0221 你真的愛祂嗎？
她在我身上作的是一件美事。《 馬可福音14:6》
如果我們所謂的愛不能讓我們超越自我，那它就不是真正的愛。如果我們認為愛就是謹慎、明智、合理、精明、並且從來不走極端，那我們已經錯過了真正的意義。這可能描述了感情，可能會給我們帶來溫暖的感覺，但這並不是對愛真實準確的描述。
你曾否因愛神而被推動去做某事，不是因為你覺得那是有用或你有責任去做，或者其中對你有什麼好處，而僅僅只因你愛祂？你曾否意識到你可以給神一些對祂有價值的東西嗎？或者你只是坐在那裡夢想祂救贖的偉大，而忽視了你可以為祂做的一切事情？我不是指那些可能被視為神聖和奇蹟的工作，而是普通、簡單的人類事物——那些向神證明你完全降服於祂的事物。你曾在主耶穌心裡創造過伯大尼的馬利亞所創造的事嗎？ 「她為我做了一件美事。」
有時候看起來好像神在觀察我們是否會給祂哪怕是很小的降服禮物，只是為了表明我們對祂的愛有多麼真誠。降服於神比我們個人的聖潔更有價值。對個人聖潔的擔心會導致我們把目光集中在自己身上，我們出於害怕冒犯神而變得過度關注自己的言行舉止和外表。一旦我們降服於神，「愛既完全，就把懼怕除去。」（約翰一書 4:18）。我們應該停止問自己「我有什麼用」並接受這樣一個事實，就是我們對祂來說確實沒有多大用處。問題從來不在於是否有用，而在於對神本身是否有價值。一旦我們完全降服於神，祂就會一直通過我們來做工。
來自章伯斯的智慧
我們的危險在於淡化神的話來迎合自己。神從不調整祂的話來迎合我；祂調整我來符合祂的話。 《不知往何處去》
0221 Do You Really Love Him?
She has done a good work for Me. —Mark 14:6
If what we call love doesn’t take us beyond ourselves, it is not really love. If we have the idea that love is characterized as cautious, wise, sensible, shrewd, and never taken to extremes, we have missed the true meaning. This may describe affection and it may bring us a warm feeling, but it is not a true and accurate description of love.
Have you ever been driven to do something for God not because you felt that it was useful or your duty to do so, or that there was anything in it for you, but simply because you love Him? Have you ever realized that you can give things to God that are of value to Him? Or are you just sitting around daydreaming about the greatness of His redemption, while neglecting all the things you could be doing for Him? I’m not referring to works which could be regarded as divine and miraculous, but ordinary, simple human things— things which would be evidence to God that you are totally surrendered to Him. Have you ever created what Mary of Bethany created in the heart of the Lord Jesus? “She has done a good work for Me.”
There are times when it seems as if God watches to see if we will give Him even small gifts of surrender, just to show how genuine our love is for Him. To be surrendered to God is of more value than our personal holiness. Concern over our personal holiness causes us to focus our eyes on ourselves, and we become overly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, out of fear of offending God. “…but perfect love casts out fear…” once we are surrendered to God (1 John 4:18). We should quit asking ourselves, “Am I of any use?” and accept the truth that we really are not of much use to Him. The issue is never of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. Once we are totally surrendered to God, He will work through us all the time.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Our danger is to water down God’s word to suit ourselves. God never fits His word to suit me; He fits me to suit His word. –Not Knowling Whither, 901 R