He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him —2 Corinthians 5:21
Sin is a fundamental relationship— it is not wrong doing, but wrong being— it is deliberate and determined independence from God. The Christian faith bases everything on the extreme, self-confident nature of sin. Other faiths deal with sins— the Bible alone deals with sin. The first thing Jesus Christ confronted in people was the heredity of sin, and it is because we have ignored this in our presentation of the gospel that the message of the gospel has lost its sting and its explosive power.
The revealed truth of the Bible is not that Jesus Christ took on Himself our fleshly sins, but that He took on Himself the heredity of sin that no man can even touch. God made His own Son “to be sin” that He might make the sinner into a saint. It is revealed throughout the Bible that our Lord took on Himself the sin of the world through identification with us, not through sympathy for us. He deliberately took on His own shoulders, and endured in His own body, the complete, cumulative sin of the human race. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us. . .” and by so doing He placed salvation for the entire human race solely on the basis of redemption. Jesus Christ reconciled the human race, putting it back to where God designed it to be. And now anyone can experience that reconciliation, being brought into oneness with God, on the basis of what our Lord has done on the cross.
A man cannot redeem himself— redemption is the work of God, and is absolutely finished and complete. And its application to individual people is a matter of their own individual action or response to it. A distinction must always be made between the revealed truth of redemption and the actual conscious experience of salvation in a person’s life.
和好
神使那無罪的，替我們成為罪，好叫我們在他裡面成為神的義。 （林後五21）
罪是一種根本的關係；不是指所犯的錯事，而是錯的本體，就是故意極力脫離神獨立。基督教信仰是把一切建基在正視罪的本質。其他宗教對付許多罪行，聖經只對付一樣罪。主耶穌首先面對的，就是罪的遺傳。我們傳福音若忽略這一點，就使福音失卻了叫人扎心及爆炸性的信息。
聖經的啟示不是耶穌怎樣擔負我們肉體上的罪，而是他擔負了沒有人可以觸及的罪根。神叫自己的兒子成為罪，為叫罪人可以成為聖潔。在整部聖經中，我們看見主擔當世人的罪，擔在自己肩頭上，親自承擔一切。 [神使那無罪的，替我們成為罪。 ]正因他這樣做，就為全人類建立了救贖的根基。主耶穌恢復了人類原來的地位，把他們放在神本來計劃的地位上。任何人都可以因主耶穌在十字架上成就的，與神連合。
人無法自救，救贖是出於神，並且已經完全成就。救贖與人的關係，在於人的反應。我們必須把救贖的啟示，與個人生命中得救的經歷清楚區別。
祈禱◆主啊，為著你今早賜給我的感動，我感謝你－－可是，我卻是那麼令人驚愕地毫無生氣和毫不美麗！不過，這個對自己的認識，只表明當你不在我裡面時，我的生命境況。
October 07, 2013
October 06, 2013
The Nature of Regeneration
When it pleased God . . . to reveal His Son in me . . . —Galatians 1:15-16
If Jesus Christ is going to regenerate me, what is the problem He faces? It is simply this— I have a heredity in which I had no say or decision; I am not holy, nor am I likely to be; and if all Jesus Christ can do is tell me that I must be holy, His teaching only causes me to despair. But if Jesus Christ is truly a regenerator, someone who can put His own heredity of holiness into me, then I can begin to see what He means when He says that I have to be holy. Redemption means that Jesus Christ can put into anyone the hereditary nature that was in Himself, and all the standards He gives us are based on that nature— His teaching is meant to be applied to the life which He puts within us. The proper action on my part is simply to agree with God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ.
The New Testament teaching about regeneration is that when a person is hit by his own sense of need, God will put the Holy Spirit into his spirit, and his personal spirit will be energized by the Spirit of the Son of God— “. . . until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). The moral miracle of redemption is that God can put a new nature into me through which I can live a totally new life. When I finally reach the edge of my need and know my own limitations, then Jesus says, “Blessed are you . . .” (Matthew 5:11). But I must get to that point. God cannot put into me, the responsible moral person that I am, the nature that was in Jesus Christ unless I am aware of my need for it.
Just as the nature of sin entered into the human race through one man, the Holy Spirit entered into the human race through another Man (see Romans 5:12-19). And redemption means that I can be delivered from the heredity of sin, and that through Jesus Christ I can receive a pure and spotless heredity, namely, the Holy Spirit.
再造的改變
神……樂意將他兒子啟示在我心裡。 （加一15-16）
主耶穌若要把我重生過來，要面對什麼困難呢？我承襲的罪性，是我無能為力的；我並不聖潔，自己也不可能聖潔。若主耶穌所能作的，只是告訴我要聖潔，他的教訓只會帶來絕望；但主耶穌若是生命的再造者，能把自己聖潔的遺傳放進人裡面，我便可以明白要聖潔是什麼意思。救贖就是主耶穌把自己的性情傳襲到任何人身上，而他所設的標準，就是根據他的教訓，為放進去的生命而設的。我在道德方面能作的，就是承認神在十字架上對罪的判定。
新約對重生的教訓，就是當人深深感到屬靈的需要，神就把聖靈放進他的靈裡去，他的靈就被神兒子的靈所感動－－[真等到基督成形在你們心裡]。救贖的道德神蹟，就是神把一個新性情放在我裡面，以致我能活出全新的生命來。當我來到自己欠缺的極限，知道自己的有限時，耶穌說：[你有福了。 ]但要到達那境地，除非我先意識到自己的需要，否則，神不能把耶穌基督的性情放在我裡面。正如罪性是因一人進入人類，同樣，聖潔也藉另一個人進入。救贖就是透過主耶穌，把我從罪的傳襲中救出來，領受一個無玷污的遺傳，就是聖靈。
祈禱◆主啊，我的靈性－－或更準確地說，是我的思想領域－－仍是何等愚鈍和模糊，以致瑣碎的事情佔據了龐大的範圍，卻將生命中那些重要的問題擠掉。求你拯救的大能釋放我。
If Jesus Christ is going to regenerate me, what is the problem He faces? It is simply this— I have a heredity in which I had no say or decision; I am not holy, nor am I likely to be; and if all Jesus Christ can do is tell me that I must be holy, His teaching only causes me to despair. But if Jesus Christ is truly a regenerator, someone who can put His own heredity of holiness into me, then I can begin to see what He means when He says that I have to be holy. Redemption means that Jesus Christ can put into anyone the hereditary nature that was in Himself, and all the standards He gives us are based on that nature— His teaching is meant to be applied to the life which He puts within us. The proper action on my part is simply to agree with God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ.
The New Testament teaching about regeneration is that when a person is hit by his own sense of need, God will put the Holy Spirit into his spirit, and his personal spirit will be energized by the Spirit of the Son of God— “. . . until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). The moral miracle of redemption is that God can put a new nature into me through which I can live a totally new life. When I finally reach the edge of my need and know my own limitations, then Jesus says, “Blessed are you . . .” (Matthew 5:11). But I must get to that point. God cannot put into me, the responsible moral person that I am, the nature that was in Jesus Christ unless I am aware of my need for it.
Just as the nature of sin entered into the human race through one man, the Holy Spirit entered into the human race through another Man (see Romans 5:12-19). And redemption means that I can be delivered from the heredity of sin, and that through Jesus Christ I can receive a pure and spotless heredity, namely, the Holy Spirit.
再造的改變
神……樂意將他兒子啟示在我心裡。 （加一15-16）
主耶穌若要把我重生過來，要面對什麼困難呢？我承襲的罪性，是我無能為力的；我並不聖潔，自己也不可能聖潔。若主耶穌所能作的，只是告訴我要聖潔，他的教訓只會帶來絕望；但主耶穌若是生命的再造者，能把自己聖潔的遺傳放進人裡面，我便可以明白要聖潔是什麼意思。救贖就是主耶穌把自己的性情傳襲到任何人身上，而他所設的標準，就是根據他的教訓，為放進去的生命而設的。我在道德方面能作的，就是承認神在十字架上對罪的判定。
新約對重生的教訓，就是當人深深感到屬靈的需要，神就把聖靈放進他的靈裡去，他的靈就被神兒子的靈所感動－－[真等到基督成形在你們心裡]。救贖的道德神蹟，就是神把一個新性情放在我裡面，以致我能活出全新的生命來。當我來到自己欠缺的極限，知道自己的有限時，耶穌說：[你有福了。 ]但要到達那境地，除非我先意識到自己的需要，否則，神不能把耶穌基督的性情放在我裡面。正如罪性是因一人進入人類，同樣，聖潔也藉另一個人進入。救贖就是透過主耶穌，把我從罪的傳襲中救出來，領受一個無玷污的遺傳，就是聖靈。
祈禱◆主啊，我的靈性－－或更準確地說，是我的思想領域－－仍是何等愚鈍和模糊，以致瑣碎的事情佔據了龐大的範圍，卻將生命中那些重要的問題擠掉。求你拯救的大能釋放我。
October 05, 2013
The Nature of Degeneration
Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned . . . —Romans 5:12
The Bible does not say that God punished the human race for one man’s sin, but that the nature of sin, namely, my claim to my right to myself, entered into the human race through one man. But it also says that another Man took upon Himself the sin of the human race and put it away— an infinitely more profound revelation (see Hebrews 9:26). The nature of sin is not immorality and wrongdoing, but the nature of self-realization which leads us to say, “I am my own god.” This nature may exhibit itself in proper morality or in improper immorality, but it always has a common basis— my claim to my right to myself. When our Lord faced either people with all the forces of evil in them, or people who were clean-living, moral, and upright, He paid no attention to the moral degradation of one, nor any attention to the moral attainment of the other. He looked at something we do not see, namely, the nature of man (see John 2:25).
Sin is something I am born with and cannot touch— only God touches sin through redemption. It is through the Cross of Christ that God redeemed the entire human race from the possibility of damnation through the heredity of sin. God nowhere holds a person responsible for having the heredity of sin, and does not condemn anyone because of it. Condemnation comes when I realize that Jesus Christ came to deliver me from this heredity of sin, and yet I refuse to let Him do so. From that moment I begin to get the seal of damnation. “This is the condemnation [and the critical moment], that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light . . . ” (John 3:19).
墮落的傾向
這就如罪是從一人入了世界，死又是從罪來的，於是死就臨到眾人，因為眾人都犯了罪。 （羅五12）
聖經不是說神因一人的罪，就刑罰所有的人；聖經乃是說人的罪性－－我對自我主權的把持，是由一人進入人類。然而另一個人擔負了人類的罪，把罪除掉（來九26），這是何其奧秘的啟示哩。罪性並非指錯失或道德的敗落，而是自我實現的傾向－－我是自己的神。這傾向可以表現得很道德，也可以很不道德，但只有一個根基，就是對自我主權的把持。主耶穌不論碰到罪大惡極的人，還是正人君子，他均不理會前者道德的敗落或後者道德的操守；他所注意的，是我們所看不見的－－人的意向。
罪是與生俱來的，是人無能為力的，但神藉著救贖對付了罪。神藉主耶穌的十字架，拯救整個人類，使我們可以脫離那因罪而來的咒詛。神從不因人有遺傳的罪根而定人的罪。定罪不是由於我生來承襲了罪，乃是因知道主耶穌來救贖我，而我仍拒絕他，那是我就要被定罪了。 [光來到世間，世人……不愛光倒愛黑暗，定他們的罪就是在此。 ]
祈禱◆主啊，願你今天將聖靈的直覺力和先天的靈感賜給我，讓我可以在一切事情上識別你。願你恩慈的同在和平安，充滿這一天。
The Bible does not say that God punished the human race for one man’s sin, but that the nature of sin, namely, my claim to my right to myself, entered into the human race through one man. But it also says that another Man took upon Himself the sin of the human race and put it away— an infinitely more profound revelation (see Hebrews 9:26). The nature of sin is not immorality and wrongdoing, but the nature of self-realization which leads us to say, “I am my own god.” This nature may exhibit itself in proper morality or in improper immorality, but it always has a common basis— my claim to my right to myself. When our Lord faced either people with all the forces of evil in them, or people who were clean-living, moral, and upright, He paid no attention to the moral degradation of one, nor any attention to the moral attainment of the other. He looked at something we do not see, namely, the nature of man (see John 2:25).
Sin is something I am born with and cannot touch— only God touches sin through redemption. It is through the Cross of Christ that God redeemed the entire human race from the possibility of damnation through the heredity of sin. God nowhere holds a person responsible for having the heredity of sin, and does not condemn anyone because of it. Condemnation comes when I realize that Jesus Christ came to deliver me from this heredity of sin, and yet I refuse to let Him do so. From that moment I begin to get the seal of damnation. “This is the condemnation [and the critical moment], that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light . . . ” (John 3:19).
墮落的傾向
這就如罪是從一人入了世界，死又是從罪來的，於是死就臨到眾人，因為眾人都犯了罪。 （羅五12）
聖經不是說神因一人的罪，就刑罰所有的人；聖經乃是說人的罪性－－我對自我主權的把持，是由一人進入人類。然而另一個人擔負了人類的罪，把罪除掉（來九26），這是何其奧秘的啟示哩。罪性並非指錯失或道德的敗落，而是自我實現的傾向－－我是自己的神。這傾向可以表現得很道德，也可以很不道德，但只有一個根基，就是對自我主權的把持。主耶穌不論碰到罪大惡極的人，還是正人君子，他均不理會前者道德的敗落或後者道德的操守；他所注意的，是我們所看不見的－－人的意向。
罪是與生俱來的，是人無能為力的，但神藉著救贖對付了罪。神藉主耶穌的十字架，拯救整個人類，使我們可以脫離那因罪而來的咒詛。神從不因人有遺傳的罪根而定人的罪。定罪不是由於我生來承襲了罪，乃是因知道主耶穌來救贖我，而我仍拒絕他，那是我就要被定罪了。 [光來到世間，世人……不愛光倒愛黑暗，定他們的罪就是在此。 ]
祈禱◆主啊，願你今天將聖靈的直覺力和先天的靈感賜給我，讓我可以在一切事情上識別你。願你恩慈的同在和平安，充滿這一天。
October 04, 2013
The Vision and The Reality
. . . to those who are . . . called to be saints . . . —1 Corinthians 1:2
Thank God for being able to see all that you have not yet been. You have had the vision, but you are not yet to the reality of it by any means. It is when we are in the valley, where we prove whether we will be the choice ones, that most of us turn back. We are not quite prepared for the bumps and bruises that must come if we are going to be turned into the shape of the vision. We have seen what we are not, and what God wants us to be, but are we willing to be battered into the shape of the vision to be used by God? The beatings will always come in the most common, everyday ways and through common, everyday people.
There are times when we do know what God’s purpose is; whether we will let the vision be turned into actual character depends on us, not on God. If we prefer to relax on the mountaintop and live in the memory of the vision, then we will be of no real use in the ordinary things of which human life is made. We have to learn to live in reliance upon what we saw in the vision, not simply live in ecstatic delight and conscious reflection upon God. This means living the realities of our lives in the light of the vision until the truth of the vision is actually realized in us. Every bit of our training is in that direction. Learn to thank God for making His demands known.
Our little “I am” always sulks and pouts when God says do. Let your little “I am” be shriveled up in God’s wrath and indignation–”I AM WHO I AM . . . has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). He must dominate. Isn’t it piercing to realize that God not only knows where we live, but also knows the gutters into which we crawl! He will hunt us down as fast as a flash of lightning. No human being knows human beings as God does.
異象與實在
蒙召作聖徒。 （林前一2）
為你所看見而未達成的一切感謝神。你見到異象，但其實你一點也未達那境地。我們往往在山谷中退後回頭，但山谷卻正是我們是否被選上的考驗。我們未能接受打擊，就是要實現異象必須有的打擊。我們看見自己的缺欠，也看見神心目中要我們達到的，但我們到底願不願意有被神擊打、塑造、使用的異象？神的熬煉，總是從平凡的方法，透過平凡的人而來的。
有時我們不曉得神的用意是什麼；但到底我們的異象能否變作我們的個性，全在乎我們，不在乎神。若我們留戀山頂，活在異象的回憶中，那末，在現實平凡的人生中，我們實一無用處。我們必須學習倚靠異象所見的去活，不是靠當時那種極樂，也不是靠刻意的默想神。要在異象的真光中活，直至把異象完全實現。所有訓練都是朝這個方向走，要學習感謝神讓我們知道他的要求。
在神說[做]的時候，那小小的[我]總是怏怏不樂。要把[我]在神的義怒下萎縮，神說：[我是自有永有的，我差遣你。 ]他必須作主。若知道神透察我們生活的每一洞口，那是何等的啟迪哩！他像電光般把我們搜出來，沒有誰像神那樣認識人。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著昨天我能迅速認知你在我裡面，我感謝你；求你幫助我今天在穩定和持續的禱告中，與你心意聯合。
Thank God for being able to see all that you have not yet been. You have had the vision, but you are not yet to the reality of it by any means. It is when we are in the valley, where we prove whether we will be the choice ones, that most of us turn back. We are not quite prepared for the bumps and bruises that must come if we are going to be turned into the shape of the vision. We have seen what we are not, and what God wants us to be, but are we willing to be battered into the shape of the vision to be used by God? The beatings will always come in the most common, everyday ways and through common, everyday people.
There are times when we do know what God’s purpose is; whether we will let the vision be turned into actual character depends on us, not on God. If we prefer to relax on the mountaintop and live in the memory of the vision, then we will be of no real use in the ordinary things of which human life is made. We have to learn to live in reliance upon what we saw in the vision, not simply live in ecstatic delight and conscious reflection upon God. This means living the realities of our lives in the light of the vision until the truth of the vision is actually realized in us. Every bit of our training is in that direction. Learn to thank God for making His demands known.
Our little “I am” always sulks and pouts when God says do. Let your little “I am” be shriveled up in God’s wrath and indignation–”I AM WHO I AM . . . has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). He must dominate. Isn’t it piercing to realize that God not only knows where we live, but also knows the gutters into which we crawl! He will hunt us down as fast as a flash of lightning. No human being knows human beings as God does.
異象與實在
蒙召作聖徒。 （林前一2）
為你所看見而未達成的一切感謝神。你見到異象，但其實你一點也未達那境地。我們往往在山谷中退後回頭，但山谷卻正是我們是否被選上的考驗。我們未能接受打擊，就是要實現異象必須有的打擊。我們看見自己的缺欠，也看見神心目中要我們達到的，但我們到底願不願意有被神擊打、塑造、使用的異象？神的熬煉，總是從平凡的方法，透過平凡的人而來的。
有時我們不曉得神的用意是什麼；但到底我們的異象能否變作我們的個性，全在乎我們，不在乎神。若我們留戀山頂，活在異象的回憶中，那末，在現實平凡的人生中，我們實一無用處。我們必須學習倚靠異象所見的去活，不是靠當時那種極樂，也不是靠刻意的默想神。要在異象的真光中活，直至把異象完全實現。所有訓練都是朝這個方向走，要學習感謝神讓我們知道他的要求。
在神說[做]的時候，那小小的[我]總是怏怏不樂。要把[我]在神的義怒下萎縮，神說：[我是自有永有的，我差遣你。 ]他必須作主。若知道神透察我們生活的每一洞口，那是何等的啟迪哩！他像電光般把我們搜出來，沒有誰像神那樣認識人。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著昨天我能迅速認知你在我裡面，我感謝你；求你幫助我今天在穩定和持續的禱告中，與你心意聯合。
October 03, 2013
The Place of Ministry
He said to them, ’This kind [of unclean spirit] can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting’ —Mark 9:29
His disciples asked Him privately, ’Why could we not cast it out?’ ” (Mark 9:28). The answer lies in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. “This kind can come out by nothing but” concentrating on Him, and then doubling and redoubling that concentration on Him. We can remain powerless forever, as the disciples were in this situation, by trying to do God’s work without concentrating on His power, and by following instead the ideas that we draw from our own nature. We actually slander and dishonor God by our very eagerness to serve Him without knowing Him.
When you are brought face to face with a difficult situation and nothing happens externally, you can still know that freedom and release will be given because of your continued concentration on Jesus Christ. Your duty in service and ministry is to see that there is nothing between Jesus and yourself. Is there anything between you and Jesus even now? If there is, you must get through it, not by ignoring it as an irritation, or by going up and over it, but by facing it and getting through it into the presence of Jesus Christ. Then that very problem itself, and all that you have been through in connection with it, will glorify Jesus Christ in a way that you will never know until you see Him face to face.
We must be able to “mount up with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31), but we must also know how to come down. The power of the saint lies in the coming down and in the living that is done in the valley. Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) and what he was referring to were mostly humiliating things. And yet it is in our power to refuse to be humiliated and to say, “No, thank you, I much prefer to be on the mountaintop with God.” Can I face things as they actually are in the light of the reality of Jesus Christ, or do things as they really are destroy my faith in Him, and put me into a panic?
事奉的領域
非用禱告禁食，這一類的鬼，不能出來。 （可九29）
[我們為什麼不能趕他出去呢？ ]這問題的答案在於人與主耶穌的關係。只有集中在主身上，加倍的仰望主，才能把這類鬼趕出去。若不集中靠神的能力去作神的工，只靠自己的主意，就變得無能，像昔日門徒一樣。我們熱心為他作工，卻又不認識他，只會給神帶來羞辱。
當你面臨一件困難的事，外表看來好像沒有什麼改變，可是你卻曉得事情必得以解決，因為你專注在主耶穌身上。這就是你事奉的途徑－－與主之間毫無阻隔。若有任何阻隔的話，就必須挪開，不是因惱怒而置之不理，也不是越過它，而是面對它，把它直接帶到主耶穌面前。那樣，這件事和所有與此相關的，都會榮耀神；你甚至詫異莫名，知道面對面見主那一天才會完全明白。
我們要像鷹一般展翅上騰，但必須知道如何降落。聖徒的能力，就是能降落，能在平地上生活。保羅說：[我靠著那加給我力量的，凡事都能作。 ]他所指的事，多半是低賤的事，我們大可拒絕降卑，說：[謝了，我還是喜歡與神在山頂上。 ]主耶穌是真實的，我能否在這亮光中，面對現實？還是讓事情完全抹煞了我對他的信心，以致陷在恐慌中？
祈禱◆主啊，將我高舉至你那裡，以致你救恩那豐富和充滿光輝的喜樂，能為著你的榮耀而面臨我和照亮我。願你使我與你之間的祈禱保持暢通。
His disciples asked Him privately, ’Why could we not cast it out?’ ” (Mark 9:28). The answer lies in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. “This kind can come out by nothing but” concentrating on Him, and then doubling and redoubling that concentration on Him. We can remain powerless forever, as the disciples were in this situation, by trying to do God’s work without concentrating on His power, and by following instead the ideas that we draw from our own nature. We actually slander and dishonor God by our very eagerness to serve Him without knowing Him.
When you are brought face to face with a difficult situation and nothing happens externally, you can still know that freedom and release will be given because of your continued concentration on Jesus Christ. Your duty in service and ministry is to see that there is nothing between Jesus and yourself. Is there anything between you and Jesus even now? If there is, you must get through it, not by ignoring it as an irritation, or by going up and over it, but by facing it and getting through it into the presence of Jesus Christ. Then that very problem itself, and all that you have been through in connection with it, will glorify Jesus Christ in a way that you will never know until you see Him face to face.
We must be able to “mount up with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31), but we must also know how to come down. The power of the saint lies in the coming down and in the living that is done in the valley. Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) and what he was referring to were mostly humiliating things. And yet it is in our power to refuse to be humiliated and to say, “No, thank you, I much prefer to be on the mountaintop with God.” Can I face things as they actually are in the light of the reality of Jesus Christ, or do things as they really are destroy my faith in Him, and put me into a panic?
事奉的領域
非用禱告禁食，這一類的鬼，不能出來。 （可九29）
[我們為什麼不能趕他出去呢？ ]這問題的答案在於人與主耶穌的關係。只有集中在主身上，加倍的仰望主，才能把這類鬼趕出去。若不集中靠神的能力去作神的工，只靠自己的主意，就變得無能，像昔日門徒一樣。我們熱心為他作工，卻又不認識他，只會給神帶來羞辱。
當你面臨一件困難的事，外表看來好像沒有什麼改變，可是你卻曉得事情必得以解決，因為你專注在主耶穌身上。這就是你事奉的途徑－－與主之間毫無阻隔。若有任何阻隔的話，就必須挪開，不是因惱怒而置之不理，也不是越過它，而是面對它，把它直接帶到主耶穌面前。那樣，這件事和所有與此相關的，都會榮耀神；你甚至詫異莫名，知道面對面見主那一天才會完全明白。
我們要像鷹一般展翅上騰，但必須知道如何降落。聖徒的能力，就是能降落，能在平地上生活。保羅說：[我靠著那加給我力量的，凡事都能作。 ]他所指的事，多半是低賤的事，我們大可拒絕降卑，說：[謝了，我還是喜歡與神在山頂上。 ]主耶穌是真實的，我能否在這亮光中，面對現實？還是讓事情完全抹煞了我對他的信心，以致陷在恐慌中？
祈禱◆主啊，將我高舉至你那裡，以致你救恩那豐富和充滿光輝的喜樂，能為著你的榮耀而面臨我和照亮我。願你使我與你之間的祈禱保持暢通。
October 02, 2013
The Place of Humiliation
If You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us —Mark 9:22
After every time of exaltation, we are brought down with a sudden rush into things as they really are, where it is neither beautiful, poetic, nor thrilling. The height of the mountaintop is measured by the dismal drudgery of the valley, but it is in the valley that we have to live for the glory of God. We see His glory on the mountain, but we never live for His glory there. It is in the place of humiliation that we find our true worth to God— that is where our faithfulness is revealed. Most of us can do things if we are always at some heroic level of intensity, simply because of the natural selfishness of our own hearts. But God wants us to be at the drab everyday level, where we live in the valley according to our personal relationship with Him. Peter thought it would be a wonderful thing for them to remain on the mountain, but Jesus Christ took the disciples down from the mountain and into the valley, where the true meaning of the vision was explained (see Mark 9:5-6 , Mark 14-23).
“If you can do anything . . . .” It takes the valley of humiliation to remove the skepticism from us. Look back at your own experience and you will find that until you learned who Jesus really was, you were a skillful skeptic about His power. When you were on the mountaintop you could believe anything, but what about when you were faced with the facts of the valley? You may be able to give a testimony regarding your sanctification, but what about the thing that is a humiliation to you right now? The last time you were on the mountain with God, you saw that all the power in heaven and on earth belonged to Jesus— will you be skeptical now, simply because you are in the valley of humiliation?
謙卑的領域
你若能作什麼，求你憐憫我們，幫助我們。 （可九22）
每次高峰經歷之後，神會突然把我們帶下山去，面對既不美麗，也不詩意，更無興奮可言的現實。山峰的高度是以山谷中單調的生活來量度的，但正是這山谷的生活，才是榮耀神的生活。我們在山頂上看見神的榮耀，但卻永不會在那里為榮耀他而活。在謙卑低微的境地中，才真正顯露我們對神的價值，顯出我們的忠貞。在英雄的高台上，多半人都可以大顯身手，因為我們心中有自私的天性；但神卻要我們處身在枯燥平凡的境地，要我們在山谷中，單憑與他的關係而活。彼得以為留在山上最好不過，可是主耶穌卻把門徒從山上帶下山谷，在那裡，山上的異象才得以啟露。
[你若能作什麼……]在山谷的卑微中，才能把我們多疑的根拔掉。試回想你的經歷，在你認識主耶穌是誰以前，你是一個奸狡的不信者。在山上的時候，你什麼都相信，可是在山谷中面對現實時又如何呢？你大可以作見證，說成聖之道，可是對那如今令你屈辱的事，你如何處理？上一次你與神在山上，看見天上地下權柄都在耶穌手中；如今在卑下的山谷中，你有沒有疑惑？
祈禱◆主啊，昔日我在你面前的生活，彷如四處漂流、黯淡無光，直至你在我裡面出現。因著我相信你大能的救贖，我稱頌你，可是，噢，能察覺你的感動竟然會帶來如此的分別！
After every time of exaltation, we are brought down with a sudden rush into things as they really are, where it is neither beautiful, poetic, nor thrilling. The height of the mountaintop is measured by the dismal drudgery of the valley, but it is in the valley that we have to live for the glory of God. We see His glory on the mountain, but we never live for His glory there. It is in the place of humiliation that we find our true worth to God— that is where our faithfulness is revealed. Most of us can do things if we are always at some heroic level of intensity, simply because of the natural selfishness of our own hearts. But God wants us to be at the drab everyday level, where we live in the valley according to our personal relationship with Him. Peter thought it would be a wonderful thing for them to remain on the mountain, but Jesus Christ took the disciples down from the mountain and into the valley, where the true meaning of the vision was explained (see Mark 9:5-6 , Mark 14-23).
“If you can do anything . . . .” It takes the valley of humiliation to remove the skepticism from us. Look back at your own experience and you will find that until you learned who Jesus really was, you were a skillful skeptic about His power. When you were on the mountaintop you could believe anything, but what about when you were faced with the facts of the valley? You may be able to give a testimony regarding your sanctification, but what about the thing that is a humiliation to you right now? The last time you were on the mountain with God, you saw that all the power in heaven and on earth belonged to Jesus— will you be skeptical now, simply because you are in the valley of humiliation?
謙卑的領域
你若能作什麼，求你憐憫我們，幫助我們。 （可九22）
每次高峰經歷之後，神會突然把我們帶下山去，面對既不美麗，也不詩意，更無興奮可言的現實。山峰的高度是以山谷中單調的生活來量度的，但正是這山谷的生活，才是榮耀神的生活。我們在山頂上看見神的榮耀，但卻永不會在那里為榮耀他而活。在謙卑低微的境地中，才真正顯露我們對神的價值，顯出我們的忠貞。在英雄的高台上，多半人都可以大顯身手，因為我們心中有自私的天性；但神卻要我們處身在枯燥平凡的境地，要我們在山谷中，單憑與他的關係而活。彼得以為留在山上最好不過，可是主耶穌卻把門徒從山上帶下山谷，在那裡，山上的異象才得以啟露。
[你若能作什麼……]在山谷的卑微中，才能把我們多疑的根拔掉。試回想你的經歷，在你認識主耶穌是誰以前，你是一個奸狡的不信者。在山上的時候，你什麼都相信，可是在山谷中面對現實時又如何呢？你大可以作見證，說成聖之道，可是對那如今令你屈辱的事，你如何處理？上一次你與神在山上，看見天上地下權柄都在耶穌手中；如今在卑下的山谷中，你有沒有疑惑？
祈禱◆主啊，昔日我在你面前的生活，彷如四處漂流、黯淡無光，直至你在我裡面出現。因著我相信你大能的救贖，我稱頌你，可是，噢，能察覺你的感動竟然會帶來如此的分別！
October 01, 2013
The Place of Exaltation
. . . Jesus took . . . them up on a high mountain apart by themselves . . . —Mark 9:2
We have all experienced times of exaltation on the mountain, when we have seen things from God’s perspective and have wanted to stay there. But God will never allow us to stay there. The true test of our spiritual life is in exhibiting the power to descend from the mountain. If we only have the power to go up, something is wrong. It is a wonderful thing to be on the mountain with God, but a person only gets there so that he may later go down and lift up the demon-possessed people in the valley (see Mark 9:14-18). We are not made for the mountains, for sunrises, or for the other beautiful attractions in life— those are simply intended to be moments of inspiration. We are made for the valley and the ordinary things of life, and that is where we have to prove our stamina and strength. Yet our spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mountain. We feel that we could talk and live like perfect angels, if we could only stay on the mountaintop. Those times of exaltation are exceptional and they have their meaning in our life with God, but we must beware to prevent our spiritual selfishness from wanting to make them the only time.
We are inclined to think that everything that happens is to be turned into useful teaching. In actual fact, it is to be turned into something even better than teaching, namely, character. The mountaintop is not meant to teach us anything, it is meant to make us something. There is a terrible trap in always asking, “What’s the use of this experience?” We can never measure spiritual matters in that way. The moments on the mountaintop are rare moments, and they are meant for something in God’s purpose.
超升的領域
耶穌帶著彼得、雅各、約翰，暗暗的上了高山……(可九2)
我們都有過山上的經歷－－從神的觀點看事物，於是就想留在那裡不再下來。可是，神絕不容許我們留在那裡。屬靈生命的考驗，是看你下山以後的能力。若只有上山才有能力，那就有點不對勁了。在神的山上，固然好極了，但上山的目的，是叫人以後下來到被魔鬼轄制的人中間，把他們向上推。我們不是為山峰、晨曦、美景而造，那些只是感性的時刻。我們乃是為山谷而造，為那日常平凡的事而造，為要考驗我們的能力。屬靈的自私總是盼望可以重演山上的經歷，以為只要留在山上，就可以說話生活如天使一般。其實，高峰的生活是例外的，在與神的相交忠，有它的作用；但必須當心，別讓屬靈的自私把高山的經歷，視作唯一去追求的東西。
我們常以為凡事都是為教導我們，但其實比教導更好的，就是使凡遭遇的變成我們的個性。山頂的經歷不是要教導我們，乃是要塑造我們。 [這事有什麼用處？ ]這樣問有很大的危險。屬靈的事不是這樣計算的。山頂上的經歷是罕有的，是神為特別的目的而設的。
祈禱◆主啊，我最渴望的，是在你裡面生根建造－－以神為中心，專注於神，熱心於神和愛神。我的靈魂何等渴望認識你，並且得著平靜。
We have all experienced times of exaltation on the mountain, when we have seen things from God’s perspective and have wanted to stay there. But God will never allow us to stay there. The true test of our spiritual life is in exhibiting the power to descend from the mountain. If we only have the power to go up, something is wrong. It is a wonderful thing to be on the mountain with God, but a person only gets there so that he may later go down and lift up the demon-possessed people in the valley (see Mark 9:14-18). We are not made for the mountains, for sunrises, or for the other beautiful attractions in life— those are simply intended to be moments of inspiration. We are made for the valley and the ordinary things of life, and that is where we have to prove our stamina and strength. Yet our spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mountain. We feel that we could talk and live like perfect angels, if we could only stay on the mountaintop. Those times of exaltation are exceptional and they have their meaning in our life with God, but we must beware to prevent our spiritual selfishness from wanting to make them the only time.
We are inclined to think that everything that happens is to be turned into useful teaching. In actual fact, it is to be turned into something even better than teaching, namely, character. The mountaintop is not meant to teach us anything, it is meant to make us something. There is a terrible trap in always asking, “What’s the use of this experience?” We can never measure spiritual matters in that way. The moments on the mountaintop are rare moments, and they are meant for something in God’s purpose.
超升的領域
耶穌帶著彼得、雅各、約翰，暗暗的上了高山……(可九2)
我們都有過山上的經歷－－從神的觀點看事物，於是就想留在那裡不再下來。可是，神絕不容許我們留在那裡。屬靈生命的考驗，是看你下山以後的能力。若只有上山才有能力，那就有點不對勁了。在神的山上，固然好極了，但上山的目的，是叫人以後下來到被魔鬼轄制的人中間，把他們向上推。我們不是為山峰、晨曦、美景而造，那些只是感性的時刻。我們乃是為山谷而造，為那日常平凡的事而造，為要考驗我們的能力。屬靈的自私總是盼望可以重演山上的經歷，以為只要留在山上，就可以說話生活如天使一般。其實，高峰的生活是例外的，在與神的相交忠，有它的作用；但必須當心，別讓屬靈的自私把高山的經歷，視作唯一去追求的東西。
我們常以為凡事都是為教導我們，但其實比教導更好的，就是使凡遭遇的變成我們的個性。山頂的經歷不是要教導我們，乃是要塑造我們。 [這事有什麼用處？ ]這樣問有很大的危險。屬靈的事不是這樣計算的。山頂上的經歷是罕有的，是神為特別的目的而設的。
祈禱◆主啊，我最渴望的，是在你裡面生根建造－－以神為中心，專注於神，熱心於神和愛神。我的靈魂何等渴望認識你，並且得著平靜。
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