12月11日 個性

若有人要跟從我，就當舍己。（太十六24）

個性是個人生命的外殼，會拒人千里之外，又會把人隔離。不錯，個性是每個人的特質，但若錯把個性當作個人生命的話，我們只會一直與人隔絕。個性是神創造的天然保障，為覆庇生命的外衣。但是若要生命與神相交，則必須放下我們的個性。個性會冒充性格，正如情欲冒充愛情。神造人的天性，是為他自己；而個性卻把人的天性低貶成隻為自己。

個性的特徵，就是獨立自主、自我表現。最攔阻屬靈生命的，是個性不斷湧流。你若說“我不相信”，是因為個性的攔阻。個性永不會相信。反之，性格卻不能不信。聖靈在你身上作工時，會把你推到個性的盡頭處，這時你只能說“我不願”；或降服於神，打破個性的外殼，讓個人生命流出來。聖靈每次往往集中在一件事上（參太五23-24）。叫你不肯與弟兄和好的，就是你的個性。神要你與他聯合，可是你若不肯放下自己的主權，就無法實現。“就當舍己”－－捨棄自己獨立的主權，這樣，真正的生命才有生長的機會。

祈禱◆噢，主啊，我的主人，願我今天自覺地屬你，以致我與你在一起。因著你擁有了我而充滿了童真的喜悅。

December 11 Individuality

“If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself.” Matthew 16:24

Individuality is the husk of the personal life. Individuality is all elbows, it separates and isolates. It is the characteristic of the child and rightly so; but if we mistake individuality for the personal life, we will remain isolated. The shell of individuality is God's created natural covering for the protection of the personal life; but individuality must go in order that the personal life may come out and be brought into fellowship with God. Individuality counterfeits personality as lust counterfeits love. God designed human nature for Himself; individuality debases human nature for itself.

The characteristics of individuality are independence and self-assertiveness. It is the continual assertion of individuality that hinders our spiritual life more than anything else. If you say – “I cannot believe,” it is because individuality is in the road; individuality never can believe. Personality cannot help believing. Watch yourself when the Spirit of God is at work. He pushes you to the margins of your individuality, and you have either to say – “I shan't,” or to surrender, to break the husk of individuality and let the personal life emerge. The Holy Spirit narrows it down every time to one thing (cf. Matthew 5:23-24). The thing in you that will not be reconciled to your brother is your individuality. God wants to bring you into union with Himself, but unless you are willing to give up your right to yourself He cannot. “Let him deny himself” – deny his independent right to himself, then the real life has a chance to grow.