4月22日

標　　題： 屬靈的持續力

經　　節： 以利亞對亞哈說：「你現在可以上去吃喝，因為有多雨的響聲了。」（列王紀上十八章41節）

當你尋求遵循神的旨意的時候，「成功」會轉移你的注意力。以利亞主要的任務是預告旱荒的開始與退出（列王紀上十七：1）。神要以利亞向亞哈王宣告旱荒的原因，是百姓不敬拜真神，反而拜偶像。在以利亞運行任務期中，有一件場面壯觀、戲劇化的事情發生。以利亞與巴力的先知們對決，吩咐火從天上降下來，並且殺了幾百名巴力的先知。這是聖經記載有關神施展的大能中，最令人肅然起敬的事蹟之一。以利亞可以單單專注於這件事。火從天降要比下大雨來得神奇多了！

當一些神奇的事發生時，我們很容易被引入歧途。如果以利亞活在今日，他可能開始一個「火從天降」事工！戲劇化的事物遠比平凡的事物，來得有吸引力。消滅幾百位巴力先知，是任何先知最高的勝利。然而，以利亞繼續持守他的任務，他宣告將來的大雨。這是他主要宣告的信息。

如果不注意，你可能會被勝利沖昏了頭，沒有完成神原來指定你的任務。你今日的成功，是否變成你明日的不順服？

Spiritual Persistence

Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain." (1 Kings 18:41)

Success can distract you as you seek to follow God’s will. Elijah’s primary assignment was to announce when a drought would begin and end (1 Kings 17:1). God had told him to proclaim Ahab that the drought was an act of judgment upon a people who worshiped idols rather than God. In the middle of Elijah’s assignment, a spectacular thing happened. Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal and called fire down from heaven, putting hundreds of priests of Baal to death. This was one of the most awesome displays of God’s power recorded in Scripture. Elijah could easily have focused strictly on that event. Fire falling from heaven is much more spectacular than a rainstorm!

When something spectacular happens, we can easily be sidetracked. If Elijah lived today, he might have begun a “Calling Down Fire from Heaven” ministry! The dramatic is far more appealing to us than obedience to the mundane. Destroying hundreds of Baal’s prophets would appear to be a climactic victory for any prophet of God. Yet Elijah persisted in his assignment. He announced the coming rain. This had been his primary message, and he delivered it.

If you aren’t careful, you may become so distracted by the successes you experience that you never complete what God originally assigned you to do. Will your success today cause you to disobey tomorrow?