0426 至高的攀登
現在你帶着你的兒子….在我所要指示你的山上，把他獻為燔祭。 《創世記 22:2》
一個人的品格決定了他如何詮釋神的旨意（見詩篇18:25-26）。亞伯拉罕解釋神的命令為他必須殺死他的兒子，他只有通過巨大磨難的痛苦，才能將傳統信仰置之腦後。神只能如此凈化他的信仰，別無他法。如果我們根據自己真誠的信仰聽從神的話，神會使我們擺脫那些歪曲祂的傳統信仰。有很多這樣的信念必須被消除，例如，神因母親太愛孩子而奪去孩子生命，這是魔鬼的謊言，以及對神的真實本性的嘲弄！如果魔鬼能夠阻止我們邁出至高攀登，並阻止我們擺脫對神錯誤的傳統信仰，牠就會這麼做。但如果我們保持對神忠貞，神就會帶我們走過可怕的經歷，那會使我們更好地認識神自己。
從亞伯拉罕對神的信心中我們學到的重要教訓，是他準備好為神做任何事。他在那裡是為了服從神，無論他的服從可能會違背他的信念。亞伯拉罕並不是忠於自己的信念，否則他就會殺死以撒，並說天使的聲音實際上是魔鬼的聲音；那就是狂熱分子的態度。如果你保持對神忠貞，神會直接引導你穿過每一個障礙，直入內室認識祂自己。但你必須始終願意放棄自己的信念和傳統信仰。不要祈求神來考驗你，永遠不要像彼得那樣宣稱你願意做任何事，甚至「下監和受死……」（路加福音22:33）。亞伯拉罕並沒有做出任何這種宣告，他只是忠於神，而神凈化了他的信仰。
來自章伯斯的智慧
我沒有權利說我相信神，除非我把我的生活安排在祂全知的眼下。《真的門徒》
0426 The Supreme Climb
Take now your son…and offer him…as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you. —Genesis 22:2
A person’s character determines how he interprets God’s will (see Psalm 18:25-26). Abraham interpreted God’s command to mean that he had to kill his son, and he could only leave this traditional belief behind through the pain of a tremendous ordeal. God could purify his faith in no other way. If we obey what God says according to our sincere belief, God will break us from those traditional beliefs that misrepresent Him. There are many such beliefs which must be removed– for example, that God removes a child because his mother loves him too much. That is the devil’s lie and a travesty on the true nature of God! If the devil can hinder us from taking the supreme climb and getting rid of our wrong traditional beliefs about God, he will do so. But if we will stay true to God, God will take us through an ordeal that will serve to bring us into a better knowledge of Himself.
The great lesson to be learned from Abraham’s faith in God is that he was prepared to do anything for God. He was there to obey God, no matter what contrary belief of his might be violated by his obedience. Abraham was not devoted to his own convictions or else he would have slain Isaac and said that the voice of the angel was actually the voice of the devil. That is the attitude of a fanatic. If you will remain true to God, God will lead you directly through every barrier and right into the inner chamber of the knowledge of Himself. But you must always be willing to come to the point of giving up your own convictions and traditional beliefs. Don’t ask God to test you. Never declare as Peter did that you are willing to do anything, even “to go …both to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33). Abraham did not make any such statement— he simply remained true to God, and God purified his faith.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
I have no right to say I believe in God unless I order my life as under His all-seeing Eye. –Disciples Indeed, 385 L