6月1日 驚人的問題
人子啊,這些骸骨能復活嗎?(結三十七3)
那個罪人能夠轉為聖徒嗎?那扭曲的生命能變得正直嗎?唯一的回答是:“主啊,你是知道的,我不知道。”切勿捧出屬靈的道理輕蔑地說:“那當然,只要多讀點聖經,好好靈修禱告,我看就沒有問題了。”
動手做點事總比信靠神來得容易;我們往往把衝動誤認為感動。因此,真正與神同工的人就寥寥無幾,而為神工作的人卻很多。我們寧可為神工作,而不願信靠他。我真相信神能成就我所不能做的嗎?我對人絕望到什麼程度,就視乎神為我做了什麼。我是否經歷神奇妙的大能,以致我不再對任何人感到絕望?到底有沒有絲毫屬靈的果效成就在我身上?愈是驚懼,就愈缺乏屬靈的經歷。
“我的民哪,我開你們的墳墓。”神要讓你看見人離開神的本相前,就必先讓你看看你自己。神的靈若讓你看見離開神恩典的光景(只有聖靈作工才會這樣),你就會發現任何罪行,只不過是你罪性的一半而已,你也可能犯上同樣的罪。我的墳墓被神打開,“我也知道,在我裡頭,就是在我肉體之中,沒有良善。”神的靈不斷地揭開人的本性,就是他離開神恩典時的本相。
祈禱◆主啊,我願意在你面前傾出我的心--我的靈此刻並沒有卓越的經驗,我的悟性也不靈敏,它們都反應遲緩;然而,我敬拜你,你永不遲緩或疲憊,你最清楚認識我的構造。
June 1 The Staggering Question
“Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel 37:3
Can that sinner be turned into a saint? Can that twisted life be put
right? There is only one answer: “O Lord, Thou knowest, I don't.” Never trample
in with religious common sense and say – “Oh, yes, with a little more Bible
reading and devotion and prayer, I see how it can be done.”
It is much easier to do something than to trust in God; we mistake panic
for inspiration. That is why there are so few fellow workers with God and so
many workers for Him. We would far rather work for God than believe in Him. Am
I quite sure that God will do what I cannot do? I despair of men in the degree
in which I have never realized that God has done anything for me. Is my
experience such a wonderful realization of God's power and might that I can
never despair of anyone I see? Have I had any spiritual work done in me at all?
The degree of panic is the degree of the lack of personal spiritual experience.
“Behold, O my people, I will open your graves.” When God wants to show
you what human nature is like apart from Himself, He has to show it you in
yourself. If the Spirit of God has given you a vision of what you are apart
from the grace of God (and He only does it when His Spirit is at
work), you know there is no criminal who is half so bad in actuality as you
know yourself to be in possibility. My “grave” has been opened by God and “I
know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing.” God's Spirit continually reveals what human
nature is like apart from His grace.