. . . one of His disciples said to Him, ’Lord, teach us to pray . . .’ —Luke 11:1
Prayer is not a normal part of the life of the natural man. We hear it said that a person’s life will suffer if he doesn’t pray, but I question that. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer. When a person is born again from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve or nourish that life. Prayer is the way that the life of God in us is nourished. Our common ideas regarding prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer simply as a means of getting things for ourselves, but the biblical purpose of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.
“Ask, and you will receive . . .” (John 16:24). We complain before God, and sometimes we are apologetic or indifferent to Him, but we actually ask Him for very few things. Yet a child exhibits a magnificent boldness to ask! Our Lord said, “. . . unless you . . . become as little children . . .” (Matthew 18:3). Ask and God will do. Give Jesus Christ the opportunity and the room to work. The problem is that no one will ever do this until he is at his wits’ end. When a person is at his wits’ end, it no longer seems to be a cowardly thing to pray; in fact, it is the only way he can get in touch with the truth and the reality of God Himself. Be yourself before God and present Him with your problems— the very things that have brought you to your wits’ end. But as long as you think you are self-sufficient, you do not need to ask God for anything.
To say that “prayer changes things” is not as close to the truth as saying, “Prayer changes me and then I change things.” God has established things so that prayer, on the basis of redemption, changes the way a person looks at things. Prayer is not a matter of changing things externally, but one of working miracles in a person’s inner nature.
禱告何益？
救主教導我們禱告。 （路十一1）
祈禱在人的生命中並無地位。我們常聽到這樣的說法：一個人若不禱告，他的生命就會受虧損。這個我不同意。受虧損的是在他裡面神兒子的生命，那生命不是靠食物養活，而是靠禱告養活的。人重生以後，神兒子的生命就住在他裡面；他可以養育這生命，也可以叫它餓壞。禱告是屬神生命得滋養得方法。我們一般對禱告的看法，並不是新約聖經的看法。我們往往視禱告為從神求討東西的途徑。但聖經中的禱告，是叫我們得以認識神自己。
[凡祈求的，就得著。 ]我們在神面前埋怨，或與他辯論，或對他冷漠，卻甚少求什麼。試看有小孩子樣式的兒女那種坦率大膽，是多麼可愛！我們的主說：[你們若不迴轉，變成小孩子的樣式－－]求吧。神必然成就。給主耶穌一個機會，讓他可以自由行事。人非到了盡頭，不會這樣作。
當人到了盡頭去祈求，並不是懦弱，因為這是唯一通往現實的方法。在神面前，只管按你的本相，擺出你那來到盡頭的問題。每當你自滿自足，就不會來求神。與其說[到改改變萬事]，不弱說禱告改變我，然後我改變萬事。神的行事方法，就是藉基於救贖的禱告，改變一個人對事物的看法。禱告不是改變外在事態，乃是在人的本性上行奇事。
祈禱◆[主－－我們的神。全能者作王了。 ]主啊，這句話是何等偉大和令人振奮。願我因著知道你作王，而充滿了寧謐的平安。
August 28, 2014
August 27, 2014
Living Your Theology
Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you . . . —John 12:35
Beware of not acting upon what you see in your moments on the mountaintop with God. If you do not obey the light, it will turn into darkness. “If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23). The moment you forsake the matter of sanctification or neglect anything else on which God has given you His light, your spiritual life begins to disintegrate within you. Continually bring the truth out into your real life, working it out into every area, or else even the light that you possess will itself prove to be a curse.
The most difficult person to deal with is the one who has the prideful self-satisfaction of a past experience, but is not working that experience out in his everyday life. If you say you are sanctified, show it. The experience must be so genuine that it shows in your life. Beware of any belief that makes you self-indulgent or self-gratifying; that belief came from the pit of hell itself, regardless of how beautiful it may sound.
Your theology must work itself out, exhibiting itself in your most common everyday relationships. Our Lord said, “. . . unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). In other words, you must be more moral than the most moral person you know. You may know all about the doctrine of sanctification, but are you working it out in the everyday issues of your life? Every detail of your life, whether physical, moral, or spiritual, is to be judged and measured by the standard of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.
活的神學
應當趁著有光行走，免得黑暗臨到你們。 （約十二35）
應當把你在山上與神同在時所見的活出來。你若不順從光，光就會變成黑暗。 [你裡頭的光若黑暗了，那黑暗是何等大哩！ ]每當你放開成聖的問題，或任何事上神給你的亮光，你屬靈生命就開始陷入枯乾腐爛之中。要不斷把真理活出來，在每一個範疇內都要實行，否則你所得的光，反成了咒詛。
最難對付的人，就是因過去的經歷自滿自足，卻又沒有把經歷付諸實行的人。你若說成聖了，就要表現出來。經歷若是真的，就必然在生活中流露。當心那些叫你自我放縱的信念，不論它們有多動聽，都是從暗坑中出來的。
神學必須在最實際的關係中表現出來。主說：[你們的義若不勝於文士和法利賽人的義……]那就是說，你必須比最具德行的人更有道德。你可以懂得一切成聖的教義，但到底有沒有在生活上行出來？你生命的每一部分：身體、道德、靈性，都要憑救贖的標準去審定。
祈禱◆主啊，願我[像一顆樹栽在溪水旁，按時候結果子]。求你顯明這句話的真實。
Beware of not acting upon what you see in your moments on the mountaintop with God. If you do not obey the light, it will turn into darkness. “If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23). The moment you forsake the matter of sanctification or neglect anything else on which God has given you His light, your spiritual life begins to disintegrate within you. Continually bring the truth out into your real life, working it out into every area, or else even the light that you possess will itself prove to be a curse.
The most difficult person to deal with is the one who has the prideful self-satisfaction of a past experience, but is not working that experience out in his everyday life. If you say you are sanctified, show it. The experience must be so genuine that it shows in your life. Beware of any belief that makes you self-indulgent or self-gratifying; that belief came from the pit of hell itself, regardless of how beautiful it may sound.
Your theology must work itself out, exhibiting itself in your most common everyday relationships. Our Lord said, “. . . unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). In other words, you must be more moral than the most moral person you know. You may know all about the doctrine of sanctification, but are you working it out in the everyday issues of your life? Every detail of your life, whether physical, moral, or spiritual, is to be judged and measured by the standard of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.
活的神學
應當趁著有光行走，免得黑暗臨到你們。 （約十二35）
應當把你在山上與神同在時所見的活出來。你若不順從光，光就會變成黑暗。 [你裡頭的光若黑暗了，那黑暗是何等大哩！ ]每當你放開成聖的問題，或任何事上神給你的亮光，你屬靈生命就開始陷入枯乾腐爛之中。要不斷把真理活出來，在每一個範疇內都要實行，否則你所得的光，反成了咒詛。
最難對付的人，就是因過去的經歷自滿自足，卻又沒有把經歷付諸實行的人。你若說成聖了，就要表現出來。經歷若是真的，就必然在生活中流露。當心那些叫你自我放縱的信念，不論它們有多動聽，都是從暗坑中出來的。
神學必須在最實際的關係中表現出來。主說：[你們的義若不勝於文士和法利賽人的義……]那就是說，你必須比最具德行的人更有道德。你可以懂得一切成聖的教義，但到底有沒有在生活上行出來？你生命的每一部分：身體、道德、靈性，都要憑救贖的標準去審定。
祈禱◆主啊，願我[像一顆樹栽在溪水旁，按時候結果子]。求你顯明這句話的真實。
August 26, 2014
Are You Ever Troubled?
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you . . . —John 14:27
There are times in our lives when our peace is based simply on our own ignorance. But when we are awakened to the realities of life, true inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. When our Lord speaks peace, He creates peace, because the words that He speaks are always “spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? “. . . My peace I give to you. . .”— a peace that comes from looking into His face and fully understanding and receiving His quiet contentment.
Are you severely troubled right now? Are you afraid and confused by the waves and the turbulence God sovereignly allows to enter your life? Have you left no stone of your faith unturned, yet still not found any well of peace, joy, or comfort? Does your life seem completely barren to you? Then look up and receive the quiet contentment of the Lord Jesus. Reflecting His peace is proof that you are right with God, because you are exhibiting the freedom to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. Allowing anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you either causes you to become troubled or gives you a false sense of security.
With regard to the problem that is pressing in on you right now, are you “looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2) and receiving peace from Him? If so, He will be a gracious blessing of peace exhibited in and through you. But if you only try to worry your way out of the problem, you destroy His effectiveness in you, and you deserve whatever you get. We become troubled because we have not been taking Him into account. When a person confers with Jesus Christ, the confusion stops, because there is no confusion in Him. Lay everything out before Him, and when you are faced with difficulty, bereavement, and sorrow, listen to Him say, “Let not your heart be troubled . . .” (John 14:27).
你曾煩擾不安嗎？
我留下平安給你們，我將我的平安賜給你們。 （約十四27）
有時我們感覺平安，是因為無知；但當我們醒悟人生的現實，內心平安就消失了。除非我們從主耶穌得著平安，否則就不能有內在的平安。主耶穌說平安，他就成就平安。他的話永遠是[靈和生命]。我有接受他所說的話麼？ [我將我的平安賜給你們。 ]－－這平安是由於定睛在他臉上，體會他那不能動搖的安穩而來的。
你如今是否因困擾而痛苦？在神的允許下，你正受著風浪的衝擊，雖然翻開信心的礁石，卻仍找不著平安、喜樂與安慰。一切都絕望了，你該仰望主，接受他那無法動搖的平安。你若能彰顯他的平安，便證明你與神有正確的關係，因為你可以自由地把心轉向他。要是你與神的關係不對勁，你的心除了轉向自己之外，便無路可通。若讓任何事物掩蔽主的臉，你不是沒有平安，就是活在虛假的穩妥裡。
你現今是否仰望耶穌？在你逼近眉睫的事上，去接受他的平安？若然，他要藉著你，也要在你裡面，成為最美妙平安的福氣。可是你若擔憂，就攔阻了他，那你受的苦，就是咎由自取了。我們受困擾，是因為未有想到他。人一與主相會，困惑就必離開，因為在他沒有困惑的事。我們唯一要注意的，是住在他裡面。把一切鋪陳在他面前，在一切困難、傷痛、愁苦之中，聽他說：[你們心裡不要憂愁。 ]
祈禱◆主啊，願你的臉光臨到我，並賜給我平安。你的平安，深如無法測度的大海，高如難以量度的高天。願你在此刻感動我，直至光明、生命和自由穿透我。
There are times in our lives when our peace is based simply on our own ignorance. But when we are awakened to the realities of life, true inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. When our Lord speaks peace, He creates peace, because the words that He speaks are always “spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? “. . . My peace I give to you. . .”— a peace that comes from looking into His face and fully understanding and receiving His quiet contentment.
Are you severely troubled right now? Are you afraid and confused by the waves and the turbulence God sovereignly allows to enter your life? Have you left no stone of your faith unturned, yet still not found any well of peace, joy, or comfort? Does your life seem completely barren to you? Then look up and receive the quiet contentment of the Lord Jesus. Reflecting His peace is proof that you are right with God, because you are exhibiting the freedom to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. Allowing anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you either causes you to become troubled or gives you a false sense of security.
With regard to the problem that is pressing in on you right now, are you “looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2) and receiving peace from Him? If so, He will be a gracious blessing of peace exhibited in and through you. But if you only try to worry your way out of the problem, you destroy His effectiveness in you, and you deserve whatever you get. We become troubled because we have not been taking Him into account. When a person confers with Jesus Christ, the confusion stops, because there is no confusion in Him. Lay everything out before Him, and when you are faced with difficulty, bereavement, and sorrow, listen to Him say, “Let not your heart be troubled . . .” (John 14:27).
你曾煩擾不安嗎？
我留下平安給你們，我將我的平安賜給你們。 （約十四27）
有時我們感覺平安，是因為無知；但當我們醒悟人生的現實，內心平安就消失了。除非我們從主耶穌得著平安，否則就不能有內在的平安。主耶穌說平安，他就成就平安。他的話永遠是[靈和生命]。我有接受他所說的話麼？ [我將我的平安賜給你們。 ]－－這平安是由於定睛在他臉上，體會他那不能動搖的安穩而來的。
你如今是否因困擾而痛苦？在神的允許下，你正受著風浪的衝擊，雖然翻開信心的礁石，卻仍找不著平安、喜樂與安慰。一切都絕望了，你該仰望主，接受他那無法動搖的平安。你若能彰顯他的平安，便證明你與神有正確的關係，因為你可以自由地把心轉向他。要是你與神的關係不對勁，你的心除了轉向自己之外，便無路可通。若讓任何事物掩蔽主的臉，你不是沒有平安，就是活在虛假的穩妥裡。
你現今是否仰望耶穌？在你逼近眉睫的事上，去接受他的平安？若然，他要藉著你，也要在你裡面，成為最美妙平安的福氣。可是你若擔憂，就攔阻了他，那你受的苦，就是咎由自取了。我們受困擾，是因為未有想到他。人一與主相會，困惑就必離開，因為在他沒有困惑的事。我們唯一要注意的，是住在他裡面。把一切鋪陳在他面前，在一切困難、傷痛、愁苦之中，聽他說：[你們心裡不要憂愁。 ]
祈禱◆主啊，願你的臉光臨到我，並賜給我平安。你的平安，深如無法測度的大海，高如難以量度的高天。願你在此刻感動我，直至光明、生命和自由穿透我。
August 25, 2014
Sacrifice and Friendship
I have called you friends . . . —John 15:15
We will never know the joy of self-sacrifice until we surrender in every detail of our lives. Yet self-surrender is the most difficult thing for us to do. We make it conditional by saying, “I’ll surrender if . . . !” Or we approach it by saying, “I suppose I have to devote my life to God.” We will never find the joy of self-sacrifice in either of these ways.
But as soon as we do totally surrender, abandoning ourselves to Jesus, the Holy Spirit gives us a taste of His joy. The ultimate goal of self-sacrifice is to lay down our lives for our Friend (see John 15:13-14). When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, our greatest desire is to lay down our lives for Jesus. Yet the thought of self-sacrifice never even crosses our minds, because sacrifice is the Holy Spirit’s ultimate expression of love.
Our Lord is our example of a life of self-sacrifice, and He perfectly exemplified Psalm 40:8, “I delight to do Your will, O my God . . . .” He endured tremendous personal sacrifice, yet with overflowing joy. Have I ever yielded myself in absolute submission to Jesus Christ? If He is not the One to whom I am looking for direction and guidance, then there is no benefit in my sacrifice. But when my sacrifice is made with my eyes focused on Him, slowly but surely His molding influence becomes evident in my life (see Hebrews 12:1-2).
Beware of letting your natural desires hinder your walk in love before God. One of the cruelest ways to kill natural love is through the rejection that results from having built the love on natural desires. But the one true desire of a saint is the Lord Jesus. Love for God is not something sentimental or emotional— for a saint to love as God loves is the most practical thing imaginable.
“I have called you friends. . . .” Our friendship with Jesus is based on the new life He created in us, which has no resemblance or attraction to our old life but only to the life of God. It is a life that is completely humble, pure, and devoted to God.
結實累累的友誼
我乃稱你們為朋友。 （約十五15）
除非我們完全的投上，否則不能真正體會獻上的喜樂。自我的降服是最難的事－－[如果……我就肯了！ ][或許我也該把生命奉獻給神。 ]其中是沒有絲毫捨己的喜樂。待我們真的完全捨棄了，聖靈就叫我們嚐到主耶穌的喜樂。捨己的最終目標是為[朋友]（主耶穌）捨命。聖靈一來，最大的心願就是為耶穌捨命；以往捨己的意念從不會觸動我們的心，因為捨己是聖靈的愛。
主捨己的一生是我們的榜樣－－[我的神，我樂意照你的旨意行。 ]主的捨己是滿有喜樂的。我已經完全降服耶穌基督了嗎？耶穌基督若不是我們的目標，我們的捨己奉獻就毫無益處；我們的奉獻若是專注在他身上，那模造的工夫就必逐漸明朗地顯明。
當心別讓天然的親屬關係，阻礙你行在愛中。扼殺愛最殘酷的方法，是蔑視天然親屬的關係。聖徒唯一的吸引是主耶穌自己。對神的愛並非情感用事，因為聖徒以神的愛去愛，是最實際不過的事。 [我乃稱你們為朋友。 ]這友誼的根基是我們裡面新造的生命。這新生命只與神的生命相連，與舊生命沒有半點關係，是無可言喻的謙和，沒有玷污的潔淨，絕對忠於神。
We will never know the joy of self-sacrifice until we surrender in every detail of our lives. Yet self-surrender is the most difficult thing for us to do. We make it conditional by saying, “I’ll surrender if . . . !” Or we approach it by saying, “I suppose I have to devote my life to God.” We will never find the joy of self-sacrifice in either of these ways.
But as soon as we do totally surrender, abandoning ourselves to Jesus, the Holy Spirit gives us a taste of His joy. The ultimate goal of self-sacrifice is to lay down our lives for our Friend (see John 15:13-14). When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, our greatest desire is to lay down our lives for Jesus. Yet the thought of self-sacrifice never even crosses our minds, because sacrifice is the Holy Spirit’s ultimate expression of love.
Our Lord is our example of a life of self-sacrifice, and He perfectly exemplified Psalm 40:8, “I delight to do Your will, O my God . . . .” He endured tremendous personal sacrifice, yet with overflowing joy. Have I ever yielded myself in absolute submission to Jesus Christ? If He is not the One to whom I am looking for direction and guidance, then there is no benefit in my sacrifice. But when my sacrifice is made with my eyes focused on Him, slowly but surely His molding influence becomes evident in my life (see Hebrews 12:1-2).
Beware of letting your natural desires hinder your walk in love before God. One of the cruelest ways to kill natural love is through the rejection that results from having built the love on natural desires. But the one true desire of a saint is the Lord Jesus. Love for God is not something sentimental or emotional— for a saint to love as God loves is the most practical thing imaginable.
“I have called you friends. . . .” Our friendship with Jesus is based on the new life He created in us, which has no resemblance or attraction to our old life but only to the life of God. It is a life that is completely humble, pure, and devoted to God.
結實累累的友誼
我乃稱你們為朋友。 （約十五15）
除非我們完全的投上，否則不能真正體會獻上的喜樂。自我的降服是最難的事－－[如果……我就肯了！ ][或許我也該把生命奉獻給神。 ]其中是沒有絲毫捨己的喜樂。待我們真的完全捨棄了，聖靈就叫我們嚐到主耶穌的喜樂。捨己的最終目標是為[朋友]（主耶穌）捨命。聖靈一來，最大的心願就是為耶穌捨命；以往捨己的意念從不會觸動我們的心，因為捨己是聖靈的愛。
主捨己的一生是我們的榜樣－－[我的神，我樂意照你的旨意行。 ]主的捨己是滿有喜樂的。我已經完全降服耶穌基督了嗎？耶穌基督若不是我們的目標，我們的捨己奉獻就毫無益處；我們的奉獻若是專注在他身上，那模造的工夫就必逐漸明朗地顯明。
當心別讓天然的親屬關係，阻礙你行在愛中。扼殺愛最殘酷的方法，是蔑視天然親屬的關係。聖徒唯一的吸引是主耶穌自己。對神的愛並非情感用事，因為聖徒以神的愛去愛，是最實際不過的事。 [我乃稱你們為朋友。 ]這友誼的根基是我們裡面新造的生命。這新生命只與神的生命相連，與舊生命沒有半點關係，是無可言喻的謙和，沒有玷污的潔淨，絕對忠於神。
August 24, 2014
The Spiritual Search
What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? —Matthew 7:9
The illustration of prayer that our Lord used here is one of a good child who is asking for something good. We talk about prayer as if God hears us regardless of what our relationship is to Him (see Matthew 5:45). Never say that it is not God’s will to give you what you ask. Don’t faint and give up, but find out the reason you have not received; increase the intensity of your search and examine the evidence. Is your relationship right with your spouse, your children, and your fellow students? Are you a “good child” in those relationships? Do you have to say to the Lord, “I have been irritable and cross, but I still want spiritual blessings”? You cannot receive and will have to do without them until you have the attitude of a “good child.”
We mistake defiance for devotion, arguing with God instead of surrendering. We refuse to look at the evidence that clearly indicates where we are wrong. Have I been asking God to give me money for something I want, while refusing to pay someone what I owe him? Have I been asking God for liberty while I am withholding it from someone who belongs to me? Have I refused to forgive someone, and have I been unkind to that person? Have I been living as God’s child among my relatives and friends? (see Matthew 7:12).
I am a child of God only by being born again, and as His child I am good only as I “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7). For most of us, prayer simply becomes some trivial religious expression, a matter of mystical and emotional fellowship with God. We are all good at producing spiritual fog that blinds our sight. But if we will search out and examine the evidence, we will see very clearly what is wrong— a friendship, an unpaid debt, or an improper attitude. There is no use praying unless we are living as children of God. Then Jesus says, regarding His children, “Everyone who asks receives . . .” (Matthew 7:8).
屬靈索引
你們中間，誰有兒子求餅，反給他石頭呢？ （太七9）
主在這裡拿一個孩子求好東西作比方，來說明禱告。我們似乎覺得神聽不聽禱告，跟我們與他的關係無關（比較太五45）。不要說得不著所求的，是出於神的旨意。不要就此頹然喪志，要找出原因，翻開索引。你與妻子、丈夫、兒女、同學的關係正常嗎？你是個好孩子嗎？ [主啊，我易怒，又暴躁，但是真理得著屬靈的福氣。 ]可是你得不著，知道你變成了好孩子。
我們把悖逆當作敬虔；把與神爭論當作拋棄一切。我們不去查一下索引。我是否還有未償還的債，卻又向神求金錢買東西？我是否一面求神給我自由，一面卻不肯把自由給屬我的人？我未饒恕人家的過犯，對別人不仁，在親友中未活出神的樣式。 （第12節）我惟獨藉重生才可以成為神的兒女，而作為神的兒女，只有行在光中才算是好兒女。禱告對許多人變成一種虔誠的陳腔濫調，成為情感的事，一種與神的神秘相交。在屬靈上，我們最擅於製造煙霧。但只要我們翻查一下索引，就必知道毛病出在何處－－朋友、債項、心思的粗暴。我們生活若不像神的兒女，禱告是毫無用處的。若像神的兒女，耶穌說：[凡祈求的，就得著。 ]
祈禱◆噢，主啊，今天早上我謙恭地祈求，充滿了崇拜和敬仰；當我想起自己的生命是如何備受保護，內心便充滿了謙卑。
The illustration of prayer that our Lord used here is one of a good child who is asking for something good. We talk about prayer as if God hears us regardless of what our relationship is to Him (see Matthew 5:45). Never say that it is not God’s will to give you what you ask. Don’t faint and give up, but find out the reason you have not received; increase the intensity of your search and examine the evidence. Is your relationship right with your spouse, your children, and your fellow students? Are you a “good child” in those relationships? Do you have to say to the Lord, “I have been irritable and cross, but I still want spiritual blessings”? You cannot receive and will have to do without them until you have the attitude of a “good child.”
We mistake defiance for devotion, arguing with God instead of surrendering. We refuse to look at the evidence that clearly indicates where we are wrong. Have I been asking God to give me money for something I want, while refusing to pay someone what I owe him? Have I been asking God for liberty while I am withholding it from someone who belongs to me? Have I refused to forgive someone, and have I been unkind to that person? Have I been living as God’s child among my relatives and friends? (see Matthew 7:12).
I am a child of God only by being born again, and as His child I am good only as I “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7). For most of us, prayer simply becomes some trivial religious expression, a matter of mystical and emotional fellowship with God. We are all good at producing spiritual fog that blinds our sight. But if we will search out and examine the evidence, we will see very clearly what is wrong— a friendship, an unpaid debt, or an improper attitude. There is no use praying unless we are living as children of God. Then Jesus says, regarding His children, “Everyone who asks receives . . .” (Matthew 7:8).
屬靈索引
你們中間，誰有兒子求餅，反給他石頭呢？ （太七9）
主在這裡拿一個孩子求好東西作比方，來說明禱告。我們似乎覺得神聽不聽禱告，跟我們與他的關係無關（比較太五45）。不要說得不著所求的，是出於神的旨意。不要就此頹然喪志，要找出原因，翻開索引。你與妻子、丈夫、兒女、同學的關係正常嗎？你是個好孩子嗎？ [主啊，我易怒，又暴躁，但是真理得著屬靈的福氣。 ]可是你得不著，知道你變成了好孩子。
我們把悖逆當作敬虔；把與神爭論當作拋棄一切。我們不去查一下索引。我是否還有未償還的債，卻又向神求金錢買東西？我是否一面求神給我自由，一面卻不肯把自由給屬我的人？我未饒恕人家的過犯，對別人不仁，在親友中未活出神的樣式。 （第12節）我惟獨藉重生才可以成為神的兒女，而作為神的兒女，只有行在光中才算是好兒女。禱告對許多人變成一種虔誠的陳腔濫調，成為情感的事，一種與神的神秘相交。在屬靈上，我們最擅於製造煙霧。但只要我們翻查一下索引，就必知道毛病出在何處－－朋友、債項、心思的粗暴。我們生活若不像神的兒女，禱告是毫無用處的。若像神的兒女，耶穌說：[凡祈求的，就得著。 ]
祈禱◆噢，主啊，今天早上我謙恭地祈求，充滿了崇拜和敬仰；當我想起自己的生命是如何備受保護，內心便充滿了謙卑。
August 23, 2014
Prayer— Battle in “The Secret Place”
When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly —Matthew 6:6
Jesus did not say, “Dream about your Father who is in the secret place,” but He said, “. . . pray to your Father who is in the secret place. . . .” Prayer is an effort of the will. After we have entered our secret place and shut the door, the most difficult thing to do is to pray. We cannot seem to get our minds into good working order, and the first thing we have to fight is wandering thoughts. The great battle in private prayer is overcoming this problem of our idle and wandering thinking. We have to learn to discipline our minds and concentrate on willful, deliberate prayer.
We must have a specially selected place for prayer, but once we get there this plague of wandering thoughts begins, as we begin to think to ourselves, “This needs to be done, and I have to do that today.” Jesus says to “shut your door.” Having a secret stillness before God means deliberately shutting the door on our emotions and remembering Him. God is in secret, and He sees us from “the secret place”— He does not see us as other people do, or as we see ourselves. When we truly live in “the secret place,” it becomes impossible for us to doubt God. We become more sure of Him than of anyone or anything else. Enter into “the secret place,” and you will find that God was right in the middle of your everyday circumstances all the time. Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything. Unless you learn to open the door of your life completely and let God in from your first waking moment of each new day, you will be working on the wrong level throughout the day. But if you will swing the door of your life fully open and “pray to your Father who is in the secret place,” every public thing in your life will be marked with the lasting imprint of the presence of God.
禱告的選擇與禱告的衝突
你禱告的時候，要進你的內屋，關上門，禱告你在暗中的父。 （太六6）
耶穌不是說[夢想你在暗中的父]，而是[禱告你在暗中的父]禱告是一項意志的行動。我們進到內室，關上門，這時最難的事就是禱告。我們無法控制心思，就是思想的浮游。私禱最大的爭戰，就是要勝過心不在焉。必須控制心思，集中心力去禱告。
我們必須選一個地方來禱告，可是我們一進去，那蠅災就來了－－這個要做，那個也要做。 [關上門。 ]在隱密處的安靜，就是著意地把情感的門關上，只紀念神自己。神是在暗中的，他從暗中察看；他看我們，不同別人看我們，也不同我們看自己。活在內室之中，就根本沒有可能懷疑神，我們對他比對一切更肯定。耶穌說是在暗中的，而不在別的地方。進入內室，你就會在一切日常事務當中，發現神時刻同在。要習慣每一件事與神來往。每天清早張開眼，就該把門向神大開，讓神進來，否則你整天的工作就不對勁。向神大開心門，向暗中的父禱告，這樣，你每一件生活中公開的事，都必打上神同在的印記。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，在清晨的時間與你相交是何等美好。願你耐心地幫助我，將這寧靜的高貴時刻，轉化在這天的活動中。
Jesus did not say, “Dream about your Father who is in the secret place,” but He said, “. . . pray to your Father who is in the secret place. . . .” Prayer is an effort of the will. After we have entered our secret place and shut the door, the most difficult thing to do is to pray. We cannot seem to get our minds into good working order, and the first thing we have to fight is wandering thoughts. The great battle in private prayer is overcoming this problem of our idle and wandering thinking. We have to learn to discipline our minds and concentrate on willful, deliberate prayer.
We must have a specially selected place for prayer, but once we get there this plague of wandering thoughts begins, as we begin to think to ourselves, “This needs to be done, and I have to do that today.” Jesus says to “shut your door.” Having a secret stillness before God means deliberately shutting the door on our emotions and remembering Him. God is in secret, and He sees us from “the secret place”— He does not see us as other people do, or as we see ourselves. When we truly live in “the secret place,” it becomes impossible for us to doubt God. We become more sure of Him than of anyone or anything else. Enter into “the secret place,” and you will find that God was right in the middle of your everyday circumstances all the time. Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything. Unless you learn to open the door of your life completely and let God in from your first waking moment of each new day, you will be working on the wrong level throughout the day. But if you will swing the door of your life fully open and “pray to your Father who is in the secret place,” every public thing in your life will be marked with the lasting imprint of the presence of God.
禱告的選擇與禱告的衝突
你禱告的時候，要進你的內屋，關上門，禱告你在暗中的父。 （太六6）
耶穌不是說[夢想你在暗中的父]，而是[禱告你在暗中的父]禱告是一項意志的行動。我們進到內室，關上門，這時最難的事就是禱告。我們無法控制心思，就是思想的浮游。私禱最大的爭戰，就是要勝過心不在焉。必須控制心思，集中心力去禱告。
我們必須選一個地方來禱告，可是我們一進去，那蠅災就來了－－這個要做，那個也要做。 [關上門。 ]在隱密處的安靜，就是著意地把情感的門關上，只紀念神自己。神是在暗中的，他從暗中察看；他看我們，不同別人看我們，也不同我們看自己。活在內室之中，就根本沒有可能懷疑神，我們對他比對一切更肯定。耶穌說是在暗中的，而不在別的地方。進入內室，你就會在一切日常事務當中，發現神時刻同在。要習慣每一件事與神來往。每天清早張開眼，就該把門向神大開，讓神進來，否則你整天的工作就不對勁。向神大開心門，向暗中的父禱告，這樣，你每一件生活中公開的事，都必打上神同在的印記。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，在清晨的時間與你相交是何等美好。願你耐心地幫助我，將這寧靜的高貴時刻，轉化在這天的活動中。
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。
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