5月20日

標　　題：一步步地順服

經　　節：這些事以後，神要試驗亞伯拉罕，就呼叫他說：「亞伯拉罕！」他說：「我在這裡。」神說：「你帶著你的兒子，就是你獨生的兒子，你所愛的以撒，往摩利亞地去，在我所要指示你的山上，把他獻為燔祭。」（創世記廿二章1∼2節）

我們的困難不在於不曉得神的旨意，我們的苦惱是明白神的旨意，可是不想做！

當神第一次向亞伯拉罕說話時，祂的指示相當直截了當，祂說：「往我所要指示你的地去。」（創世記十二：1）接下來的許多年，神領亞伯拉罕經歷一些試驗。當亞伯拉罕等了廿五年，才等到神給自己兒子的應許，他學習到耐心。在與諸王的戰役和毀滅所多瑪、蛾摩拉這件事情上，亞伯拉罕學習到信任神。亞伯拉罕信心之旅的最頂峰，是神要他獻上自己最心愛的一樣東西。亞伯拉罕過去的順服，讓我們看到他願意立即獻上自己所有，而這回他是否預備好了？神並沒有在一開始，就要求亞伯拉罕作出偌大的犧牲，這是發生在亞伯拉罕與神同行三十年之後的事。

在你的基督徒之旅中，神會逐漸向你顯明祂自己的作為。你對神的信任會愈來愈深，就像亞伯拉罕一樣。當你剛成為基督徒，你主人可能給你相當基本的指示，像受洗及改變生活的方式等。當你更進一步相信神，祂會培育你的個性，好讓你面對更大的試驗。那最大的試驗會讓你明白神的大愛，並更清楚神的作為。你是否預備好遵循神下一個指示呢？

Obedience Step by Step

Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." (Genesis 22:1-2)

Our difficulty is not that we don’t know God’s will. Our discomfort comes from the fact that we do know His will, but we do not want to do it!

When God first spoke to Abraham, His commands were straightforward. “Go to a land I will show you” (Gen. 12:1). Then God led Abraham through a number of tests over the years. Abraham learned patience as he waited on God’s promise of a son, which took twenty-five years to be fulfilled. Abraham learned to trust God through battles with kings and through the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The pinnacle of Abraham’s walk of faith was when God asked him to sacrifice the one thing that meant more to him than anything else. Abraham’s previous obedience indicated that he would have quickly and decisively sacrificed anything else God asked of him, but was he prepared for this? God did not ask Abraham to make such a significant sacrifice at the beginning of their relationship. This came more than thirty years after Abraham began walking with God.

As the Father progressively reveals His ways to you in your Christian pilgrimage, you, like Abraham, will develop a deeper level of trust in Him. When you first became a Christian, your Master’s instructions were probably fundamental, such as being baptized or changing your lifestyle. But as you learn to trust Him more deeply, He will develop your character to match bigger tests, and with the greater test will come a greater love for God and knowledge of His ways. Are you ready for God’s next revelation?