Agree with your adversary quickly . . . —Matthew 5:25
In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, “Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ’till you have paid the last penny’ (Matthew 5:26) in pain, agony, and distress.” God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.
Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint?
Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit of God so strongly urges us to stay steadfastly in the light! (see John 3:19-21).
“Agree with your adversary quickly . . . .” Have you suddenly reached a certain place in your relationship with someone, only to find that you have anger in your heart? Confess it quickly— make it right before God. Be reconciled to that person— do it now!
June 30, 2013
June 29, 2013
The Strictest Discipline
If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell —Matthew 5:30
Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that “if your right hand causes you to sin” in your walk with Him, then it is better to “cut it off.” There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them. Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then “cut it off.” The principle taught here is the strictest discipline or lesson that ever hit humankind.
When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed. There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you. But the unspiritual people around you will say, “What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!” There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God’s sight than to appear lovely to man’s eyes but lame to God’s. At first, Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you. Yet, see that you don’t use your restrictions to criticize someone else.
The Christian life is a maimed life initially, but in Matthew 5:48 Jesus gave us the picture of a perfectly well-rounded life— “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
操練的方向
若是右手叫你跌倒，就砍下來丟掉。寧可失去百體中的一體，不叫全身下入地獄。 （太五30）
耶穌並沒有叫人把手砍掉，他只是說：[若你右手阻礙你與我同行，就把它砍下來。 ]有許多事本來是完全合情合理的，但你若要專心跟從神，就不能去做了。右手是你最有用的東西，但耶穌說如果它阻礙你跟從他，就把它砍掉。這種鍛煉的方法，是人類空前最嚴厲的。
神藉著重生改變了一個人，那生命起初的特徵就是殘廢。你有許多事不敢做了，而那些事在你眼中，在認識你的世界眼中，是等於你的右手或眼睛那樣重要。不屬靈的人就會說：[這件事有何不妥？你真是太古怪了！ ]有史以來，從沒有一個聖徒開始的時候，不是從無手無足的殘缺中起步的。可是，寧可被神視為美好而帶著殘廢進入永生，勝過在人眼中看為美麗，在神卻視為殘廢。重生初期，有許多事情是耶穌藉著殘廢禁止你做的；雖然別人作這些事或許完全沒有問題，你卻不可作。但得小心；不可以用你所受的限制去批評別人。
生命的開始是殘廢的，但在第四十八節中，耶穌卻展開了一幅豐盛生命的圖畫－－[你們要完全，像你們的天父完全一樣。 ]
祈禱◆主啊！願你今天帶領我進入你更多恩慈和奇妙的作為中。願你那滿有恩典和能力的慈手，今天覆庇我。
Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that “if your right hand causes you to sin” in your walk with Him, then it is better to “cut it off.” There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them. Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then “cut it off.” The principle taught here is the strictest discipline or lesson that ever hit humankind.
When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed. There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you. But the unspiritual people around you will say, “What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!” There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God’s sight than to appear lovely to man’s eyes but lame to God’s. At first, Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you. Yet, see that you don’t use your restrictions to criticize someone else.
The Christian life is a maimed life initially, but in Matthew 5:48 Jesus gave us the picture of a perfectly well-rounded life— “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
操練的方向
若是右手叫你跌倒，就砍下來丟掉。寧可失去百體中的一體，不叫全身下入地獄。 （太五30）
耶穌並沒有叫人把手砍掉，他只是說：[若你右手阻礙你與我同行，就把它砍下來。 ]有許多事本來是完全合情合理的，但你若要專心跟從神，就不能去做了。右手是你最有用的東西，但耶穌說如果它阻礙你跟從他，就把它砍掉。這種鍛煉的方法，是人類空前最嚴厲的。
神藉著重生改變了一個人，那生命起初的特徵就是殘廢。你有許多事不敢做了，而那些事在你眼中，在認識你的世界眼中，是等於你的右手或眼睛那樣重要。不屬靈的人就會說：[這件事有何不妥？你真是太古怪了！ ]有史以來，從沒有一個聖徒開始的時候，不是從無手無足的殘缺中起步的。可是，寧可被神視為美好而帶著殘廢進入永生，勝過在人眼中看為美麗，在神卻視為殘廢。重生初期，有許多事情是耶穌藉著殘廢禁止你做的；雖然別人作這些事或許完全沒有問題，你卻不可作。但得小心；不可以用你所受的限制去批評別人。
生命的開始是殘廢的，但在第四十八節中，耶穌卻展開了一幅豐盛生命的圖畫－－[你們要完全，像你們的天父完全一樣。 ]
祈禱◆主啊！願你今天帶領我進入你更多恩慈和奇妙的作為中。願你那滿有恩典和能力的慈手，今天覆庇我。
June 28, 2013
Held by the Grip of God
I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me —Philippians 3:12
Never choose to be a worker for God, but once God has placed His call on you, woe be to you if you “turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32). We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but because God has “laid hold of” us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, “Well, I’m really not suited for this.” What you are to preach is also determined by God, not by your own natural leanings or desires. Keep your soul steadfastly related to God, and remember that you are called not simply to convey your testimony but also to preach the gospel. Every Christian must testify to the truth of God, but when it comes to the call to preach, there must be the agonizing grip of God’s hand on you— your life is in the grip of God for that very purpose. How many of us are held like that?
Never water down the Word of God, but preach it in its undiluted sternness. There must be unflinching faithfulness to the Word of God, but when you come to personal dealings with others, remember who you are— you are not some special being created in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace.
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do. . . I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
被神得著
或者可以得著基督耶穌所以得著我的。 （腓三12）
切勿自告奮勇作主的工人；可是一旦被神呼召，你若偏左又偏右，就有禍了。我們原不是選擇為神工作，所以去作工，乃是因為神得著了我們。絕不該這樣想：[噢，我不適合做這個。 ]你所要傳的道，是由神決定的，不是憑你個人天然的喜好決定。你的心靈要緊緊貼近神，要記住你蒙召不單是作見證，更要傳福音。每個信徒都要作見證，但傳道的呼召，則必須有神的手狠狠地抓住。你的生命是單為這一件事被神抓住嗎？我們有多少人是這樣？
千萬不可把神的話打折扣，要按照他最嚴肅的真理去傳。對神的話要忠心；但對人的關係上，則記住你是誰－－不是天上製造的特種人，而只是一個蒙恩的罪人。 [我不是以為自己已經得著了。我只有一件事……]
祈禱◆主啊，求你按照你容許的方式和程度，讓我能看見你、感受你、相信你和完全認識你。除你以外，我還等候誰呢？
Never choose to be a worker for God, but once God has placed His call on you, woe be to you if you “turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32). We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but because God has “laid hold of” us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, “Well, I’m really not suited for this.” What you are to preach is also determined by God, not by your own natural leanings or desires. Keep your soul steadfastly related to God, and remember that you are called not simply to convey your testimony but also to preach the gospel. Every Christian must testify to the truth of God, but when it comes to the call to preach, there must be the agonizing grip of God’s hand on you— your life is in the grip of God for that very purpose. How many of us are held like that?
Never water down the Word of God, but preach it in its undiluted sternness. There must be unflinching faithfulness to the Word of God, but when you come to personal dealings with others, remember who you are— you are not some special being created in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace.
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do. . . I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
被神得著
或者可以得著基督耶穌所以得著我的。 （腓三12）
切勿自告奮勇作主的工人；可是一旦被神呼召，你若偏左又偏右，就有禍了。我們原不是選擇為神工作，所以去作工，乃是因為神得著了我們。絕不該這樣想：[噢，我不適合做這個。 ]你所要傳的道，是由神決定的，不是憑你個人天然的喜好決定。你的心靈要緊緊貼近神，要記住你蒙召不單是作見證，更要傳福音。每個信徒都要作見證，但傳道的呼召，則必須有神的手狠狠地抓住。你的生命是單為這一件事被神抓住嗎？我們有多少人是這樣？
千萬不可把神的話打折扣，要按照他最嚴肅的真理去傳。對神的話要忠心；但對人的關係上，則記住你是誰－－不是天上製造的特種人，而只是一個蒙恩的罪人。 [我不是以為自己已經得著了。我只有一件事……]
祈禱◆主啊，求你按照你容許的方式和程度，讓我能看見你、感受你、相信你和完全認識你。除你以外，我還等候誰呢？
June 27, 2013
The Overshadowing of God’s Personal Deliverance
. . . I am with you to deliver you,’ says the Lord —Jeremiah 1:8
God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally— “. . . your life shall be as a prize to you . . .” (Jeremiah 39:18). That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache, and distress. Having the proper outlook is evidence of the deeply rooted belief in the overshadowing of God’s personal deliverance.
The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on a mission for Jesus Christ, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, “Don’t worry about whether or not you are being treated justly.” Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say, “Why should I be treated like this?” If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we encounter, whether it is just or unjust. In essence, Jesus says, “Continue steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance.” Even the most devout among us become atheistic in this regard— we do not believe Him. We put our common sense on the throne and then attach God’s name to it. We do lean to our own understanding, instead of trusting God with all our hearts (see Proverbs 3:5-6).
全能的拯救
我與你同在，要拯救你。 （耶一8）
神應允耶利米要親自拯救他－－[要以自己的命為掠物。 ]這是神對他兒女的應許。神不論差我們到那裡，都必保護我們。私人財物是無足輕重的，對這些東西我們要看得開，否則，就會有震驚、傷心和痛苦。這就是在全能者的蔭下得拯救。
登山寶訓中說，我們若奉主耶穌得差遣，就無暇為自己爭取什麼。耶穌的意思其實是說：[不必理會人家是否對你公平。 ]追求公平，表示人偏離了對主的忠誠。不要指望在這世界中找到公平，但要不斷的施行公平。我們若求公平，就會抱怨，沉溺在自憐不滿的光景中－－[我為何受這樣的待遇？ ]我們只要專心愛主，就不用理會任何遭遇：公平也好，不公平也好。
耶穌說：人若恆久遵行他的話，他必保護他；人若要自己保護自己，就在他的拯救裡無分了。有些敬虔熱心的人，在這事上卻與不信者無異；他們不信任神，高舉理智，只把神的名掛上去吧。的確，我們往往倚靠自己的聰明，沒有一心仰賴神。
祈禱◆噢，主啊！我認識你的恩福並讚美你，作為你僕人的我所尋求的，正是那難以描述的感動和動力－－我不知道自己要尋求的是什麼，但你卻知道。我何等渴慕你！
God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally— “. . . your life shall be as a prize to you . . .” (Jeremiah 39:18). That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache, and distress. Having the proper outlook is evidence of the deeply rooted belief in the overshadowing of God’s personal deliverance.
The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on a mission for Jesus Christ, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, “Don’t worry about whether or not you are being treated justly.” Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say, “Why should I be treated like this?” If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we encounter, whether it is just or unjust. In essence, Jesus says, “Continue steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance.” Even the most devout among us become atheistic in this regard— we do not believe Him. We put our common sense on the throne and then attach God’s name to it. We do lean to our own understanding, instead of trusting God with all our hearts (see Proverbs 3:5-6).
全能的拯救
我與你同在，要拯救你。 （耶一8）
神應允耶利米要親自拯救他－－[要以自己的命為掠物。 ]這是神對他兒女的應許。神不論差我們到那裡，都必保護我們。私人財物是無足輕重的，對這些東西我們要看得開，否則，就會有震驚、傷心和痛苦。這就是在全能者的蔭下得拯救。
登山寶訓中說，我們若奉主耶穌得差遣，就無暇為自己爭取什麼。耶穌的意思其實是說：[不必理會人家是否對你公平。 ]追求公平，表示人偏離了對主的忠誠。不要指望在這世界中找到公平，但要不斷的施行公平。我們若求公平，就會抱怨，沉溺在自憐不滿的光景中－－[我為何受這樣的待遇？ ]我們只要專心愛主，就不用理會任何遭遇：公平也好，不公平也好。
耶穌說：人若恆久遵行他的話，他必保護他；人若要自己保護自己，就在他的拯救裡無分了。有些敬虔熱心的人，在這事上卻與不信者無異；他們不信任神，高舉理智，只把神的名掛上去吧。的確，我們往往倚靠自己的聰明，沒有一心仰賴神。
祈禱◆噢，主啊！我認識你的恩福並讚美你，作為你僕人的我所尋求的，正是那難以描述的感動和動力－－我不知道自己要尋求的是什麼，但你卻知道。我何等渴慕你！
June 26, 2013
Drawing on the Grace of God— Now
We . . . plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain —2 Corinthians 6:1
The grace you had yesterday will not be sufficient for today. Grace is the overflowing favor of God, and you can always count on it being available to draw upon as needed. “. . . in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses”— that is where our patience is tested (2 Corinthians 6:4). Are you failing to rely on the grace of God there? Are you saying to yourself, “Oh well, I won’t count this time”? It is not a question of praying and asking God to help you— it is taking the grace of God now. We tend to make prayer the preparation for our service, yet it is never that in the Bible. Prayer is the practice of drawing on the grace of God. Don’t say, “I will endure this until I can get away and pray.” Pray now — draw on the grace of God in your moment of need. Prayer is the most normal and useful thing; it is not simply a reflex action of your devotion to God. We are very slow to learn to draw on God’s grace through prayer.
“. . . in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors . . .” (2 Corinthians 6:5)— in all these things, display in your life a drawing on the grace of God, which will show evidence to yourself and to others that you are a miracle of His. Draw on His grace now, not later. The primary word in the spiritual vocabulary is now. Let circumstances take you where they will, but keep drawing on the grace of God in whatever condition you may find yourself. One of the greatest proofs that you are drawing on the grace of God is that you can be totally humiliated before others without displaying even the slightest trace of anything but His grace.
“. . . having nothing . . . .” Never hold anything in reserve. Pour yourself out, giving the best that you have, and always be poor. Never be diplomatic and careful with the treasure God gives you. “. . . and yet possessing all things”— this is poverty triumphant (2 Corinthians 6:10).
總趁現在
我們……勸你們，不可徒受他的恩典。 （林後六1）
你昨天所得的恩典，今天已不合用了。恩典是神豐盛的恩寵；你隨時隨地都可以取用。 [在許多的忍耐、患難、窮乏、困苦]－－這些都是忍耐的考驗。你在這些事上有沒有失去神的恩典？你有沒有說：[算啦，這次不計其內。 ]問題不在於禱告求神幫助；乃是現在就取用神的恩典。我們往往把祈禱當作工作的準備，但在聖經裡根本不是如此。祈禱是支取神恩典的一種操練。
不要說：[我只管忍受一下，等到苦難過去就好好的禱告禱告。 ]現在就祈禱吧！在正有需要時，支取神的恩典吧。祈禱是最實際的事，而不是虔誠的一種反射行動。禱告是支取神恩典最後學習的功課。
[鞭打、監禁、擾亂、勞動]－－在這一切事上不斷支取神的恩典，會使你成為別人眼中的奇蹟。現在就支取，不是等一會才做。屬靈的字彙中有一個詞語，就是現在。不管環境怎樣，只管不斷支取神的恩典。你支取神的恩典一個最大的明證，就是在你受人羞辱時，所表彰的除了神的恩典之外，再無別的。
[一無所有……]不再有任何保留。要把你最好的傾盡，常常貧窮無有。對神所賜的禮物，絕不精打細算地收藏。這就是貧窮中的勝利。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，求你今天賜下你的恩典
The grace you had yesterday will not be sufficient for today. Grace is the overflowing favor of God, and you can always count on it being available to draw upon as needed. “. . . in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses”— that is where our patience is tested (2 Corinthians 6:4). Are you failing to rely on the grace of God there? Are you saying to yourself, “Oh well, I won’t count this time”? It is not a question of praying and asking God to help you— it is taking the grace of God now. We tend to make prayer the preparation for our service, yet it is never that in the Bible. Prayer is the practice of drawing on the grace of God. Don’t say, “I will endure this until I can get away and pray.” Pray now — draw on the grace of God in your moment of need. Prayer is the most normal and useful thing; it is not simply a reflex action of your devotion to God. We are very slow to learn to draw on God’s grace through prayer.
“. . . in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors . . .” (2 Corinthians 6:5)— in all these things, display in your life a drawing on the grace of God, which will show evidence to yourself and to others that you are a miracle of His. Draw on His grace now, not later. The primary word in the spiritual vocabulary is now. Let circumstances take you where they will, but keep drawing on the grace of God in whatever condition you may find yourself. One of the greatest proofs that you are drawing on the grace of God is that you can be totally humiliated before others without displaying even the slightest trace of anything but His grace.
“. . . having nothing . . . .” Never hold anything in reserve. Pour yourself out, giving the best that you have, and always be poor. Never be diplomatic and careful with the treasure God gives you. “. . . and yet possessing all things”— this is poverty triumphant (2 Corinthians 6:10).
總趁現在
我們……勸你們，不可徒受他的恩典。 （林後六1）
你昨天所得的恩典，今天已不合用了。恩典是神豐盛的恩寵；你隨時隨地都可以取用。 [在許多的忍耐、患難、窮乏、困苦]－－這些都是忍耐的考驗。你在這些事上有沒有失去神的恩典？你有沒有說：[算啦，這次不計其內。 ]問題不在於禱告求神幫助；乃是現在就取用神的恩典。我們往往把祈禱當作工作的準備，但在聖經裡根本不是如此。祈禱是支取神恩典的一種操練。
不要說：[我只管忍受一下，等到苦難過去就好好的禱告禱告。 ]現在就祈禱吧！在正有需要時，支取神的恩典吧。祈禱是最實際的事，而不是虔誠的一種反射行動。禱告是支取神恩典最後學習的功課。
[鞭打、監禁、擾亂、勞動]－－在這一切事上不斷支取神的恩典，會使你成為別人眼中的奇蹟。現在就支取，不是等一會才做。屬靈的字彙中有一個詞語，就是現在。不管環境怎樣，只管不斷支取神的恩典。你支取神的恩典一個最大的明證，就是在你受人羞辱時，所表彰的除了神的恩典之外，再無別的。
[一無所有……]不再有任何保留。要把你最好的傾盡，常常貧窮無有。對神所賜的禮物，絕不精打細算地收藏。這就是貧窮中的勝利。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，求你今天賜下你的恩典
June 25, 2013
Receiving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow
. . . what shall I say? ’Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ’Father, glorify Your name’ —John 12:27-28
As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of sorrow. He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.
We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.
Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.
從憂患中找著自己
我說什麼才好呢？父啊，救我脫離這時候，但我原是為這時候來的。 （約十二27-29）
身為一個聖徒，我對愁苦困難的態度，不是求神攔阻，乃是求神叫我經過痛苦的火煉，保存他造在我裡面的生命。我們的主在愁苦的火中，接受了自己。他沒有擺脫那時刻，卻從那時刻中出來了。
我們說世上不該有憂患，但事實上憂患卻存在，而且我們還要從火中體認自己。若我們企圖逃避憂患，不肯面對它，實在是愚不可及的。憂患是人生中最具體的事實；硬說世上不該有憂患是無濟於事的。罪惡、憂患、痛苦，的確存在；我們沒有資格說神容讓痛苦存在是錯的。
憂患雖然把人許多膚淺的東西都燒掉，卻不一定使人更完美。憂患可以建立人，也可以毀滅人。在成功之中，很難建立自己，因為你會得意忘形。在枯燥而單調的生活中，也找不到自己，因你會大發牢騷。惟有在憂患的火中，你才找著自己。為什麼會這樣是另一回事；在聖經中，在人的經歷中，都證實如此。一個從憂患中找到自己的人，很容易辨認出來。你有困難去找他，必然大得幫助，他必樂於幫助你。一個未受過苦的人，多偏於浮誇，也沒有時間理會你。你若從苦難的火中找著自己，神便會使你成為別人的供應。
祈禱◆主啊，藉著你那不可逃避和滿有能力的撫摸，今天向我顯明你的慈愛，並在你溫柔的大能中，按照你的計劃使用我！
As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of sorrow. He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.
We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.
Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.
從憂患中找著自己
我說什麼才好呢？父啊，救我脫離這時候，但我原是為這時候來的。 （約十二27-29）
身為一個聖徒，我對愁苦困難的態度，不是求神攔阻，乃是求神叫我經過痛苦的火煉，保存他造在我裡面的生命。我們的主在愁苦的火中，接受了自己。他沒有擺脫那時刻，卻從那時刻中出來了。
我們說世上不該有憂患，但事實上憂患卻存在，而且我們還要從火中體認自己。若我們企圖逃避憂患，不肯面對它，實在是愚不可及的。憂患是人生中最具體的事實；硬說世上不該有憂患是無濟於事的。罪惡、憂患、痛苦，的確存在；我們沒有資格說神容讓痛苦存在是錯的。
憂患雖然把人許多膚淺的東西都燒掉，卻不一定使人更完美。憂患可以建立人，也可以毀滅人。在成功之中，很難建立自己，因為你會得意忘形。在枯燥而單調的生活中，也找不到自己，因你會大發牢騷。惟有在憂患的火中，你才找著自己。為什麼會這樣是另一回事；在聖經中，在人的經歷中，都證實如此。一個從憂患中找到自己的人，很容易辨認出來。你有困難去找他，必然大得幫助，他必樂於幫助你。一個未受過苦的人，多偏於浮誇，也沒有時間理會你。你若從苦難的火中找著自己，神便會使你成為別人的供應。
祈禱◆主啊，藉著你那不可逃避和滿有能力的撫摸，今天向我顯明你的慈愛，並在你溫柔的大能中，按照你的計劃使用我！
June 24, 2013
Reconciling Yourself to the Fact of Sin
This is your hour, and the power of darkness —Luke 22:53
Not being reconciled to the fact of sin— not recognizing it and refusing to deal with it— produces all the disasters in life. You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the face of every principle you have. If you refuse to agree with the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something downright hateful and wrong, in human beings, when it attacks your life, instead of reconciling yourself to it, you will compromise with it and say that it is of no use to battle against it. Have you taken this “hour, and the power of darkness” into account, or do you have a view of yourself which includes no recognition of sin whatsoever? In your human relationships and friendships, have you reconciled yourself to the fact of sin? If not, just around the next corner you will find yourself trapped and you will compromise with it. But if you will reconcile yourself to the fact of sin, you will realize the danger immediately and say, “Yes, I see what this sin would mean.” The recognition of sin does not destroy the basis of friendship— it simply establishes a mutual respect for the fact that the basis of sinful life is disastrous. Always beware of any assessment of life which does not recognize the fact that there is sin.
Jesus Christ never trusted human nature, yet He was never cynical nor suspicious, because He had absolute trust in what He could do for human nature. The pure man or woman is the one who is shielded from harm, not the innocent person. The so-called innocent man or woman is never safe. Men and women have no business trying to be innocent; God demands that they be pure and virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of a child. Any person is deserving of blame if he is unwilling to reconcile himself to the fact of sin.
承認罪的事實
現在卻是你們的時候，黑暗掌權了。 （路二十二53）
不承認罪的事實，會帶來人生一切的禍患。你可以大談人性的尊嚴，可是人性中有一種東西，在你一切的理想面前，會當面嗤笑你。你若不肯承認人性的邪惡自私，有根本上的罪過，這樣，當這些東西襲擊你時，你就會與它妥協，並說抵抗也是沒用。你有沒有準備面對這個關頭，面對這黑暗的權勢？還是你對自己的評價，沒有把罪算在內？你與親屬的關係，與朋友的關係，有沒有承認有罪的事實存在？若沒有，不需多久，你就會被罪追上，與之妥協了。
但若你承認罪的事實，就必立即覺察到危險－－[對啦，我知道這是什麼一回事了。 ]承認罪的事實，並不會破壞友情的根基，反而使彼此看清楚人生基本是可惡的。
耶穌基督雖不信任人，卻不挑剔多疑，因為祂深信為人有所不為。人得到安全的保障是由於清潔，而不是因為無罪。無罪的人是不可靠的。成為無罪，不是人可以做到，只有神才可要求人潔淨敬虔。無邪是孩童的特徵，但成人則要承認罪這事實。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，以你的恩典和榮耀淹沒我，讓你那浩瀚的潮水覆蓋所有。
Not being reconciled to the fact of sin— not recognizing it and refusing to deal with it— produces all the disasters in life. You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the face of every principle you have. If you refuse to agree with the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something downright hateful and wrong, in human beings, when it attacks your life, instead of reconciling yourself to it, you will compromise with it and say that it is of no use to battle against it. Have you taken this “hour, and the power of darkness” into account, or do you have a view of yourself which includes no recognition of sin whatsoever? In your human relationships and friendships, have you reconciled yourself to the fact of sin? If not, just around the next corner you will find yourself trapped and you will compromise with it. But if you will reconcile yourself to the fact of sin, you will realize the danger immediately and say, “Yes, I see what this sin would mean.” The recognition of sin does not destroy the basis of friendship— it simply establishes a mutual respect for the fact that the basis of sinful life is disastrous. Always beware of any assessment of life which does not recognize the fact that there is sin.
Jesus Christ never trusted human nature, yet He was never cynical nor suspicious, because He had absolute trust in what He could do for human nature. The pure man or woman is the one who is shielded from harm, not the innocent person. The so-called innocent man or woman is never safe. Men and women have no business trying to be innocent; God demands that they be pure and virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of a child. Any person is deserving of blame if he is unwilling to reconcile himself to the fact of sin.
承認罪的事實
現在卻是你們的時候，黑暗掌權了。 （路二十二53）
不承認罪的事實，會帶來人生一切的禍患。你可以大談人性的尊嚴，可是人性中有一種東西，在你一切的理想面前，會當面嗤笑你。你若不肯承認人性的邪惡自私，有根本上的罪過，這樣，當這些東西襲擊你時，你就會與它妥協，並說抵抗也是沒用。你有沒有準備面對這個關頭，面對這黑暗的權勢？還是你對自己的評價，沒有把罪算在內？你與親屬的關係，與朋友的關係，有沒有承認有罪的事實存在？若沒有，不需多久，你就會被罪追上，與之妥協了。
但若你承認罪的事實，就必立即覺察到危險－－[對啦，我知道這是什麼一回事了。 ]承認罪的事實，並不會破壞友情的根基，反而使彼此看清楚人生基本是可惡的。
耶穌基督雖不信任人，卻不挑剔多疑，因為祂深信為人有所不為。人得到安全的保障是由於清潔，而不是因為無罪。無罪的人是不可靠的。成為無罪，不是人可以做到，只有神才可要求人潔淨敬虔。無邪是孩童的特徵，但成人則要承認罪這事實。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，以你的恩典和榮耀淹沒我，讓你那浩瀚的潮水覆蓋所有。
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