0128 怎麼會有人如此逼迫耶穌！
掃羅！掃羅！為什麼逼迫我？《使徒行傳 26:14》
你是否決心要按照自己的方式為神而活？直到我們經歷「聖靈與火」的洗禮（馬太福音3:11），我們是永遠無法擺脫這個陷阱。固執和任性總是會刺痛耶穌基督，它也許沒有傷害到別人，但卻刺傷祂的靈。每當我們固執、任性、追求自己的野心時，我們就是在傷害耶穌。每當我們堅持自己的權利，並堅持這是我們的打算時，我們就是在逼迫祂。每當我們依賴自尊時，我們就是系統性地擾亂和傷害祂的靈。當我們最終明白長久以來我們一直在迫害的是耶穌，那是最壓倒性的啟示。
當我將神的道傳給你時，它在我裡面有巨大洞察力和敏銳性嗎？還是我的生活背叛了我宣講教導的事情？我可能教導成聖，卻展現了撒但的靈，正是迫害耶穌基督的靈。耶穌的靈只意識到一件事 —— 與父完美的合一。祂告訴我們，「我心裡柔和謙卑，你們當負我的軛，學我的樣式，這樣，你們心裡就必得享安息。」（馬太福音11:29）。我所做的一切應該建立在與祂完美合一上，而不是基於任性想要敬虔的決心。這意味着別人可能會利用我，繞過我，或完全忽視我，但如果我為了祂的緣故而定意順服，我就能阻止耶穌基督受逼迫了。
來自章伯斯的智慧
耶穌對那些沒有經歷過痛苦的人說：「我沒有什麼可以給你們的；以自己的腳站穩，挺起你自己的肩膀（挺身而立）。我為這樣的人而來，就是知道他手裡有一堆自己無法應付的事情，知道有自己無法觸及的力量的人；如果他願意讓我來，我將會為他做一切的事。只要有一個人承認他需要，我就會為他而行。」《痛苦的陰影》
0128 How Could Someone So Persecute Jesus!
Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? —Acts 26:14
Are you determined to have your own way in living for God? We will never be free from this trap until we are brought into the experience of the baptism of “the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11). Stubbornness and self-will will always stab Jesus Christ. It may hurt no one else, but it wounds His Spirit. Whenever we are obstinate and self-willed and set on our own ambitions, we are hurting Jesus. Every time we stand on our own rights and insist that this is what we intend to do, we are persecuting Him. Whenever we rely on self-respect, we systematically disturb and grieve His Spirit. And when we finally understand that it is Jesus, we have been persecuting all this time, it is the most crushing revelation ever.
Is the Word of God tremendously penetrating and sharp in me as I hand it on to you, or does my life betray the things I profess to teach? I may teach sanctification and yet exhibit the spirit of Satan, the very spirit that persecutes Jesus Christ. The Spirit of Jesus is conscious of only one thing— a perfect oneness with the Father. And He tells us, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). All I do should be based on a perfect oneness with Him, not on a self-willed determination to be godly. This will mean that others may use me, go around me, or completely ignore me, but if I will submit to it for His sake, I will prevent Jesus Christ from being persecuted.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
To those who have had no agony Jesus says, “I have nothing for you; stand on your own feet, square your own shoulders. I have come for the man who knows he has a bigger handful than he can cope with, who knows there are forces he cannot touch; I will do everything for him if he will let Me. Only let a man grant he needs it, and I will do it for him.” –The Shadow of an Agony