11月17日 永恆的目標

你既行了這事……我便指著自己起誓說，論福，我必賜大福給你……。（創二十二15-19）

亞伯拉罕接觸到神的本性，他如今明白神的真實。“神自己，是我的目標，不論代價，親愛的主，不論何方。”

不論代價，不論何方，就是自己沒有任何可選擇的，只求神帶領到達目標。若神對我裡面的性情說話，我根本不會質疑發問，只會馬上順服。耶穌說：“來”，我就來；他說：“放手”，我就放手；他說：“這事要信靠神”，我就信靠。整個過程證明了神的性情在我裡面。

神對我啟示他自己，決定於我的品性，而不在於神的品性。“由於我是卑賤的，以致你的道路，在我看來也往往是卑賤的。”在順服的操練下，我來到亞伯拉罕曾到之處，認識神是誰。我沒有在主耶穌裡與神面對面以前，沒有遇到一位真的神，但如今我知道“在整個世界中，除你以外，我再沒有誰”。

神的應許對我們毫無價值，除非我們藉順服明白神的本性。聖經的話可以念過三百六十五次，而仍對我們毫無意義。但突然我們卻看出神的意思，因為在某些事上我們順服神，他的性情立刻向我們敞開了。“神的應許不論有多少，在基督都是是的，所以藉著他也是實在的。”這個“是的”，必須從順服中出來；我們若藉著生命中的順服對應許說“阿們”，那應許就屬我們。

祈禱◆主啊，求你喚醒我，以致我那必死的身體，能真正成為一個順服聖靈的僕人。

November 17 The Eternal Goal

“By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing . . . that in blessing I will bless thee. . . .” Genesis 22:15-19

Abraham has reached the place where he is in touch with the very nature of God, he understands now the Reality of God.

“My goal is God Himself . . .

At any cost, dear Lord, by any road.”

“At any cost, by any road” means nothing self-chosen in the way God brings us to the goal.

There is no possibility of questioning when God speaks if He speaks to His own nature in me; prompt obedience is the only result. When Jesus says – “Come,” I simply come; when He says – “Let go,” I let go; when He says – “Trust in God in this matter,” I do trust. The whole working out is the evidence that the nature of God is in me.

God's revelation of Himself to me is determined by my character, not by God's character.

“‘Tis because I am mean,

Thy ways so oft look mean to me.”

By the discipline of obedience I get to the place where Abraham was and I see Who God is. I never have a real God until I have come face to face with Him in Jesus Christ, then I know that “in all the world, my God, there is none but Thee, there is none but Thee.” The promises of God are of no value to us until by obedience we understand the nature of God. We read some things in the Bible three hundred and sixty-five times and they mean nothing to us, then all of a sudden we see what God means, because in some particular we have obeyed God, and instantly His nature is opened up. “All the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen.” The “yea” must be born of obedience; when by the obedience of our lives we say “Amen” to a promise, then that promise is ours.