0621 內在生活的事奉
你是君尊的祭司。《彼得前書2:9》
我們憑什麼權利成為「君尊的祭司」？這是憑藉著基督十字架贖罪的權利而完成的。我們準備好故意不顧自己而開始進行禱告的祭司事奉了嗎？我們持續內心探索，努力要看看自己是否是我們應該的所是，那會產生一種以自我為中心、病態的基督教模式，而非神兒女積極有力和簡單的生活。在我們進入與神正確合宜的關係之前，雖然我們說：「我取得奇妙的勝利！」但那只是我們「勉強自保」的情況，其中根本沒有任何跡象表明救贖的奇蹟。要在大膽、無拘無束的信念中出發，相信救贖已經完成；然後，不要再擔心自己，而是開始按照耶穌基督所說的去做，本質上是：「為半夜來找你的朋友禱告，為神的聖徒禱告，為所有人禱告。」禱告時要懷着只有在基督耶穌里你才是完全的意識，而不是基於這樣的論點禱告：「哦，主啊，我已經儘力了，現在請垂聽我禱告。」
神需要多長時間才能讓我們免於只考慮自己的不健康習慣？我們必須到達對自己厭惡至極的地步，直到我們對神所告訴我們有關我們自己的任何事情都不再感到驚訝。我們無法到達和理解我們自己微不足道的深處，只有一處是我們與神正確之所，那就是在基督耶穌里。一旦我們到達那裡，我們就必須傾倒生命，將我們所有的價值都注入這個內在生活的事工中。
來自章伯斯的智慧
神不會不顧我們的環境而促進我們的靈性生活，而是在我們的環境中，通過我們的環境來促進我們的靈性生活。《不知往何處去》
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