Enter by the narrow gate . . . . Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life . . . —Matthew 7:13-14
If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all efforts of worth and excellence are difficult. The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but its difficulty does not make us faint and cave in—it stirs us up to overcome. Do we appreciate the miraculous salvation of Jesus Christ enough to be our utmost for His highest—our best for His glory?
God saves people by His sovereign grace through the atonement of Jesus, and “it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). But we have to “work out” that salvation in our everyday, practical living (Philippians 2:12). If we will only start on the basis of His redemption to do what He commands, then we will find that we can do it. If we fail, it is because we have not yet put into practice what God has placed within us. But a crisis will reveal whether or not we have been putting it into practice. If we will obey the Spirit of God and practice in our physical life what God has placed within us by His Spirit, then when a crisis does come we will find that our own nature, as well as the grace of God, will stand by us.
Thank God that He does give us difficult things to do! His salvation is a joyous thing, but it is also something that requires bravery, courage, and holiness. It tests us for all we are worth. Jesus is “bringing many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10, and God will not shield us from the requirements of sonship. God’s grace produces men and women with a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ, not pampered, spoiled weaklings. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live the worthy and excellent life of a disciple of Jesus in the realities of life. And it is always necessary for us to make an effort to live a life of worth and excellence.
尊貴的事不易做
“你們要進窄門。因為……引到永生，那門是窄的，路是小的，找著的人也少。”馬太福音7：13－14
如果我們準備像耶穌的門徒那樣去生活，我們就要記住所有崇高的事情都是艱難的事。基督徒的生活是極為艱難的，但是這艱難不是讓我們軟弱投降，而是要激起我們去戰勝困難。我們是否深深感激耶穌基督那無比的救恩而竭盡全力為他而活呢？
神因著他至高無上的恩典，藉著耶穌的挽回祭拯救人；我們立志行事都是他在我們裡面運行，為要討他的喜悅；但我們必須在實際的生活裡把這救恩行出來。一旦我們開始站在他救贖的根基上去遵行他的命令，我們會發現我們是可以做到的。如果我們失敗了，這是因為我們還不夠老練。危機會揭露出我們是否一直在實踐他的命令。如果我們順服神的靈，並在我們肉身裡實行神藉著他的靈放在我們裡面的命令，當危機來的時候，我們就會發現我們的本性和神的恩典都會支援我們過去。
感謝神給了我們困難的事情去做！他的拯救是令人高興的，但同時也是偉大的、聖潔的。它測試我們是否配得。耶穌要把許多“兒子”帶進榮耀裡，神不會讓我們逃避作為“兒子”的要求。神的恩典使人轉變成為耶穌基督的樣式，而不是成為一個懦夫。在實際的生活中活出耶穌門徒的生命需要許許多多的操練。成為高尚是需要付出努力的。
July 06, 2013
Visions Become Reality
The parched ground shall become a pool . . . —Isaiah 35:7
We always have a vision of something before it actually becomes real to us. When we realize that the vision is real, but is not yet real in us, Satan comes to us with his temptations, and we are inclined to say that there is no point in even trying to continue. Instead of the vision becoming real to us, we have entered into a valley of humiliation.
Life is not as idle ore,
But iron dug from central gloom,
And battered by the shocks of doom
To shape and use.
God gives us a vision, and then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of that vision. It is in the valley that so many of us give up and faint. Every God-given vision will become real if we will only have patience. Just think of the enormous amount of free time God has! He is never in a hurry. Yet we are always in such a frantic hurry. While still in the light of the glory of the vision, we go right out to do things, but the vision is not yet real in us. God has to take us into the valley and put us through fires and floods to batter us into shape, until we get to the point where He can trust us with the reality of the vision. Ever since God gave us the vision, He has been at work. He is getting us into the shape of the goal He has for us, and yet over and over again we try to escape from the Sculptor’s hand in an effort to batter ourselves into the shape of our own goal.
The vision that God gives is not some unattainable castle in the sky, but a vision of what God wants you to be down here. Allow the Potter to put you on His wheel and whirl you around as He desires. Then as surely as God is God, and you are you, you will turn out as an exact likeness of the vision. But don’t lose heart in the process. If you have ever had a vision from God, you may try as you will to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never allow it.
異象與現實
發光的沙，要變為水池。 （賽三十五7）
在一件事實現以前，我們往往有異象。當我們發現異象雖然真確，但在我們身上卻未實現時，撒旦的試探就來了。我們很容易放棄，認為繼續也無濟於事。異象未能實現，並且來到自卑的山谷中。
[生命不是無人開採的礦藏，乃是地心暗處掘出來的鐵塊，經千錘百煉，為要模造成合用的器皿。 ]
神給我們異象，然後帶我們到山谷去錘煉，捏成該異象的形狀。不少人就是在山谷中仆倒放棄。只要忍耐，每一個異像都要實現。想想神無窮的閒暇！他從不匆忙，而我們卻總是忙得喘不過氣來。在異象的榮光中，我們一鼓作氣去作工，可是，那異像還未在我們裡面成為真實。所以，神必須帶我們到山谷中，經過水火的模造，直至神可以叫異象確切地在我們身上實現。自從我們有了這異象，神就一直作工，要使我們成為理想得模樣，只是我們一次又一次地從他手中逃脫，想模造成自己的形象。
異象不是空中樓閣，乃是神對你的心意。讓他把你放在旋盤中，照他意思去轉動陶造。這樣，神是神，你是你，你就必然變成與異像一模一樣的形狀。在這過程中，不要灰心。只要真見過神的異象，無論你怎樣設法滿足於次一等的狀況，神也不會放過你。
祈禱◆主啊，願我們全然交在你的手中，幫助我們能夠選擇你的帶領，[就是我們的神以我們配得所受的呼召]。
We always have a vision of something before it actually becomes real to us. When we realize that the vision is real, but is not yet real in us, Satan comes to us with his temptations, and we are inclined to say that there is no point in even trying to continue. Instead of the vision becoming real to us, we have entered into a valley of humiliation.
Life is not as idle ore,
But iron dug from central gloom,
And battered by the shocks of doom
To shape and use.
God gives us a vision, and then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of that vision. It is in the valley that so many of us give up and faint. Every God-given vision will become real if we will only have patience. Just think of the enormous amount of free time God has! He is never in a hurry. Yet we are always in such a frantic hurry. While still in the light of the glory of the vision, we go right out to do things, but the vision is not yet real in us. God has to take us into the valley and put us through fires and floods to batter us into shape, until we get to the point where He can trust us with the reality of the vision. Ever since God gave us the vision, He has been at work. He is getting us into the shape of the goal He has for us, and yet over and over again we try to escape from the Sculptor’s hand in an effort to batter ourselves into the shape of our own goal.
The vision that God gives is not some unattainable castle in the sky, but a vision of what God wants you to be down here. Allow the Potter to put you on His wheel and whirl you around as He desires. Then as surely as God is God, and you are you, you will turn out as an exact likeness of the vision. But don’t lose heart in the process. If you have ever had a vision from God, you may try as you will to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never allow it.
異象與現實
發光的沙，要變為水池。 （賽三十五7）
在一件事實現以前，我們往往有異象。當我們發現異象雖然真確，但在我們身上卻未實現時，撒旦的試探就來了。我們很容易放棄，認為繼續也無濟於事。異象未能實現，並且來到自卑的山谷中。
[生命不是無人開採的礦藏，乃是地心暗處掘出來的鐵塊，經千錘百煉，為要模造成合用的器皿。 ]
神給我們異象，然後帶我們到山谷去錘煉，捏成該異象的形狀。不少人就是在山谷中仆倒放棄。只要忍耐，每一個異像都要實現。想想神無窮的閒暇！他從不匆忙，而我們卻總是忙得喘不過氣來。在異象的榮光中，我們一鼓作氣去作工，可是，那異像還未在我們裡面成為真實。所以，神必須帶我們到山谷中，經過水火的模造，直至神可以叫異象確切地在我們身上實現。自從我們有了這異象，神就一直作工，要使我們成為理想得模樣，只是我們一次又一次地從他手中逃脫，想模造成自己的形象。
異象不是空中樓閣，乃是神對你的心意。讓他把你放在旋盤中，照他意思去轉動陶造。這樣，神是神，你是你，你就必然變成與異像一模一樣的形狀。在這過程中，不要灰心。只要真見過神的異象，無論你怎樣設法滿足於次一等的狀況，神也不會放過你。
祈禱◆主啊，願我們全然交在你的手中，幫助我們能夠選擇你的帶領，[就是我們的神以我們配得所受的呼召]。
July 05, 2013
Don’t Plan Without God
Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass —Psalm 37:5
Don’t plan without God. God seems to have a delightful way of upsetting the plans we have made, when we have not taken Him into account. We get ourselves into circumstances that were not chosen by God, and suddenly we realize that we have been making our plans without Him— that we have not even considered Him to be a vital, living factor in the planning of our lives. And yet the only thing that will keep us from even the possibility of worrying is to bring God in as the greatest factor in all of our planning.
In spiritual issues it is customary for us to put God first, but we tend to think that it is inappropriate and unnecessary to put Him first in the practical, everyday issues of our lives. If we have the idea that we have to put on our “spiritual face” before we can come near to God, then we will never come near to Him. We must come as we are.
Don’t plan with a concern for evil in mind. Does God really mean for us to plan without taking the evil around us into account? “Love . . . thinks no evil” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). Love is not ignorant of the existence of evil, but it does not take it into account as a factor in planning. When we were apart from God, we did take evil into account, doing all of our planning with it in mind, and we tried to reason out all of our work from its standpoint.
Don’t plan with a rainy day in mind. You cannot hoard things for a rainy day if you are truly trusting Christ. Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled . . .” (John 14:1). God will not keep your heart from being troubled. It is a command— “Let not. . . .” To do it, continually pick yourself up, even if you fall a hundred and one times a day, until you get into the habit of putting God first and planning with Him in mind.
別在神以外籌算
當將你的事交託耶和華，並倚靠它，他就必成全。 （詩三十七5）
別在神以外籌算，我們很多時為事情籌算，卻沒有把神放在裡面；在這情況下，神往往用他奇妙的方法破壞我們的計畫。我們闖進不是神所安排的環境裡去，才猛然發覺自己在神以外行事，沒有讓神成為生活的主導。若要除去憂慮，唯一的辦法是把神帶到我們一切的籌算裡，讓他成為最大的動因。
在宗教上，我們曉得該把神放在首位，但在實際的日常生活裡，卻無法把他放在第一位。若我們必須披上星期日的精神狀態才來親近神，那麼，我們就永不會親近神。我們必須按自己的本相來到神面前。
不要計算惡事，神真要我們不計算惡事嗎？ [愛……不計算人的惡。 ]愛並非不知惡的存在，而是不把惡計算。離開了神，我們便會計算惡；我們會從惡的立場去籌算、去推斷。
別為未來的困境籌算，你若信靠主耶穌，就不會為未來籌謀。耶穌說：[你們心里不要憂愁。 ]神不會叫你的心沒有憂愁，而是[不要……]，那是一項命令。因此一日之中，儘管是一百零一次，總要逼自己遵行，直至養成習慣，事事把神放在首位，一切的籌算有他在內。
祈禱◆[你們奉我的名無論求什麼，我必成就。 ]噢，主啊，那是多麼的奧妙，又是多麼的簡單——我祈求，同時相信你會藉著我的禱告，創造一些前所未有的東西，來答允我的祈求。
Don’t plan without God. God seems to have a delightful way of upsetting the plans we have made, when we have not taken Him into account. We get ourselves into circumstances that were not chosen by God, and suddenly we realize that we have been making our plans without Him— that we have not even considered Him to be a vital, living factor in the planning of our lives. And yet the only thing that will keep us from even the possibility of worrying is to bring God in as the greatest factor in all of our planning.
In spiritual issues it is customary for us to put God first, but we tend to think that it is inappropriate and unnecessary to put Him first in the practical, everyday issues of our lives. If we have the idea that we have to put on our “spiritual face” before we can come near to God, then we will never come near to Him. We must come as we are.
Don’t plan with a concern for evil in mind. Does God really mean for us to plan without taking the evil around us into account? “Love . . . thinks no evil” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). Love is not ignorant of the existence of evil, but it does not take it into account as a factor in planning. When we were apart from God, we did take evil into account, doing all of our planning with it in mind, and we tried to reason out all of our work from its standpoint.
Don’t plan with a rainy day in mind. You cannot hoard things for a rainy day if you are truly trusting Christ. Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled . . .” (John 14:1). God will not keep your heart from being troubled. It is a command— “Let not. . . .” To do it, continually pick yourself up, even if you fall a hundred and one times a day, until you get into the habit of putting God first and planning with Him in mind.
別在神以外籌算
當將你的事交託耶和華，並倚靠它，他就必成全。 （詩三十七5）
別在神以外籌算，我們很多時為事情籌算，卻沒有把神放在裡面；在這情況下，神往往用他奇妙的方法破壞我們的計畫。我們闖進不是神所安排的環境裡去，才猛然發覺自己在神以外行事，沒有讓神成為生活的主導。若要除去憂慮，唯一的辦法是把神帶到我們一切的籌算裡，讓他成為最大的動因。
在宗教上，我們曉得該把神放在首位，但在實際的日常生活裡，卻無法把他放在第一位。若我們必須披上星期日的精神狀態才來親近神，那麼，我們就永不會親近神。我們必須按自己的本相來到神面前。
不要計算惡事，神真要我們不計算惡事嗎？ [愛……不計算人的惡。 ]愛並非不知惡的存在，而是不把惡計算。離開了神，我們便會計算惡；我們會從惡的立場去籌算、去推斷。
別為未來的困境籌算，你若信靠主耶穌，就不會為未來籌謀。耶穌說：[你們心里不要憂愁。 ]神不會叫你的心沒有憂愁，而是[不要……]，那是一項命令。因此一日之中，儘管是一百零一次，總要逼自己遵行，直至養成習慣，事事把神放在首位，一切的籌算有他在內。
祈禱◆[你們奉我的名無論求什麼，我必成就。 ]噢，主啊，那是多麼的奧妙，又是多麼的簡單——我祈求，同時相信你會藉著我的禱告，創造一些前所未有的東西，來答允我的祈求。
July 04, 2013
One of God’s Great “Don’ts”
Do not fret— it only causes harm —Psalm 37:8
Fretting means getting ourselves “out of joint” mentally or spiritually. It is one thing to say, “Do not fret,” but something very different to have such a nature that you find yourself unable to fret. It’s easy to say, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7) until our own little world is turned upside down and we are forced to live in confusion and agony like so many other people. Is it possible to “rest in the Lord” then? If this “Do not” doesn’t work there, then it will not work anywhere. This “Do not” must work during our days of difficulty and uncertainty, as well as our peaceful days, or it will never work. And if it will not work in your particular case, it will not work for anyone else. Resting in the Lord is not dependent on your external circumstances at all, but on your relationship with God Himself.
Worrying always results in sin. We tend to think that a little anxiety and worry are simply an indication of how wise we really are, yet it is actually a much better indication of just how wicked we are. Fretting rises from our determination to have our own way. Our Lord never worried and was never anxious, because His purpose was never to accomplish His own plans but to fulfill God’s plans. Fretting is wickedness for a child of God.
Have you been propping up that foolish soul of yours with the idea that your circumstances are too much for God to handle? Set all your opinions and speculations aside and “abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about whatever concerns you. All our fretting and worrying is caused by planning without God.
神的[不要]
不要心懷不平，以致作惡。 （詩三十七8）
心懷不平就是思想上或靈性上的反抗狀態。口頭上說不要心懷不平，與內心真的沒有不平是兩回事。說[安息在主裡]、[忍耐等候主]多麼容易，但風浪一至，生活落在困逼苦惱中，真能安息在主裡麼？若這個[不要]在此行不通，在其他方面就更無功效。這[不要]不但要在平安無事的日子行得通，也必須在煩惱的日子行得通，否則，這就完全沒有意義。再者，若在你身上行不通，就別希冀在別人身上行得通了。安心靠主是完全不仗賴外在得環境，只在乎你與神的關係。
不安結果總變成罪。我們以為一點點的焦慮憂心是表示自己的聰明，其實這正顯示我們的劣根性。不安不平是從偏行己路而來的。我們的主從不焦慮，從不憂心，因為他來到世上並非為了自己，乃是要實現神的旨意。你若是神的兒女，心懷不平是壞透了的。
你是否認為當前的處境連神也難倒道了？這個思想是否支撐著你愚頑的心？把所有[假如]放在一旁，住在全能者的蔭下。鄭重的對神說你不再為那事心懷不平。一切的不平與掛慮，其實是離開神而自作打算。
祈禱◆主啊，我自覺深切地渴慕你和你的生命，我從詩篇九十一篇中找到保證——[他必救你]。主啊，我對它深信不疑，並且，為著你保護看顧我，我感謝你。
Fretting means getting ourselves “out of joint” mentally or spiritually. It is one thing to say, “Do not fret,” but something very different to have such a nature that you find yourself unable to fret. It’s easy to say, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7) until our own little world is turned upside down and we are forced to live in confusion and agony like so many other people. Is it possible to “rest in the Lord” then? If this “Do not” doesn’t work there, then it will not work anywhere. This “Do not” must work during our days of difficulty and uncertainty, as well as our peaceful days, or it will never work. And if it will not work in your particular case, it will not work for anyone else. Resting in the Lord is not dependent on your external circumstances at all, but on your relationship with God Himself.
Worrying always results in sin. We tend to think that a little anxiety and worry are simply an indication of how wise we really are, yet it is actually a much better indication of just how wicked we are. Fretting rises from our determination to have our own way. Our Lord never worried and was never anxious, because His purpose was never to accomplish His own plans but to fulfill God’s plans. Fretting is wickedness for a child of God.
Have you been propping up that foolish soul of yours with the idea that your circumstances are too much for God to handle? Set all your opinions and speculations aside and “abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about whatever concerns you. All our fretting and worrying is caused by planning without God.
神的[不要]
不要心懷不平，以致作惡。 （詩三十七8）
心懷不平就是思想上或靈性上的反抗狀態。口頭上說不要心懷不平，與內心真的沒有不平是兩回事。說[安息在主裡]、[忍耐等候主]多麼容易，但風浪一至，生活落在困逼苦惱中，真能安息在主裡麼？若這個[不要]在此行不通，在其他方面就更無功效。這[不要]不但要在平安無事的日子行得通，也必須在煩惱的日子行得通，否則，這就完全沒有意義。再者，若在你身上行不通，就別希冀在別人身上行得通了。安心靠主是完全不仗賴外在得環境，只在乎你與神的關係。
不安結果總變成罪。我們以為一點點的焦慮憂心是表示自己的聰明，其實這正顯示我們的劣根性。不安不平是從偏行己路而來的。我們的主從不焦慮，從不憂心，因為他來到世上並非為了自己，乃是要實現神的旨意。你若是神的兒女，心懷不平是壞透了的。
你是否認為當前的處境連神也難倒道了？這個思想是否支撐著你愚頑的心？把所有[假如]放在一旁，住在全能者的蔭下。鄭重的對神說你不再為那事心懷不平。一切的不平與掛慮，其實是離開神而自作打算。
祈禱◆主啊，我自覺深切地渴慕你和你的生命，我從詩篇九十一篇中找到保證——[他必救你]。主啊，我對它深信不疑，並且，為著你保護看顧我，我感謝你。
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。
July 02, 2013
The Conditions of Discipleship
If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also . . . . And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me . . . . So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple —Luke 14:26-27, 33
If the closest relationships of a disciple’s life conflict with the claims of Jesus Christ, then our Lord requires instant obedience to Himself. Discipleship means personal, passionate devotion to a Person— our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a vast difference between devotion to a person and devotion to principles or to a cause. Our Lord never proclaimed a cause— He proclaimed personal devotion to Himself. To be a disciple is to be a devoted bondservant motivated by love for the Lord Jesus. Many of us who call ourselves Christians are not truly devoted to Jesus Christ. No one on earth has this passionate love for the Lord Jesus unless the Holy Spirit has given it to him. We may admire, respect, and revere Him, but we cannot love Him on our own. The only One who truly loves the Lord Jesus is the Holy Spirit, and it is He who has “poured out in our hearts” the very “love of God” (Romans 5:5). Whenever the Holy Spirit sees an opportunity to glorify Jesus through you, He will take your entire being and set you ablaze with glowing devotion to Jesus Christ.
The Christian life is a life characterized by true and spontaneous creativity. Consequently, a disciple is subject to the same charge that was leveled against Jesus Christ, namely, the charge of inconsistency. But Jesus Christ was always consistent in His relationship to God, and a Christian must be consistent in his relationship to the life of the Son of God in him, not consistent to strict, unyielding doctrines. People pour themselves into their own doctrines, and God has to blast them out of their preconceived ideas before they can become devoted to Jesus Christ.
作門徒的條件
人到我這裡來，若不愛我勝過……就不能作我的門徒。 （路十四26、27、33）
耶穌基督說人生中最親密的關係，若與他的要求相衝突的話，就必須立刻選擇順服他。作門徒的意思，就是把自己誠意地奉獻給一位——我們的主耶穌基督。對一個有位格的主奉獻，與對一個原則或運動獻身，並不相同。我們的主從沒有宣告一項運動，他宣告的乃是叫人對他個別的獻身。作門徒就是做主忠誠的愛奴。我們這些自稱基督徒的人，許多根本就不專心愛主。除非聖靈把愛澆灌給人，否則世上沒有一個人懂得熱誠愛主。我們也許會仰慕他、尊敬他，但卻不會愛他。唯一愛耶穌的就是聖靈，是他把神的愛傾瀉入我們心中。聖靈一見有榮耀耶穌的機會，就會佔有你的心、你整個的人，使你在主耶穌的熱愛中燃燒發光。
基督徒的生命，都蓋上了[自然的道德創造力]的印記，所以門徒像主耶穌一樣被人指責為：矛盾不一。其實，主耶穌時刻對神都是如一。信徒也該對神的兒子始終如一，而不是在死硬的教條上持守。人把自己傾進教條里去，神卻要把人的偏見炸毀，叫她們懂得專心愛他。
祈禱◆我何等需要看見你那威嚴、大能和榮耀的作為！我們所有人都只需要你的觸摸，使一切事物都變成嶄新而奇妙，並且抗衡任何不屬於你的影響和標準。願你的同在使我們得以潔淨和滿有能力。
If the closest relationships of a disciple’s life conflict with the claims of Jesus Christ, then our Lord requires instant obedience to Himself. Discipleship means personal, passionate devotion to a Person— our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a vast difference between devotion to a person and devotion to principles or to a cause. Our Lord never proclaimed a cause— He proclaimed personal devotion to Himself. To be a disciple is to be a devoted bondservant motivated by love for the Lord Jesus. Many of us who call ourselves Christians are not truly devoted to Jesus Christ. No one on earth has this passionate love for the Lord Jesus unless the Holy Spirit has given it to him. We may admire, respect, and revere Him, but we cannot love Him on our own. The only One who truly loves the Lord Jesus is the Holy Spirit, and it is He who has “poured out in our hearts” the very “love of God” (Romans 5:5). Whenever the Holy Spirit sees an opportunity to glorify Jesus through you, He will take your entire being and set you ablaze with glowing devotion to Jesus Christ.
The Christian life is a life characterized by true and spontaneous creativity. Consequently, a disciple is subject to the same charge that was leveled against Jesus Christ, namely, the charge of inconsistency. But Jesus Christ was always consistent in His relationship to God, and a Christian must be consistent in his relationship to the life of the Son of God in him, not consistent to strict, unyielding doctrines. People pour themselves into their own doctrines, and God has to blast them out of their preconceived ideas before they can become devoted to Jesus Christ.
作門徒的條件
人到我這裡來，若不愛我勝過……就不能作我的門徒。 （路十四26、27、33）
耶穌基督說人生中最親密的關係，若與他的要求相衝突的話，就必須立刻選擇順服他。作門徒的意思，就是把自己誠意地奉獻給一位——我們的主耶穌基督。對一個有位格的主奉獻，與對一個原則或運動獻身，並不相同。我們的主從沒有宣告一項運動，他宣告的乃是叫人對他個別的獻身。作門徒就是做主忠誠的愛奴。我們這些自稱基督徒的人，許多根本就不專心愛主。除非聖靈把愛澆灌給人，否則世上沒有一個人懂得熱誠愛主。我們也許會仰慕他、尊敬他，但卻不會愛他。唯一愛耶穌的就是聖靈，是他把神的愛傾瀉入我們心中。聖靈一見有榮耀耶穌的機會，就會佔有你的心、你整個的人，使你在主耶穌的熱愛中燃燒發光。
基督徒的生命，都蓋上了[自然的道德創造力]的印記，所以門徒像主耶穌一樣被人指責為：矛盾不一。其實，主耶穌時刻對神都是如一。信徒也該對神的兒子始終如一，而不是在死硬的教條上持守。人把自己傾進教條里去，神卻要把人的偏見炸毀，叫她們懂得專心愛他。
祈禱◆我何等需要看見你那威嚴、大能和榮耀的作為！我們所有人都只需要你的觸摸，使一切事物都變成嶄新而奇妙，並且抗衡任何不屬於你的影響和標準。願你的同在使我們得以潔淨和滿有能力。
July 01, 2013
The Inevitable Penalty
You will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny —Matthew 5:26
There is no heaven that has a little corner of hell in it. God is determined to make you pure, holy, and right, and He will not allow you to escape from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit for even one moment. He urged you to come to judgment immediately when He convicted you, but you did not obey. Then the inevitable process began to work, bringing its inevitable penalty. Now you have been “thrown into prison, [and] . . . you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny” (5:25-26). Yet you ask, “Is this a God of mercy and love?” When seen from God’s perspective, it is a glorious ministry of love. God is going to bring you out pure, spotless, and undefiled, but He wants you to recognize the nature you were exhibiting— the nature of demanding your right to yourself. The moment you are willing for God to change your nature, His recreating forces will begin to work. And the moment you realize that God’s purpose is to get you into the right relationship with Himself and then with others, He will reach to the very limits of the universe to help you take the right road. Decide to do it right now, saying, “Yes, Lord, I will write that letter,” or, “I will be reconciled to that person now.”
These sermons of Jesus Christ are meant for your will and your conscience, not for your head. If you dispute these verses from the Sermon on the Mount with your head, you will dull the appeal to your heart.
If you find yourself asking, “I wonder why I’m not growing spiritually with God?”— then ask yourself if you are paying your debts from God’s standpoint. Do now what you will have to do someday. Every moral question or call comes with an “ought” behind it— the knowledge of knowing what we ought to do.
免不了的刑罰
[沒有一個天堂一個地獄的角落。 ]神一心要使你純潔、正直、無暇；就一刻不容你離開聖靈的監察。他催逼你一知罪，便立刻接受審判。可是你不肯，於是後果就來了，你如今在監牢中，必須還清每一文錢，才可以出來。你會說：[這豈是慈悲仁愛的神麼？ ]從神那方面看來，這正是他榮耀的愛。神要叫你出來時聖潔無暇；同時他要你看透自己的本性－－就是要抓緊權利。一旦你肯讓神改變你，他再造的大能就產生功效。一旦你明白神的用心，時要你與他有正確的關係，也與其他人有正確的關係，神就會用盡宇宙一切的權能，助你走上正途。
請你現在立志－－[我肯，主啊，今晚我必定寫那封信]；[我現在就與那人和好]。
耶穌基督這信息對你的意志與良心而講的，而不是對你的理智而發出。你若拿登山寶訓去強辯，就會把心中的呼召聲沖淡了。
[我不明白為什麼與神沒有進展？ ]你有沒有償還神心目中的債？你一直拖延的事，現在就做吧。每一個道德呼聲背後，都有一個[應該]。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，但願我能看見你的面容，認識你的能力和那使人興奮的恩典。願你靠近我這個已完全復元的生命，並且求你寬恕我忽略了你如何使我複元。
There is no heaven that has a little corner of hell in it. God is determined to make you pure, holy, and right, and He will not allow you to escape from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit for even one moment. He urged you to come to judgment immediately when He convicted you, but you did not obey. Then the inevitable process began to work, bringing its inevitable penalty. Now you have been “thrown into prison, [and] . . . you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny” (5:25-26). Yet you ask, “Is this a God of mercy and love?” When seen from God’s perspective, it is a glorious ministry of love. God is going to bring you out pure, spotless, and undefiled, but He wants you to recognize the nature you were exhibiting— the nature of demanding your right to yourself. The moment you are willing for God to change your nature, His recreating forces will begin to work. And the moment you realize that God’s purpose is to get you into the right relationship with Himself and then with others, He will reach to the very limits of the universe to help you take the right road. Decide to do it right now, saying, “Yes, Lord, I will write that letter,” or, “I will be reconciled to that person now.”
These sermons of Jesus Christ are meant for your will and your conscience, not for your head. If you dispute these verses from the Sermon on the Mount with your head, you will dull the appeal to your heart.
If you find yourself asking, “I wonder why I’m not growing spiritually with God?”— then ask yourself if you are paying your debts from God’s standpoint. Do now what you will have to do someday. Every moral question or call comes with an “ought” behind it— the knowledge of knowing what we ought to do.
免不了的刑罰
[沒有一個天堂一個地獄的角落。 ]神一心要使你純潔、正直、無暇；就一刻不容你離開聖靈的監察。他催逼你一知罪，便立刻接受審判。可是你不肯，於是後果就來了，你如今在監牢中，必須還清每一文錢，才可以出來。你會說：[這豈是慈悲仁愛的神麼？ ]從神那方面看來，這正是他榮耀的愛。神要叫你出來時聖潔無暇；同時他要你看透自己的本性－－就是要抓緊權利。一旦你肯讓神改變你，他再造的大能就產生功效。一旦你明白神的用心，時要你與他有正確的關係，也與其他人有正確的關係，神就會用盡宇宙一切的權能，助你走上正途。
請你現在立志－－[我肯，主啊，今晚我必定寫那封信]；[我現在就與那人和好]。
耶穌基督這信息對你的意志與良心而講的，而不是對你的理智而發出。你若拿登山寶訓去強辯，就會把心中的呼召聲沖淡了。
[我不明白為什麼與神沒有進展？ ]你有沒有償還神心目中的債？你一直拖延的事，現在就做吧。每一個道德呼聲背後，都有一個[應該]。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，但願我能看見你的面容，認識你的能力和那使人興奮的恩典。願你靠近我這個已完全復元的生命，並且求你寬恕我忽略了你如何使我複元。
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