1月4日我爲什麽現在不能跟你去？

彼得說：主啊，我爲什麽現在不能跟你去？（約十三37）

你有時真不明白，爲什麽不可以照心裏所希望的去做。當神給你一張空白的紙，不要擅自塗上什麽。只要等候。這白紙可能是要教你明白成聖的意義；也可能是要你體會成聖之後事奉的意義。切勿走在神的引導之前。若有絲毫的疑慮，就不是他的帶領了。什麽時候有疑惑，就不要動！

起初，你會很清楚看見神的旨意——與某某朋友斷交，與某某人斷絕商業上的關係。你這樣做，很清楚是神的旨意；但是，千萬不要單憑那種感覺而貿然行事。否則，所造成的許多錯誤，可能要費多年的時間才能矯正。只要等候，神會完成他的工作，這不會使我們傷心或失望。既然是神的旨意，就等神去動工吧！

彼得幷沒有等候神，他只憑己意揣測試煉會什麽時候來，誰知試煉就在他意想不到的時候臨到。“我願意爲你捨命。”彼得的宣告雖是誠實，却是無知的。“耶穌說……鶏叫以先，你要三次不認我。”耶穌說這話，表明他認識彼得，比彼得認識自己更深。彼得沒有跟耶穌去，因爲他不認識自己，也不知道自己的有限。人的熱誠固然可以引導我們就近耶穌，使我們感受他的奇妙，可是却永不能叫我們成爲門徒。人天然的熱誠總會有一日否認主，不是此時，就是那時。

祈禱◆我何等渴望被你——熾熱、光輝和榮耀的你——完全充滿，以致除了你那恩典的光輝外，再不能容下別的東西。

January 4 Why Cannot I Follow Thee Now?

"Peter said unto Him, Lord, why cannot I follow Thee now?" John 13:37

There are times when you cannot understand why you cannot do what you want to do. When God brings the blank space, see that you do not fill it in, but wait. The blank space may come in order to teach you what sanctification means, or it may come after sanctification to teach you what service means. Never run before God's guidance. If there is the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt – don't.

In the beginning you may see clearly what God's will is – the severance of a friendship, the breaking off of a business relationship, something you feel distinctly before God is His will for you to do, never do it on the impulse of that feeling. If you do, you will end in making difficulties that will take years of time to put right. Wait for God's time to bring it round and He will do it without any heartbreak or disappointment. When it is a question of the providential will of God, wait for God to move.

Peter did not wait on God, he forecast in his mind where the test would come, and the test came where he did not expect it. "I will lay down my life for Thy sake." Peter's declaration was honest but ignorant. "Jesus answered him …The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied Me thrice." This was said with a deeper knowledge of Peter than Peter had of himself. He could not follow Jesus because he did not know himself, of what he was capable. Natural devotion may be all very well to attract us to Jesus, to make us feel His fascination, but it will never make us disciples. Natural devotion will always deny Jesus somewhere or other.