6月21日 內室的事奉

你們是……有君尊的祭司。（彼前二9）

我們憑什麼資格成為君尊的祭司？是憑救贖。我們有沒有立志放下自己，投身在祭司禱告的職分上？整天只顧審查自己是否合水準，就產生以自我為中心、自怨自艾的基督徒，而不是活潑有力、天真無邪神的兒女。除非我們與神有正確的關係，否則只會掙扎求存，說：“看我打了何等的勝仗！”這態度一點也表現不出救贖的奇能。要不顧一切地相信救恩是完全的，然後只照耶穌所說的－－為那半夜來找你的朋友禱告，為聖徒禱告，為萬人禱告。禱告時要知道只有在耶穌基督裡才得完全，不要說：“主啊，我已盡了所能，求你聽我禱告。”

到底神何時才把我們從以自我為中心的惡習中釋放出來？我們要對自己厭惡至死，以致神無論說我們什麼，我們也不覺得詫異。我們內心的卑污，實無法可測。只有一處是我們可得完全的，就是在耶穌基督裡。我們進入他那裡，就要竭盡所能作內室的事奉。

祈禱◆願你在今天施福予我們，護衛我們的意念和心靈，抵擋模糊的幻想和虛假的情緒，以及那如幽靈的想像，保守我們完全屬你。

June 21 The Ministry Of The Interior

“But ye are . . . a royal priesthood.” 1 Peter 2:9

By what right do we become “a royal priesthood”? By the right of the Atonement. Are we prepared to leave ourselves resolutely alone and to launch out into the priestly work of prayer? The continual grubbing on the inside to see whether we are what we ought to be generates a self-centred, morbid type of Christianity, not the robust, simple life of the child of God. Until we get into a right relationship to God, it is a case of hanging on by the skin of our teeth, and we say – What a wonderful victory I have got. There is nothing indicative of the miracle of Redemption in that. Launch out in reckless belief that the Redemption is complete, and then bother no more about yourself, but begin to do as Jesus Christ said – pray for the friend who comes to you at midnight, pray for the saints, pray for all men. Pray on the realization that you are only perfect in Christ Jesus, not on this plea – “O Lord, I have done my best, please hear me.”

How long is it going to take God to free us from the morbid habit of thinking about ourselves? We must get sick unto death of ourselves, until there is no longer any surprise at anything God can tell us about ourselves. We cannot touch the depths of meanness in ourselves. There is only one place where we are right, and that is in Christ Jesus. When we are there, then we have to pour out for all we are worth in this ministry of the interior.