0325 维持合宜的关系
新郎的朋友…《约翰福音 3:29》
善良和纯洁永远不应该是吸引人们注意的特质，而应该只是吸引人们归向耶稣基督的磁铁。如果我的圣洁没有吸引别人归向祂，那就不是正确的圣洁；它只是一种影响，唤起人们不当的情感和邪恶的欲望，使他们偏离正确的方向。一个美丽的圣徒可能会成为带领人们归主的障碍，因他只呈现基督为他所做的事，而没有呈现耶稣基督本人。其他人会留下这样的想法——「那个人真是个好人啊！」那就不是真正的「新郎的朋友」——我一直在兴旺，而祂不是。
为了维持与新郎的友谊和忠诚，我们必须更加小心地保有与祂道德和生命的关系高于一切，包括顺服。有时并没有什么需要顺服的，我们唯一的任务就是与耶稣基督保持生命的连结，确保没有任何会干扰它，只是偶尔才有顺服的问题。当有危机出现时，我们必须找出神的旨意是什么。然而，我们大部分的生命并不是花在试图有意识地顺服上，而是在维持这种关系——成为「新郎的朋友」。基督徒的工作实际上可成为将人的注意力从耶稣基督身上转移的一种手段。我们本该成为「新郎的朋友」，却反成为别人的业余护佑神，在使用祂的武器时与祂作对。
来自章伯斯的智慧
耶稣基督可以承受被误解；我们不能。我们的弱点在于总是想要为自己辩护。《帮助之地》
0325 Maintaining the Proper Relationship
…the friend of the bridegroom… —John 3:29
Goodness and purity should never be traits that draw attention to themselves, but should simply be magnets that draw people to Jesus Christ. If my holiness is not drawing others to Him, it is not the right kind of holiness; it is only an influence which awakens undue emotions and evil desires in people and diverts them from heading in the right direction. A person who is a beautiful saint can be a hindrance in leading people to the Lord by presenting only what Christ has done for him, instead of presenting Jesus Christ Himself. Others will be left with this thought— “What a fine person that man is!” That is not being a true “friend of the bridegroom”— I am increasing all the time; He is not.
To maintain this friendship and faithfulness to the Bridegroom, we have to be more careful to have the moral and vital relationship to Him above everything else, including obedience. Sometimes there is nothing to obey and our only task is to maintain a vital connection with Jesus Christ, seeing that nothing interferes with it. Only occasionally is it a matter of obedience. At those times when a crisis arises, we have to find out what God’s will is. Yet most of our life is not spent in trying to be consciously obedient, but in maintaining this relationship— being the “friend of the bridegroom.” Christian work can actually be a means of diverting a person’s focus away from Jesus Christ. Instead of being friends “of the bridegroom,” we may become amateur providences of God to someone else, working against Him while we use His weapons.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Jesus Christ can afford to be misunderstood; we cannot. Our weakness lies in always wanting to vindicate ourselves. –The Place of Help