0101 讓我們抓住重點
照著我所切慕、所盼望的，沒有一事叫我羞愧，只要凡事放膽，無論是生是死，總叫基督在我身上照常顯大。《腓立比書 1:20》
竭誠為主。「……我所切慕、所盼望的，沒有一事叫我羞愧。」 如果我們不將耶穌要求我們降服祂的生活領域降服於祂，我們會感到非常羞愧。就好像保羅說的：「我決心要竭誠為主——要為了祂的榮耀而盡最大的努力。」 要達到這種決心的程度，是意志的問題，而不是辯論或推理的問題；在那一點上，是意志力絕對和不可挽回的降服。任何對自己過度、不適當的想法和考慮，儘管我們裝作為了顧慮到別人，以此假裝來掩飾，都是會阻止我們做出那個降服決定的原因。當我們認真思考如果我們順從耶穌的呼召，會使別人付出代價時，我們等於是在告訴神，祂不知道我們的順服意味着什麼。要抓住重點——祂是知道的。排除其他一切的想法，只在這一件事上保守自己在神面前——竭誠為主。我決心絕對地、完全地為祂，並且也只單單為祂。
為祂的聖潔義無反顧。「無論是生是死，我總不動搖！」（腓立比書1:21）。保羅下定決心沒有什麼能夠攔阻他照神的旨意行事。但在我們選擇遵行神的旨意之前，我們的生活必生髮危機，這是因為對神比較溫和引起我們注意的輕推，我們容易反應遲鈍。祂將我們帶到一個地方，要求我們竭誠為主，我們卻開始爭辯起來。然後祂護佑地在我們生活中製造一個我們必須做出決定的危機——是順服還是抵擋祂。那一刻就變成我們生命中重大的十字路口。如果危機在任何方面臨到你，你要絕對地、不可改變地將你的意志降服於耶穌。
來自章伯斯的智慧
對那些沒有經歷過痛苦的人，耶穌說：「我沒有什麼可以給你的；站穩自己的腳，挺起自己的肩膀（挺身而立）。我是為那些知道自己所面對的，遠超出他能應付的，那些知道他無法觸碰某些勢力的人；若他讓我來，我會為他做一切的事。只要讓一個人承認他有需要，我就會為他做。」《痛苦的陰影》
0101 Let Us Keep to the Point
My earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.—Philippians 1:20
My Utmost for His Highest. “…my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed….” We will all feel very much ashamed if we do not yield to Jesus the areas of our lives He has asked us to yield to Him. It’s as if Paul were saying, “My determined purpose is to be my utmost for His highest— my best for His glory.” To reach that level of determination is a matter of the will, not of debate or of reasoning. It is absolute and irrevocable surrender of the will at that point. An undue amount of thought and consideration for ourselves is what keeps us from making that decision, although we cover it up with the pretense that it is others we are considering. When we think seriously about what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God He doesn’t know what our obedience will mean. Keep to the point— He does know. Shut out every other thought and keep yourself before God in this one thing only— my utmost for His highest. I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and Him alone.
My Unstoppable Determination for His Holiness. “Whether it means life or death-it makes no difference!” (see Philippians 1:21). Paul was determined that nothing would stop him from doing exactly what God wanted. But before we choose to follow God’s will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God’s gentler nudges. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him and we begin to debate. He then providentially produces a crisis where we have to decide— for or against. That moment becomes a great crossroads in our lives. If a crisis has come to you on any front, surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably.