1月8日

標題：充充足足

經節：神能照著運行在我們心裏的大力充充足足地成就一切，超過我們所求所想的。（以弗所書三章20節）

有時候，我們以為自己為神和教會所做的一切，可以獲得神的激賞。然而，即使是人類最崇高的抱負，也不會令神感動（詩篇八：3～4）。你絕不可能設立一個遠大目標，或企圖征服一個重要的任務，遠遠地超越神能在你身上所行的作為。大數掃羅比任何人都努力，好以自己的奮鬥來獲得神的激賞。但他發現自己最偉大的成就，比起神在他生命中的旨意，只不過是一堆糞土罷了（腓立比書三：7～8）！

我們的問題是太容易沉迷於自己的計畫。當我們努力嘗試做些高貴，或與眾不同的事時，總是認為神會因為我們竭力發揮潛能，而大大讚賞。事實上，除非我們聽到神的心意，否則根本無法想像自己可以成為甚麼樣的生命，也無法想像神要藉著我們成就何等事。

我們必須提醒自己：天父瞭解全盤計畫，並且，祂的能力超過我們有限的想像力。不管我們的行事計畫是多麼崇高，我們一定要把它們放置一旁，絕不可滿足於自己的夢想，因為它們充其量是有限的。當我們遵循神的指揮，將會親身經歷許多奇妙的事。而這些奇妙事唯有神的同在，才能夠解釋它們發生的原因。我們怎能滿足那種次等豐盛的生命呢？

Exceeding Abundantly

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. (Ephesians 3:20)

At times we feel as if we could impress God with all we are trying to do for Him and His church. Yet God has yet to be impressed with even the most grandiose human aspirations (Ps. 8:3–4). You will never set a goal so big or attempt a task so significant that God does not have something far greater that He could do in and through your life. Saul of Tarsus worked harder than anyone else to impress God with his efforts, only to discover that his greatest achievements were but rubbish compared to God’s will for his life (Phil. 3:7–8).

Our problem is that we become too easily enamored with our own plans. If we are attempting to do noble or difficult things, we assume that we must be experiencing the maximum potential for our lives and that God must, therefore, be pleased with us. Until we have heard from God, we cannot even imagine all that our lives could become or all that God could accomplish through us.

We need to remind ourselves that the Father sees the “big picture,” that His power far exceeds our limited imagination. We must set aside our own agenda, however lofty. We must never become satisfied with our own dreams, for they are finite at best. When we follow God’s direction we will witness things happening in our lives that can only be explained by His powerful presence. How could we be satisfied with anything less?