. . . unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven —Matthew 18:3
These words of our Lord refer to our initial conversion, but we should continue to turn to God as children, being continuously converted every day of our lives. If we trust in our own abilities, instead of God’s, we produce consequences for which God will hold us responsible. When God through His sovereignty brings us into new situations, we should immediately make sure that our natural life submits to the spiritual, obeying the orders of the Spirit of God. Just because we have responded properly in the past is no guarantee that we will do so again. The response of the natural to the spiritual should be continuous conversion, but this is where we so often refuse to be obedient. No matter what our situation is, the Spirit of God remains unchanged and His salvation unaltered. But we must “put on the new man . . .” (Ephesians 4:24). God holds us accountable every time we refuse to convert ourselves, and He sees our refusal as willful disobedience. Our natural life must not rule— God must rule in us.
To refuse to be continuously converted puts a stumbling block in the growth of our spiritual life. There are areas of self-will in our lives where our pride pours contempt on the throne of God and says, “I won’t submit.” We deify our independence and self-will and call them by the wrong name. What God sees as stubborn weakness, we call strength. There are whole areas of our lives that have not yet been brought into submission, and this can only be done by this continuous conversion. Slowly but surely we can claim the whole territory for the Spirit of God.
不斷迴轉
你們若不迴轉，變成小孩子的樣式……（太十八3）
這話不但在我們初信之時十分真確，就是在我們生命的每一天，也要迴轉，向神作小孩子。我們若信賴自己的頭腦過於神，他就要我們負責後果。我們的身體既在神安排下進入新的境況，就要讓天然生命順服聖靈的指揮。一次成功，並不等於第二次也可以成功。肉體生命與屬靈生命的關係，是不斷的迴轉，這是我們本性所不願的。不管在什麼環境下，神的靈始終不變，神的救恩也不變，但我們要[穿上新人]。我們每次不肯迴轉，神都要我們自己負責，因為我們的拒絕，是出於故意的頑梗。我們不要被肉體的生命管轄，必須讓神掌管。
屬靈生命的阻礙，是不肯經常迴轉悔改，我們用許多頑梗的藉口，在神的寶座前自傲地說：[我不肯。 ]我們尊崇獨立固執，給它們錯誤的稱號。神看作頑梗的軟弱，我們卻稱之為力量。我們生命中還有許多地方未受管治的，這只有靠經常迴轉才可以達成。逐漸地，我們必然被聖靈收復所有失地。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願我能被你帶進你與我同在的境地，從你的立場觀看事情。今天早上，我要向你的百姓說話，噢，主啊，以你恩慈的靈重新膏立我。
December 28, 2014
December 27, 2014
Where the Battle is Won or Lost
’If you will return, O Israel,’ says the Lord . . . —Jeremiah 4:1
Our battles are first won or lost in the secret places of our will in God’s presence, never in full view of the world. The Spirit of God seizes me and I am compelled to get alone with God and fight the battle before Him. Until I do this, I will lose every time. The battle may take one minute or one year, but that will depend on me, not God. However long it takes, I must wrestle with it alone before God, and I must resolve to go through the hell of renunciation or rejection before Him. Nothing has any power over someone who has fought the battle before God and won there.
I should never say, “I will wait until I get into difficult circumstances and then I’ll put God to the test.” Trying to do that will not work. I must first get the issue settled between God and myself in the secret places of my soul, where no one else can interfere. Then I can go ahead, knowing with certainty that the battle is won. Lose it there, and calamity, disaster, and defeat before the world are as sure as the laws of God. The reason the battle is lost is that I fight it first in the external world. Get alone with God, do battle before Him, and settle the matter once and for all.
In dealing with other people, our stance should always be to drive them toward making a decision of their will. That is how surrendering to God begins. Not often, but every once in a while, God brings us to a major turning point— a great crossroads in our life. From that point we either go toward a more and more slow, lazy, and useless Christian life, or we become more and more on fire, giving our utmost for His highest— our best for His glory.
勝敗所在
耶和華說，以色列啊，你若回來歸向我……（耶四1）
爭戰的勝敗決定於在神面前意志的隱秘處，而不是外在的世界。神的靈提醒我，催促我獨自見神，在他面前作戰。若不這樣行，我每次必敗。爭戰是一分鐘還是一年，是在於我的決定，而不是神；但必須在神面前自己摔跤，斷然棄絕主權。沒有什麼能推倒一個在神面前爭戰勝利的人。
我若說：[還是等到事情來到，再試試神吧！ ]我必發覺自己辦不到。我要在神面前，自己在心靈的隱秘處，沒有他人騷擾的地方，好好解決；然後放膽地出去，因為知道仗已經打贏了。若在那裡打敗，災禍難處必然不絕臨到，就如神的命令一樣堅定。仗打不贏的道理，是我想先從外在世界去打。其實應該獨自見神，在那裡先打勝了，才可一次過解決問題。對得其他人也是如此，要把他們推到意志的邊緣－－完全歸服的起點。有時候，神帶我們來到一個頂點，就是生命的大分水線；從那一點，我們可以逐漸退隱過一種無大用處的信徒生活；或從那一點，我們為神的榮耀燒旺－－竭誠為主。
祈禱◆噢，我的神，請你現在感動我。在其中一次改變生命的觸動中，你確實從所有事物中清楚而具體地啟示你自己；在那些燦爛的時刻中，我看見你、敬拜你，並讚歎你.
Our battles are first won or lost in the secret places of our will in God’s presence, never in full view of the world. The Spirit of God seizes me and I am compelled to get alone with God and fight the battle before Him. Until I do this, I will lose every time. The battle may take one minute or one year, but that will depend on me, not God. However long it takes, I must wrestle with it alone before God, and I must resolve to go through the hell of renunciation or rejection before Him. Nothing has any power over someone who has fought the battle before God and won there.
I should never say, “I will wait until I get into difficult circumstances and then I’ll put God to the test.” Trying to do that will not work. I must first get the issue settled between God and myself in the secret places of my soul, where no one else can interfere. Then I can go ahead, knowing with certainty that the battle is won. Lose it there, and calamity, disaster, and defeat before the world are as sure as the laws of God. The reason the battle is lost is that I fight it first in the external world. Get alone with God, do battle before Him, and settle the matter once and for all.
In dealing with other people, our stance should always be to drive them toward making a decision of their will. That is how surrendering to God begins. Not often, but every once in a while, God brings us to a major turning point— a great crossroads in our life. From that point we either go toward a more and more slow, lazy, and useless Christian life, or we become more and more on fire, giving our utmost for His highest— our best for His glory.
勝敗所在
耶和華說，以色列啊，你若回來歸向我……（耶四1）
爭戰的勝敗決定於在神面前意志的隱秘處，而不是外在的世界。神的靈提醒我，催促我獨自見神，在他面前作戰。若不這樣行，我每次必敗。爭戰是一分鐘還是一年，是在於我的決定，而不是神；但必須在神面前自己摔跤，斷然棄絕主權。沒有什麼能推倒一個在神面前爭戰勝利的人。
我若說：[還是等到事情來到，再試試神吧！ ]我必發覺自己辦不到。我要在神面前，自己在心靈的隱秘處，沒有他人騷擾的地方，好好解決；然後放膽地出去，因為知道仗已經打贏了。若在那裡打敗，災禍難處必然不絕臨到，就如神的命令一樣堅定。仗打不贏的道理，是我想先從外在世界去打。其實應該獨自見神，在那裡先打勝了，才可一次過解決問題。對得其他人也是如此，要把他們推到意志的邊緣－－完全歸服的起點。有時候，神帶我們來到一個頂點，就是生命的大分水線；從那一點，我們可以逐漸退隱過一種無大用處的信徒生活；或從那一點，我們為神的榮耀燒旺－－竭誠為主。
祈禱◆噢，我的神，請你現在感動我。在其中一次改變生命的觸動中，你確實從所有事物中清楚而具體地啟示你自己；在那些燦爛的時刻中，我看見你、敬拜你，並讚歎你.
December 26, 2014
“Walk in the Light”
If we walk in the light as He is in the light . . . the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin —1 John 1:7
To mistake freedom from sin only on the conscious level of our lives for complete deliverance from sin by the atonement through the Cross of Christ is a great error. No one fully knows what sin is until he is born again. Sin is what Jesus Christ faced at Calvary. The evidence that I have been delivered from sin is that I know the real nature of sin in me. For a person to really know what sin is requires the full work and deep touch of the atonement of Jesus Christ, that is, the imparting of His absolute perfection.
The Holy Spirit applies or administers the work of the atonement to us in the deep unconscious realm as well as in the conscious realm. And it is not until we truly perceive the unrivaled power of the Spirit in us that we understand the meaning of 1 John 1:7, which says, “. . . the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” This verse does not refer only to conscious sin, but also to the tremendously profound understanding of sin which only the Holy Spirit in me can accomplish.
I must “walk in the light as He is in the light . . .”— not in the light of my own conscience, but in God’s light. If I will walk there, with nothing held back or hidden, then this amazing truth is revealed to me: “. . . the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses [me] from all sin” so that God Almighty can see nothing to rebuke in me. On the conscious level it produces a keen, sorrowful knowledge of what sin really is. The love of God working in me causes me to hate, with the Holy Spirit’s hatred for sin, anything that is not in keeping with God’s holiness. To “walk in the light” means that everything that is of the darkness actually drives me closer to the center of the light.
行在光中
我們若在光明中行，如同神在光明中……他兒子耶穌的血也洗淨我們一切的罪。 （約壹一7）
自覺脫離罪，得享自由；並不等於已蒙救贖，從罪中得釋放。若混淆二者，是嚴重得錯誤。人必須重生，才知何為罪；而罪就是耶穌在十字架上所面對的。我從罪中得釋放的證據，就是認識我裡頭的罪。主耶穌的救恩使人有分於他絕對的完全，叫人知道罪是什麼？聖靈使救恩在我們裡面生效，在非意識的領域，也在意識可及的領域；只有當我們體會聖靈在我們裡面那無可比擬的能力，我們才明白約翰一書一章7節的意思：[耶穌的血也洗淨我們一切的罪。 ]這不單指意識的罪，更是指因內居的聖靈而對罪有深切的認識。
我若像神一樣行在光中，不是自己良心的光，而是神的光－－沒有任何遮掩，就必希奇地領悟－－耶穌的血洗淨我一切的罪，以致神無法找出可指斥的。在我的意識中，他叫我對罪有一種敏銳而強烈的知覺。神的愛又在我裡面，叫我像聖靈恨罪一樣，恨惡一切與神聖潔相違的東西。行在光中的意思，就是每一件黑暗的事物，都驅策我更接近光的中樞。
祈禱◆潔淨我，噢，主啊，使我脫去靈裡一切的罪污，願你那充滿光輝的美善，今天臨到我身上。
To mistake freedom from sin only on the conscious level of our lives for complete deliverance from sin by the atonement through the Cross of Christ is a great error. No one fully knows what sin is until he is born again. Sin is what Jesus Christ faced at Calvary. The evidence that I have been delivered from sin is that I know the real nature of sin in me. For a person to really know what sin is requires the full work and deep touch of the atonement of Jesus Christ, that is, the imparting of His absolute perfection.
The Holy Spirit applies or administers the work of the atonement to us in the deep unconscious realm as well as in the conscious realm. And it is not until we truly perceive the unrivaled power of the Spirit in us that we understand the meaning of 1 John 1:7, which says, “. . . the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” This verse does not refer only to conscious sin, but also to the tremendously profound understanding of sin which only the Holy Spirit in me can accomplish.
I must “walk in the light as He is in the light . . .”— not in the light of my own conscience, but in God’s light. If I will walk there, with nothing held back or hidden, then this amazing truth is revealed to me: “. . . the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses [me] from all sin” so that God Almighty can see nothing to rebuke in me. On the conscious level it produces a keen, sorrowful knowledge of what sin really is. The love of God working in me causes me to hate, with the Holy Spirit’s hatred for sin, anything that is not in keeping with God’s holiness. To “walk in the light” means that everything that is of the darkness actually drives me closer to the center of the light.
行在光中
我們若在光明中行，如同神在光明中……他兒子耶穌的血也洗淨我們一切的罪。 （約壹一7）
自覺脫離罪，得享自由；並不等於已蒙救贖，從罪中得釋放。若混淆二者，是嚴重得錯誤。人必須重生，才知何為罪；而罪就是耶穌在十字架上所面對的。我從罪中得釋放的證據，就是認識我裡頭的罪。主耶穌的救恩使人有分於他絕對的完全，叫人知道罪是什麼？聖靈使救恩在我們裡面生效，在非意識的領域，也在意識可及的領域；只有當我們體會聖靈在我們裡面那無可比擬的能力，我們才明白約翰一書一章7節的意思：[耶穌的血也洗淨我們一切的罪。 ]這不單指意識的罪，更是指因內居的聖靈而對罪有深切的認識。
我若像神一樣行在光中，不是自己良心的光，而是神的光－－沒有任何遮掩，就必希奇地領悟－－耶穌的血洗淨我一切的罪，以致神無法找出可指斥的。在我的意識中，他叫我對罪有一種敏銳而強烈的知覺。神的愛又在我裡面，叫我像聖靈恨罪一樣，恨惡一切與神聖潔相違的東西。行在光中的意思，就是每一件黑暗的事物，都驅策我更接近光的中樞。
祈禱◆潔淨我，噢，主啊，使我脫去靈裡一切的罪污，願你那充滿光輝的美善，今天臨到我身上。
December 25, 2014
His Birth and Our New Birth
"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us" —Matthew 1:23
His Birth in History. “. . . that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35). Jesus Christ was born into this world, not from it. He did not emerge out of history; He came into history from the outside. Jesus Christ is not the best human being the human race can boast of— He is a Being for whom the human race can take no credit at all. He is not man becoming God, but God Incarnate— God coming into human flesh from outside it. His life is the highest and the holiest entering through the most humble of doors. Our Lord’s birth was an advent— the appearance of God in human form.
His Birth in Me. “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you . . .” (Galatians 4:19). Just as our Lord came into human history from outside it, He must also come into me from outside. Have I allowed my personal human life to become a “Bethlehem” for the Son of God? I cannot enter the realm of the kingdom of God unless I am born again from above by a birth totally unlike physical birth. “You must be born again” (John 3:7). This is not a command, but a fact based on the authority of God. The evidence of the new birth is that I yield myself so completely to God that “Christ is formed” in me. And once “Christ is formed” in me, His nature immediately begins to work through me.
God Evident in the Flesh. This is what is made so profoundly possible for you and for me through the redemption of man by Jesus Christ.
他的降生與我們的新生
必有童女懷孕生子，給她起名叫以馬內利。就是神與我們同在的意思。 （賽七14）
他在歷史中誕生。 [因此所要生的聖者，必稱為神的兒子。 ]（路一35）耶穌基督是降生到世界，不是從這世界而出。他不是從歷史演進而生，乃是從歷史以外而來。耶穌基督不是人類最好的一個；他是完全無法算在人類之內的一位。他不是人變作神，乃是神成了肉身，成了人的形狀，是從外而來的。他的生命最崇高最聖潔，卻從最卑微的門進來。主的誕生，是降臨人間。
他在我裡面誕生。 [我為你們再受生產之苦，直等到基督成形在你們心裡。 ](加四19)主是從外面進到人類歷史，同樣也從外面進到我裡面。我有沒有讓自己的生命，成為神兒子的伯利恆？我必須從神而生，這與天然的生產完全不同，否則便不能進入神的國度裡。 [你們必須重生]，這不是命令，而是一項基本的事實。新生的本質，就是我完全降服神，以致基督成形在我裡面，他的本性開始透過我工作。神在肉身顯現－－這是救恩為你我所成就的事實。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，當我們在今早思想以賽亞書第五十三章，願祢的榮耀將它顯明；願祢使我們變得柔和與溫順，被祢所激勵和振奮，並且將我們提升至這種榮耀的事奉，以致我們可以捕捉祢的形象。
His Birth in History. “. . . that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35). Jesus Christ was born into this world, not from it. He did not emerge out of history; He came into history from the outside. Jesus Christ is not the best human being the human race can boast of— He is a Being for whom the human race can take no credit at all. He is not man becoming God, but God Incarnate— God coming into human flesh from outside it. His life is the highest and the holiest entering through the most humble of doors. Our Lord’s birth was an advent— the appearance of God in human form.
His Birth in Me. “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you . . .” (Galatians 4:19). Just as our Lord came into human history from outside it, He must also come into me from outside. Have I allowed my personal human life to become a “Bethlehem” for the Son of God? I cannot enter the realm of the kingdom of God unless I am born again from above by a birth totally unlike physical birth. “You must be born again” (John 3:7). This is not a command, but a fact based on the authority of God. The evidence of the new birth is that I yield myself so completely to God that “Christ is formed” in me. And once “Christ is formed” in me, His nature immediately begins to work through me.
God Evident in the Flesh. This is what is made so profoundly possible for you and for me through the redemption of man by Jesus Christ.
他的降生與我們的新生
必有童女懷孕生子，給她起名叫以馬內利。就是神與我們同在的意思。 （賽七14）
他在歷史中誕生。 [因此所要生的聖者，必稱為神的兒子。 ]（路一35）耶穌基督是降生到世界，不是從這世界而出。他不是從歷史演進而生，乃是從歷史以外而來。耶穌基督不是人類最好的一個；他是完全無法算在人類之內的一位。他不是人變作神，乃是神成了肉身，成了人的形狀，是從外而來的。他的生命最崇高最聖潔，卻從最卑微的門進來。主的誕生，是降臨人間。
他在我裡面誕生。 [我為你們再受生產之苦，直等到基督成形在你們心裡。 ](加四19)主是從外面進到人類歷史，同樣也從外面進到我裡面。我有沒有讓自己的生命，成為神兒子的伯利恆？我必須從神而生，這與天然的生產完全不同，否則便不能進入神的國度裡。 [你們必須重生]，這不是命令，而是一項基本的事實。新生的本質，就是我完全降服神，以致基督成形在我裡面，他的本性開始透過我工作。神在肉身顯現－－這是救恩為你我所成就的事實。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，當我們在今早思想以賽亞書第五十三章，願祢的榮耀將它顯明；願祢使我們變得柔和與溫順，被祢所激勵和振奮，並且將我們提升至這種榮耀的事奉，以致我們可以捕捉祢的形象。
December 24, 2014
The Hidden Life
. . . your life is hidden with Christ in God —Colossians 3:3
The Spirit of God testifies to and confirms the simple, but almighty, security of the life that “is hidden with Christ in God.” Paul continually brought this out in his New Testament letters. We talk as if living a sanctified life were the most uncertain and insecure thing we could do. Yet it is the most secure thing possible, because it has Almighty God in and behind it. The most dangerous and unsure thing is to try to live without God. For one who is born again, it is easier to live in a right-standing relationship with God than it is to go wrong, provided we heed God’s warnings and “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7).
When we think of being delivered from sin, being “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), and “walk[ing] in the light,” we picture the peak of a great mountain. We see it as very high and wonderful, but we say, “Oh, I could never live up there!” However, when we do get there through God’s grace, we find it is not a mountain peak at all, but a plateau with plenty of room to live and to grow. “You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip” (Psalm 18:36).
When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. If you see Him when He says, “Let not your heart be troubled . . .” (John 14:27), I defy you to worry. It is virtually impossible to doubt when He is there. Every time you are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to you. “My peace I give to you . . .” (John 14:27)— a peace which brings an unconstrained confidence and covers you completely, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. “. . . your life is hidden with Christ in God,” and the peace of Jesus Christ that cannot be disturbed has been imparted to you.
隱藏的生命
你們的生命與基督一同藏在神裡面。 （西三3）
我與基督一同藏在神裡面的生命有大能安穩，這事實是神的靈見證的，並且也不斷見諸新約的各書信中。我往往視成聖生活中最不穩定的東西，其實這是最有保障的，因為全能的神在裡面在後面支援著。最不穩固的，是不靠神而活。我們若已重生，只要肯聽神的警告，行在光中，最容易的是與神有正確的關係，而最難的是走差路。有時想脫離罪惡，被聖靈充滿，行在光明中，好像高山的頂崇高峻妙，我們就會說：[可惜，我怎麼也攀不上去！ ]但一旦靠神恩典上去了，卻發現這原來不是一個山頂，而是一片高原，有足夠的地方生長。 [你使我的道路寬廣。 ]
你若真看見耶穌，我保證你不會對他疑惑。當他說[你心裡不要憂愁]，你若真看見他，必然不會憂愁，因為他在這裡，根本不用疑惑。每次你單獨與他相交，他的話都活現出來。 [我將我的平安賜給你們。 ]這平安要從頭頂滲透至腳踵，是無可抗拒的可靠。 [你們的生命與基督一同藏在神裡面]，主無比的平安就臨到你。
祈禱◆[與基督一同藏在神裡面]的生命，是何等喜樂的生命！可是，我的神，儘管有著你一切的恩典和忍耐，我仍然不敢有一刻想到我離開這生命有多遠。然而，我是你所造的，我要感謝你。
The Spirit of God testifies to and confirms the simple, but almighty, security of the life that “is hidden with Christ in God.” Paul continually brought this out in his New Testament letters. We talk as if living a sanctified life were the most uncertain and insecure thing we could do. Yet it is the most secure thing possible, because it has Almighty God in and behind it. The most dangerous and unsure thing is to try to live without God. For one who is born again, it is easier to live in a right-standing relationship with God than it is to go wrong, provided we heed God’s warnings and “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7).
When we think of being delivered from sin, being “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), and “walk[ing] in the light,” we picture the peak of a great mountain. We see it as very high and wonderful, but we say, “Oh, I could never live up there!” However, when we do get there through God’s grace, we find it is not a mountain peak at all, but a plateau with plenty of room to live and to grow. “You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip” (Psalm 18:36).
When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. If you see Him when He says, “Let not your heart be troubled . . .” (John 14:27), I defy you to worry. It is virtually impossible to doubt when He is there. Every time you are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to you. “My peace I give to you . . .” (John 14:27)— a peace which brings an unconstrained confidence and covers you completely, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. “. . . your life is hidden with Christ in God,” and the peace of Jesus Christ that cannot be disturbed has been imparted to you.
隱藏的生命
你們的生命與基督一同藏在神裡面。 （西三3）
我與基督一同藏在神裡面的生命有大能安穩，這事實是神的靈見證的，並且也不斷見諸新約的各書信中。我往往視成聖生活中最不穩定的東西，其實這是最有保障的，因為全能的神在裡面在後面支援著。最不穩固的，是不靠神而活。我們若已重生，只要肯聽神的警告，行在光中，最容易的是與神有正確的關係，而最難的是走差路。有時想脫離罪惡，被聖靈充滿，行在光明中，好像高山的頂崇高峻妙，我們就會說：[可惜，我怎麼也攀不上去！ ]但一旦靠神恩典上去了，卻發現這原來不是一個山頂，而是一片高原，有足夠的地方生長。 [你使我的道路寬廣。 ]
你若真看見耶穌，我保證你不會對他疑惑。當他說[你心裡不要憂愁]，你若真看見他，必然不會憂愁，因為他在這裡，根本不用疑惑。每次你單獨與他相交，他的話都活現出來。 [我將我的平安賜給你們。 ]這平安要從頭頂滲透至腳踵，是無可抗拒的可靠。 [你們的生命與基督一同藏在神裡面]，主無比的平安就臨到你。
祈禱◆[與基督一同藏在神裡面]的生命，是何等喜樂的生命！可是，我的神，儘管有著你一切的恩典和忍耐，我仍然不敢有一刻想到我離開這生命有多遠。然而，我是你所造的，我要感謝你。
December 23, 2014
Sharing in the Atonement
God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . —Galatians 6:14
The gospel of Jesus Christ always forces a decision of our will. Have I accepted God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ? Do I have even the slightest interest in the death of Jesus? Do I want to be identified with His death— to be completely dead to all interest in sin, worldliness, and self? Do I long to be so closely identified with Jesus that I am of no value for anything except Him and His purposes? The great privilege of discipleship is that I can commit myself under the banner of His Cross, and that means death to sin. You must get alone with Jesus and either decide to tell Him that you do not want sin to die out in you, or that at any cost you want to be identified with His death. When you act in confident faith in what our Lord did on the cross, a supernatural identification with His death takes place immediately. And you will come to know through a higher knowledge that your old life was “crucified with Him” (Romans 6:6). The proof that your old life is dead, having been “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20), is the amazing ease with which the life of God in you now enables you to obey the voice of Jesus Christ.
Every once in a while our Lord gives us a glimpse of what we would be like if it were not for Him. This is a confirmation of what He said— “. . . without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). That is why the underlying foundation of Christianity is personal, passionate devotion to the Lord Jesus. We mistake the joy of our first introduction into God’s kingdom as His purpose for getting us there. Yet God’s purpose in getting us into His kingdom is that we may realize all that identification with Jesus Christ means.
個人怎樣有分於救贖？
但我斷不以別的誇口，只誇我們主耶穌基督的十字架。 （加六14）
耶穌基督的福音總牽涉到意志的問題。我接受神在基督十字架上對罪的宣判麼？我對耶穌的死，有絲毫興趣麼？我願意與他的死連合，對罪、對世界、對自己的興趣完全殺滅；以致除了他，一概看為有損麼？作門徒的最大權利，就是在十字架上籤上名字，表示對罪死了。你要單獨來到耶穌面前，對他說你不願意罪從你身上除淨，或對他說你願意不計代價，與他的死聯合。只要你超乎知識的知識，告訴你是神在你裡面的生命，叫你順服主的聲音，這是出奇的輕省容易。
有時候，主會讓我們看看沒有了他我們會怎樣，要證明他說：[離了我，你們就不能作什麼。 ]因此，基督徒的基石是個人對主耶穌全心全意的愛慕效忠。我們往往以為初信主進入天國時那種驚喜之情，就是神的目的。其實他給我們這經歷，目的是要我們體會什麼是與主耶穌合一。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著你自己，和靠著你那無所不能的恩典，我學習進入你的同在中；我讚美你。願你的恩典，亮光和智慧觸摸我的身體和心靈；願你的觸摸帶來光明和生氣。
The gospel of Jesus Christ always forces a decision of our will. Have I accepted God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ? Do I have even the slightest interest in the death of Jesus? Do I want to be identified with His death— to be completely dead to all interest in sin, worldliness, and self? Do I long to be so closely identified with Jesus that I am of no value for anything except Him and His purposes? The great privilege of discipleship is that I can commit myself under the banner of His Cross, and that means death to sin. You must get alone with Jesus and either decide to tell Him that you do not want sin to die out in you, or that at any cost you want to be identified with His death. When you act in confident faith in what our Lord did on the cross, a supernatural identification with His death takes place immediately. And you will come to know through a higher knowledge that your old life was “crucified with Him” (Romans 6:6). The proof that your old life is dead, having been “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20), is the amazing ease with which the life of God in you now enables you to obey the voice of Jesus Christ.
Every once in a while our Lord gives us a glimpse of what we would be like if it were not for Him. This is a confirmation of what He said— “. . . without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). That is why the underlying foundation of Christianity is personal, passionate devotion to the Lord Jesus. We mistake the joy of our first introduction into God’s kingdom as His purpose for getting us there. Yet God’s purpose in getting us into His kingdom is that we may realize all that identification with Jesus Christ means.
個人怎樣有分於救贖？
但我斷不以別的誇口，只誇我們主耶穌基督的十字架。 （加六14）
耶穌基督的福音總牽涉到意志的問題。我接受神在基督十字架上對罪的宣判麼？我對耶穌的死，有絲毫興趣麼？我願意與他的死連合，對罪、對世界、對自己的興趣完全殺滅；以致除了他，一概看為有損麼？作門徒的最大權利，就是在十字架上籤上名字，表示對罪死了。你要單獨來到耶穌面前，對他說你不願意罪從你身上除淨，或對他說你願意不計代價，與他的死聯合。只要你超乎知識的知識，告訴你是神在你裡面的生命，叫你順服主的聲音，這是出奇的輕省容易。
有時候，主會讓我們看看沒有了他我們會怎樣，要證明他說：[離了我，你們就不能作什麼。 ]因此，基督徒的基石是個人對主耶穌全心全意的愛慕效忠。我們往往以為初信主進入天國時那種驚喜之情，就是神的目的。其實他給我們這經歷，目的是要我們體會什麼是與主耶穌合一。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著你自己，和靠著你那無所不能的恩典，我學習進入你的同在中；我讚美你。願你的恩典，亮光和智慧觸摸我的身體和心靈；願你的觸摸帶來光明和生氣。
December 22, 2014
The Drawing of the Father
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him . . . —John 6:44
When God begins to draw me to Himself, the problem of my will comes in immediately. Will I react positively to the truth that God has revealed? Will I come to Him? To discuss or deliberate over spiritual matters when God calls is inappropriate and disrespectful to Him. When God speaks, never discuss it with anyone as if to decide what your response may be (see Galatians 1:15-16). Belief is not the result of an intellectual act, but the result of an act of my will whereby I deliberately commit myself. But will I commit, placing myself completely and absolutely on God, and be willing to act solely on what He says? If I will, I will find that I am grounded on reality as certain as God’s throne.
In preaching the gospel, always focus on the matter of the will. Belief must come from the will to believe. There must be a surrender of the will, not a surrender to a persuasive or powerful argument. I must deliberately step out, placing my faith in God and in His truth. And I must place no confidence in my own works, but only in God. Trusting in my own mental understanding becomes a hindrance to complete trust in God. I must be willing to ignore and leave my feelings behind. I must will to believe. But this can never be accomplished without my forceful, determined effort to separate myself from my old ways of looking at things. I must surrender myself completely to God.
Everyone has been created with the ability to reach out beyond his own grasp. But it is God who draws me, and my relationship to Him in the first place is an inner, personal one, not an intellectual one. I come into the relationship through the miracle of God and through my own will to believe. Then I begin to get an intelligent appreciation and understanding of the wonder of the transformation in my life.
父吸引人
若不是差我的父吸引人，就沒有能到我這裡來的。 （約六44）
神吸引我的時候，就是要運用意志的時候－－我對神賜的啟示有反應嗎？我肯到他那裡去麼？把屬靈的事拿來議論，是不合體統的；神說話的時候，不要人討論。信心不是一項智力上的舉動，乃是一種道德的反應，特意要把自己投上去。我願否絕無保留地把自己投上，照神所說的去做？若肯，就會發現自己紮根於安穩如神寶座的實體上。
傳福音的時候，記得要提出意志的問題。信仰必須出於意志。意志必須順服，而不是屈服在說服力之下，乃是立誌全部投向神和他所說的話，直至不再把信心建在自己所作的事上，而是惟獨信神。其中的攔阻在於我不肯信神，只信自己頭腦的理解。以感覺上來說，我必須不顧一切的投注，必須憑意志相信；這樣，我必須盡很大的努力，把以往對事物的看法丟棄，只對準神自己，否則便無法做到。
人有一種向自己以外去尋索的本能。是神先吸引我，我與他的首要關係，是個人的，不是理智上的。我因著神的吸引，和我決意的相信，便進入與神的關係中，然後，開始在理智上體會並明白這相交的奇妙。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願你大能的同在，今天如帳棚般四面環繞我，願你的榮耀就在其中。
When God begins to draw me to Himself, the problem of my will comes in immediately. Will I react positively to the truth that God has revealed? Will I come to Him? To discuss or deliberate over spiritual matters when God calls is inappropriate and disrespectful to Him. When God speaks, never discuss it with anyone as if to decide what your response may be (see Galatians 1:15-16). Belief is not the result of an intellectual act, but the result of an act of my will whereby I deliberately commit myself. But will I commit, placing myself completely and absolutely on God, and be willing to act solely on what He says? If I will, I will find that I am grounded on reality as certain as God’s throne.
In preaching the gospel, always focus on the matter of the will. Belief must come from the will to believe. There must be a surrender of the will, not a surrender to a persuasive or powerful argument. I must deliberately step out, placing my faith in God and in His truth. And I must place no confidence in my own works, but only in God. Trusting in my own mental understanding becomes a hindrance to complete trust in God. I must be willing to ignore and leave my feelings behind. I must will to believe. But this can never be accomplished without my forceful, determined effort to separate myself from my old ways of looking at things. I must surrender myself completely to God.
Everyone has been created with the ability to reach out beyond his own grasp. But it is God who draws me, and my relationship to Him in the first place is an inner, personal one, not an intellectual one. I come into the relationship through the miracle of God and through my own will to believe. Then I begin to get an intelligent appreciation and understanding of the wonder of the transformation in my life.
父吸引人
若不是差我的父吸引人，就沒有能到我這裡來的。 （約六44）
神吸引我的時候，就是要運用意志的時候－－我對神賜的啟示有反應嗎？我肯到他那裡去麼？把屬靈的事拿來議論，是不合體統的；神說話的時候，不要人討論。信心不是一項智力上的舉動，乃是一種道德的反應，特意要把自己投上去。我願否絕無保留地把自己投上，照神所說的去做？若肯，就會發現自己紮根於安穩如神寶座的實體上。
傳福音的時候，記得要提出意志的問題。信仰必須出於意志。意志必須順服，而不是屈服在說服力之下，乃是立誌全部投向神和他所說的話，直至不再把信心建在自己所作的事上，而是惟獨信神。其中的攔阻在於我不肯信神，只信自己頭腦的理解。以感覺上來說，我必須不顧一切的投注，必須憑意志相信；這樣，我必須盡很大的努力，把以往對事物的看法丟棄，只對準神自己，否則便無法做到。
人有一種向自己以外去尋索的本能。是神先吸引我，我與他的首要關係，是個人的，不是理智上的。我因著神的吸引，和我決意的相信，便進入與神的關係中，然後，開始在理智上體會並明白這相交的奇妙。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，願你大能的同在，今天如帳棚般四面環繞我，願你的榮耀就在其中。
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