a time of great personal growth ahead.
沮喪與拓展
他出去到他弟兄那裡，看他們的重擔。 （出二11）
摩西看見自己的同胞受欺壓，深覺自己是他們的救星；於是按自己的義憤，伸手為他們伸冤。他為神的正義出手，神卻容許人把他趕逐到絕境裡去，要他在曠野牧羊四十年。時候滿足，神顯現告訴他去領百姓出來；摩西那時說：[我是什麼人，竟能去？ ]摩西起初就知道自己是拯救百姓的那一位，但卻先要經過神的訓練。他的觀點是沒有錯的，但在沒有學會與神聯合以前，他仍是未合用的工人。
我們看見神的異象，又清楚神的心意，於是著手去做；然後，是類似那四十年曠野的經歷，似乎神完全不理這回事樂。政黨我們完全絕望，神的呼召又重新臨到，我哦們就顫抖地說：[我是誰？ ]我們必須學習跨出第一大步－－[那自有永有的差遣你！ ]我們必須認識到憑個人的血氣為神工作，是狂妄的表現；我們個人的特質，必須與神相交才能熾熱起來（太三11）。我們往往著重個人對事物的看法，有異象就說：[這就是神要我做的。 ]但我們的步伐，還未與神一致。若你正陷入失望的階段，等著吧，遼遠的拓展就在前頭。
祈禱◆主啊，為著昨晚的睡眠，我感謝你；為著你既不打盹，也不睡眠，不論日夜都保護我們，我稱頌你。
Showing posts with label Discouragement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Discouragement. Show all posts
October 13, 2014
August 18, 2014
Have You Ever Been Speechless with Sorrow?
When he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich —Luke 18:23
The rich young ruler went away from Jesus speechless with sorrow, having nothing to say in response to Jesus’ words. He had no doubt about what Jesus had said or what it meant, and it produced in him a sorrow with no words with which to respond. Have you ever been there? Has God’s Word ever come to you, pointing out an area of your life, requiring you to yield it to Him? Maybe He has pointed out certain personal qualities, desires, and interests, or possibly relationships of your heart and mind. If so, then you have often been speechless with sorrow. The Lord will not go after you, and He will not plead with you. But every time He meets you at the place where He has pointed, He will simply repeat His words, saying, “If you really mean what you say, these are the conditions.”
“Sell all that you have . . .” (Luke 18:22). In other words, rid yourself before God of everything that might be considered a possession until you are a mere conscious human being standing before Him, and then give God that. That is where the battle is truly fought— in the realm of your will before God. Are you more devoted to your idea of what Jesus wants than to Jesus Himself? If so, you are likely to hear one of His harsh and unyielding statements that will produce sorrow in you. What Jesus says is difficult— it is only easy when it is heard by those who have His nature in them. Beware of allowing anything to soften the hard words of Jesus Christ.
I can be so rich in my own poverty, or in the awareness of the fact that I am nobody, that I will never be a disciple of Jesus. Or I can be so rich in the awareness that I am somebody that I will never be a disciple. Am I willing to be destitute and poor even in my sense of awareness of my destitution and poverty? If not, that is why I become discouraged. Discouragement is disillusioned self-love, and self-love may be love for my devotion to Jesus— not love for Jesus Himself.
必會臨到的經歷
以後不再見他了。 （王下二12）
倚賴以利亞是沒有錯的，只要是神把他給你；可是別忘記，總有一天他會離開。他不再做你的領導，因為神認為他不應該再做你的領導。你會說：[沒有以利亞，我無法前行。 ]但神說你一定要前行。
獨自在你的約但（14節）。約但是分離的表徵，表示再沒有人與你相交，沒有人分擔你的責任。你必須把從以利亞學習所得的，拿出來考驗。你跟以利亞過約但河不知有多少次了，但如今你得獨自面對。空說不能過，是沒有用處的。這事已經臨到，你必定要前行。你若要知道神是否如你所信的一樣，就得單獨的過你的約但河。
獨自在你的耶利哥（15節）。你曾在耶利哥看見以利亞行大事，但當你來到自己的耶利哥，就退縮，不肯主動去信靠神，只想別人去替你擔當。可是，你若遵從以利亞所學的，就必得著神與你同在。
獨自在你的伯利恆（23節）。在伯利恆你來到自己才智的盡頭，這卻是神智慧的開端。千萬不可在智窮力竭時，仆倒恐慌之中，要緊靠著神，忠於他，他自有方法把真理顯明，使你的生命成聖。把你跟以利亞所學的行出來，用他的外衣和他的祈禱。立志信靠神，不要再尋找你的以利亞了。
祈禱◆主啊，我餓生命是如此傾斜，如此充滿漏洞，求你今天讓我全神貫注於你！願我回到你的家中，重新過著完全倚靠你的生活。
The rich young ruler went away from Jesus speechless with sorrow, having nothing to say in response to Jesus’ words. He had no doubt about what Jesus had said or what it meant, and it produced in him a sorrow with no words with which to respond. Have you ever been there? Has God’s Word ever come to you, pointing out an area of your life, requiring you to yield it to Him? Maybe He has pointed out certain personal qualities, desires, and interests, or possibly relationships of your heart and mind. If so, then you have often been speechless with sorrow. The Lord will not go after you, and He will not plead with you. But every time He meets you at the place where He has pointed, He will simply repeat His words, saying, “If you really mean what you say, these are the conditions.”
“Sell all that you have . . .” (Luke 18:22). In other words, rid yourself before God of everything that might be considered a possession until you are a mere conscious human being standing before Him, and then give God that. That is where the battle is truly fought— in the realm of your will before God. Are you more devoted to your idea of what Jesus wants than to Jesus Himself? If so, you are likely to hear one of His harsh and unyielding statements that will produce sorrow in you. What Jesus says is difficult— it is only easy when it is heard by those who have His nature in them. Beware of allowing anything to soften the hard words of Jesus Christ.
I can be so rich in my own poverty, or in the awareness of the fact that I am nobody, that I will never be a disciple of Jesus. Or I can be so rich in the awareness that I am somebody that I will never be a disciple. Am I willing to be destitute and poor even in my sense of awareness of my destitution and poverty? If not, that is why I become discouraged. Discouragement is disillusioned self-love, and self-love may be love for my devotion to Jesus— not love for Jesus Himself.
必會臨到的經歷
以後不再見他了。 （王下二12）
倚賴以利亞是沒有錯的，只要是神把他給你；可是別忘記，總有一天他會離開。他不再做你的領導，因為神認為他不應該再做你的領導。你會說：[沒有以利亞，我無法前行。 ]但神說你一定要前行。
獨自在你的約但（14節）。約但是分離的表徵，表示再沒有人與你相交，沒有人分擔你的責任。你必須把從以利亞學習所得的，拿出來考驗。你跟以利亞過約但河不知有多少次了，但如今你得獨自面對。空說不能過，是沒有用處的。這事已經臨到，你必定要前行。你若要知道神是否如你所信的一樣，就得單獨的過你的約但河。
獨自在你的耶利哥（15節）。你曾在耶利哥看見以利亞行大事，但當你來到自己的耶利哥，就退縮，不肯主動去信靠神，只想別人去替你擔當。可是，你若遵從以利亞所學的，就必得著神與你同在。
獨自在你的伯利恆（23節）。在伯利恆你來到自己才智的盡頭，這卻是神智慧的開端。千萬不可在智窮力竭時，仆倒恐慌之中，要緊靠著神，忠於他，他自有方法把真理顯明，使你的生命成聖。把你跟以利亞所學的行出來，用他的外衣和他的祈禱。立志信靠神，不要再尋找你的以利亞了。
祈禱◆主啊，我餓生命是如此傾斜，如此充滿漏洞，求你今天讓我全神貫注於你！願我回到你的家中，重新過著完全倚靠你的生活。
July 30, 2014
The Teaching of Disillusionment
Jesus did not commit Himself to them . . . , for He knew what was in man —John 2:24-25
Disillusionment means having no more misconceptions, false impressions, and false judgments in life; it means being free from these deceptions. However, though no longer deceived, our experience of disillusionment may actually leave us cynical and overly critical in our judgment of others. But the disillusionment that comes from God brings us to the point where we see people as they really are, yet without any cynicism or any stinging and bitter criticism. Many of the things in life that inflict the greatest injury, grief, or pain, stem from the fact that we suffer from illusions. We are not true to one another as facts, seeing each other as we really are; we are only true to our misconceived ideas of one another. According to our thinking, everything is either delightful and good, or it is evil, malicious, and cowardly.
Refusing to be disillusioned is the cause of much of the suffering of human life. And this is how that suffering happens— if we love someone, but do not love God, we demand total perfection and righteousness from that person, and when we do not get it we become cruel and vindictive; yet we are demanding of a human being something which he or she cannot possibly give. There is only one Being who can completely satisfy to the absolute depth of the hurting human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord is so obviously uncompromising with regard to every human relationship because He knows that every relationship that is not based on faithfulness to Himself will end in disaster. Our Lord trusted no one, and never placed His faith in people, yet He was never suspicious or bitter. Our Lord’s confidence in God, and in what God’s grace could do for anyone, was so perfect that He never despaired, never giving up hope for any person. If our trust is placed in human beings, we will end up despairing of everyone.
覺醒的操練
耶穌卻不將自己交託他們……因他知道人心裡所存的。 （約二24-25）
覺醒就是在生命中再沒有錯誤的判斷。受錯覺的矇騙，會使我們對人的批評變得苛刻，好冷嘲熱諷。但從神而來的覺醒，卻使我們認清人的本相，而又不憤世嫉俗，也沒有尖酸苦毒的說話。人生許多的痛苦，都是由於我們受錯覺的蒙蔽。對別人的觀感，我們只憑自己的想法，而非忠於事實。對我們來說，每一事物若非好便是壞。不願從錯覺中醒悟，是導致人生種種痛苦的因由。情形就是這樣：我們若愛一個人，卻不愛神，便會要求他完全正直無暇。一旦得不到，就變得殘酷，要報復；我們要求的，是一個人無法做到。只有主耶穌才能滿足人心中最深的渴求。主耶穌對每種人際關係的看法，是相當嚴厲的；因為他知道任何一種不忠於主為基礎的關係，到頭來必定悲劇收場。主雖然不把自己交託給人，但他從不多疑，也不尖刻苦毒。他對神的信賴，以及對他恩典全能的信賴，使他對任何人都不絕望。我們的信賴若在人身上，結果必是對人失望。
祈禱◆主啊，對於你道路的細節，我雖然一無所知，但我期盼你奇妙的作為儘快顯明。我是何其全然安息，得見你的道路時，又是何其釋然。
Disillusionment means having no more misconceptions, false impressions, and false judgments in life; it means being free from these deceptions. However, though no longer deceived, our experience of disillusionment may actually leave us cynical and overly critical in our judgment of others. But the disillusionment that comes from God brings us to the point where we see people as they really are, yet without any cynicism or any stinging and bitter criticism. Many of the things in life that inflict the greatest injury, grief, or pain, stem from the fact that we suffer from illusions. We are not true to one another as facts, seeing each other as we really are; we are only true to our misconceived ideas of one another. According to our thinking, everything is either delightful and good, or it is evil, malicious, and cowardly.
Refusing to be disillusioned is the cause of much of the suffering of human life. And this is how that suffering happens— if we love someone, but do not love God, we demand total perfection and righteousness from that person, and when we do not get it we become cruel and vindictive; yet we are demanding of a human being something which he or she cannot possibly give. There is only one Being who can completely satisfy to the absolute depth of the hurting human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord is so obviously uncompromising with regard to every human relationship because He knows that every relationship that is not based on faithfulness to Himself will end in disaster. Our Lord trusted no one, and never placed His faith in people, yet He was never suspicious or bitter. Our Lord’s confidence in God, and in what God’s grace could do for anyone, was so perfect that He never despaired, never giving up hope for any person. If our trust is placed in human beings, we will end up despairing of everyone.
覺醒的操練
耶穌卻不將自己交託他們……因他知道人心裡所存的。 （約二24-25）
覺醒就是在生命中再沒有錯誤的判斷。受錯覺的矇騙，會使我們對人的批評變得苛刻，好冷嘲熱諷。但從神而來的覺醒，卻使我們認清人的本相，而又不憤世嫉俗，也沒有尖酸苦毒的說話。人生許多的痛苦，都是由於我們受錯覺的蒙蔽。對別人的觀感，我們只憑自己的想法，而非忠於事實。對我們來說，每一事物若非好便是壞。不願從錯覺中醒悟，是導致人生種種痛苦的因由。情形就是這樣：我們若愛一個人，卻不愛神，便會要求他完全正直無暇。一旦得不到，就變得殘酷，要報復；我們要求的，是一個人無法做到。只有主耶穌才能滿足人心中最深的渴求。主耶穌對每種人際關係的看法，是相當嚴厲的；因為他知道任何一種不忠於主為基礎的關係，到頭來必定悲劇收場。主雖然不把自己交託給人，但他從不多疑，也不尖刻苦毒。他對神的信賴，以及對他恩典全能的信賴，使他對任何人都不絕望。我們的信賴若在人身上，結果必是對人失望。
祈禱◆主啊，對於你道路的細節，我雖然一無所知，但我期盼你奇妙的作為儘快顯明。我是何其全然安息，得見你的道路時，又是何其釋然。
June 25, 2014
Receiving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow
. . . what shall I say? ’Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ’Father, glorify Your name’ —John 12:27-28
As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of sorrow. He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.
We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.
Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.
從憂患中找著自己
我說什麼才好呢？父啊，救我脫離這時候，但我原是為這時候來的。 （約十二27-29）
身為一個聖徒，我對愁苦困難的態度，不是求神攔阻，乃是求神叫我經過痛苦的火煉，保存他造在我裡面的生命。我們的主在愁苦的火中，接受了自己。他沒有擺脫那時刻，卻從那時刻中出來了。
我們說世上不該有憂患，但事實上憂患卻存在，而且我們還要從火中體認自己。若我們企圖逃避憂患，不肯面對它，實在是愚不可及的。憂患是人生中最具體的事實；硬說世上不該有憂患是無濟於事的。罪惡、憂患、痛苦，的確存在；我們沒有資格說神容讓痛苦存在是錯的。
憂患雖然把人許多膚淺的東西都燒掉，卻不一定使人更完美。憂患可以建立人，也可以毀滅人。在成功之中，很難建立自己，因為你會得意忘形。在枯燥而單調的生活中，也找不到自己，因你會大發牢騷。惟有在憂患的火中，你才找著自己。為什麼會這樣是另一回事；在聖經中，在人的經歷中，都證實如此。一個從憂患中找到自己的人，很容易辨認出來。你有困難去找他，必然大得幫助，他必樂於幫助你。一個未受過苦的人，多偏於浮誇，也沒有時間理會你。你若從苦難的火中找著自己，神便會使你成為別人的供應。
祈禱◆主啊，藉著你那不可逃避和滿有能力的撫摸，今天向我顯明你的慈愛，並在你溫柔的大能中，按照你的計劃使用我！
As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of sorrow. He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.
We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.
Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.
從憂患中找著自己
我說什麼才好呢？父啊，救我脫離這時候，但我原是為這時候來的。 （約十二27-29）
身為一個聖徒，我對愁苦困難的態度，不是求神攔阻，乃是求神叫我經過痛苦的火煉，保存他造在我裡面的生命。我們的主在愁苦的火中，接受了自己。他沒有擺脫那時刻，卻從那時刻中出來了。
我們說世上不該有憂患，但事實上憂患卻存在，而且我們還要從火中體認自己。若我們企圖逃避憂患，不肯面對它，實在是愚不可及的。憂患是人生中最具體的事實；硬說世上不該有憂患是無濟於事的。罪惡、憂患、痛苦，的確存在；我們沒有資格說神容讓痛苦存在是錯的。
憂患雖然把人許多膚淺的東西都燒掉，卻不一定使人更完美。憂患可以建立人，也可以毀滅人。在成功之中，很難建立自己，因為你會得意忘形。在枯燥而單調的生活中，也找不到自己，因你會大發牢騷。惟有在憂患的火中，你才找著自己。為什麼會這樣是另一回事；在聖經中，在人的經歷中，都證實如此。一個從憂患中找到自己的人，很容易辨認出來。你有困難去找他，必然大得幫助，他必樂於幫助你。一個未受過苦的人，多偏於浮誇，也沒有時間理會你。你若從苦難的火中找著自己，神便會使你成為別人的供應。
祈禱◆主啊，藉著你那不可逃避和滿有能力的撫摸，今天向我顯明你的慈愛，並在你溫柔的大能中，按照你的計劃使用我！
February 18, 2014
Taking the Initiative Against Despair
Rise, let us be going —Matthew 26:46
In the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples went to sleep when they should have stayed awake, and once they realized what they had done it produced despair. The sense of having done something irreversible tends to make us despair. We say, “Well, it’s all over and ruined now; what’s the point in trying anymore.” If we think this kind of despair is an exception, we are mistaken. It is a very ordinary human experience. Whenever we realize we have not taken advantage of a magnificent opportunity, we are apt to sink into despair. But Jesus comes and lovingly says to us, in essence, “Sleep on now. That opportunity is lost forever and you can’t change that. But get up, and let’s go on to the next thing.” In other words, let the past sleep, but let it sleep in the sweet embrace of Christ, and let us go on into the invincible future with Him.
There will be experiences like this in each of our lives. We will have times of despair caused by real events in our lives, and we will be unable to lift ourselves out of them. The disciples, in this instance, had done a downright unthinkable thing— they had gone to sleep instead of watching with Jesus. But our Lord came to them taking the spiritual initiative against their despair and said, in effect, “Get up, and do the next thing.” If we are inspired by God, what is the next thing? It is to trust Him absolutely and to pray on the basis of His redemption.
Never let the sense of past failure defeat your next step.
抗拒絕望的動力
起來，我們走罷。 （太二十六46）
門徒該儆醒的時候，卻睡著了。當我們發現自己這個樣子，就失望灰心。事情既無可追悔，就很容易沮喪說：[事到如今，再無挽回的餘地了。 ]我們若認為這樣的沮喪是不經常的，那就錯了，這實在是司空見慣的人生經歷。當我們醒覺自己錯過了大好的行事機會，勢必沉溺在失望之中，耶穌基督說：[安 睡罷，機會失去不再回來，也無法挽回。但起來罷，百尺竿頭，更進一步。 ]
讓過去的事消逝吧！只要消逝在主的胸懷裡；然後與他一同迎接不可抗拒的未來。在各自的人生中，我們都有這樣的經驗——陷在頹唐沮喪中。這種沮喪是從現實而來，我們無法自拔。這里門徒做了無可饒 恕的事，就是沒有與耶穌一同警醒，反而睡著了。但他卻給予他們對抗沮喪的動力——[起來，行下一步吧。 ]我們有了神的感動，下一步該是什麼？完全信靠他，在他救贖的憑據上禱告。千萬別讓失敗的意識阻礙你新的行動。
祈禱◆主啊，一份茫然的孤寂感似乎圍繞著我的生命，它是那樣的模糊不清，令我難以將它說明。我沒有下過錯誤的決定，因為我已經按照你所指示的去行，但那種不肯定的感覺卻揮之不去。求你抹去這片迷濛的雲霧，將它變成帶著秩序和形式的青天。
In the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples went to sleep when they should have stayed awake, and once they realized what they had done it produced despair. The sense of having done something irreversible tends to make us despair. We say, “Well, it’s all over and ruined now; what’s the point in trying anymore.” If we think this kind of despair is an exception, we are mistaken. It is a very ordinary human experience. Whenever we realize we have not taken advantage of a magnificent opportunity, we are apt to sink into despair. But Jesus comes and lovingly says to us, in essence, “Sleep on now. That opportunity is lost forever and you can’t change that. But get up, and let’s go on to the next thing.” In other words, let the past sleep, but let it sleep in the sweet embrace of Christ, and let us go on into the invincible future with Him.
There will be experiences like this in each of our lives. We will have times of despair caused by real events in our lives, and we will be unable to lift ourselves out of them. The disciples, in this instance, had done a downright unthinkable thing— they had gone to sleep instead of watching with Jesus. But our Lord came to them taking the spiritual initiative against their despair and said, in effect, “Get up, and do the next thing.” If we are inspired by God, what is the next thing? It is to trust Him absolutely and to pray on the basis of His redemption.
Never let the sense of past failure defeat your next step.
抗拒絕望的動力
起來，我們走罷。 （太二十六46）
門徒該儆醒的時候，卻睡著了。當我們發現自己這個樣子，就失望灰心。事情既無可追悔，就很容易沮喪說：[事到如今，再無挽回的餘地了。 ]我們若認為這樣的沮喪是不經常的，那就錯了，這實在是司空見慣的人生經歷。當我們醒覺自己錯過了大好的行事機會，勢必沉溺在失望之中，耶穌基督說：[安 睡罷，機會失去不再回來，也無法挽回。但起來罷，百尺竿頭，更進一步。 ]
讓過去的事消逝吧！只要消逝在主的胸懷裡；然後與他一同迎接不可抗拒的未來。在各自的人生中，我們都有這樣的經驗——陷在頹唐沮喪中。這種沮喪是從現實而來，我們無法自拔。這里門徒做了無可饒 恕的事，就是沒有與耶穌一同警醒，反而睡著了。但他卻給予他們對抗沮喪的動力——[起來，行下一步吧。 ]我們有了神的感動，下一步該是什麼？完全信靠他，在他救贖的憑據上禱告。千萬別讓失敗的意識阻礙你新的行動。
祈禱◆主啊，一份茫然的孤寂感似乎圍繞著我的生命，它是那樣的模糊不清，令我難以將它說明。我沒有下過錯誤的決定，因為我已經按照你所指示的去行，但那種不肯定的感覺卻揮之不去。求你抹去這片迷濛的雲霧，將它變成帶著秩序和形式的青天。
October 13, 2013
Individual Discouragement and Personal Growth
. . . when Moses was grown . . . he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens —Exodus 2:11
Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt certain that he was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his own spirit he started to right their wrongs. After he launched his first strike for God and for what was right, God allowed Moses to be driven into empty discouragement, sending him into the desert to feed sheep for forty years. At the end of that time, God appeared to Moses and said to him, ” ’. . . bring My people . . . out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ’Who am I that I should go . . . ?’ ” (Exodus 3:10-11). In the beginning Moses had realized that he was the one to deliver the people, but he had to be trained and disciplined by God first. He was right in his individual perspective, but he was not the person for the work until he had learned true fellowship and oneness with God.
We may have the vision of God and a very clear understanding of what God wants, and yet when we start to do it, there comes to us something equivalent to Moses’ forty years in the wilderness. It’s as if God had ignored the entire thing, and when we are thoroughly discouraged, God comes back and revives His call to us. And then we begin to tremble and say, “Who am I that I should go . . . ?” We must learn that God’s great stride is summed up in these words— “I AM WHO I AM . . . has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). We must also learn that our individual effort for God shows nothing but disrespect for Him— our individuality is to be rendered radiant through a personal relationship with God, so that He may be “well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). We are focused on the right individual perspective of things; we have the vision and can say, “I know this is what God wants me to do.” But we have not yet learned to get into God’s stride. If you are going through a time of discouragement, there is a time of great personal growth ahead.
沮喪與拓展
他出去到他弟兄那裡，看他們的重擔。 （出二11）
摩西看見自己的同胞受欺壓，深覺自己是他們的救星；於是按自己的義憤，伸手為他們伸冤。他為神的正義出手，神卻容許人把他趕逐到絕境裡去，要他在曠野牧羊四十年。時候滿足，神顯現告訴他去領百姓出來；摩西那時說：[我是什麼人，竟能去？ ]摩西起初就知道自己是拯救百姓的那一位，但卻先要經過神的訓練。他的觀點是沒有錯的，但在沒有學會與神聯合以前，他仍是未合用的工人。
我們看見神的異象，又清楚神的心意，於是著手去做；然後，是類似那四十年曠野的經歷，似乎神完全不理這回事樂。政黨我們完全絕望，神的呼召又重新臨到，我哦們就顫抖地說：[我是誰？ ]我們必須學習跨出第一大步－－[那自有永有的差遣你！ ]我們必須認識到憑個人的血氣為神工作，是狂妄的表現；我們個人的特質，必須與神相交才能熾熱起來（太三11）。我們往往著重個人對事物的看法，有異象就說：[這就是神要我做的。 ]但我們的步伐，還未與神一致。若你正陷入失望的階段，等著吧，遼遠的拓展就在前頭。
祈禱◆主啊，為著昨晚的睡眠，我感謝你；為著你既不打盹，也不睡眠，不論日夜都保護我們，我稱頌你。
Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt certain that he was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his own spirit he started to right their wrongs. After he launched his first strike for God and for what was right, God allowed Moses to be driven into empty discouragement, sending him into the desert to feed sheep for forty years. At the end of that time, God appeared to Moses and said to him, ” ’. . . bring My people . . . out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ’Who am I that I should go . . . ?’ ” (Exodus 3:10-11). In the beginning Moses had realized that he was the one to deliver the people, but he had to be trained and disciplined by God first. He was right in his individual perspective, but he was not the person for the work until he had learned true fellowship and oneness with God.
We may have the vision of God and a very clear understanding of what God wants, and yet when we start to do it, there comes to us something equivalent to Moses’ forty years in the wilderness. It’s as if God had ignored the entire thing, and when we are thoroughly discouraged, God comes back and revives His call to us. And then we begin to tremble and say, “Who am I that I should go . . . ?” We must learn that God’s great stride is summed up in these words— “I AM WHO I AM . . . has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). We must also learn that our individual effort for God shows nothing but disrespect for Him— our individuality is to be rendered radiant through a personal relationship with God, so that He may be “well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). We are focused on the right individual perspective of things; we have the vision and can say, “I know this is what God wants me to do.” But we have not yet learned to get into God’s stride. If you are going through a time of discouragement, there is a time of great personal growth ahead.
沮喪與拓展
他出去到他弟兄那裡，看他們的重擔。 （出二11）
摩西看見自己的同胞受欺壓，深覺自己是他們的救星；於是按自己的義憤，伸手為他們伸冤。他為神的正義出手，神卻容許人把他趕逐到絕境裡去，要他在曠野牧羊四十年。時候滿足，神顯現告訴他去領百姓出來；摩西那時說：[我是什麼人，竟能去？ ]摩西起初就知道自己是拯救百姓的那一位，但卻先要經過神的訓練。他的觀點是沒有錯的，但在沒有學會與神聯合以前，他仍是未合用的工人。
我們看見神的異象，又清楚神的心意，於是著手去做；然後，是類似那四十年曠野的經歷，似乎神完全不理這回事樂。政黨我們完全絕望，神的呼召又重新臨到，我哦們就顫抖地說：[我是誰？ ]我們必須學習跨出第一大步－－[那自有永有的差遣你！ ]我們必須認識到憑個人的血氣為神工作，是狂妄的表現；我們個人的特質，必須與神相交才能熾熱起來（太三11）。我們往往著重個人對事物的看法，有異象就說：[這就是神要我做的。 ]但我們的步伐，還未與神一致。若你正陷入失望的階段，等著吧，遼遠的拓展就在前頭。
祈禱◆主啊，為著昨晚的睡眠，我感謝你；為著你既不打盹，也不睡眠，不論日夜都保護我們，我稱頌你。
August 18, 2013
Have You Ever Been Speechless with Sorrow?
When he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich —Luke 18:23
The rich young ruler went away from Jesus speechless with sorrow, having nothing to say in response to Jesus’ words. He had no doubt about what Jesus had said or what it meant, and it produced in him a sorrow with no words with which to respond. Have you ever been there? Has God’s Word ever come to you, pointing out an area of your life, requiring you to yield it to Him? Maybe He has pointed out certain personal qualities, desires, and interests, or possibly relationships of your heart and mind. If so, then you have often been speechless with sorrow. The Lord will not go after you, and He will not plead with you. But every time He meets you at the place where He has pointed, He will simply repeat His words, saying, “If you really mean what you say, these are the conditions.”
“Sell all that you have . . .” (Luke 18:22). In other words, rid yourself before God of everything that might be considered a possession until you are a mere conscious human being standing before Him, and then give God that. That is where the battle is truly fought— in the realm of your will before God. Are you more devoted to your idea of what Jesus wants than to Jesus Himself? If so, you are likely to hear one of His harsh and unyielding statements that will produce sorrow in you. What Jesus says is difficult— it is only easy when it is heard by those who have His nature in them. Beware of allowing anything to soften the hard words of Jesus Christ.
I can be so rich in my own poverty, or in the awareness of the fact that I am nobody, that I will never be a disciple of Jesus. Or I can be so rich in the awareness that I am somebody that I will never be a disciple. Am I willing to be destitute and poor even in my sense of awareness of my destitution and poverty? If not, that is why I become discouraged. Discouragement is disillusioned self-love, and self-love may be love for my devotion to Jesus— not love for Jesus Himself.
必會臨到的經歷
以後不再見他了。 （王下二12）
倚賴以利亞是沒有錯的，只要是神把他給你；可是別忘記，總有一天他會離開。他不再做你的領導，因為神認為他不應該再做你的領導。你會說：[沒有以利亞，我無法前行。 ]但神說你一定要前行。
獨自在你的約但（14節）。約但是分離的表徵，表示再沒有人與你相交，沒有人分擔你的責任。你必須把從以利亞學習所得的，拿出來考驗。你跟以利亞過約但河不知有多少次了，但如今你得獨自面對。空說不能過，是沒有用處的。這事已經臨到，你必定要前行。你若要知道神是否如你所信的一樣，就得單獨的過你的約但河。
獨自在你的耶利哥（15節）。你曾在耶利哥看見以利亞行大事，但當你來到自己的耶利哥，就退縮，不肯主動去信靠神，只想別人去替你擔當。可是，你若遵從以利亞所學的，就必得著神與你同在。
獨自在你的伯利恆（23節）。在伯利恆你來到自己才智的盡頭，這卻是神智慧的開端。千萬不可在智窮力竭時，仆倒恐慌之中，要緊靠著神，忠於他，他自有方法把真理顯明，使你的生命成聖。把你跟以利亞所學的行出來，用他的外衣和他的祈禱。立志信靠神，不要再尋找你的以利亞了。
祈禱◆主啊，我餓生命是如此傾斜，如此充滿漏洞，求你今天讓我全神貫注於你！願我回到你的家中，重新過著完全倚靠你的生活。
The rich young ruler went away from Jesus speechless with sorrow, having nothing to say in response to Jesus’ words. He had no doubt about what Jesus had said or what it meant, and it produced in him a sorrow with no words with which to respond. Have you ever been there? Has God’s Word ever come to you, pointing out an area of your life, requiring you to yield it to Him? Maybe He has pointed out certain personal qualities, desires, and interests, or possibly relationships of your heart and mind. If so, then you have often been speechless with sorrow. The Lord will not go after you, and He will not plead with you. But every time He meets you at the place where He has pointed, He will simply repeat His words, saying, “If you really mean what you say, these are the conditions.”
“Sell all that you have . . .” (Luke 18:22). In other words, rid yourself before God of everything that might be considered a possession until you are a mere conscious human being standing before Him, and then give God that. That is where the battle is truly fought— in the realm of your will before God. Are you more devoted to your idea of what Jesus wants than to Jesus Himself? If so, you are likely to hear one of His harsh and unyielding statements that will produce sorrow in you. What Jesus says is difficult— it is only easy when it is heard by those who have His nature in them. Beware of allowing anything to soften the hard words of Jesus Christ.
I can be so rich in my own poverty, or in the awareness of the fact that I am nobody, that I will never be a disciple of Jesus. Or I can be so rich in the awareness that I am somebody that I will never be a disciple. Am I willing to be destitute and poor even in my sense of awareness of my destitution and poverty? If not, that is why I become discouraged. Discouragement is disillusioned self-love, and self-love may be love for my devotion to Jesus— not love for Jesus Himself.
必會臨到的經歷
以後不再見他了。 （王下二12）
倚賴以利亞是沒有錯的，只要是神把他給你；可是別忘記，總有一天他會離開。他不再做你的領導，因為神認為他不應該再做你的領導。你會說：[沒有以利亞，我無法前行。 ]但神說你一定要前行。
獨自在你的約但（14節）。約但是分離的表徵，表示再沒有人與你相交，沒有人分擔你的責任。你必須把從以利亞學習所得的，拿出來考驗。你跟以利亞過約但河不知有多少次了，但如今你得獨自面對。空說不能過，是沒有用處的。這事已經臨到，你必定要前行。你若要知道神是否如你所信的一樣，就得單獨的過你的約但河。
獨自在你的耶利哥（15節）。你曾在耶利哥看見以利亞行大事，但當你來到自己的耶利哥，就退縮，不肯主動去信靠神，只想別人去替你擔當。可是，你若遵從以利亞所學的，就必得著神與你同在。
獨自在你的伯利恆（23節）。在伯利恆你來到自己才智的盡頭，這卻是神智慧的開端。千萬不可在智窮力竭時，仆倒恐慌之中，要緊靠著神，忠於他，他自有方法把真理顯明，使你的生命成聖。把你跟以利亞所學的行出來，用他的外衣和他的祈禱。立志信靠神，不要再尋找你的以利亞了。
祈禱◆主啊，我餓生命是如此傾斜，如此充滿漏洞，求你今天讓我全神貫注於你！願我回到你的家中，重新過著完全倚靠你的生活。
July 30, 2013
The Teaching of Disillusionment
Jesus did not commit Himself to them . . . , for He knew what was in man —John 2:24-25
Disillusionment means having no more misconceptions, false impressions, and false judgments in life; it means being free from these deceptions. However, though no longer deceived, our experience of disillusionment may actually leave us cynical and overly critical in our judgment of others. But the disillusionment that comes from God brings us to the point where we see people as they really are, yet without any cynicism or any stinging and bitter criticism. Many of the things in life that inflict the greatest injury, grief, or pain, stem from the fact that we suffer from illusions. We are not true to one another as facts, seeing each other as we really are; we are only true to our misconceived ideas of one another. According to our thinking, everything is either delightful and good, or it is evil, malicious, and cowardly.
Refusing to be disillusioned is the cause of much of the suffering of human life. And this is how that suffering happens— if we love someone, but do not love God, we demand total perfection and righteousness from that person, and when we do not get it we become cruel and vindictive; yet we are demanding of a human being something which he or she cannot possibly give. There is only one Being who can completely satisfy to the absolute depth of the hurting human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord is so obviously uncompromising with regard to every human relationship because He knows that every relationship that is not based on faithfulness to Himself will end in disaster. Our Lord trusted no one, and never placed His faith in people, yet He was never suspicious or bitter. Our Lord’s confidence in God, and in what God’s grace could do for anyone, was so perfect that He never despaired, never giving up hope for any person. If our trust is placed in human beings, we will end up despairing of everyone.
覺醒的操練
耶穌卻不將自己交託他們……因他知道人心裡所存的。 （約二24-25）
覺醒就是在生命中再沒有錯誤的判斷。受錯覺的矇騙，會使我們對人的批評變得苛刻，好冷嘲熱諷。但從神而來的覺醒，卻使我們認清人的本相，而又不憤世嫉俗，也沒有尖酸苦毒的說話。人生許多的痛苦，都是由於我們受錯覺的蒙蔽。對別人的觀感，我們只憑自己的想法，而非忠於事實。對我們來說，每一事物若非好便是壞。不願從錯覺中醒悟，是導致人生種種痛苦的因由。情形就是這樣：我們若愛一個人，卻不愛神，便會要求他完全正直無暇。一旦得不到，就變得殘酷，要報復；我們要求的，是一個人無法做到。只有主耶穌才能滿足人心中最深的渴求。主耶穌對每種人際關係的看法，是相當嚴厲的；因為他知道任何一種不忠於主為基礎的關係，到頭來必定悲劇收場。主雖然不把自己交託給人，但他從不多疑，也不尖刻苦毒。他對神的信賴，以及對他恩典全能的信賴，使他對任何人都不絕望。我們的信賴若在人身上，結果必是對人失望。
祈禱◆主啊，對於你道路的細節，我雖然一無所知，但我期盼你奇妙的作為儘快顯明。我是何其全然安息，得見你的道路時，又是何其釋然。
Disillusionment means having no more misconceptions, false impressions, and false judgments in life; it means being free from these deceptions. However, though no longer deceived, our experience of disillusionment may actually leave us cynical and overly critical in our judgment of others. But the disillusionment that comes from God brings us to the point where we see people as they really are, yet without any cynicism or any stinging and bitter criticism. Many of the things in life that inflict the greatest injury, grief, or pain, stem from the fact that we suffer from illusions. We are not true to one another as facts, seeing each other as we really are; we are only true to our misconceived ideas of one another. According to our thinking, everything is either delightful and good, or it is evil, malicious, and cowardly.
Refusing to be disillusioned is the cause of much of the suffering of human life. And this is how that suffering happens— if we love someone, but do not love God, we demand total perfection and righteousness from that person, and when we do not get it we become cruel and vindictive; yet we are demanding of a human being something which he or she cannot possibly give. There is only one Being who can completely satisfy to the absolute depth of the hurting human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord is so obviously uncompromising with regard to every human relationship because He knows that every relationship that is not based on faithfulness to Himself will end in disaster. Our Lord trusted no one, and never placed His faith in people, yet He was never suspicious or bitter. Our Lord’s confidence in God, and in what God’s grace could do for anyone, was so perfect that He never despaired, never giving up hope for any person. If our trust is placed in human beings, we will end up despairing of everyone.
覺醒的操練
耶穌卻不將自己交託他們……因他知道人心裡所存的。 （約二24-25）
覺醒就是在生命中再沒有錯誤的判斷。受錯覺的矇騙，會使我們對人的批評變得苛刻，好冷嘲熱諷。但從神而來的覺醒，卻使我們認清人的本相，而又不憤世嫉俗，也沒有尖酸苦毒的說話。人生許多的痛苦，都是由於我們受錯覺的蒙蔽。對別人的觀感，我們只憑自己的想法，而非忠於事實。對我們來說，每一事物若非好便是壞。不願從錯覺中醒悟，是導致人生種種痛苦的因由。情形就是這樣：我們若愛一個人，卻不愛神，便會要求他完全正直無暇。一旦得不到，就變得殘酷，要報復；我們要求的，是一個人無法做到。只有主耶穌才能滿足人心中最深的渴求。主耶穌對每種人際關係的看法，是相當嚴厲的；因為他知道任何一種不忠於主為基礎的關係，到頭來必定悲劇收場。主雖然不把自己交託給人，但他從不多疑，也不尖刻苦毒。他對神的信賴，以及對他恩典全能的信賴，使他對任何人都不絕望。我們的信賴若在人身上，結果必是對人失望。
祈禱◆主啊，對於你道路的細節，我雖然一無所知，但我期盼你奇妙的作為儘快顯明。我是何其全然安息，得見你的道路時，又是何其釋然。
June 25, 2013
Receiving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow
. . . what shall I say? ’Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ’Father, glorify Your name’ —John 12:27-28
As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of sorrow. He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.
We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.
Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.
從憂患中找著自己
我說什麼才好呢？父啊，救我脫離這時候，但我原是為這時候來的。 （約十二27-29）
身為一個聖徒，我對愁苦困難的態度，不是求神攔阻，乃是求神叫我經過痛苦的火煉，保存他造在我裡面的生命。我們的主在愁苦的火中，接受了自己。他沒有擺脫那時刻，卻從那時刻中出來了。
我們說世上不該有憂患，但事實上憂患卻存在，而且我們還要從火中體認自己。若我們企圖逃避憂患，不肯面對它，實在是愚不可及的。憂患是人生中最具體的事實；硬說世上不該有憂患是無濟於事的。罪惡、憂患、痛苦，的確存在；我們沒有資格說神容讓痛苦存在是錯的。
憂患雖然把人許多膚淺的東西都燒掉，卻不一定使人更完美。憂患可以建立人，也可以毀滅人。在成功之中，很難建立自己，因為你會得意忘形。在枯燥而單調的生活中，也找不到自己，因你會大發牢騷。惟有在憂患的火中，你才找著自己。為什麼會這樣是另一回事；在聖經中，在人的經歷中，都證實如此。一個從憂患中找到自己的人，很容易辨認出來。你有困難去找他，必然大得幫助，他必樂於幫助你。一個未受過苦的人，多偏於浮誇，也沒有時間理會你。你若從苦難的火中找著自己，神便會使你成為別人的供應。
祈禱◆主啊，藉著你那不可逃避和滿有能力的撫摸，今天向我顯明你的慈愛，並在你溫柔的大能中，按照你的計劃使用我！
As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of sorrow. He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.
We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.
Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.
從憂患中找著自己
我說什麼才好呢？父啊，救我脫離這時候，但我原是為這時候來的。 （約十二27-29）
身為一個聖徒，我對愁苦困難的態度，不是求神攔阻，乃是求神叫我經過痛苦的火煉，保存他造在我裡面的生命。我們的主在愁苦的火中，接受了自己。他沒有擺脫那時刻，卻從那時刻中出來了。
我們說世上不該有憂患，但事實上憂患卻存在，而且我們還要從火中體認自己。若我們企圖逃避憂患，不肯面對它，實在是愚不可及的。憂患是人生中最具體的事實；硬說世上不該有憂患是無濟於事的。罪惡、憂患、痛苦，的確存在；我們沒有資格說神容讓痛苦存在是錯的。
憂患雖然把人許多膚淺的東西都燒掉，卻不一定使人更完美。憂患可以建立人，也可以毀滅人。在成功之中，很難建立自己，因為你會得意忘形。在枯燥而單調的生活中，也找不到自己，因你會大發牢騷。惟有在憂患的火中，你才找著自己。為什麼會這樣是另一回事；在聖經中，在人的經歷中，都證實如此。一個從憂患中找到自己的人，很容易辨認出來。你有困難去找他，必然大得幫助，他必樂於幫助你。一個未受過苦的人，多偏於浮誇，也沒有時間理會你。你若從苦難的火中找著自己，神便會使你成為別人的供應。
祈禱◆主啊，藉著你那不可逃避和滿有能力的撫摸，今天向我顯明你的慈愛，並在你溫柔的大能中，按照你的計劃使用我！
February 18, 2013
Taking the Initiative Against Despair
Rise, let us be going —Matthew 26:46
In the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples went to sleep when they should have stayed awake, and once they realized what they had done it produced despair. The sense of having done something irreversible tends to make us despair. We say, “Well, it’s all over and ruined now; what’s the point in trying anymore.” If we think this kind of despair is an exception, we are mistaken. It is a very ordinary human experience. Whenever we realize we have not taken advantage of a magnificent opportunity, we are apt to sink into despair. But Jesus comes and lovingly says to us, in essence, “Sleep on now. That opportunity is lost forever and you can’t change that. But get up, and let’s go on to the next thing.” In other words, let the past sleep, but let it sleep in the sweet embrace of Christ, and let us go on into the invincible future with Him.
There will be experiences like this in each of our lives. We will have times of despair caused by real events in our lives, and we will be unable to lift ourselves out of them. The disciples, in this instance, had done a downright unthinkable thing— they had gone to sleep instead of watching with Jesus. But our Lord came to them taking the spiritual initiative against their despair and said, in effect, “Get up, and do the next thing.” If we are inspired by God, what is the next thing? It is to trust Him absolutely and to pray on the basis of His redemption.
Never let the sense of past failure defeat your next step.
抗拒絕望的動力
起來，我們走罷。 （太二十六46）
門徒該儆醒的時候，卻睡著了。當我們發現自己這個樣子，就失望灰心。事情既無可追悔，就很容易沮喪說：[事到如今，再無挽回的餘地了。 ]我們若認為這樣的沮喪是不經常的，那就錯了，這實在是司空見慣的人生經歷。當我們醒覺自己錯過了大好的行事機會，勢必沉溺在失望之中，耶穌基督說：[安睡罷，機會失去不再回來，也無法挽回。但起來罷，百尺竿頭，更進一步。 ]
讓過去的事消逝吧！只要消逝在主的胸懷裡；然後與他一同迎接不可抗拒的未來。在各自的人生中，我們都有這樣的經驗——陷在頹唐沮喪中。這種沮喪是從現實而來，我們無法自拔。這里門徒做了無可饒恕的事，就是沒有與耶穌一同警醒，反而睡著了。但他卻給予他們對抗沮喪的動力——[起來，行下一步吧。 ]我們有了神的感動，下一步該是什麼？完全信靠他，在他救贖的憑據上禱告。千萬別讓失敗的意識阻礙你新的行動。
祈禱◆主啊，一份茫然的孤寂感似乎圍繞著我的生命，它是那樣的模糊不清，令我難以將它說明。我沒有下過錯誤的決定，因為我已經按照你所指示的去行，但那種不肯定的感覺卻揮之不去。求你抹去這片迷濛的雲霧，將它變成帶著秩序和形式的青天。
In the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples went to sleep when they should have stayed awake, and once they realized what they had done it produced despair. The sense of having done something irreversible tends to make us despair. We say, “Well, it’s all over and ruined now; what’s the point in trying anymore.” If we think this kind of despair is an exception, we are mistaken. It is a very ordinary human experience. Whenever we realize we have not taken advantage of a magnificent opportunity, we are apt to sink into despair. But Jesus comes and lovingly says to us, in essence, “Sleep on now. That opportunity is lost forever and you can’t change that. But get up, and let’s go on to the next thing.” In other words, let the past sleep, but let it sleep in the sweet embrace of Christ, and let us go on into the invincible future with Him.
There will be experiences like this in each of our lives. We will have times of despair caused by real events in our lives, and we will be unable to lift ourselves out of them. The disciples, in this instance, had done a downright unthinkable thing— they had gone to sleep instead of watching with Jesus. But our Lord came to them taking the spiritual initiative against their despair and said, in effect, “Get up, and do the next thing.” If we are inspired by God, what is the next thing? It is to trust Him absolutely and to pray on the basis of His redemption.
Never let the sense of past failure defeat your next step.
抗拒絕望的動力
起來，我們走罷。 （太二十六46）
門徒該儆醒的時候，卻睡著了。當我們發現自己這個樣子，就失望灰心。事情既無可追悔，就很容易沮喪說：[事到如今，再無挽回的餘地了。 ]我們若認為這樣的沮喪是不經常的，那就錯了，這實在是司空見慣的人生經歷。當我們醒覺自己錯過了大好的行事機會，勢必沉溺在失望之中，耶穌基督說：[安睡罷，機會失去不再回來，也無法挽回。但起來罷，百尺竿頭，更進一步。 ]
讓過去的事消逝吧！只要消逝在主的胸懷裡；然後與他一同迎接不可抗拒的未來。在各自的人生中，我們都有這樣的經驗——陷在頹唐沮喪中。這種沮喪是從現實而來，我們無法自拔。這里門徒做了無可饒恕的事，就是沒有與耶穌一同警醒，反而睡著了。但他卻給予他們對抗沮喪的動力——[起來，行下一步吧。 ]我們有了神的感動，下一步該是什麼？完全信靠他，在他救贖的憑據上禱告。千萬別讓失敗的意識阻礙你新的行動。
祈禱◆主啊，一份茫然的孤寂感似乎圍繞著我的生命，它是那樣的模糊不清，令我難以將它說明。我沒有下過錯誤的決定，因為我已經按照你所指示的去行，但那種不肯定的感覺卻揮之不去。求你抹去這片迷濛的雲霧，將它變成帶著秩序和形式的青天。
October 13, 2012
Individual Discouragement and Personal Growth
. . . when Moses was grown . . . he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens —Exodus 2:11
Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt certain that he was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his own spirit he started to right their wrongs. After he launched his first strike for God and for what was right, God allowed Moses to be driven into empty discouragement, sending him into the desert to feed sheep for forty years. At the end of that time, God appeared to Moses and said to him, ” ’. . . bring My people . . . out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ’Who am I that I should go . . . ?’ ” (Exodus 3:10-11). In the beginning Moses had realized that he was the one to deliver the people, but he had to be trained and disciplined by God first. He was right in his individual perspective, but he was not the person for the work until he had learned true fellowship and oneness with God.
We may have the vision of God and a very clear understanding of what God wants, and yet when we start to do it, there comes to us something equivalent to Moses’ forty years in the wilderness. It’s as if God had ignored the entire thing, and when we are thoroughly discouraged, God comes back and revives His call to us. And then we begin to tremble and say, “Who am I that I should go . . . ?” We must learn that God’s great stride is summed up in these words— “I AM WHO I AM . . . has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). We must also learn that our individual effort for God shows nothing but disrespect for Him— our individuality is to be rendered radiant through a personal relationship with God, so that He may be “well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). We are focused on the right individual perspective of things; we have the vision and can say, “I know this is what God wants me to do.” But we have not yet learned to get into God’s stride. If you are going through a time of discouragement, there is a time of great personal growth ahead.
沮喪與拓展
他出去到他弟兄那裡，看他們的重擔。 （出二11）
摩西看見自己的同胞受欺壓，深覺自己是他們的救星；於是按自己的義憤，伸手為他們伸冤。他為神的正義出手，神卻容許人把他趕逐到絕境裡去，要他在曠野牧羊四十年。時候滿足，神顯現告訴他去領百姓出來；摩西那時說：[我是什麼人，竟能去？ ]摩西起初就知道自己是拯救百姓的那一位，但卻先要經過神的訓練。他的觀點是沒有錯的，但在沒有學會與神聯合以前，他仍是未合用的工人。
我們看見神的異象，又清楚神的心意，於是著手去做；然後，是類似那四十年曠野的經歷，似乎神完全不理這回事樂。政黨我們完全絕望，神的呼召又重新臨到，我哦們就顫抖地說：[我是誰？ ]我們必須學習跨出第一大步－－[那自有永有的差遣你！ ]我們必須認識到憑個人的血氣為神工作，是狂妄的表現；我們個人的特質，必須與神相交才能熾熱起來（太三11）。我們往往著重個人對事物的看法，有異象就說：[這就是神要我做的。 ]但我們的步伐，還未與神一致。若你正陷入失望的階段，等著吧，遼遠的拓展就在前頭。
祈禱◆主啊，為著昨晚的睡眠，我感謝你；為著你既不打盹，也不睡眠，不論日夜都保護我們，我稱頌你。
Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt certain that he was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his own spirit he started to right their wrongs. After he launched his first strike for God and for what was right, God allowed Moses to be driven into empty discouragement, sending him into the desert to feed sheep for forty years. At the end of that time, God appeared to Moses and said to him, ” ’. . . bring My people . . . out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ’Who am I that I should go . . . ?’ ” (Exodus 3:10-11). In the beginning Moses had realized that he was the one to deliver the people, but he had to be trained and disciplined by God first. He was right in his individual perspective, but he was not the person for the work until he had learned true fellowship and oneness with God.
We may have the vision of God and a very clear understanding of what God wants, and yet when we start to do it, there comes to us something equivalent to Moses’ forty years in the wilderness. It’s as if God had ignored the entire thing, and when we are thoroughly discouraged, God comes back and revives His call to us. And then we begin to tremble and say, “Who am I that I should go . . . ?” We must learn that God’s great stride is summed up in these words— “I AM WHO I AM . . . has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). We must also learn that our individual effort for God shows nothing but disrespect for Him— our individuality is to be rendered radiant through a personal relationship with God, so that He may be “well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). We are focused on the right individual perspective of things; we have the vision and can say, “I know this is what God wants me to do.” But we have not yet learned to get into God’s stride. If you are going through a time of discouragement, there is a time of great personal growth ahead.
沮喪與拓展
他出去到他弟兄那裡，看他們的重擔。 （出二11）
摩西看見自己的同胞受欺壓，深覺自己是他們的救星；於是按自己的義憤，伸手為他們伸冤。他為神的正義出手，神卻容許人把他趕逐到絕境裡去，要他在曠野牧羊四十年。時候滿足，神顯現告訴他去領百姓出來；摩西那時說：[我是什麼人，竟能去？ ]摩西起初就知道自己是拯救百姓的那一位，但卻先要經過神的訓練。他的觀點是沒有錯的，但在沒有學會與神聯合以前，他仍是未合用的工人。
我們看見神的異象，又清楚神的心意，於是著手去做；然後，是類似那四十年曠野的經歷，似乎神完全不理這回事樂。政黨我們完全絕望，神的呼召又重新臨到，我哦們就顫抖地說：[我是誰？ ]我們必須學習跨出第一大步－－[那自有永有的差遣你！ ]我們必須認識到憑個人的血氣為神工作，是狂妄的表現；我們個人的特質，必須與神相交才能熾熱起來（太三11）。我們往往著重個人對事物的看法，有異象就說：[這就是神要我做的。 ]但我們的步伐，還未與神一致。若你正陷入失望的階段，等著吧，遼遠的拓展就在前頭。
祈禱◆主啊，為著昨晚的睡眠，我感謝你；為著你既不打盹，也不睡眠，不論日夜都保護我們，我稱頌你。
August 18, 2012
Have You Ever Been Speechless with Sorrow?
When he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich —Luke 18:23
The rich young ruler went away from Jesus speechless with sorrow, having nothing to say in response to Jesus’ words. He had no doubt about what Jesus had said or what it meant, and it produced in him a sorrow with no words with which to respond. Have you ever been there? Has God’s Word ever come to you, pointing out an area of your life, requiring you to yield it to Him? Maybe He has pointed out certain personal qualities, desires, and interests, or possibly relationships of your heart and mind. If so, then you have often been speechless with sorrow. The Lord will not go after you, and He will not plead with you. But every time He meets you at the place where He has pointed, He will simply repeat His words, saying, “If you really mean what you say, these are the conditions.”
“Sell all that you have . . .” (Luke 18:22). In other words, rid yourself before God of everything that might be considered a possession until you are a mere conscious human being standing before Him, and then give God that. That is where the battle is truly fought— in the realm of your will before God. Are you more devoted to your idea of what Jesus wants than to Jesus Himself? If so, you are likely to hear one of His harsh and unyielding statements that will produce sorrow in you. What Jesus says is difficult— it is only easy when it is heard by those who have His nature in them. Beware of allowing anything to soften the hard words of Jesus Christ.
I can be so rich in my own poverty, or in the awareness of the fact that I am nobody, that I will never be a disciple of Jesus. Or I can be so rich in the awareness that I am somebody that I will never be a disciple. Am I willing to be destitute and poor even in my sense of awareness of my destitution and poverty? If not, that is why I become discouraged. Discouragement is disillusioned self-love, and self-love may be love for my devotion to Jesus— not love for Jesus Himself.
必會臨到的經歷
以後不再見他了。 （王下二12）
倚賴以利亞是沒有錯的，只要是神把他給你；可是別忘記，總有一天他會離開。他不再做你的領導，因為神認為他不應該再做你的領導。你會說：[沒有以利亞，我無法前行。 ]但神說你一定要前行。
獨自在你的約但（14節）。約但是分離的表徵，表示再沒有人與你相交，沒有人分擔你的責任。你必須把從以利亞學習所得的，拿出來考驗。你跟以利亞過約但河不知有多少次了，但如今你得獨自面對。空說不能過，是沒有用處的。這事已經臨到，你必定要前行。你若要知道神是否如你所信的一樣，就得單獨的過你的約但河。
獨自在你的耶利哥（15節）。你曾在耶利哥看見以利亞行大事，但當你來到自己的耶利哥，就退縮，不肯主動去信靠神，只想別人去替你擔當。可是，你若遵從以利亞所學的，就必得著神與你同在。
獨自在你的伯利恆（23節）。在伯利恆你來到自己才智的盡頭，這卻是神智慧的開端。千萬不可在智窮力竭時，仆倒恐慌之中，要緊靠著神，忠於他，他自有方法把真理顯明，使你的生命成聖。把你跟以利亞所學的行出來，用他的外衣和他的祈禱。立志信靠神，不要再尋找你的以利亞了。
祈禱◆主啊，我餓生命是如此傾斜，如此充滿漏洞，求你今天讓我全神貫注於你！願我回到你的家中，重新過著完全倚靠你的生活。
The rich young ruler went away from Jesus speechless with sorrow, having nothing to say in response to Jesus’ words. He had no doubt about what Jesus had said or what it meant, and it produced in him a sorrow with no words with which to respond. Have you ever been there? Has God’s Word ever come to you, pointing out an area of your life, requiring you to yield it to Him? Maybe He has pointed out certain personal qualities, desires, and interests, or possibly relationships of your heart and mind. If so, then you have often been speechless with sorrow. The Lord will not go after you, and He will not plead with you. But every time He meets you at the place where He has pointed, He will simply repeat His words, saying, “If you really mean what you say, these are the conditions.”
“Sell all that you have . . .” (Luke 18:22). In other words, rid yourself before God of everything that might be considered a possession until you are a mere conscious human being standing before Him, and then give God that. That is where the battle is truly fought— in the realm of your will before God. Are you more devoted to your idea of what Jesus wants than to Jesus Himself? If so, you are likely to hear one of His harsh and unyielding statements that will produce sorrow in you. What Jesus says is difficult— it is only easy when it is heard by those who have His nature in them. Beware of allowing anything to soften the hard words of Jesus Christ.
I can be so rich in my own poverty, or in the awareness of the fact that I am nobody, that I will never be a disciple of Jesus. Or I can be so rich in the awareness that I am somebody that I will never be a disciple. Am I willing to be destitute and poor even in my sense of awareness of my destitution and poverty? If not, that is why I become discouraged. Discouragement is disillusioned self-love, and self-love may be love for my devotion to Jesus— not love for Jesus Himself.
必會臨到的經歷
以後不再見他了。 （王下二12）
倚賴以利亞是沒有錯的，只要是神把他給你；可是別忘記，總有一天他會離開。他不再做你的領導，因為神認為他不應該再做你的領導。你會說：[沒有以利亞，我無法前行。 ]但神說你一定要前行。
獨自在你的約但（14節）。約但是分離的表徵，表示再沒有人與你相交，沒有人分擔你的責任。你必須把從以利亞學習所得的，拿出來考驗。你跟以利亞過約但河不知有多少次了，但如今你得獨自面對。空說不能過，是沒有用處的。這事已經臨到，你必定要前行。你若要知道神是否如你所信的一樣，就得單獨的過你的約但河。
獨自在你的耶利哥（15節）。你曾在耶利哥看見以利亞行大事，但當你來到自己的耶利哥，就退縮，不肯主動去信靠神，只想別人去替你擔當。可是，你若遵從以利亞所學的，就必得著神與你同在。
獨自在你的伯利恆（23節）。在伯利恆你來到自己才智的盡頭，這卻是神智慧的開端。千萬不可在智窮力竭時，仆倒恐慌之中，要緊靠著神，忠於他，他自有方法把真理顯明，使你的生命成聖。把你跟以利亞所學的行出來，用他的外衣和他的祈禱。立志信靠神，不要再尋找你的以利亞了。
祈禱◆主啊，我餓生命是如此傾斜，如此充滿漏洞，求你今天讓我全神貫注於你！願我回到你的家中，重新過著完全倚靠你的生活。
July 30, 2012
The Teaching of Disillusionment
Jesus did not commit Himself to them . . . , for He knew what was in man —John 2:24-25
Disillusionment means having no more misconceptions, false impressions, and false judgments in life; it means being free from these deceptions. However, though no longer deceived, our experience of disillusionment may actually leave us cynical and overly critical in our judgment of others. But the disillusionment that comes from God brings us to the point where we see people as they really are, yet without any cynicism or any stinging and bitter criticism. Many of the things in life that inflict the greatest injury, grief, or pain, stem from the fact that we suffer from illusions. We are not true to one another as facts, seeing each other as we really are; we are only true to our misconceived ideas of one another. According to our thinking, everything is either delightful and good, or it is evil, malicious, and cowardly.
Refusing to be disillusioned is the cause of much of the suffering of human life. And this is how that suffering happens— if we love someone, but do not love God, we demand total perfection and righteousness from that person, and when we do not get it we become cruel and vindictive; yet we are demanding of a human being something which he or she cannot possibly give. There is only one Being who can completely satisfy to the absolute depth of the hurting human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord is so obviously uncompromising with regard to every human relationship because He knows that every relationship that is not based on faithfulness to Himself will end in disaster. Our Lord trusted no one, and never placed His faith in people, yet He was never suspicious or bitter. Our Lord’s confidence in God, and in what God’s grace could do for anyone, was so perfect that He never despaired, never giving up hope for any person. If our trust is placed in human beings, we will end up despairing of everyone.
覺醒的操練
耶穌卻不將自己交託他們……因他知道人心裡所存的。 （約二24-25）
覺醒就是在生命中再沒有錯誤的判斷。受錯覺的矇騙，會使我們對人的批評變得苛刻，好冷嘲熱諷。但從神而來的覺醒，卻使我們認清人的本相，而又不憤世嫉俗，也沒有尖酸苦毒的說話。人生許多的痛苦，都是由於我們受錯覺的蒙蔽。對別人的觀感，我們只憑自己的想法，而非忠於事實。對我們來說，每一事物若非好便是壞。不願從錯覺中醒悟，是導致人生種種痛苦的因由。情形就是這樣：我們若愛一個人，卻不愛神，便會要求他完全正直無暇。一旦得不到，就變得殘酷，要報復；我們要求的，是一個人無法做到。只有主耶穌才能滿足人心中最深的渴求。主耶穌對每種人際關係的看法，是相當嚴厲的；因為他知道任何一種不忠於主為基礎的關係，到頭來必定悲劇收場。主雖然不把自己交託給人，但他從不多疑，也不尖刻苦毒。他對神的信賴，以及對他恩典全能的信賴，使他對任何人都不絕望。我們的信賴若在人身上，結果必是對人失望。
祈禱◆主啊，對於你道路的細節，我雖然一無所知，但我期盼你奇妙的作為儘快顯明。我是何其全然安息，得見你的道路時，又是何其釋然。
Disillusionment means having no more misconceptions, false impressions, and false judgments in life; it means being free from these deceptions. However, though no longer deceived, our experience of disillusionment may actually leave us cynical and overly critical in our judgment of others. But the disillusionment that comes from God brings us to the point where we see people as they really are, yet without any cynicism or any stinging and bitter criticism. Many of the things in life that inflict the greatest injury, grief, or pain, stem from the fact that we suffer from illusions. We are not true to one another as facts, seeing each other as we really are; we are only true to our misconceived ideas of one another. According to our thinking, everything is either delightful and good, or it is evil, malicious, and cowardly.
Refusing to be disillusioned is the cause of much of the suffering of human life. And this is how that suffering happens— if we love someone, but do not love God, we demand total perfection and righteousness from that person, and when we do not get it we become cruel and vindictive; yet we are demanding of a human being something which he or she cannot possibly give. There is only one Being who can completely satisfy to the absolute depth of the hurting human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord is so obviously uncompromising with regard to every human relationship because He knows that every relationship that is not based on faithfulness to Himself will end in disaster. Our Lord trusted no one, and never placed His faith in people, yet He was never suspicious or bitter. Our Lord’s confidence in God, and in what God’s grace could do for anyone, was so perfect that He never despaired, never giving up hope for any person. If our trust is placed in human beings, we will end up despairing of everyone.
覺醒的操練
耶穌卻不將自己交託他們……因他知道人心裡所存的。 （約二24-25）
覺醒就是在生命中再沒有錯誤的判斷。受錯覺的矇騙，會使我們對人的批評變得苛刻，好冷嘲熱諷。但從神而來的覺醒，卻使我們認清人的本相，而又不憤世嫉俗，也沒有尖酸苦毒的說話。人生許多的痛苦，都是由於我們受錯覺的蒙蔽。對別人的觀感，我們只憑自己的想法，而非忠於事實。對我們來說，每一事物若非好便是壞。不願從錯覺中醒悟，是導致人生種種痛苦的因由。情形就是這樣：我們若愛一個人，卻不愛神，便會要求他完全正直無暇。一旦得不到，就變得殘酷，要報復；我們要求的，是一個人無法做到。只有主耶穌才能滿足人心中最深的渴求。主耶穌對每種人際關係的看法，是相當嚴厲的；因為他知道任何一種不忠於主為基礎的關係，到頭來必定悲劇收場。主雖然不把自己交託給人，但他從不多疑，也不尖刻苦毒。他對神的信賴，以及對他恩典全能的信賴，使他對任何人都不絕望。我們的信賴若在人身上，結果必是對人失望。
祈禱◆主啊，對於你道路的細節，我雖然一無所知，但我期盼你奇妙的作為儘快顯明。我是何其全然安息，得見你的道路時，又是何其釋然。
June 25, 2012
Receiving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow
. . . what shall I say? ’Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ’Father, glorify Your name’ —John 12:27-28
As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of sorrow. He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.
We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.
Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.
從憂患中找著自己
我說什麼才好呢？父啊，救我脫離這時候，但我原是為這時候來的。 （約十二27-29）
身為一個聖徒，我對愁苦困難的態度，不是求神攔阻，乃是求神叫我經過痛苦的火煉，保存他造在我裡面的生命。我們的主在愁苦的火中，接受了自己。他沒有擺脫那時刻，卻從那時刻中出來了。
我們說世上不該有憂患，但事實上憂患卻存在，而且我們還要從火中體認自己。若我們企圖逃避憂患，不肯面對它，實在是愚不可及的。憂患是人生中最具體的事實；硬說世上不該有憂患是無濟於事的。罪惡、憂患、痛苦，的確存在；我們沒有資格說神容讓痛苦存在是錯的。
憂患雖然把人許多膚淺的東西都燒掉，卻不一定使人更完美。憂患可以建立人，也可以毀滅人。在成功之中，很難建立自己，因為你會得意忘形。在枯燥而單調的生活中，也找不到自己，因你會大發牢騷。惟有在憂患的火中，你才找著自己。為什麼會這樣是另一回事；在聖經中，在人的經歷中，都證實如此。一個從憂患中找到自己的人，很容易辨認出來。你有困難去找他，必然大得幫助，他必樂於幫助你。一個未受過苦的人，多偏於浮誇，也沒有時間理會你。你若從苦難的火中找著自己，神便會使你成為別人的供應。
祈禱◆主啊，藉著你那不可逃避和滿有能力的撫摸，今天向我顯明你的慈愛，並在你溫柔的大能中，按照你的計劃使用我！
As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of sorrow. He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.
We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.
Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.
從憂患中找著自己
我說什麼才好呢？父啊，救我脫離這時候，但我原是為這時候來的。 （約十二27-29）
身為一個聖徒，我對愁苦困難的態度，不是求神攔阻，乃是求神叫我經過痛苦的火煉，保存他造在我裡面的生命。我們的主在愁苦的火中，接受了自己。他沒有擺脫那時刻，卻從那時刻中出來了。
我們說世上不該有憂患，但事實上憂患卻存在，而且我們還要從火中體認自己。若我們企圖逃避憂患，不肯面對它，實在是愚不可及的。憂患是人生中最具體的事實；硬說世上不該有憂患是無濟於事的。罪惡、憂患、痛苦，的確存在；我們沒有資格說神容讓痛苦存在是錯的。
憂患雖然把人許多膚淺的東西都燒掉，卻不一定使人更完美。憂患可以建立人，也可以毀滅人。在成功之中，很難建立自己，因為你會得意忘形。在枯燥而單調的生活中，也找不到自己，因你會大發牢騷。惟有在憂患的火中，你才找著自己。為什麼會這樣是另一回事；在聖經中，在人的經歷中，都證實如此。一個從憂患中找到自己的人，很容易辨認出來。你有困難去找他，必然大得幫助，他必樂於幫助你。一個未受過苦的人，多偏於浮誇，也沒有時間理會你。你若從苦難的火中找著自己，神便會使你成為別人的供應。
祈禱◆主啊，藉著你那不可逃避和滿有能力的撫摸，今天向我顯明你的慈愛，並在你溫柔的大能中，按照你的計劃使用我！
February 18, 2012
Taking the Initiative Against Despair
Rise, let us be going —Matthew 26:46
In the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples went to sleep when they should have stayed awake, and once they realized what they had done it produced despair. The sense of having done something irreversible tends to make us despair. We say, “Well, it’s all over and ruined now; what’s the point in trying anymore.” If we think this kind of despair is an exception, we are mistaken. It is a very ordinary human experience. Whenever we realize we have not taken advantage of a magnificent opportunity, we are apt to sink into despair. But Jesus comes and lovingly says to us, in essence, “Sleep on now. That opportunity is lost forever and you can’t change that. But get up, and let’s go on to the next thing.” In other words, let the past sleep, but let it sleep in the sweet embrace of Christ, and let us go on into the invincible future with Him.
There will be experiences like this in each of our lives. We will have times of despair caused by real events in our lives, and we will be unable to lift ourselves out of them. The disciples, in this instance, had done a downright unthinkable thing— they had gone to sleep instead of watching with Jesus. But our Lord came to them taking the spiritual initiative against their despair and said, in effect, “Get up, and do the next thing.” If we are inspired by God, what is the next thing? It is to trust Him absolutely and to pray on the basis of His redemption.
Never let the sense of past failure defeat your next step.
抗拒絕望的動力
起來，我們走罷。 （太二十六46）
門徒該儆醒的時候，卻睡著了。當我們發現自己這個樣子，就失望灰心。事情既無可追悔，就很容易沮喪說：[事到如今，再無挽回的餘地了。 ]我們若認為這樣的沮喪是不經常的，那就錯了，這實在是司空見慣的人生經歷。當我們醒覺自己錯過了大好的行事機會，勢必沉溺在失望之中，耶穌基督說：[安睡罷，機會失去不再回來，也無法挽回。但起來罷，百尺竿頭，更進一步。 ]
讓過去的事消逝吧！只要消逝在主的胸懷裡；然後與他一同迎接不可抗拒的未來。在各自的人生中，我們都有這樣的經驗——陷在頹唐沮喪中。這種沮喪是從現實而來，我們無法自拔。這里門徒做了無可饒恕的事，就是沒有與耶穌一同警醒，反而睡著了。但他卻給予他們對抗沮喪的動力——[起來，行下一步吧。 ]我們有了神的感動，下一步該是什麼？完全信靠他，在他救贖的憑據上禱告。千萬別讓失敗的意識阻礙你新的行動。
祈禱◆主啊，一份茫然的孤寂感似乎圍繞著我的生命，它是那樣的模糊不清，令我難以將它說明。我沒有下過錯誤的決定，因為我已經按照你所指示的去行，但那種不肯定的感覺卻揮之不去。求你抹去這片迷濛的雲霧，將它變成帶著秩序和形式的青天。
In the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples went to sleep when they should have stayed awake, and once they realized what they had done it produced despair. The sense of having done something irreversible tends to make us despair. We say, “Well, it’s all over and ruined now; what’s the point in trying anymore.” If we think this kind of despair is an exception, we are mistaken. It is a very ordinary human experience. Whenever we realize we have not taken advantage of a magnificent opportunity, we are apt to sink into despair. But Jesus comes and lovingly says to us, in essence, “Sleep on now. That opportunity is lost forever and you can’t change that. But get up, and let’s go on to the next thing.” In other words, let the past sleep, but let it sleep in the sweet embrace of Christ, and let us go on into the invincible future with Him.
There will be experiences like this in each of our lives. We will have times of despair caused by real events in our lives, and we will be unable to lift ourselves out of them. The disciples, in this instance, had done a downright unthinkable thing— they had gone to sleep instead of watching with Jesus. But our Lord came to them taking the spiritual initiative against their despair and said, in effect, “Get up, and do the next thing.” If we are inspired by God, what is the next thing? It is to trust Him absolutely and to pray on the basis of His redemption.
Never let the sense of past failure defeat your next step.
抗拒絕望的動力
起來，我們走罷。 （太二十六46）
門徒該儆醒的時候，卻睡著了。當我們發現自己這個樣子，就失望灰心。事情既無可追悔，就很容易沮喪說：[事到如今，再無挽回的餘地了。 ]我們若認為這樣的沮喪是不經常的，那就錯了，這實在是司空見慣的人生經歷。當我們醒覺自己錯過了大好的行事機會，勢必沉溺在失望之中，耶穌基督說：[安睡罷，機會失去不再回來，也無法挽回。但起來罷，百尺竿頭，更進一步。 ]
讓過去的事消逝吧！只要消逝在主的胸懷裡；然後與他一同迎接不可抗拒的未來。在各自的人生中，我們都有這樣的經驗——陷在頹唐沮喪中。這種沮喪是從現實而來，我們無法自拔。這里門徒做了無可饒恕的事，就是沒有與耶穌一同警醒，反而睡著了。但他卻給予他們對抗沮喪的動力——[起來，行下一步吧。 ]我們有了神的感動，下一步該是什麼？完全信靠他，在他救贖的憑據上禱告。千萬別讓失敗的意識阻礙你新的行動。
祈禱◆主啊，一份茫然的孤寂感似乎圍繞著我的生命，它是那樣的模糊不清，令我難以將它說明。我沒有下過錯誤的決定，因為我已經按照你所指示的去行，但那種不肯定的感覺卻揮之不去。求你抹去這片迷濛的雲霧，將它變成帶著秩序和形式的青天。
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