0124 神無敵的心意
你起來站着，我特意向你顯現，要派你作執事，作見證，將你所看見的事和我將要指示你的事證明出來。《使徒行傳 26:16》
保羅往大馬士革路上看到的異象，並不是一時的情感經歷，而是對他非常清晰和強調的指導異象。保羅說：「我故此沒有違背那從天上來的異象。」（使徒行傳26:19）。我們的主實際上是對保羅說：「你整個生命都要被我制服或征服；你沒有終點、沒有目標、沒有目的，而只有我的。」主也對我們說：「不是你們揀選了我，乃是我揀選了你們，並且派你們去…」（約翰福音15:16）
當我們重生時，如果我們真是屬靈的，我們就有耶穌要我們所是的異象。學會不「違背天上的異象」是非常重要的——不要懷疑它是否可以實現的。僅僅在心智上贊同神救贖了世界是不夠的，甚至知道聖靈可以使耶穌所做的一切在我生命中成為真實，這也是不夠的；我必須與祂有個人關係的基礎。保羅並非被賦予一個要宣講的信息或教義。他被帶到與耶穌基督的活潑、個人、無可抵擋的關係。使徒行傳 26:16是非常引人注目的經文：「…派作執事，作見證。」如果沒有個人的關係，那就什麼都不是。保羅是委身於一個人，而不是一個事業；他絕對是屬於耶穌基督，他別無所見，也不為別的而活。「因為我曾定了主意，在你們中間不知道別的，只知道耶穌基督並祂釘十字架。」（哥林多前書 2:2）
來自章伯斯的智慧
自然地說，沒有什麼比衰敗更能讓我們迅速喪失信心了——身體美麗的衰退、自然生命的衰退、友誼的衰退、關係的衰退，所有這些都使人心灰意冷；但保羅說，當我們信靠耶穌基督時，這些事情就不會令我們沮喪，光明會透過它們而來。《幫助之地》
0124 God’s Overpowering Purpose
I have appeared to you for this purpose… —Acts 26:16
The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was not a passing emotional experience, but a vision that had very clear and emphatic directions for him. And Paul stated, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19). Our Lord said to Paul, in effect, “Your whole life is to be overpowered or subdued by Me; you are to have no end, no aim, and no purpose but Mine.” And the Lord also says to us, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go…” (John 15:16).
When we are born again, if we are spiritual at all, we have visions of what Jesus wants us to be. It is important that I learn not to be “disobedient to the heavenly vision” — not to doubt that it can be attained. It is not enough to give mental assent to the fact that God has redeemed the world, nor even to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did a reality in my life. I must have the foundation of a personal relationship with Him. Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim. He was brought into a vivid, personal, overpowering relationship with Jesus Christ. Acts 26:16 is tremendously compelling “…to make you a minister and a witness….” There would be nothing there without a personal relationship. Paul was devoted to a Person, not to a cause. He was absolutely Jesus Christ’s. He saw nothing else and he lived for nothing else. “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
There is nothing, naturally speaking, that makes us lose heart quicker than decay—the decay of bodily beauty, of natural life, of friendship, of associations, all these things make a man lose heart; but Paul says when we are trusting in Jesus Christ these things do not find us discouraged, light comes through them. –The Place of Help