0324 为祂的目的而衰微
他必兴旺，我必衰微。《约翰福音 3:30》
如果你成为别人生活中的必需品，你就偏离了神的旨意。作为仆人，你的首要责任是成为「新郎的朋友」（约翰福音3:29）。当你看到一个人接近领悟耶稣基督的宣告时，你就知道你的影响力已经被用在了正确的方向上。当你开始看到那个人陷入艰难而痛苦的挣扎时，不要试图阻止，而是祷告他的困难会变得加强十倍，直到地上或地狱中没有任何力量能将他从耶稣基督身边拉开。我们一次又一次地试图成为某人生活中的业余供应者。我们确实是业余者，实际上却是在妨碍神的旨意，并说：「这个人不应该经历这样的困难。」我们的同情不但没有成为新郎的朋友，反而成为障碍。有一天，那个人会对我们说：「你是一个小偷，你偷走了我跟随耶稣的渴望，因为你，我看不见祂了。」
谨防与人一起为错误的事而喜乐，要始终为正确之事而喜乐。 「…新郎的朋友站着，听见新郎的声音就甚喜乐。故此，我这喜乐满足了。他必兴旺，我必衰微。」（约翰福音3:29-30）。这话是带着喜乐而不是悲伤说出来的——他们终于要见到新郎了！约翰说这是他的喜乐。那代表着退到一边，彻底挪走仆人，永远不再被想起。
要全神贯注地倾听，直到你在另一个人的生命中听到新郎的声音。永远不要去考虑那会带来什么破坏、困难或疾病。只要以祂的声音被听见而敬虔的兴奋。你可能必须常常看到耶稣基督在拯救一个生命之前却先毁坏它。（见马太福音10:34）
来自章伯斯的智慧
神创造人类，让他成为地上、海里和空中生命之主，而他之所以不是，是因为他擅自掌握律法，成为自己的主，但却不是其他之主。 《痛苦的阴影》
0324 Decreasing for His Purpose
He must increase, but I must decrease. —John 3:30
If you become a necessity to someone else’s life, you are out of God’s will. As a servant, your primary responsibility is to be a “friend of the bridegroom” (John 3:29). When you see a person who is close to grasping the claims of Jesus Christ, you know that your influence has been used in the right direction. And when you begin to see that person in the middle of a difficult and painful struggle, don’t try to prevent it, but pray that his difficulty will grow even ten times stronger, until no power on earth or in hell could hold him away from Jesus Christ. Over and over again, we try to be amateur providences in someone’s life. We are indeed amateurs, coming in and actually preventing God’s will and saying, “This person should not have to experience this difficulty.” Instead of being friends of the Bridegroom, our sympathy gets in the way. One day that person will say to us, “You are a thief; you stole my desire to follow Jesus, and because of you I lost sight of Him.
Beware of rejoicing with someone over the wrong thing, but always look to rejoice over the right thing. “…the friend of the bridegroom…rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:29-30). This was spoken with joy, not with sadness— at last they were to see the Bridegroom! And John said this was his joy. It represents a stepping aside, an absolute removal of the servant, never to be thought of again.
Listen intently with your entire being until you hear the Bridegroom’s voice in the life of another person. And never give any thought to what devastation, difficulties, or sickness it will bring. Just rejoice with godly excitement that His voice has been heard. You may often have to watch Jesus Christ wreck a life before He saves it (see Matthew 10:34).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
God created man to be master of the life in the earth and sea and sky, and the reason he is not is because he took the law into his own hands, and became master of himself, but of nothing else. –The Shadow of an Agony, 1163 L