2月19日

標　　題： 跟從我

經　　節： 於是耶穌對門徒說：「若有人要跟從我，就當舍己，背起他的十字架來跟從我。」（馬太福音十六章24節）

我們可以視神的同在為理所當然，也可能以為耶穌會跟隨我們到任何所去之處，因為耶穌曾經說過，祂會常與我們同在，直到世界的末了（馬太福音廿八：20）。但問題在於：不是耶穌跟隨我們，乃是我們跟隨耶穌；不是我們邀請耶穌添加事工，而是耶穌邀請我們添加祂的事工。耶穌說：「不是你們揀選了我，是我揀選了你們。」（約翰福音十五：16）跟隨耶穌需要完全順服。祂並不要找我們商量未來合適的方向，祂早已知道甚麼對我們最好，祂根本不需要找我們商量。跟隨基督會領你體驗超過你能想像的經歷！當耶穌為陷入罪惡泥沼中的人們悲傷哭泣時，你與耶穌在一起，你會感受到耶穌的痛苦，也會看到那些靈性失明的人第一次眼見神的喜樂；你會看到生命破碎的人，生命重整得以完全，也會看見有人婚姻重建，被綁的得釋放，哀傷者得安慰。有時候，跟隨耶穌是容易的，但有時候你會被試探，離祂遠去。跟隨耶穌意謂經歷風暴，或是站立在山頂之上。你可能已經停止跟隨耶穌，但現在你願意再跟隨祂。當你停止跟隨耶穌，你就以自己作主。當你跟隨耶穌，你是全然由祂作主。祂是神，而你不是。你是否無論何時何地、任何情況，都願意跟隨耶穌？那是你跟隨祂惟獨的一條路。

Follow Me

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. (Matthew 16:24)

We can take God’s presence for granted. We can assume that because Jesus said He would be with us always, He will follow us wherever we go (Matt. 28:20). Jesus does not follow us; we are to follow Him. You do not invite God to join you in your activity. He invites you to become involved in His activity. Jesus said: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you” (John 15:16). Following Jesus requires absolute obedience. He does not seek our counsel about which direction we think is suitable. God already knows what is best without ever having to consult with us.

Following Jesus will lead you into experiences you never dreamed of! You will be with Jesus as He weeps over those trapped in sin. You will feel the pain that Jesus feels. You will see those who were spiritually blind experience the joy of coming to see God for the first time. You will see lives that were broken, made whole. You will see marriages restored; those in , released; and those who mourn, comforted. At times it will be easy to follow Jesus. At other times, you will be tempted to abandon Him. Following Jesus can mean going through a storm or standing on a mountaintop.

You may have stopped following Jesus, but now you want to follow again. When you stopped following Jesus, you did so on your terms. But the returning to Jesus is strictly under His conditions. He is God, and you are not. Are you willing to follow Jesus anywhere, at any time, under any condition? That is the only way you can follow Him.