Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation . . . —2 Corinthians 7:10
Conviction of sin is best described in the words:
My sins, my sins, my Savior,
How sad on Thee they fall.
Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God— “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight . . .” (Psalm 51:4). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, “I have sinned.” The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes— a reflex action caused by self-disgust.
The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man’s respectable “goodness.” Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person’s life (see Galatians 4:19). This new life will reveal itself in conscious repentance followed by unconscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses— repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.
悔改
依著神的意思憂愁，就生出沒有後悔的懊悔來，以致得救。 （林後七10）
對罪的自責，哲學話說的最貼切：[我的罪，我的罪啊，落在你身上，我的救主，多悲痛！ ]認罪是一個人最罕有的打擊，那是認識神的門檻。耶穌基督說聖靈來，是叫人為罪自責；當聖靈喚醒人的良心，叫他面對神的時候，使他不安的，不是與人的關係，而是與神的關係－－[我向你犯罪，惟獨得罪了你，在你眼前行了這惡。 ]認罪、赦免和聖潔三者奇妙的交織著，只有蒙赦罪的人，才成為聖潔。他蒙赦免的證據，是因著神的恩典，以致前後判若兩人。悔改總叫人承認：[我犯了罪。 ]一個人肯這樣忠心表示，就是神作工的最大明證。若非這樣，那就只不過是因犯錯事而勝的懊悔，是鄙屑自己的一種反射作用罷了。
進入神的過度，是藉著悔改的苦痛，刺透人自以為是的高貴良善；然後聖靈來了，在人裡面開始創造神兒子的生命。新生命的表彰，是明明的悔改，與不知不覺的成聖，絕不會有相反表現的。基督信仰的基石是悔改。嚴格來說，人無法自己悔改，悔改是神的禮物。古代清教徒就常求[眼淚的恩賜]。所以什麼時候你不再覺得悔改的好處，就是在黑暗裡了。試省察自己，是否已忘記了怎樣知錯。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，藉著你的聖靈和恩典，我的內心產生和孕育了極大的渴望－－願我能適當地讚美你。
Showing posts with label Repentance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Repentance. Show all posts
December 07, 2014
August 22, 2014
“I Indeed . . . But He”
I indeed baptize you with water . . . but He . . . will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire —Matthew 3:11
Have I ever come to the point in my life where I can say, “I indeed . . . but He . . .”? Until that moment comes, I will never know what the baptism of the Holy Spirit means. I indeed am at the end, and I cannot do anything more— but He begins right there— He does the things that no one else can ever do. Am I prepared for His coming? Jesus cannot come and do His work in me as long as there is anything blocking the way, whether it is something good or bad. When He comes to me, am I prepared for Him to drag every wrong thing I have ever done into the light? That is exactly where He comes. Wherever I know I am unclean is where He will put His feet and stand, and wherever I think I am clean is where He will remove His feet and walk away.
Repentance does not cause a sense of sin— it causes a sense of inexpressible unworthiness. When I repent, I realize that I am absolutely helpless, and I know that through and through I am not worthy even to carry His sandals. Have I repented like that, or do I have a lingering thought of possibly trying to defend my actions? The reason God cannot come into my life is that I am not at the point of complete repentance.
“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John is not speaking here of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as an experience, but as a work performed by Jesus Christ. “He will baptize you . . . .” The only experience that those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit are ever conscious of is the experience of sensing their absolute unworthiness.
“I indeed” was this in the past, “but He” came and something miraculous happened. Get to the end of yourself where you can do nothing, but where He does everything.
我是……但祂
我是用水給你們施洗，……但……他要用聖靈與火給你們施洗。 （太三11）
我是否已經到達可以說[我是……但他]的地步？未經歷這一刻，便實在不知道聖靈的洗到底是什麼意思。我果真到了盡頭，一無辦法；他就在此開始作人所無法作的。我預備好迎接他的來臨嗎？若路上有東西阻隔，不論是好是壞，他都不能來。在他來的時候，我是否預備好讓他把我一切的錯失帶到光中對付？他正要在這些事上臨到你。我明知不潔的地方，他就插足其中；我以為潔淨的地方，他就離去。
悔改並不會帶來罪疚感，只會叫人覺得自己絕對的不配。我悔改時，知道自己無能為力，連替他提鞋也不配。我有沒有這樣悔改過？還是暗地裡還為自己留一點餘地？神仍未能進入我的生命，是因為我還未徹底悔改。 [他要用聖靈與火給你們施洗。 ]約翰並沒有把聖靈的洗當作一個經歷，他是視之為耶穌基督的工作。 [他要給你們施洗。 ]凡受過聖靈施洗的人，唯一的知覺就是自己完全不配。 [我是……]這樣或那樣，[但他]來了，奇妙的事就發生。我們退居末位吧，讓他成就一切。
祈禱◆主啊，我多麼貧乏！那麼多的軟弱潛伏在隱藏的地方，要將我整個人摧毀。噢，主啊，我投向你。我何等需要認識到，離開了你，我便不能作什麼。
Have I ever come to the point in my life where I can say, “I indeed . . . but He . . .”? Until that moment comes, I will never know what the baptism of the Holy Spirit means. I indeed am at the end, and I cannot do anything more— but He begins right there— He does the things that no one else can ever do. Am I prepared for His coming? Jesus cannot come and do His work in me as long as there is anything blocking the way, whether it is something good or bad. When He comes to me, am I prepared for Him to drag every wrong thing I have ever done into the light? That is exactly where He comes. Wherever I know I am unclean is where He will put His feet and stand, and wherever I think I am clean is where He will remove His feet and walk away.
Repentance does not cause a sense of sin— it causes a sense of inexpressible unworthiness. When I repent, I realize that I am absolutely helpless, and I know that through and through I am not worthy even to carry His sandals. Have I repented like that, or do I have a lingering thought of possibly trying to defend my actions? The reason God cannot come into my life is that I am not at the point of complete repentance.
“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John is not speaking here of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as an experience, but as a work performed by Jesus Christ. “He will baptize you . . . .” The only experience that those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit are ever conscious of is the experience of sensing their absolute unworthiness.
“I indeed” was this in the past, “but He” came and something miraculous happened. Get to the end of yourself where you can do nothing, but where He does everything.
我是……但祂
我是用水給你們施洗，……但……他要用聖靈與火給你們施洗。 （太三11）
我是否已經到達可以說[我是……但他]的地步？未經歷這一刻，便實在不知道聖靈的洗到底是什麼意思。我果真到了盡頭，一無辦法；他就在此開始作人所無法作的。我預備好迎接他的來臨嗎？若路上有東西阻隔，不論是好是壞，他都不能來。在他來的時候，我是否預備好讓他把我一切的錯失帶到光中對付？他正要在這些事上臨到你。我明知不潔的地方，他就插足其中；我以為潔淨的地方，他就離去。
悔改並不會帶來罪疚感，只會叫人覺得自己絕對的不配。我悔改時，知道自己無能為力，連替他提鞋也不配。我有沒有這樣悔改過？還是暗地裡還為自己留一點餘地？神仍未能進入我的生命，是因為我還未徹底悔改。 [他要用聖靈與火給你們施洗。 ]約翰並沒有把聖靈的洗當作一個經歷，他是視之為耶穌基督的工作。 [他要給你們施洗。 ]凡受過聖靈施洗的人，唯一的知覺就是自己完全不配。 [我是……]這樣或那樣，[但他]來了，奇妙的事就發生。我們退居末位吧，讓他成就一切。
祈禱◆主啊，我多麼貧乏！那麼多的軟弱潛伏在隱藏的地方，要將我整個人摧毀。噢，主啊，我投向你。我何等需要認識到，離開了你，我便不能作什麼。
July 03, 2014
The Concentration of Personal Sin
Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips . . . —Isaiah 6:5
When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, “Oh yes, I know I am a sinner,” but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are. This is always the sign that a person is in the presence of God. There is never any vague sense of sin, but a focusing on the concentration of sin in some specific, personal area of life. God begins by convicting us of the very thing to which His Spirit has directed our mind’s attention. If we will surrender, submitting to His conviction of that particular sin, He will lead us down to where He can reveal the vast underlying nature of sin. That is the way God always deals with us when we are consciously aware of His presence.
This experience of our attention being directed to our concentration of personal sin is true in everyone’s life, from the greatest of saints to the worst of sinners. When a person first begins climbing the ladder of experience, he might say, “I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong,” but the Spirit of God will point out some definite and specific thing to him. The effect of Isaiah’s vision of the holiness of the Lord was the directing of his attention to the fact that he was “a man of unclean lips.” “He touched my mouth with it, and said: ’Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged’ ” (Isaiah 6:7). The cleansing fire had to be applied where the sin had been concentrated.
人罪惡的集中地
禍哉，我滅亡了。因為我是嘴唇不潔的人。 （賽六5）
我來到神面前，自覺是個罪人。那意識不會是模棱兩可的，我必然是意識到我生命的某一方面有罪。人可以很容易地說：[是的，我是個罪人。 ]但當他一旦來到神面前，就不能憑這句話輕輕逃過去。那知罪的意念會集中在——[我這個不是，那個不對。 ]人來到神面前總有這個表記。罪的意識不會模糊不清，一定是集中在個人的某一些事上。神起初總是藉聖靈指控我們心中的某一件事，我們若在這件事上承認自己有罪，他便把我們引進下面最大的罪根性區。我們若是在神面前，他總是這樣對付我們。
這個把罪惡集中的經歷，不論在最偉大的聖徒或最渺小的罪人身上，都毫無分別。在這經歷第一級階梯上的人會說：[我不知過錯何在，但神的靈必會指出我在哪一件事上犯了錯。 ]以賽亞看見聖潔的神，他就察覺自己是嘴唇不潔的人。 [將炭沾我的口說，看哪，這炭沾了你的嘴，你的罪孽便除掉，你的罪惡就赦免了。 ]潔淨的火必要施於罪惡集中之處。
祈禱◆主啊，願你的純潔滲透我們的思想、身體和感情；讓我們完全認知和迅速彰顯你那活潑而使人充滿生氣的作為。願你那豐富的能力，進入我們的生活中。
When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, “Oh yes, I know I am a sinner,” but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are. This is always the sign that a person is in the presence of God. There is never any vague sense of sin, but a focusing on the concentration of sin in some specific, personal area of life. God begins by convicting us of the very thing to which His Spirit has directed our mind’s attention. If we will surrender, submitting to His conviction of that particular sin, He will lead us down to where He can reveal the vast underlying nature of sin. That is the way God always deals with us when we are consciously aware of His presence.
This experience of our attention being directed to our concentration of personal sin is true in everyone’s life, from the greatest of saints to the worst of sinners. When a person first begins climbing the ladder of experience, he might say, “I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong,” but the Spirit of God will point out some definite and specific thing to him. The effect of Isaiah’s vision of the holiness of the Lord was the directing of his attention to the fact that he was “a man of unclean lips.” “He touched my mouth with it, and said: ’Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged’ ” (Isaiah 6:7). The cleansing fire had to be applied where the sin had been concentrated.
人罪惡的集中地
禍哉，我滅亡了。因為我是嘴唇不潔的人。 （賽六5）
我來到神面前，自覺是個罪人。那意識不會是模棱兩可的，我必然是意識到我生命的某一方面有罪。人可以很容易地說：[是的，我是個罪人。 ]但當他一旦來到神面前，就不能憑這句話輕輕逃過去。那知罪的意念會集中在——[我這個不是，那個不對。 ]人來到神面前總有這個表記。罪的意識不會模糊不清，一定是集中在個人的某一些事上。神起初總是藉聖靈指控我們心中的某一件事，我們若在這件事上承認自己有罪，他便把我們引進下面最大的罪根性區。我們若是在神面前，他總是這樣對付我們。
這個把罪惡集中的經歷，不論在最偉大的聖徒或最渺小的罪人身上，都毫無分別。在這經歷第一級階梯上的人會說：[我不知過錯何在，但神的靈必會指出我在哪一件事上犯了錯。 ]以賽亞看見聖潔的神，他就察覺自己是嘴唇不潔的人。 [將炭沾我的口說，看哪，這炭沾了你的嘴，你的罪孽便除掉，你的罪惡就赦免了。 ]潔淨的火必要施於罪惡集中之處。
祈禱◆主啊，願你的純潔滲透我們的思想、身體和感情；讓我們完全認知和迅速彰顯你那活潑而使人充滿生氣的作為。願你那豐富的能力，進入我們的生活中。
June 29, 2014
The Strictest Discipline
If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell —Matthew 5:30
Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that “if your right hand causes you to sin” in your walk with Him, then it is better to “cut it off.” There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them. Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then “cut it off.” The principle taught here is the strictest discipline or lesson that ever hit humankind.
When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed. There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you. But the unspiritual people around you will say, “What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!” There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God’s sight than to appear lovely to man’s eyes but lame to God’s. At first, Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you. Yet, see that you don’t use your restrictions to criticize someone else.
The Christian life is a maimed life initially, but in Matthew 5:48 Jesus gave us the picture of a perfectly well-rounded life— “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
操練的方向
若是右手叫你跌倒，就砍下來丟掉。寧可失去百體中的一體，不叫全身下入地獄。 （太五30）
耶穌並沒有叫人把手砍掉，他只是說：[若你右手阻礙你與我同行，就把它砍下來。 ]有許多事本來是完全合情合理的，但你若要專心跟從神，就不能去做了。右手是你最有用的東西，但耶穌說如果它阻礙你跟從他，就把它砍掉。這種鍛煉的方法，是人類空前最嚴厲的。
神藉著重生改變了一個人，那生命起初的特徵就是殘廢。你有許多事不敢做了，而那些事在你眼中，在認識你的世界眼中，是等於你的右手或眼睛那樣重要。不屬靈的人就會說：[這件事有何不妥？你真是太古怪了！ ]有史以來，從沒有一個聖徒開始的時候，不是從無手無足的殘缺中起步的。可是，寧可被神視為美好而帶著殘廢進入永生，勝過在人眼中看為美麗，在神卻視為殘廢。重生初期，有許多事情是耶穌藉著殘廢禁止你做的；雖然別人作這些事或許完全沒有問題，你卻不可作。但得小心；不可以用你所受的限制去批評別人。
生命的開始是殘廢的，但在第四十八節中，耶穌卻展開了一幅豐盛生命的圖畫－－[你們要完全，像你們的天父完全一樣。 ]
祈禱◆主啊！願你今天帶領我進入你更多恩慈和奇妙的作為中。願你那滿有恩典和能力的慈手，今天覆庇我。
Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that “if your right hand causes you to sin” in your walk with Him, then it is better to “cut it off.” There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them. Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then “cut it off.” The principle taught here is the strictest discipline or lesson that ever hit humankind.
When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed. There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you. But the unspiritual people around you will say, “What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!” There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God’s sight than to appear lovely to man’s eyes but lame to God’s. At first, Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you. Yet, see that you don’t use your restrictions to criticize someone else.
The Christian life is a maimed life initially, but in Matthew 5:48 Jesus gave us the picture of a perfectly well-rounded life— “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
操練的方向
若是右手叫你跌倒，就砍下來丟掉。寧可失去百體中的一體，不叫全身下入地獄。 （太五30）
耶穌並沒有叫人把手砍掉，他只是說：[若你右手阻礙你與我同行，就把它砍下來。 ]有許多事本來是完全合情合理的，但你若要專心跟從神，就不能去做了。右手是你最有用的東西，但耶穌說如果它阻礙你跟從他，就把它砍掉。這種鍛煉的方法，是人類空前最嚴厲的。
神藉著重生改變了一個人，那生命起初的特徵就是殘廢。你有許多事不敢做了，而那些事在你眼中，在認識你的世界眼中，是等於你的右手或眼睛那樣重要。不屬靈的人就會說：[這件事有何不妥？你真是太古怪了！ ]有史以來，從沒有一個聖徒開始的時候，不是從無手無足的殘缺中起步的。可是，寧可被神視為美好而帶著殘廢進入永生，勝過在人眼中看為美麗，在神卻視為殘廢。重生初期，有許多事情是耶穌藉著殘廢禁止你做的；雖然別人作這些事或許完全沒有問題，你卻不可作。但得小心；不可以用你所受的限制去批評別人。
生命的開始是殘廢的，但在第四十八節中，耶穌卻展開了一幅豐盛生命的圖畫－－[你們要完全，像你們的天父完全一樣。 ]
祈禱◆主啊！願你今天帶領我進入你更多恩慈和奇妙的作為中。願你那滿有恩典和能力的慈手，今天覆庇我。
March 08, 2014
The Surrendered Life
I have been crucified with Christ . . . —Galatians 2:20
To become one with Jesus Christ, a person must be willing not only to give up sin, but also to surrender his whole way of looking at things. Being born again by the Spirit of God means that we must first be willing to let go before we can grasp something else. The first thing we must surrender is all of our pretense or deceit. What our Lord wants us to present to Him is not our goodness, honesty, or our efforts to do better, but real solid sin. Actually, that is all He can take from us. And what He gives us in exchange for our sin is real solid righteousness. But we must surrender all pretense that we are anything, and give up all our claims of even being worthy of God’s consideration.
Once we have done that, the Spirit of God will show us what we need to surrender next. Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? Are we ready to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?
We will suffer a sharp painful disillusionment before we fully surrender. When people really see themselves as the Lord sees them, it is not the terribly offensive sins of the flesh that shock them, but the awful nature of the pride of their own hearts opposing Jesus Christ. When they see themselves in the light of the Lord, the shame, horror, and desperate conviction hit home for them.
If you are faced with the question of whether or not to surrender, make a determination to go on through the crisis, surrendering all that you have and all that you are to Him. And God will then equip you to do all that He requires of you.
全捨的生命
我已經與基督同釘十字架。 （加二20）
一個真正與耶穌基督聯合的人，不但捨棄了罪，更把個人對事物的觀點也一概捨棄。從上頭、從聖靈而生的意思，就是先放下，然後才得著；而第一步要放下的就是一切虛假。主要我們帶到他面前的，不是良善、不是誠實、不是努力，而是罪；他所要接受的就是這些。那他以什麼代替我們的罪呢？真正的義。但我們先得放下一切自以為是的偽裝，一切自以為配得神恩眷的資格。
然後，聖靈會繼續顯示我們還有什麼要放下得。我必須在任何情況下，放棄自己的主權。我是否願意視自己與基督同死，放棄一切所有的？放棄感情上羈絆，放棄所有手上執著的東西。不再緊緊抓住，視為己有。
我們放下之先，總會經歷刻骨銘心的痛苦。當人真以主的眼光看自己，震驚的不是那些肉體可怕的罪，而是心中對耶穌基督那驚人的高傲本性。當他在主的光中看見自己，那羞愧、驚懼、絕望，必顯露無遺。要是你正在面臨[放下的問題]，就必須經過那抉擇的關頭。若能放下一切，神便按他的心意模造你。
祈禱◆[散佈亮光是為義人。 ]主啊，何等的豐收！你的道路是何等的奇妙。
To become one with Jesus Christ, a person must be willing not only to give up sin, but also to surrender his whole way of looking at things. Being born again by the Spirit of God means that we must first be willing to let go before we can grasp something else. The first thing we must surrender is all of our pretense or deceit. What our Lord wants us to present to Him is not our goodness, honesty, or our efforts to do better, but real solid sin. Actually, that is all He can take from us. And what He gives us in exchange for our sin is real solid righteousness. But we must surrender all pretense that we are anything, and give up all our claims of even being worthy of God’s consideration.
Once we have done that, the Spirit of God will show us what we need to surrender next. Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? Are we ready to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?
We will suffer a sharp painful disillusionment before we fully surrender. When people really see themselves as the Lord sees them, it is not the terribly offensive sins of the flesh that shock them, but the awful nature of the pride of their own hearts opposing Jesus Christ. When they see themselves in the light of the Lord, the shame, horror, and desperate conviction hit home for them.
If you are faced with the question of whether or not to surrender, make a determination to go on through the crisis, surrendering all that you have and all that you are to Him. And God will then equip you to do all that He requires of you.
全捨的生命
我已經與基督同釘十字架。 （加二20）
一個真正與耶穌基督聯合的人，不但捨棄了罪，更把個人對事物的觀點也一概捨棄。從上頭、從聖靈而生的意思，就是先放下，然後才得著；而第一步要放下的就是一切虛假。主要我們帶到他面前的，不是良善、不是誠實、不是努力，而是罪；他所要接受的就是這些。那他以什麼代替我們的罪呢？真正的義。但我們先得放下一切自以為是的偽裝，一切自以為配得神恩眷的資格。
然後，聖靈會繼續顯示我們還有什麼要放下得。我必須在任何情況下，放棄自己的主權。我是否願意視自己與基督同死，放棄一切所有的？放棄感情上羈絆，放棄所有手上執著的東西。不再緊緊抓住，視為己有。
我們放下之先，總會經歷刻骨銘心的痛苦。當人真以主的眼光看自己，震驚的不是那些肉體可怕的罪，而是心中對耶穌基督那驚人的高傲本性。當他在主的光中看見自己，那羞愧、驚懼、絕望，必顯露無遺。要是你正在面臨[放下的問題]，就必須經過那抉擇的關頭。若能放下一切，神便按他的心意模造你。
祈禱◆[散佈亮光是為義人。 ]主啊，何等的豐收！你的道路是何等的奇妙。
December 07, 2013
Repentance
Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation . . . —2 Corinthians 7:10
Conviction of sin is best described in the words:
My sins, my sins, my Savior,
How sad on Thee they fall.
Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God— “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight . . .” (Psalm 51:4). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, “I have sinned.” The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes— a reflex action caused by self-disgust.
The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man’s respectable “goodness.” Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person’s life (see Galatians 4:19). This new life will reveal itself in conscious repentance followed by unconscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses— repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.
悔改
依著神的意思憂愁，就生出沒有後悔的懊悔來，以致得救。 （林後七10）
對罪的自責，哲學話說的最貼切：[我的罪，我的罪啊，落在你身上，我的救主，多悲痛！ ]認罪是一個人最罕有的打擊，那是認識神的門檻。耶穌基督說聖靈來，是叫人為罪自責；當聖靈喚醒人的良心，叫他面對神的時候，使他不安的，不是與人的關係，而是與神的關係－－[我向你犯罪，惟獨得罪了你，在你眼前行了這惡。 ]認罪、赦免和聖潔三者奇妙的交織著，只有蒙赦罪的人，才成為聖潔。他蒙赦免的證據，是因著神的恩典，以致前後判若兩人。悔改總叫人承認：[我犯了罪。 ]一個人肯這樣忠心表示，就是神作工的最大明證。若非這樣，那就只不過是因犯錯事而勝的懊悔，是鄙屑自己的一種反射作用罷了。
進入神的過度，是藉著悔改的苦痛，刺透人自以為是的高貴良善；然後聖靈來了，在人裡面開始創造神兒子的生命。新生命的表彰，是明明的悔改，與不知不覺的成聖，絕不會有相反表現的。基督信仰的基石是悔改。嚴格來說，人無法自己悔改，悔改是神的禮物。古代清教徒就常求[眼淚的恩賜]。所以什麼時候你不再覺得悔改的好處，就是在黑暗裡了。試省察自己，是否已忘記了怎樣知錯。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，藉著你的聖靈和恩典，我的內心產生和孕育了極大的渴望－－願我能適當地讚美你。
Conviction of sin is best described in the words:
My sins, my sins, my Savior,
How sad on Thee they fall.
Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God— “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight . . .” (Psalm 51:4). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, “I have sinned.” The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes— a reflex action caused by self-disgust.
The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man’s respectable “goodness.” Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person’s life (see Galatians 4:19). This new life will reveal itself in conscious repentance followed by unconscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses— repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.
悔改
依著神的意思憂愁，就生出沒有後悔的懊悔來，以致得救。 （林後七10）
對罪的自責，哲學話說的最貼切：[我的罪，我的罪啊，落在你身上，我的救主，多悲痛！ ]認罪是一個人最罕有的打擊，那是認識神的門檻。耶穌基督說聖靈來，是叫人為罪自責；當聖靈喚醒人的良心，叫他面對神的時候，使他不安的，不是與人的關係，而是與神的關係－－[我向你犯罪，惟獨得罪了你，在你眼前行了這惡。 ]認罪、赦免和聖潔三者奇妙的交織著，只有蒙赦罪的人，才成為聖潔。他蒙赦免的證據，是因著神的恩典，以致前後判若兩人。悔改總叫人承認：[我犯了罪。 ]一個人肯這樣忠心表示，就是神作工的最大明證。若非這樣，那就只不過是因犯錯事而勝的懊悔，是鄙屑自己的一種反射作用罷了。
進入神的過度，是藉著悔改的苦痛，刺透人自以為是的高貴良善；然後聖靈來了，在人裡面開始創造神兒子的生命。新生命的表彰，是明明的悔改，與不知不覺的成聖，絕不會有相反表現的。基督信仰的基石是悔改。嚴格來說，人無法自己悔改，悔改是神的禮物。古代清教徒就常求[眼淚的恩賜]。所以什麼時候你不再覺得悔改的好處，就是在黑暗裡了。試省察自己，是否已忘記了怎樣知錯。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，藉著你的聖靈和恩典，我的內心產生和孕育了極大的渴望－－願我能適當地讚美你。
August 22, 2013
“I Indeed . . . But He”
I indeed baptize you with water . . . but He . . . will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire —Matthew 3:11
Have I ever come to the point in my life where I can say, “I indeed . . . but He . . .”? Until that moment comes, I will never know what the baptism of the Holy Spirit means. I indeed am at the end, and I cannot do anything more— but He begins right there— He does the things that no one else can ever do. Am I prepared for His coming? Jesus cannot come and do His work in me as long as there is anything blocking the way, whether it is something good or bad. When He comes to me, am I prepared for Him to drag every wrong thing I have ever done into the light? That is exactly where He comes. Wherever I know I am unclean is where He will put His feet and stand, and wherever I think I am clean is where He will remove His feet and walk away.
Repentance does not cause a sense of sin— it causes a sense of inexpressible unworthiness. When I repent, I realize that I am absolutely helpless, and I know that through and through I am not worthy even to carry His sandals. Have I repented like that, or do I have a lingering thought of possibly trying to defend my actions? The reason God cannot come into my life is that I am not at the point of complete repentance.
“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John is not speaking here of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as an experience, but as a work performed by Jesus Christ. “He will baptize you . . . .” The only experience that those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit are ever conscious of is the experience of sensing their absolute unworthiness.
“I indeed” was this in the past, “but He” came and something miraculous happened. Get to the end of yourself where you can do nothing, but where He does everything.
我是……但祂
我是用水給你們施洗，……但……他要用聖靈與火給你們施洗。 （太三11）
我是否已經到達可以說[我是……但他]的地步？未經歷這一刻，便實在不知道聖靈的洗到底是什麼意思。我果真到了盡頭，一無辦法；他就在此開始作人所無法作的。我預備好迎接他的來臨嗎？若路上有東西阻隔，不論是好是壞，他都不能來。在他來的時候，我是否預備好讓他把我一切的錯失帶到光中對付？他正要在這些事上臨到你。我明知不潔的地方，他就插足其中；我以為潔淨的地方，他就離去。
悔改並不會帶來罪疚感，只會叫人覺得自己絕對的不配。我悔改時，知道自己無能為力，連替他提鞋也不配。我有沒有這樣悔改過？還是暗地裡還為自己留一點餘地？神仍未能進入我的生命，是因為我還未徹底悔改。 [他要用聖靈與火給你們施洗。 ]約翰並沒有把聖靈的洗當作一個經歷，他是視之為耶穌基督的工作。 [他要給你們施洗。 ]凡受過聖靈施洗的人，唯一的知覺就是自己完全不配。 [我是……]這樣或那樣，[但他]來了，奇妙的事就發生。我們退居末位吧，讓他成就一切。
祈禱◆主啊，我多麼貧乏！那麼多的軟弱潛伏在隱藏的地方，要將我整個人摧毀。噢，主啊，我投向你。我何等需要認識到，離開了你，我便不能作什麼。
Have I ever come to the point in my life where I can say, “I indeed . . . but He . . .”? Until that moment comes, I will never know what the baptism of the Holy Spirit means. I indeed am at the end, and I cannot do anything more— but He begins right there— He does the things that no one else can ever do. Am I prepared for His coming? Jesus cannot come and do His work in me as long as there is anything blocking the way, whether it is something good or bad. When He comes to me, am I prepared for Him to drag every wrong thing I have ever done into the light? That is exactly where He comes. Wherever I know I am unclean is where He will put His feet and stand, and wherever I think I am clean is where He will remove His feet and walk away.
Repentance does not cause a sense of sin— it causes a sense of inexpressible unworthiness. When I repent, I realize that I am absolutely helpless, and I know that through and through I am not worthy even to carry His sandals. Have I repented like that, or do I have a lingering thought of possibly trying to defend my actions? The reason God cannot come into my life is that I am not at the point of complete repentance.
“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John is not speaking here of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as an experience, but as a work performed by Jesus Christ. “He will baptize you . . . .” The only experience that those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit are ever conscious of is the experience of sensing their absolute unworthiness.
“I indeed” was this in the past, “but He” came and something miraculous happened. Get to the end of yourself where you can do nothing, but where He does everything.
我是……但祂
我是用水給你們施洗，……但……他要用聖靈與火給你們施洗。 （太三11）
我是否已經到達可以說[我是……但他]的地步？未經歷這一刻，便實在不知道聖靈的洗到底是什麼意思。我果真到了盡頭，一無辦法；他就在此開始作人所無法作的。我預備好迎接他的來臨嗎？若路上有東西阻隔，不論是好是壞，他都不能來。在他來的時候，我是否預備好讓他把我一切的錯失帶到光中對付？他正要在這些事上臨到你。我明知不潔的地方，他就插足其中；我以為潔淨的地方，他就離去。
悔改並不會帶來罪疚感，只會叫人覺得自己絕對的不配。我悔改時，知道自己無能為力，連替他提鞋也不配。我有沒有這樣悔改過？還是暗地裡還為自己留一點餘地？神仍未能進入我的生命，是因為我還未徹底悔改。 [他要用聖靈與火給你們施洗。 ]約翰並沒有把聖靈的洗當作一個經歷，他是視之為耶穌基督的工作。 [他要給你們施洗。 ]凡受過聖靈施洗的人，唯一的知覺就是自己完全不配。 [我是……]這樣或那樣，[但他]來了，奇妙的事就發生。我們退居末位吧，讓他成就一切。
祈禱◆主啊，我多麼貧乏！那麼多的軟弱潛伏在隱藏的地方，要將我整個人摧毀。噢，主啊，我投向你。我何等需要認識到，離開了你，我便不能作什麼。
July 03, 2013
The Concentration of Personal Sin
Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips . . . —Isaiah 6:5
When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, “Oh yes, I know I am a sinner,” but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are. This is always the sign that a person is in the presence of God. There is never any vague sense of sin, but a focusing on the concentration of sin in some specific, personal area of life. God begins by convicting us of the very thing to which His Spirit has directed our mind’s attention. If we will surrender, submitting to His conviction of that particular sin, He will lead us down to where He can reveal the vast underlying nature of sin. That is the way God always deals with us when we are consciously aware of His presence.
This experience of our attention being directed to our concentration of personal sin is true in everyone’s life, from the greatest of saints to the worst of sinners. When a person first begins climbing the ladder of experience, he might say, “I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong,” but the Spirit of God will point out some definite and specific thing to him. The effect of Isaiah’s vision of the holiness of the Lord was the directing of his attention to the fact that he was “a man of unclean lips.” “He touched my mouth with it, and said: ’Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged’ ” (Isaiah 6:7). The cleansing fire had to be applied where the sin had been concentrated.
人罪惡的集中地
禍哉，我滅亡了。因為我是嘴唇不潔的人。 （賽六5）
我來到神面前，自覺是個罪人。那意識不會是模棱兩可的，我必然是意識到我生命的某一方面有罪。人可以很容易地說：[是的，我是個罪人。 ]但當他一旦來到神面前，就不能憑這句話輕輕逃過去。那知罪的意念會集中在——[我這個不是，那個不對。 ]人來到神面前總有這個表記。罪的意識不會模糊不清，一定是集中在個人的某一些事上。神起初總是藉聖靈指控我們心中的某一件事，我們若在這件事上承認自己有罪，他便把我們引進下面最大的罪根性區。我們若是在神面前，他總是這樣對付我們。
這個把罪惡集中的經歷，不論在最偉大的聖徒或最渺小的罪人身上，都毫無分別。在這經歷第一級階梯上的人會說：[我不知過錯何在，但神的靈必會指出我在哪一件事上犯了錯。 ]以賽亞看見聖潔的神，他就察覺自己是嘴唇不潔的人。 [將炭沾我的口說，看哪，這炭沾了你的嘴，你的罪孽便除掉，你的罪惡就赦免了。 ]潔淨的火必要施於罪惡集中之處。
祈禱◆主啊，願你的純潔滲透我們的思想、身體和感情；讓我們完全認知和迅速彰顯你那活潑而使人充滿生氣的作為。願你那豐富的能力，進入我們的生活中。
When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, “Oh yes, I know I am a sinner,” but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are. This is always the sign that a person is in the presence of God. There is never any vague sense of sin, but a focusing on the concentration of sin in some specific, personal area of life. God begins by convicting us of the very thing to which His Spirit has directed our mind’s attention. If we will surrender, submitting to His conviction of that particular sin, He will lead us down to where He can reveal the vast underlying nature of sin. That is the way God always deals with us when we are consciously aware of His presence.
This experience of our attention being directed to our concentration of personal sin is true in everyone’s life, from the greatest of saints to the worst of sinners. When a person first begins climbing the ladder of experience, he might say, “I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong,” but the Spirit of God will point out some definite and specific thing to him. The effect of Isaiah’s vision of the holiness of the Lord was the directing of his attention to the fact that he was “a man of unclean lips.” “He touched my mouth with it, and said: ’Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged’ ” (Isaiah 6:7). The cleansing fire had to be applied where the sin had been concentrated.
人罪惡的集中地
禍哉，我滅亡了。因為我是嘴唇不潔的人。 （賽六5）
我來到神面前，自覺是個罪人。那意識不會是模棱兩可的，我必然是意識到我生命的某一方面有罪。人可以很容易地說：[是的，我是個罪人。 ]但當他一旦來到神面前，就不能憑這句話輕輕逃過去。那知罪的意念會集中在——[我這個不是，那個不對。 ]人來到神面前總有這個表記。罪的意識不會模糊不清，一定是集中在個人的某一些事上。神起初總是藉聖靈指控我們心中的某一件事，我們若在這件事上承認自己有罪，他便把我們引進下面最大的罪根性區。我們若是在神面前，他總是這樣對付我們。
這個把罪惡集中的經歷，不論在最偉大的聖徒或最渺小的罪人身上，都毫無分別。在這經歷第一級階梯上的人會說：[我不知過錯何在，但神的靈必會指出我在哪一件事上犯了錯。 ]以賽亞看見聖潔的神，他就察覺自己是嘴唇不潔的人。 [將炭沾我的口說，看哪，這炭沾了你的嘴，你的罪孽便除掉，你的罪惡就赦免了。 ]潔淨的火必要施於罪惡集中之處。
祈禱◆主啊，願你的純潔滲透我們的思想、身體和感情；讓我們完全認知和迅速彰顯你那活潑而使人充滿生氣的作為。願你那豐富的能力，進入我們的生活中。
June 29, 2013
The Strictest Discipline
If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell —Matthew 5:30
Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that “if your right hand causes you to sin” in your walk with Him, then it is better to “cut it off.” There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them. Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then “cut it off.” The principle taught here is the strictest discipline or lesson that ever hit humankind.
When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed. There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you. But the unspiritual people around you will say, “What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!” There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God’s sight than to appear lovely to man’s eyes but lame to God’s. At first, Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you. Yet, see that you don’t use your restrictions to criticize someone else.
The Christian life is a maimed life initially, but in Matthew 5:48 Jesus gave us the picture of a perfectly well-rounded life— “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
操練的方向
若是右手叫你跌倒，就砍下來丟掉。寧可失去百體中的一體，不叫全身下入地獄。 （太五30）
耶穌並沒有叫人把手砍掉，他只是說：[若你右手阻礙你與我同行，就把它砍下來。 ]有許多事本來是完全合情合理的，但你若要專心跟從神，就不能去做了。右手是你最有用的東西，但耶穌說如果它阻礙你跟從他，就把它砍掉。這種鍛煉的方法，是人類空前最嚴厲的。
神藉著重生改變了一個人，那生命起初的特徵就是殘廢。你有許多事不敢做了，而那些事在你眼中，在認識你的世界眼中，是等於你的右手或眼睛那樣重要。不屬靈的人就會說：[這件事有何不妥？你真是太古怪了！ ]有史以來，從沒有一個聖徒開始的時候，不是從無手無足的殘缺中起步的。可是，寧可被神視為美好而帶著殘廢進入永生，勝過在人眼中看為美麗，在神卻視為殘廢。重生初期，有許多事情是耶穌藉著殘廢禁止你做的；雖然別人作這些事或許完全沒有問題，你卻不可作。但得小心；不可以用你所受的限制去批評別人。
生命的開始是殘廢的，但在第四十八節中，耶穌卻展開了一幅豐盛生命的圖畫－－[你們要完全，像你們的天父完全一樣。 ]
祈禱◆主啊！願你今天帶領我進入你更多恩慈和奇妙的作為中。願你那滿有恩典和能力的慈手，今天覆庇我。
Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that “if your right hand causes you to sin” in your walk with Him, then it is better to “cut it off.” There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them. Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then “cut it off.” The principle taught here is the strictest discipline or lesson that ever hit humankind.
When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed. There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you. But the unspiritual people around you will say, “What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!” There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God’s sight than to appear lovely to man’s eyes but lame to God’s. At first, Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you. Yet, see that you don’t use your restrictions to criticize someone else.
The Christian life is a maimed life initially, but in Matthew 5:48 Jesus gave us the picture of a perfectly well-rounded life— “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
操練的方向
若是右手叫你跌倒，就砍下來丟掉。寧可失去百體中的一體，不叫全身下入地獄。 （太五30）
耶穌並沒有叫人把手砍掉，他只是說：[若你右手阻礙你與我同行，就把它砍下來。 ]有許多事本來是完全合情合理的，但你若要專心跟從神，就不能去做了。右手是你最有用的東西，但耶穌說如果它阻礙你跟從他，就把它砍掉。這種鍛煉的方法，是人類空前最嚴厲的。
神藉著重生改變了一個人，那生命起初的特徵就是殘廢。你有許多事不敢做了，而那些事在你眼中，在認識你的世界眼中，是等於你的右手或眼睛那樣重要。不屬靈的人就會說：[這件事有何不妥？你真是太古怪了！ ]有史以來，從沒有一個聖徒開始的時候，不是從無手無足的殘缺中起步的。可是，寧可被神視為美好而帶著殘廢進入永生，勝過在人眼中看為美麗，在神卻視為殘廢。重生初期，有許多事情是耶穌藉著殘廢禁止你做的；雖然別人作這些事或許完全沒有問題，你卻不可作。但得小心；不可以用你所受的限制去批評別人。
生命的開始是殘廢的，但在第四十八節中，耶穌卻展開了一幅豐盛生命的圖畫－－[你們要完全，像你們的天父完全一樣。 ]
祈禱◆主啊！願你今天帶領我進入你更多恩慈和奇妙的作為中。願你那滿有恩典和能力的慈手，今天覆庇我。
March 08, 2013
The Surrendered Life
I have been crucified with Christ . . . —Galatians 2:20
To become one with Jesus Christ, a person must be willing not only to give up sin, but also to surrender his whole way of looking at things. Being born again by the Spirit of God means that we must first be willing to let go before we can grasp something else. The first thing we must surrender is all of our pretense or deceit. What our Lord wants us to present to Him is not our goodness, honesty, or our efforts to do better, but real solid sin. Actually, that is all He can take from us. And what He gives us in exchange for our sin is real solid righteousness. But we must surrender all pretense that we are anything, and give up all our claims of even being worthy of God’s consideration.
Once we have done that, the Spirit of God will show us what we need to surrender next. Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? Are we ready to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?
We will suffer a sharp painful disillusionment before we fully surrender. When people really see themselves as the Lord sees them, it is not the terribly offensive sins of the flesh that shock them, but the awful nature of the pride of their own hearts opposing Jesus Christ. When they see themselves in the light of the Lord, the shame, horror, and desperate conviction hit home for them.
If you are faced with the question of whether or not to surrender, make a determination to go on through the crisis, surrendering all that you have and all that you are to Him. And God will then equip you to do all that He requires of you.
全捨的生命
我已經與基督同釘十字架。 （加二20）
一個真正與耶穌基督聯合的人，不但捨棄了罪，更把個人對事物的觀點也一概捨棄。從上頭、從聖靈而生的意思，就是先放下，然後才得著；而第一步要放下的就是一切虛假。主要我們帶到他面前的，不是良善、不是誠實、不是努力，而是罪；他所要接受的就是這些。那他以什麼代替我們的罪呢？真正的義。但我們先得放下一切自以為是的偽裝，一切自以為配得神恩眷的資格。
然後，聖靈會繼續顯示我們還有什麼要放下得。我必須在任何情況下，放棄自己的主權。我是否願意視自己與基督同死，放棄一切所有的？放棄感情上羈絆，放棄所有手上執著的東西。不再緊緊抓住，視為己有。
我們放下之先，總會經歷刻骨銘心的痛苦。當人真以主的眼光看自己，震驚的不是那些肉體可怕的罪，而是心中對耶穌基督那驚人的高傲本性。當他在主的光中看見自己，那羞愧、驚懼、絕望，必顯露無遺。要是你正在面臨[放下的問題]，就必須經過那抉擇的關頭。若能放下一切，神便按他的心意模造你。
祈禱◆[散佈亮光是為義人。 ]主啊，何等的豐收！你的道路是何等的奇妙。
To become one with Jesus Christ, a person must be willing not only to give up sin, but also to surrender his whole way of looking at things. Being born again by the Spirit of God means that we must first be willing to let go before we can grasp something else. The first thing we must surrender is all of our pretense or deceit. What our Lord wants us to present to Him is not our goodness, honesty, or our efforts to do better, but real solid sin. Actually, that is all He can take from us. And what He gives us in exchange for our sin is real solid righteousness. But we must surrender all pretense that we are anything, and give up all our claims of even being worthy of God’s consideration.
Once we have done that, the Spirit of God will show us what we need to surrender next. Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? Are we ready to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?
We will suffer a sharp painful disillusionment before we fully surrender. When people really see themselves as the Lord sees them, it is not the terribly offensive sins of the flesh that shock them, but the awful nature of the pride of their own hearts opposing Jesus Christ. When they see themselves in the light of the Lord, the shame, horror, and desperate conviction hit home for them.
If you are faced with the question of whether or not to surrender, make a determination to go on through the crisis, surrendering all that you have and all that you are to Him. And God will then equip you to do all that He requires of you.
全捨的生命
我已經與基督同釘十字架。 （加二20）
一個真正與耶穌基督聯合的人，不但捨棄了罪，更把個人對事物的觀點也一概捨棄。從上頭、從聖靈而生的意思，就是先放下，然後才得著；而第一步要放下的就是一切虛假。主要我們帶到他面前的，不是良善、不是誠實、不是努力，而是罪；他所要接受的就是這些。那他以什麼代替我們的罪呢？真正的義。但我們先得放下一切自以為是的偽裝，一切自以為配得神恩眷的資格。
然後，聖靈會繼續顯示我們還有什麼要放下得。我必須在任何情況下，放棄自己的主權。我是否願意視自己與基督同死，放棄一切所有的？放棄感情上羈絆，放棄所有手上執著的東西。不再緊緊抓住，視為己有。
我們放下之先，總會經歷刻骨銘心的痛苦。當人真以主的眼光看自己，震驚的不是那些肉體可怕的罪，而是心中對耶穌基督那驚人的高傲本性。當他在主的光中看見自己，那羞愧、驚懼、絕望，必顯露無遺。要是你正在面臨[放下的問題]，就必須經過那抉擇的關頭。若能放下一切，神便按他的心意模造你。
祈禱◆[散佈亮光是為義人。 ]主啊，何等的豐收！你的道路是何等的奇妙。
December 07, 2012
Repentance
Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation . . . —2 Corinthians 7:10
Conviction of sin is best described in the words:
My sins, my sins, my Savior,
How sad on Thee they fall.
Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God— “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight . . .” (Psalm 51:4). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, “I have sinned.” The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes— a reflex action caused by self-disgust.
The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man’s respectable “goodness.” Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person’s life (see Galatians 4:19). This new life will reveal itself in conscious repentance followed by unconscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses— repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.
悔改
依著神的意思憂愁，就生出沒有後悔的懊悔來，以致得救。 （林後七10）
對罪的自責，哲學話說的最貼切：[我的罪，我的罪啊，落在你身上，我的救主，多悲痛！ ]認罪是一個人最罕有的打擊，那是認識神的門檻。耶穌基督說聖靈來，是叫人為罪自責；當聖靈喚醒人的良心，叫他面對神的時候，使他不安的，不是與人的關係，而是與神的關係－－[我向你犯罪，惟獨得罪了你，在你眼前行了這惡。 ]認罪、赦免和聖潔三者奇妙的交織著，只有蒙赦罪的人，才成為聖潔。他蒙赦免的證據，是因著神的恩典，以致前後判若兩人。悔改總叫人承認：[我犯了罪。 ]一個人肯這樣忠心表示，就是神作工的最大明證。若非這樣，那就只不過是因犯錯事而勝的懊悔，是鄙屑自己的一種反射作用罷了。
進入神的過度，是藉著悔改的苦痛，刺透人自以為是的高貴良善；然後聖靈來了，在人裡面開始創造神兒子的生命。新生命的表彰，是明明的悔改，與不知不覺的成聖，絕不會有相反表現的。基督信仰的基石是悔改。嚴格來說，人無法自己悔改，悔改是神的禮物。古代清教徒就常求[眼淚的恩賜]。所以什麼時候你不再覺得悔改的好處，就是在黑暗裡了。試省察自己，是否已忘記了怎樣知錯。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，藉著你的聖靈和恩典，我的內心產生和孕育了極大的渴望－－願我能適當地讚美你。
Conviction of sin is best described in the words:
My sins, my sins, my Savior,
How sad on Thee they fall.
Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God— “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight . . .” (Psalm 51:4). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, “I have sinned.” The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes— a reflex action caused by self-disgust.
The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man’s respectable “goodness.” Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person’s life (see Galatians 4:19). This new life will reveal itself in conscious repentance followed by unconscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses— repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.
悔改
依著神的意思憂愁，就生出沒有後悔的懊悔來，以致得救。 （林後七10）
對罪的自責，哲學話說的最貼切：[我的罪，我的罪啊，落在你身上，我的救主，多悲痛！ ]認罪是一個人最罕有的打擊，那是認識神的門檻。耶穌基督說聖靈來，是叫人為罪自責；當聖靈喚醒人的良心，叫他面對神的時候，使他不安的，不是與人的關係，而是與神的關係－－[我向你犯罪，惟獨得罪了你，在你眼前行了這惡。 ]認罪、赦免和聖潔三者奇妙的交織著，只有蒙赦罪的人，才成為聖潔。他蒙赦免的證據，是因著神的恩典，以致前後判若兩人。悔改總叫人承認：[我犯了罪。 ]一個人肯這樣忠心表示，就是神作工的最大明證。若非這樣，那就只不過是因犯錯事而勝的懊悔，是鄙屑自己的一種反射作用罷了。
進入神的過度，是藉著悔改的苦痛，刺透人自以為是的高貴良善；然後聖靈來了，在人裡面開始創造神兒子的生命。新生命的表彰，是明明的悔改，與不知不覺的成聖，絕不會有相反表現的。基督信仰的基石是悔改。嚴格來說，人無法自己悔改，悔改是神的禮物。古代清教徒就常求[眼淚的恩賜]。所以什麼時候你不再覺得悔改的好處，就是在黑暗裡了。試省察自己，是否已忘記了怎樣知錯。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，藉著你的聖靈和恩典，我的內心產生和孕育了極大的渴望－－願我能適當地讚美你。
August 22, 2012
“I Indeed . . . But He”
I indeed baptize you with water . . . but He . . . will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire —Matthew 3:11
Have I ever come to the point in my life where I can say, “I indeed . . . but He . . .”? Until that moment comes, I will never know what the baptism of the Holy Spirit means. I indeed am at the end, and I cannot do anything more— but He begins right there— He does the things that no one else can ever do. Am I prepared for His coming? Jesus cannot come and do His work in me as long as there is anything blocking the way, whether it is something good or bad. When He comes to me, am I prepared for Him to drag every wrong thing I have ever done into the light? That is exactly where He comes. Wherever I know I am unclean is where He will put His feet and stand, and wherever I think I am clean is where He will remove His feet and walk away.
Repentance does not cause a sense of sin— it causes a sense of inexpressible unworthiness. When I repent, I realize that I am absolutely helpless, and I know that through and through I am not worthy even to carry His sandals. Have I repented like that, or do I have a lingering thought of possibly trying to defend my actions? The reason God cannot come into my life is that I am not at the point of complete repentance.
“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John is not speaking here of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as an experience, but as a work performed by Jesus Christ. “He will baptize you . . . .” The only experience that those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit are ever conscious of is the experience of sensing their absolute unworthiness.
“I indeed” was this in the past, “but He” came and something miraculous happened. Get to the end of yourself where you can do nothing, but where He does everything.
我是……但祂
我是用水給你們施洗，……但……他要用聖靈與火給你們施洗。 （太三11）
我是否已經到達可以說[我是……但他]的地步？未經歷這一刻，便實在不知道聖靈的洗到底是什麼意思。我果真到了盡頭，一無辦法；他就在此開始作人所無法作的。我預備好迎接他的來臨嗎？若路上有東西阻隔，不論是好是壞，他都不能來。在他來的時候，我是否預備好讓他把我一切的錯失帶到光中對付？他正要在這些事上臨到你。我明知不潔的地方，他就插足其中；我以為潔淨的地方，他就離去。
悔改並不會帶來罪疚感，只會叫人覺得自己絕對的不配。我悔改時，知道自己無能為力，連替他提鞋也不配。我有沒有這樣悔改過？還是暗地裡還為自己留一點餘地？神仍未能進入我的生命，是因為我還未徹底悔改。 [他要用聖靈與火給你們施洗。 ]約翰並沒有把聖靈的洗當作一個經歷，他是視之為耶穌基督的工作。 [他要給你們施洗。 ]凡受過聖靈施洗的人，唯一的知覺就是自己完全不配。 [我是……]這樣或那樣，[但他]來了，奇妙的事就發生。我們退居末位吧，讓他成就一切。
祈禱◆主啊，我多麼貧乏！那麼多的軟弱潛伏在隱藏的地方，要將我整個人摧毀。噢，主啊，我投向你。我何等需要認識到，離開了你，我便不能作什麼。
Have I ever come to the point in my life where I can say, “I indeed . . . but He . . .”? Until that moment comes, I will never know what the baptism of the Holy Spirit means. I indeed am at the end, and I cannot do anything more— but He begins right there— He does the things that no one else can ever do. Am I prepared for His coming? Jesus cannot come and do His work in me as long as there is anything blocking the way, whether it is something good or bad. When He comes to me, am I prepared for Him to drag every wrong thing I have ever done into the light? That is exactly where He comes. Wherever I know I am unclean is where He will put His feet and stand, and wherever I think I am clean is where He will remove His feet and walk away.
Repentance does not cause a sense of sin— it causes a sense of inexpressible unworthiness. When I repent, I realize that I am absolutely helpless, and I know that through and through I am not worthy even to carry His sandals. Have I repented like that, or do I have a lingering thought of possibly trying to defend my actions? The reason God cannot come into my life is that I am not at the point of complete repentance.
“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John is not speaking here of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as an experience, but as a work performed by Jesus Christ. “He will baptize you . . . .” The only experience that those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit are ever conscious of is the experience of sensing their absolute unworthiness.
“I indeed” was this in the past, “but He” came and something miraculous happened. Get to the end of yourself where you can do nothing, but where He does everything.
我是……但祂
我是用水給你們施洗，……但……他要用聖靈與火給你們施洗。 （太三11）
我是否已經到達可以說[我是……但他]的地步？未經歷這一刻，便實在不知道聖靈的洗到底是什麼意思。我果真到了盡頭，一無辦法；他就在此開始作人所無法作的。我預備好迎接他的來臨嗎？若路上有東西阻隔，不論是好是壞，他都不能來。在他來的時候，我是否預備好讓他把我一切的錯失帶到光中對付？他正要在這些事上臨到你。我明知不潔的地方，他就插足其中；我以為潔淨的地方，他就離去。
悔改並不會帶來罪疚感，只會叫人覺得自己絕對的不配。我悔改時，知道自己無能為力，連替他提鞋也不配。我有沒有這樣悔改過？還是暗地裡還為自己留一點餘地？神仍未能進入我的生命，是因為我還未徹底悔改。 [他要用聖靈與火給你們施洗。 ]約翰並沒有把聖靈的洗當作一個經歷，他是視之為耶穌基督的工作。 [他要給你們施洗。 ]凡受過聖靈施洗的人，唯一的知覺就是自己完全不配。 [我是……]這樣或那樣，[但他]來了，奇妙的事就發生。我們退居末位吧，讓他成就一切。
祈禱◆主啊，我多麼貧乏！那麼多的軟弱潛伏在隱藏的地方，要將我整個人摧毀。噢，主啊，我投向你。我何等需要認識到，離開了你，我便不能作什麼。
July 03, 2012
The Concentration of Personal Sin
Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips . . . —Isaiah 6:5
When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, “Oh yes, I know I am a sinner,” but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are. This is always the sign that a person is in the presence of God. There is never any vague sense of sin, but a focusing on the concentration of sin in some specific, personal area of life. God begins by convicting us of the very thing to which His Spirit has directed our mind’s attention. If we will surrender, submitting to His conviction of that particular sin, He will lead us down to where He can reveal the vast underlying nature of sin. That is the way God always deals with us when we are consciously aware of His presence.
This experience of our attention being directed to our concentration of personal sin is true in everyone’s life, from the greatest of saints to the worst of sinners. When a person first begins climbing the ladder of experience, he might say, “I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong,” but the Spirit of God will point out some definite and specific thing to him. The effect of Isaiah’s vision of the holiness of the Lord was the directing of his attention to the fact that he was “a man of unclean lips.” “He touched my mouth with it, and said: ’Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged’ ” (Isaiah 6:7). The cleansing fire had to be applied where the sin had been concentrated.
人罪惡的集中地
禍哉，我滅亡了。因為我是嘴唇不潔的人。 （賽六5）
我來到神面前，自覺是個罪人。那意識不會是模棱兩可的，我必然是意識到我生命的某一方面有罪。人可以很容易地說：[是的，我是個罪人。 ]但當他一旦來到神面前，就不能憑這句話輕輕逃過去。那知罪的意念會集中在——[我這個不是，那個不對。 ]人來到神面前總有這個表記。罪的意識不會模糊不清，一定是集中在個人的某一些事上。神起初總是藉聖靈指控我們心中的某一件事，我們若在這件事上承認自己有罪，他便把我們引進下面最大的罪根性區。我們若是在神面前，他總是這樣對付我們。
這個把罪惡集中的經歷，不論在最偉大的聖徒或最渺小的罪人身上，都毫無分別。在這經歷第一級階梯上的人會說：[我不知過錯何在，但神的靈必會指出我在哪一件事上犯了錯。 ]以賽亞看見聖潔的神，他就察覺自己是嘴唇不潔的人。 [將炭沾我的口說，看哪，這炭沾了你的嘴，你的罪孽便除掉，你的罪惡就赦免了。 ]潔淨的火必要施於罪惡集中之處。
祈禱◆主啊，願你的純潔滲透我們的思想、身體和感情；讓我們完全認知和迅速彰顯你那活潑而使人充滿生氣的作為。願你那豐富的能力，進入我們的生活中。
When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, “Oh yes, I know I am a sinner,” but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are. This is always the sign that a person is in the presence of God. There is never any vague sense of sin, but a focusing on the concentration of sin in some specific, personal area of life. God begins by convicting us of the very thing to which His Spirit has directed our mind’s attention. If we will surrender, submitting to His conviction of that particular sin, He will lead us down to where He can reveal the vast underlying nature of sin. That is the way God always deals with us when we are consciously aware of His presence.
This experience of our attention being directed to our concentration of personal sin is true in everyone’s life, from the greatest of saints to the worst of sinners. When a person first begins climbing the ladder of experience, he might say, “I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong,” but the Spirit of God will point out some definite and specific thing to him. The effect of Isaiah’s vision of the holiness of the Lord was the directing of his attention to the fact that he was “a man of unclean lips.” “He touched my mouth with it, and said: ’Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged’ ” (Isaiah 6:7). The cleansing fire had to be applied where the sin had been concentrated.
人罪惡的集中地
禍哉，我滅亡了。因為我是嘴唇不潔的人。 （賽六5）
我來到神面前，自覺是個罪人。那意識不會是模棱兩可的，我必然是意識到我生命的某一方面有罪。人可以很容易地說：[是的，我是個罪人。 ]但當他一旦來到神面前，就不能憑這句話輕輕逃過去。那知罪的意念會集中在——[我這個不是，那個不對。 ]人來到神面前總有這個表記。罪的意識不會模糊不清，一定是集中在個人的某一些事上。神起初總是藉聖靈指控我們心中的某一件事，我們若在這件事上承認自己有罪，他便把我們引進下面最大的罪根性區。我們若是在神面前，他總是這樣對付我們。
這個把罪惡集中的經歷，不論在最偉大的聖徒或最渺小的罪人身上，都毫無分別。在這經歷第一級階梯上的人會說：[我不知過錯何在，但神的靈必會指出我在哪一件事上犯了錯。 ]以賽亞看見聖潔的神，他就察覺自己是嘴唇不潔的人。 [將炭沾我的口說，看哪，這炭沾了你的嘴，你的罪孽便除掉，你的罪惡就赦免了。 ]潔淨的火必要施於罪惡集中之處。
祈禱◆主啊，願你的純潔滲透我們的思想、身體和感情；讓我們完全認知和迅速彰顯你那活潑而使人充滿生氣的作為。願你那豐富的能力，進入我們的生活中。
June 29, 2012
The Strictest Discipline
If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell —Matthew 5:30
Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that “if your right hand causes you to sin” in your walk with Him, then it is better to “cut it off.” There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them. Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then “cut it off.” The principle taught here is the strictest discipline or lesson that ever hit humankind.
When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed. There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you. But the unspiritual people around you will say, “What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!” There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God’s sight than to appear lovely to man’s eyes but lame to God’s. At first, Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you. Yet, see that you don’t use your restrictions to criticize someone else.
The Christian life is a maimed life initially, but in Matthew 5:48 Jesus gave us the picture of a perfectly well-rounded life— “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
操練的方向
若是右手叫你跌倒，就砍下來丟掉。寧可失去百體中的一體，不叫全身下入地獄。 （太五30）
耶穌並沒有叫人把手砍掉，他只是說：[若你右手阻礙你與我同行，就把它砍下來。 ]有許多事本來是完全合情合理的，但你若要專心跟從神，就不能去做了。右手是你最有用的東西，但耶穌說如果它阻礙你跟從他，就把它砍掉。這種鍛煉的方法，是人類空前最嚴厲的。
神藉著重生改變了一個人，那生命起初的特徵就是殘廢。你有許多事不敢做了，而那些事在你眼中，在認識你的世界眼中，是等於你的右手或眼睛那樣重要。不屬靈的人就會說：[這件事有何不妥？你真是太古怪了！ ]有史以來，從沒有一個聖徒開始的時候，不是從無手無足的殘缺中起步的。可是，寧可被神視為美好而帶著殘廢進入永生，勝過在人眼中看為美麗，在神卻視為殘廢。重生初期，有許多事情是耶穌藉著殘廢禁止你做的；雖然別人作這些事或許完全沒有問題，你卻不可作。但得小心；不可以用你所受的限制去批評別人。
生命的開始是殘廢的，但在第四十八節中，耶穌卻展開了一幅豐盛生命的圖畫－－[你們要完全，像你們的天父完全一樣。 ]
祈禱◆主啊！願你今天帶領我進入你更多恩慈和奇妙的作為中。願你那滿有恩典和能力的慈手，今天覆庇我。
Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that “if your right hand causes you to sin” in your walk with Him, then it is better to “cut it off.” There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them. Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then “cut it off.” The principle taught here is the strictest discipline or lesson that ever hit humankind.
When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed. There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you. But the unspiritual people around you will say, “What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!” There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God’s sight than to appear lovely to man’s eyes but lame to God’s. At first, Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you. Yet, see that you don’t use your restrictions to criticize someone else.
The Christian life is a maimed life initially, but in Matthew 5:48 Jesus gave us the picture of a perfectly well-rounded life— “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
操練的方向
若是右手叫你跌倒，就砍下來丟掉。寧可失去百體中的一體，不叫全身下入地獄。 （太五30）
耶穌並沒有叫人把手砍掉，他只是說：[若你右手阻礙你與我同行，就把它砍下來。 ]有許多事本來是完全合情合理的，但你若要專心跟從神，就不能去做了。右手是你最有用的東西，但耶穌說如果它阻礙你跟從他，就把它砍掉。這種鍛煉的方法，是人類空前最嚴厲的。
神藉著重生改變了一個人，那生命起初的特徵就是殘廢。你有許多事不敢做了，而那些事在你眼中，在認識你的世界眼中，是等於你的右手或眼睛那樣重要。不屬靈的人就會說：[這件事有何不妥？你真是太古怪了！ ]有史以來，從沒有一個聖徒開始的時候，不是從無手無足的殘缺中起步的。可是，寧可被神視為美好而帶著殘廢進入永生，勝過在人眼中看為美麗，在神卻視為殘廢。重生初期，有許多事情是耶穌藉著殘廢禁止你做的；雖然別人作這些事或許完全沒有問題，你卻不可作。但得小心；不可以用你所受的限制去批評別人。
生命的開始是殘廢的，但在第四十八節中，耶穌卻展開了一幅豐盛生命的圖畫－－[你們要完全，像你們的天父完全一樣。 ]
祈禱◆主啊！願你今天帶領我進入你更多恩慈和奇妙的作為中。願你那滿有恩典和能力的慈手，今天覆庇我。
March 08, 2012
The Surrendered Life
I have been crucified with Christ . . . —Galatians 2:20
To become one with Jesus Christ, a person must be willing not only to give up sin, but also to surrender his whole way of looking at things. Being born again by the Spirit of God means that we must first be willing to let go before we can grasp something else. The first thing we must surrender is all of our pretense or deceit. What our Lord wants us to present to Him is not our goodness, honesty, or our efforts to do better, but real solid sin. Actually, that is all He can take from us. And what He gives us in exchange for our sin is real solid righteousness. But we must surrender all pretense that we are anything, and give up all our claims of even being worthy of God’s consideration.
Once we have done that, the Spirit of God will show us what we need to surrender next. Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? Are we ready to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?
We will suffer a sharp painful disillusionment before we fully surrender. When people really see themselves as the Lord sees them, it is not the terribly offensive sins of the flesh that shock them, but the awful nature of the pride of their own hearts opposing Jesus Christ. When they see themselves in the light of the Lord, the shame, horror, and desperate conviction hit home for them.
If you are faced with the question of whether or not to surrender, make a determination to go on through the crisis, surrendering all that you have and all that you are to Him. And God will then equip you to do all that He requires of you.
全捨的生命
我已經與基督同釘十字架。 （加二20）
一個真正與耶穌基督聯合的人，不但捨棄了罪，更把個人對事物的觀點也一概捨棄。從上頭、從聖靈而生的意思，就是先放下，然後才得著；而第一步要放下的就是一切虛假。主要我們帶到他面前的，不是良善、不是誠實、不是努力，而是罪；他所要接受的就是這些。那他以什麼代替我們的罪呢？真正的義。但我們先得放下一切自以為是的偽裝，一切自以為配得神恩眷的資格。
然後，聖靈會繼續顯示我們還有什麼要放下得。我必須在任何情況下，放棄自己的主權。我是否願意視自己與基督同死，放棄一切所有的？放棄感情上羈絆，放棄所有手上執著的東西。不再緊緊抓住，視為己有。
我們放下之先，總會經歷刻骨銘心的痛苦。當人真以主的眼光看自己，震驚的不是那些肉體可怕的罪，而是心中對耶穌基督那驚人的高傲本性。當他在主的光中看見自己，那羞愧、驚懼、絕望，必顯露無遺。要是你正在面臨[放下的問題]，就必須經過那抉擇的關頭。若能放下一切，神便按他的心意模造你。
祈禱◆[散佈亮光是為義人。 ]主啊，何等的豐收！你的道路是何等的奇妙。
To become one with Jesus Christ, a person must be willing not only to give up sin, but also to surrender his whole way of looking at things. Being born again by the Spirit of God means that we must first be willing to let go before we can grasp something else. The first thing we must surrender is all of our pretense or deceit. What our Lord wants us to present to Him is not our goodness, honesty, or our efforts to do better, but real solid sin. Actually, that is all He can take from us. And what He gives us in exchange for our sin is real solid righteousness. But we must surrender all pretense that we are anything, and give up all our claims of even being worthy of God’s consideration.
Once we have done that, the Spirit of God will show us what we need to surrender next. Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? Are we ready to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?
We will suffer a sharp painful disillusionment before we fully surrender. When people really see themselves as the Lord sees them, it is not the terribly offensive sins of the flesh that shock them, but the awful nature of the pride of their own hearts opposing Jesus Christ. When they see themselves in the light of the Lord, the shame, horror, and desperate conviction hit home for them.
If you are faced with the question of whether or not to surrender, make a determination to go on through the crisis, surrendering all that you have and all that you are to Him. And God will then equip you to do all that He requires of you.
全捨的生命
我已經與基督同釘十字架。 （加二20）
一個真正與耶穌基督聯合的人，不但捨棄了罪，更把個人對事物的觀點也一概捨棄。從上頭、從聖靈而生的意思，就是先放下，然後才得著；而第一步要放下的就是一切虛假。主要我們帶到他面前的，不是良善、不是誠實、不是努力，而是罪；他所要接受的就是這些。那他以什麼代替我們的罪呢？真正的義。但我們先得放下一切自以為是的偽裝，一切自以為配得神恩眷的資格。
然後，聖靈會繼續顯示我們還有什麼要放下得。我必須在任何情況下，放棄自己的主權。我是否願意視自己與基督同死，放棄一切所有的？放棄感情上羈絆，放棄所有手上執著的東西。不再緊緊抓住，視為己有。
我們放下之先，總會經歷刻骨銘心的痛苦。當人真以主的眼光看自己，震驚的不是那些肉體可怕的罪，而是心中對耶穌基督那驚人的高傲本性。當他在主的光中看見自己，那羞愧、驚懼、絕望，必顯露無遺。要是你正在面臨[放下的問題]，就必須經過那抉擇的關頭。若能放下一切，神便按他的心意模造你。
祈禱◆[散佈亮光是為義人。 ]主啊，何等的豐收！你的道路是何等的奇妙。
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