0601 令人震驚的問題
他對我說：「人子啊，這些骸骨能復活嗎？」《以西結書37:3》
罪人能變成聖人嗎？扭曲的人生能否變得正直？只有一個合適的答案——「主耶和華啊，你是知道的。」（以西結書 37:3）。永遠不要以你的宗教常識進展下去，並說：「哦，是的，只要多讀一點聖經，多一點靈修時間和禱告，我就能看出是可能的。」
做事比信靠神容易得多；我們看到活動，並把恐慌誤認為是靈感。這就是為什麼我們看到與神同工的人如此之少，而為神作工的人卻如此之多。我們寧願為神工作也不願相信祂。我真的相信神會在我身上做我不能做的事嗎？我對其他人感到絕望的程度來自於從未意識到神為我做了任何事情。我自己的個人經歷是神的權能和力量如此奇妙地實現，以至於我永遠不會對我所看到的任何其他的人感到絕望嗎？在我身上有任何屬靈作為的完成嗎？我生活中恐慌活動的程度等於我個人屬靈經歷的缺乏程度。
「看哪，我的民啊，我必開你們的墳墓…」（以西結書 37:12）。當神想要向你展示與祂分離的人性是什麼樣子時，祂會在你自己身上向你展示。如果神的靈曾經給你關於離開神的恩典你會是什麼樣子的異象（只有當祂的靈在你裡面工作時，祂才會這麼做），那麼你就會知道，實際上沒有一個罪犯會像你如果沒有祂的恩典情況下一半的壞。我的「墳墓」已經被神打開了，「我也知道在我裡頭，就是我肉體之中，沒有良善。」（羅馬書 7:18）。神的靈不斷地向祂的孩子們揭示，離開祂的恩典，人性會是什麼樣子。
來自章伯斯的智慧
我們應該總是選擇我們的書籍如同神選擇我們的朋友一樣，稍微超出我們一點點，這樣我們就必須盡全力以跟上它們。《神手之陰》
0601 The Staggering Question
He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” —Ezekiel 37:3
Can a sinner be turned into a saint? Can a twisted life be made right? There is only one appropriate answer— “O Lord God, You know” (Ezekiel 37:3). Never forge ahead with your religious common sense and say, “Oh, yes, with just a little more Bible reading, devotional time, and prayer, I see how it can be done.”
It is much easier to do something than to trust in God; we see the activity and mistake panic for inspiration. That is why we see so few fellow workers with God, yet so many people working for God. We would much rather work for God than believe in Him. Do I really believe that God will do in me what I cannot do? The degree of hopelessness I have for others comes from never realizing that God has done anything for me. Is my own personal experience such a wonderful realization of God’s power and might that I can never have a sense of hopelessness for anyone else I see? Has any spiritual work been accomplished in me at all? The degree of panic activity in my life is equal to the degree of my lack of personal spiritual experience.
“Behold, O My people, I will open your graves…” (Ezekiel 37:12). When God wants to show you what human nature is like separated from Himself, He shows it to you in yourself. If the Spirit of God has ever given you a vision of what you are apart from the grace of God (and He will only do this when His Spirit is at work in you), then you know that in reality there is no criminal half as bad as you yourself could be without His grace. My “grave” has been opened by God and “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells” (Romans 7:18). God’s Spirit continually reveals to His children what human nature is like apart from His grace.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We should always choose our books as God chooses our friends, just a bit beyond us, so that we have to do our level best to keep up with them. Shade of His Hand, 1216 L