0324 為祂的目的而衰微
他必興旺，我必衰微。《約翰福音 3:30》
如果你成為別人生活中的必需品，你就偏離了神的旨意。作為僕人，你的首要責任是成為「新郎的朋友」（約翰福音3:29）。當你看到一個人接近領悟耶穌基督的宣告時，你就知道你的影響力已經被用在了正確的方向上。當你開始看到那個人陷入艱難而痛苦的掙扎時，不要試圖阻止，而是禱告他的困難會變得加強十倍，直到地上或地獄中沒有任何力量能將他從耶穌基督身邊拉開。我們一次又一次地試圖成為某人生活中的業餘供應者。我們確實是業餘者，實際上卻是在妨礙神的旨意，並說：「這個人不應該經歷這樣的困難。」我們的同情不但沒有成為新郎的朋友，反而成為障礙。有一天，那個人會對我們說：「你是一個小偷，你偷走了我跟隨耶穌的渴望，因為你，我看不見祂了。」
謹防與人一起為錯誤的事而喜樂，要始終為正確之事而喜樂。 「…新郎的朋友站着，聽見新郎的聲音就甚喜樂。故此，我這喜樂滿足了。他必興旺，我必衰微。」（約翰福音3:29-30）。這話是帶着喜樂而不是悲傷說出來的——他們終於要見到新郎了！約翰說這是他的喜樂。那代表着退到一邊，徹底挪走僕人，永遠不再被想起。
要全神貫注地傾聽，直到你在另一個人的生命中聽到新郎的聲音。永遠不要去考慮那會帶來什麼破壞、困難或疾病。只要以祂的聲音被聽見而敬虔的興奮。你可能必須常常看到耶穌基督在拯救一個生命之前卻先毀壞它。（見馬太福音10:34）
來自章伯斯的智慧
神創造人類，讓他成為地上、海里和空中生命之主，而他之所以不是，是因為他擅自掌握律法，成為自己的主，但卻不是其他之主。 《痛苦的陰影》
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