0621 内在生活的事奉
你是君尊的祭司。《彼得前书2:9》
我们凭什么权利成为「君尊的祭司」？这是凭借着基督十字架赎罪的权利而完成的。我们准备好故意不顾自己而开始进行祷告的祭司事奉了吗？我们持续内心探索，努力要看看自己是否是我们应该的所是，那会产生一种以自我为中心、病态的基督教模式，而非神儿女积极有力和简单的生活。在我们进入与神正确合宜的关系之前，虽然我们说：「我取得奇妙的胜利！」但那只是我们「勉强自保」的情况，其中根本没有任何迹象表明救赎的奇迹。要在大胆、无拘无束的信念中出发，相信救赎已经完成；然后，不要再担心自己，而是开始按照耶稣基督所说的去做，本质上是：「为半夜来找你的朋友祷告，为神的圣徒祷告，为所有人祷告。」祷告时要怀着只有在基督耶稣里你才是完全的意识，而不是基于这样的论点祷告：「哦，主啊，我已经尽力了，现在请垂听我祷告。」
神需要多长时间才能让我们免于只考虑自己的不健康习惯？我们必须到达对自己厌恶至极的地步，直到我们对神所告诉我们有关我们自己的任何事情都不再感到惊讶。我们无法到达和理解我们自己微不足道的深处，只有一处是我们与神正确之所，那就是在基督耶稣里。一旦我们到达那里，我们就必须倾倒生命，将我们所有的价值都注入这个内在生活的事工中。
来自章伯斯的智慧
神不会不顾我们的环境而促进我们的灵性生活，而是在我们的环境中，通过我们的环境来促进我们的灵性生活。《不知往何处去》
0621 The Ministry of the Inner Life
You are…a royal priesthood… —1 Peter 2:9
By what right have we become “a royal priesthood”? It is by the right of the atonement by the Cross of Christ that this has been accomplished. Are we prepared to purposely disregard ourselves and to launch out into the priestly work of prayer? The continual inner-searching we do in an effort to see if we are what we ought to be generates a self-centered, sickly type of Christianity, not the vigorous and simple life of a child of God. Until we get into this right and proper relationship with God, it is simply a case of our “hanging on by the skin of our teeth,” although we say, “What a wonderful victory I have!” Yet there is nothing at all in that which indicates the miracle of redemption. Launch out in reckless, unrestrained belief that the redemption is complete. Then don’t worry anymore about yourself, but begin to do as Jesus Christ has said, in essence, “Pray for the friend who comes to you at midnight, pray for the saints of God, and pray for all men.” Pray with the realization that you are perfect only in Christ Jesus, not on the basis of this argument: “Oh, Lord, I have done my best; please hear me now.”
How long is it going to take God to free us from the unhealthy habit of thinking only about ourselves? We must get to the point of being sick to death of ourselves, until there is no longer any surprise at anything God might tell us about ourselves. We cannot reach and understand the depths of our own meagerness. There is only one place where we are right with God, and that is in Christ Jesus. Once we are there, we have to pour out our lives for all we are worth in this ministry of the inner life.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
God does not further our spiritual life in spite of our circumstances, but in and by our circumstances. Not Knowing Whither, 900 L