0304 我真是如此吗？
我卻不以性命为念，也不看为宝贵，只要行完我的路程。《使徒行传20:24》
没有异象和呼召而服事神或为神做工，是比较容易的，因为这样你就不会被祂的要求所困扰。常识，蒙上一层基督徒情感，就变成你的向导。从世界的角度来看，你可能会更加豐盛和成功，且会有更多的闲暇时间，如果你从未确认神的呼召。但是，一旦你从耶稣基督那里领受了使命，神对你的要求的记忆总是会一直存在，激励你遵行祂的旨意。你将不能够再基于常识为祂工作。
我认为什么是我生命中「对我来说是宝贵的」？如果我没有被耶稣基督抓住，没有将自己降服于祂，我会认为我决定给神的时间和我自己的服事想法是宝贵的；我也会认为自己的生命「对我来说是宝贵的」。但保罗说，他视自己的生命为宝贵，以至于他能完成他所领受的事工，并拒绝将他的精力用在其他事情上。这节经文显示了保罗对被要求考虑自己时近乎高尚的恼怒。除了履行他所领受的事工之外，他对任何考虑都漠不关心。我们对神的普通而合理的服事实际上可能与我们对祂的完全降服是相争的。我们合理的工作是基于以下我们对自己说的论点：「记住你在这里是有多么有用，想想你在那种特定类型的工作中会多么有价值。」这种态度选择了我们自己的判断而非耶稣基督作为引导我们应该去哪里以及在哪里我们能有最佳作用。永远不要考虑你是否有用——但总是要考虑「你不是自己的人」（哥林多前书 6:19）。你是祂的。
来自章伯斯的智慧
许多国家和个人都曾尝试过基督教，但放弃了，因为发现它太难了。但无人经历过有意使耶稣为主却发现祂是个失败者的危机。《神的爱—一个基督徒的形成》
0304 Is This True of Me?
None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself… —Acts 20:24
It is easier to serve or work for God without a vision and without a call, because then you are not bothered by what He requires. Common sense, covered with a layer of Christian emotion, becomes your guide. You may be more prosperous and successful from the world’s perspective, and will have more leisure time, if you never acknowledge the call of God. But once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God asks of you will always be there to prod you on to do His will. You will no longer be able to work for Him on the basis of common sense.
What do I count in my life as “dear to myself”? If I have not been seized by Jesus Christ and have not surrendered myself to Him, I will consider the time I decide to give God and my own ideas of service as dear. I will also consider my own life as “dear to myself.” But Paul said he considered his life dear so that he might fulfill the ministry he had received, and he refused to use his energy on anything else. This verse shows an almost noble annoyance by Paul at being asked to consider himself. He was absolutely indifferent to any consideration other than that of fulfilling the ministry he had received. Our ordinary and reasonable service to God may actually compete against our total surrender to Him. Our reasonable work is based on the following argument which we say to ourselves, “Remember how useful you are here, and think how much value you would be in that particular type of work.” That attitude chooses our own judgment, instead of Jesus Christ, to be our guide as to where we should go and where we could be used the most. Never consider whether or not you are of use— but always consider that “you are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). You are His.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Both nations and individuals have tried Christianity and abandoned it, because it has been found too difficult; but no man has ever gone through the crisis of deliberately making Jesus Lord and found Him to be a failure. The Love of God—The Making of a Christian, 680 R