10月4日 異象與實在

蒙召作聖徒。（林前一2）

為你所看見而未達成的一切感謝神。你見到異象，但其實你一點也未達那境地。我們往往在山谷中退後回頭，但山谷卻正是我們是否被選上的考驗。我們未能接受打擊，就是要實現異象必須有的打擊。我們看見自己的缺欠，也看見神心目中要我們達到的，但我們到底願不願意有被神擊打、塑造、使用的異象？神的熬煉，總是從平凡的方法，透過平凡的人而來的。

有時我們不曉得神的用意是什麼；但到底我們的異象能否變作我們的個性，全在乎我們，不在乎神。若我們留戀山頂，活在異象的回憶中，那麼在現實平凡的人生中，我們實一無用處。我們必須學習倚靠異象所見的去活，不是靠當時那種極樂，也不是靠刻意的默想神。要在異象的真光中活，直至把異象完全實現。所有訓練都是朝這個方向走，要學習感謝神讓我們知道他的要求。

在神說“做”的時候，那小小的“我”總是怏怏不樂。要把“我”在神的義怒下萎縮，神說：“我是自有永有的，我差遣你。”他必須作主。若知道神透察我們生活的每一洞口，那是何等的啟迪哩！他像電光般把我們搜出來，沒有誰像神那樣認識人。

祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著昨天我能迅速認知你在我裡面，我感謝你；求你幫助我今天在穩定和持續的禱告中，與你心意聯合。

October 4 The Vision And The Verity

“Called to be saints.” 1 Corinthians 1:2

Thank God for the sight of all you have never yet been. You have had the vision, but you are not there yet by any means. It is when we are in the valley, where we prove whether we will be the choice ones, that most of us turn back. We are not quite prepared for the blows which must come if we are going to be turned into the shape of the vision. We have seen what we are not, and what God wants us to be, but are we willing to have the vision “batter'd to shape and use” by God? The batterings always come in commonplace ways and through commonplace people.

There are times when we do know what God's purpose is; whether we will let the vision be turned into actual character depends upon us, not upon God. If we prefer to loll on the mount and live in the memory of the vision, we will be of no use actually in the ordinary stuff of which human life is made up. We have to learn to live in reliance on what we saw in the vision, not in ecstasies and conscious contemplation of God, but to live in actualities in the light of the vision until we get to the veritable reality. Every bit of our training is in that direction. Learn to thank God for making known His demands.

The little “I am” always sulks when God says do. Let the little “I am” be shrivelled up in God's indignation – “I AM THAT I AM hath sent thee.” He must dominate. Is it not penetrating to realize that God knows where we live, and the kennels we crawl into! He will hunt us up like a lightning flash. No human being knows human beings as God does.