0315 惊惧的训练
…..耶稣在前头走，门徒就希奇，跟从的人也害怕。《马可福音 10:32》
在我们与耶稣基督的生命之初，我们确信我们知道关于跟随祂所需要知道的一切。舍弃一切，以无所畏惧爱的声明将自己投入祂面前，是一件乐事。但现在我们不太确定；耶稣远远走在我们前面，开始显得不同和陌生——「耶稣在前头走，门徒就希奇。」（马可福音10:32）
耶稣在某方面甚至可以使门徒的心冰冷到底，并使他整个灵命都喘不过气来。这位不寻常的人，祂的脸面「好像坚石」（以赛亚书50:7），正坚定地走在我前面，祂让我全人感到惧怕。祂似乎不再是我的策士和朋友，祂有我一无所知的点；我所能做的就是站着，惊讶地凝视着祂。起初我确信我了解祂，但现在我不那么确定了。我开始意识到耶稣和我之间有段距离，我再也无法与祂亲密了。我不知道祂要去哪里，而目标变得异常遥远。
耶稣基督必须完全了解人类可能经历的每种罪恶和悲伤，这就使祂看来好像陌生。当我们看到祂这一面时，我们意识到我们真的不认识祂；我们甚至不认识祂生命的任何一个特质，也不知道如何开始跟随祂。祂远远地领先我们前面，是一位看上去完全陌生的领袖，而我们与祂没有任何友谊。
惊惧的训练是门徒必须学习的必要课程。危险在于，我们倾向于回顾我们顺服的时刻和过去对神的牺牲，要努力持守我们对神的热情（见以赛亚书50:10-11）。但当沮丧的黑暗临到时，要忍耐，直到它过去，因为从中会产生真正跟随耶稣的能力，那带来难以言喻分奇妙喜乐。
来自章伯斯的智慧
基督徒生活中的许多痛苦并不是因为魔鬼与我们交锋，而是因为我们从未理解我们本性的简单法则。我们必须把身体视为基督耶稣的仆人：当身体说「坐下」，而祂说「去」，那就去！当身体说「吃」，而祂说「禁食」，那就禁食！当身体说「打哈欠」，而祂说「祷告」，那就祷告！《圣经伦理学》
0315 The Discipline of Dismay
As they followed they were afraid. —Mark 10:32
At the beginning of our life with Jesus Christ, we were sure we knew all there was to know about following Him. It was a delight to forsake everything else and to throw ourselves before Him in a fearless statement of love. But now we are not quite so sure. Jesus is far ahead of us and is beginning to seem different and unfamiliar— “Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed” (Mark 10:32).
There is an aspect of Jesus that chills even a disciple’s heart to its depth and makes his entire spiritual life gasp for air. This unusual Person with His face set “like a flint” (Isaiah 50:7) is walking with great determination ahead of me, and He strikes terror right through me. He no longer seems to be my Counselor and Friend and has a point of view about which I know nothing. All I can do is stand and stare at Him in amazement. At first I was confident that I understood Him, but now I am not so sure. I begin to realize that there is a distance between Jesus and me and I can no longer be intimate with Him. I have no idea where He is going, and the goal has become strangely distant.
Jesus Christ had to understand fully every sin and sorrow that human beings could experience, and that is what makes Him seem unfamiliar. When we see this aspect of Him, we realize we really don’t know Him. We don’t recognize even one characteristic of His life, and we don’t know how to begin to follow Him. He is far ahead of us, a Leader who seems totally unfamiliar, and we have no friendship with Him.
The discipline of dismay is an essential lesson which a disciple must learn. The danger is that we tend to look back on our times of obedience and on our past sacrifices to God in an effort to keep our enthusiasm for Him strong (see Isaiah 50:10-11). But when the darkness of dismay comes, endure until it is over, because out of it will come the ability to follow Jesus truly, which brings inexpressibly wonderful joy.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Much of the misery in our Christian life comes not because the devil tackles us, but because we have never understood the simple laws of our make-up. We have to treat the body as the servant of Jesus Christ: when the body says “Sit,” and He says “Go,” go! When the body says “Eat,” and He says “Fast,” fast! When the body says “Yawn,” and He says “Pray,” pray! –Biblical Ethics, 107 R