8月25日 結實累累的友誼

我乃稱你們為朋友。（約十五15）

除非我們完全的投上，否則不能真正體會獻上的喜樂。自我的降服是最難的事－－“如果……我就肯了！”“或許我也該把生命奉獻給神。”其中是沒有絲毫舍己的喜樂。待我們真的完全捨棄了，聖靈就叫我們嘗到主耶穌的喜樂。舍己的最終目標是為“朋友”（主耶穌）捨命。聖靈一來，最大的心願就是為耶穌捨命；以往舍己的意念從不會觸動我們的心，因為舍己是聖靈的愛。

主舍己的一生是我們的榜樣－－“我的神，我樂意照你的旨意行。”主的舍己是滿有喜樂的。我已經完全降服耶穌基督了嗎？耶穌基督若不是我們的目標，我們的舍己奉獻就毫無益處；我們的奉獻若是專注在他身上，那模造的工夫就必逐漸明朗地顯明。

當心別讓私欲阻礙你行在神的愛中。扼殺人性的愛最殘酷的方法之一，源自渴想追求個人私欲而否定別人需要。聖徒唯一的吸引是主耶穌自己。對神的愛並非情感用事，因為聖徒以神的愛去愛，是最實際不過的事。

“我乃稱你們為朋友。”這友誼的根基是我們裡面新造的生命。這新生命只與神的生命相連，與舊生命沒有半點關係，是無可言喻的謙和，沒有玷污的潔淨，絕對忠於神。

August 25 The Fruitfulness Of Friendship

“I have called you friends.” John 15:15

We never know the joy of self-sacrifice until we abandon in every particular. Self-surrender is the most difficult thing – I will if . . . ! Oh, well, I suppose I must devote my life to God. There is none of the joy of self-sacrifice in that.

As soon as we do abandon, the Holy Ghost gives us an intimation of the joy of Jesus. The final aim of self-sacrifice is laying down our lives for our Friend. When the Holy Ghost comes in, the great desire is to lay down the life for Jesus, and the thought of sacrifice never touches us because sacrifice is the love passion of the Holy Ghost.

Our Lord is our example in the life of self-sacrifice – “I delight to do Thy will, O my God.” He went on with His sacrifice with exuberant joy. Have I ever yielded in absolute submission to Jesus Christ? If Jesus Christ is not the lodestar, there is no benefit in the sacrifice; but when the sacrifice is made with the eyes on Him, slowly and surely the moulding influence begins to tell.

Beware of letting natural affinities hinder your walk in love. One of the most cruel ways of killing natural love is by disdain built on natural affinities. The affinity of the saint is the Lord Jesus. Love for God is not sentimental, for the saint to love as God loves is the most practical thing.

“I have called you friends.” It is a friendship based on the new life created in us which has no affinity with our old life, but only with the life of God. It is unutterably humble, unsulliedly pure, and absolutely devoted to God.