0117 天然生命的呼召
既然乐意将祂儿子启示在我心里…《加拉太书 1:15-16》
神的呼召并不要求以任何特定的方式事奉祂。我与神本性的接触将塑造我对祂呼召的理解，并将帮助我意识到我真正渴望为祂做的是什么。神的呼召是祂本性的表达；在我生活中所产生的事奉是适合于我，并且是我本性的表达。使徒保罗对天然生命的呼召是如此陈述的：「神乐意……将祂的儿子启示在我里面，使我在外邦人中传讲祂【意即纯粹而庄严地表达祂】…」
事奉是从充满爱和委身的生命中倾泻而洋溢的。但严格来说，没有那样事奉的呼召。事奉是我为这个关系所带来的，也是我对神本性认同的反映。事奉成为我生命中自然的一部分。神把我带入与祂的合宜关系里，以便于我能明白祂的呼召，然后我基于绝对的爱的动机，自发地服事祂。事奉神是听到神呼召的本性刻意的爱的礼物。事奉是我本性的表达，而神的呼召是祂本性的表达。因此，当我接受祂的本性并听到祂的呼召时，祂神圣之声就回响在祂的本性和我的本性中，两者在事奉中合一。神的儿子将自己启示在我心里，出于对祂的委身，事奉成为我每天的生活方式。
来自章伯斯的智慧
我们可以通过其他方式了解神的属性，但我们只能在基督的十字架中了解天父的心。 《至善—祢伟大的救赎》
0117 The Call of the Natural Life
When it pleased God…to reveal His Son in me. –Galatians 1:15-16
The call of God is not a call to serve Him in any particular way. My contact with the nature of God will shape my understanding of His call and will help me realize what I truly desire to do for Him. The call of God is an expression of His nature; the service which results in my life is suited to me and is an expression of my nature. The call of the natural life was stated by the apostle Paul— “When it pleased God…to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him [that is, purely and solemnly express Him] among the Gentiles….”
The call of God is not a call to serve Him in any particular way. My contact with the nature of God will shape my understanding of His call and will help me realize what I truly desire to do for Him. The call of God is an expression of His nature; the service which results in my life is suited to me and is an expression of my nature. The call of the natural life was stated by the apostle Paul— “When it pleased God…to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him [that is, purely and solemnly express Him] among the Gentiles….”
Service is the overflow which pours from a life filled with love and devotion. But strictly speaking, there is no call to that. Service is what I bring to the relationship and is the reflection of my identification with the nature of God. Service becomes a natural part of my life. God brings me into the proper relationship with Himself so that I can understand His call, and then I serve Him on my own out of a motivation of absolute love. Service to God is the deliberate love-gift of a nature that has heard the call of God. Service is an expression of my nature, and God’s call is an expression of His nature. Therefore, when I receive His nature and hear His call, His divine voice resounds throughout His nature and mine and the two become one in service. The Son of God reveals Himself in me, and out of devotion to Him service becomes my everyday way of life.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We can understand the attributes of God in other ways, but we can only understand the Father’s heart in the Cross of Christ. — The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption, 558 L