0225 服事的匮乏
难道我越发爱你们，就越发少得你们的爱吗？《哥林多后书12:15》
人类自然的爱期望得到回报，但保罗说：「对我来说，你们是否爱我并不重要。总之，我甘愿一贫如洗；不仅是为了你们之故，更是为了能把你们带到神面前，我愿意深受贫穷之苦。」，「因你们知道我们主耶稣基督的恩典：祂本来富足，却为你们成了贫穷…」（林后 8:9）。保罗的事奉理念与我们主的理念是一样的，他不在乎自己付出的代价有多大——他很乐意付出；这对保罗来说是一件喜乐的事。
教会机制关于神仆人的理念与耶稣基督的理念完全不同。祂的理念是我们借着成为他人的仆人来服事祂。耶稣基督实际上「比社会主义者更社会化」。祂说，在祂的国度里，最大的那位将是众人的仆人（见马太福音 23:11）。一个圣徒真正的考验，不在于他愿否传福音，而是愿意做一些如给门徒洗脚的事，也就是愿意做那些在人眼中似乎不重要，但在神眼里却至关重要的事。保罗乐意为了神对其他人的利益而奉献自己的一生，他不在乎为此付出什么代价。但在我们服事之前，我们会停下来思考我们个人和财务的担忧——「如果神要我去那里怎么办？我的工资呢？那里的气候如何？谁来照顾我？一个人必须考虑所有这些事情。」所有这些都表明我们对服事神持有保留的态度。但使徒保罗没有任何条件或保留。保罗把他的一生聚焦在耶稣基督对新约圣徒的理念上，也就是说，不仅仅是个传播福音的人，而是为了他人而在耶稣基督手中成为擘开的饼和浇奠的酒的人。
来自章伯斯的智慧
耶稣对门徒所说的伟大之语是「舍己」。当神把我们带进门徒的关系中时，我们必须冒险相信祂的话，完全信靠祂，并注意当祂带我们去冒险时，我们就接受之。《登山宝训研究》
0225 The Destitution of Service
…though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved. —2 Corinthians 12:15
Natural human love expects something in return. But Paul is saying, “It doesn’t really matter to me whether you love me or not. I am willing to be completely destitute anyway; willing to be poverty-stricken, not just for your sakes, but also that I may be able to get you to God.” “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor…” (2 Corinthians 8:9). And Paul’s idea of service was the same as our Lord’s. He did not care how high the cost was to himself— he would gladly pay it. It was a joyful thing to Paul.
The institutional church’s idea of a servant of God is not at all like Jesus Christ’s idea. His idea is that we serve Him by being the servants of others. Jesus Christ actually “out-socialized” the socialists. He said that in His kingdom the greatest one would be the servant of all (see Matthew 23:11). The real test of a saint is not one’s willingness to preach the gospel, but one’s willingness to do something like washing the disciples’ feet— that is, being willing to do those things that seem unimportant in human estimation but count as everything to God. It was Paul’s delight to spend his life for God’s interests in other people, and he did not care what it cost. But before we will serve, we stop to ponder our personal and financial concerns— “What if God wants me to go over there? And what about my salary? What is the climate like there? Who will take care of me? A person must consider all these things.” All that is an indication that we have reservations about serving God. But the apostle Paul had no conditions or reservations. Paul focused his life on Jesus Christ’s idea of a New Testament saint; that is, not one who merely proclaims the gospel, but one who becomes broken bread and poured-out wine in the hands of Jesus Christ for the sake of others.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The great word of Jesus to His disciples is Abandon. When God has brought us into the relationship of disciples, we have to venture on His word; trust entirely to Him and watch that when He brings us to the venture, we take it. –Studies in the Sermon on the Mount