0312 完全降服
彼得就對他說：「看哪，我們已經撇下所有的跟從你了。」《馬可福音 10:28》
我們的主回應彼得的這句話，說：這種降服是「為我和福音的緣故。」（馬可福音10:29），這並不是為了門徒們自己能從中得到什麼。要謹防出於個人利益動機的降服，例如，「我要把自己獻給神，因為我想從罪中得解脫，因為我想變得聖潔。」從罪中得解脫和成為聖潔是與神和好的結果，但這種思想所產生的降服當然不是基督教真正的本質；我們降服的動機不應該是為了任何個人利益。我們已變得如此以自我中心，以至於我們到神面前只是為了從祂那裡得到某些東西，而不是為了神自己；這就像是說：「不，主啊，我不想要袮，我想要我自己。但我確實想要袮潔凈我，並以袮的聖靈來充滿我。我想要在袮的櫥窗中被展示出來，這樣我就可以說，『這是神為我所做的』。」得到天堂、從罪中得釋放、成為對神有用的人，這些永遠都不是真正降服所該考慮的事。真誠完全的降服是個人對耶穌基督自己的個人至上的偏好。
當我們關心我們的自然關係時，耶穌基督在哪裡？我們大多數人都會以這個借口離棄祂——「是的，主啊，我聽到袮呼召我，但我的家人需要我，我有自己的興趣。我不能再往前走了。」（見路加福音 9:57-62）。耶穌說：「那麼，你們『不能作我的門徒』」（見路加福音 14:26-33）。
真正的降服總是超越自然的委身。只要我們放棄，神就會降服自己，擁抱我們周圍的所有人，並滿足他們的需要，那些需要是因我們的降服而產生的。在任何沒有完全降服於神之處，謹防停下來。我們大多數人對這個真正的含義只有異象，但從未真正經歷過。
來自章伯斯的智慧
我們開始我們基督徒的生活是通過相信被告知要相信的事情，然後我們必須繼續如此同化我們的信仰，以至於它們以一種迴響神榮耀的方式產生結果。危險是在於我們越來越接受我們自己沒有活出的信念。《改變像祂的樣式》
0312 Total Surrender
Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” —Mark 10:28
Our Lord replies to this statement of Peter by saying that this surrender is “for My sake and the gospel’s” (Mark 10:29). It was not for the purpose of what the disciples themselves would get out of it. Beware of surrender that is motivated by personal benefits that may result. For example, “I’m going to give myself to God because I want to be delivered from sin, because I want to be made holy.” Being delivered from sin and being made holy are the result of being right with God, but surrender resulting from this kind of thinking is certainly not the true nature of Christianity. Our motive for surrender should not be for any personal gain at all. We have become so self-centered that we go to God only for something from Him, and not for God Himself. It is like saying, “No, Lord, I don’t want you; I want myself. But I do want You to clean me and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to be on display in Your showcase so I can say, ‘This is what God has done for me.’” Gaining heaven, being delivered from sin, and being made useful to God are things that should never even be a consideration in real surrender. Genuine total surrender is a personal sovereign preference for Jesus Christ Himself.
Where does Jesus Christ figure in when we have a concern about our natural relationships? Most of us will desert Him with this excuse— “Yes, Lord, I heard you call me, but my family needs me and I have my own interests. I just can’t go any further” (see Luke 9:57-62). “Then,” Jesus says, “you ‘cannot be My disciple’ ” (see Luke 14:26-33).
True surrender will always go beyond natural devotion. If we will only give up, God will surrender Himself to embrace all those around us and will meet their needs, which were created by our surrender. Beware of stopping anywhere short of total surrender to God. Most of us have only a vision of what this really means, but have never truly experienced it.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We begin our Christian life by believing what we are told to believe, then we have to go on to so assimilate our beliefs that they work out in a way that redounds to the glory of God. The danger is in multiplying the acceptation of beliefs we do not make