0709 你会审视你自己吗？
约书亚对百姓说：「你们不能事奉耶和华…」《约书亚记 24:19》
你是否有一丁点依赖除神之外的任何事物或任何人？你是否还残留着对任何你里面天然品质或任何特定环境的依赖？关于神摆在你面前的这个新提议或计划，你是否以任何方式依赖自己？你会藉着提问这些盘根究底的问题来审视自己吗？说「我无法过圣洁的生活」，那是真的，但你可以决定让耶稣基督使你圣洁。「你们不能事奉耶和华…」——但你可以将自己置于适当的位置，是神全能的力量透过你流露出来。你与神的关系是否足以让你期待祂在你身上展示出祂美妙的生命？
百姓对约书亚说：「不然，我们定要事奉耶和华。」（约书亚记 24:21）。这不是一个冲动的行动，而是一个深思熟虑的承诺。我们往往会说：「但是神不可能呼召我做这件事。我太不配了，这不可能指的是我。」它确实指的是你，你越是软弱无能，就越合适。一个仍然依赖和相信自己内在任何事物的人，是最不可能说「我要事奉耶和华」的人。
我们说：「哦，但愿我真的能相信就好了！」问题是：「我愿相信吗？」难怪耶稣基督如此强调不信的罪。「耶稣因为他们不信，就在那里不多行异能了。」（马太福音 13:58）。如果我们真的相信神说的话是当真，想象一下我们会变成什么样子！我真的敢让神之于我，就是祂所说的祂必是的吗？
来自章伯斯的智慧
我们可以通过其他方式了解神的属性，但我们只能在基督的十字架中了解天父的心。 《至善—祢伟大的救赎》
0709 Will You Examine Yourself?
Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord…” —Joshua 24:19
Do you have even the slightest reliance on anything or anyone other than God? Is there a remnant of reliance left on any natural quality within you, or on any particular set of circumstances? Are you relying on yourself in any manner whatsoever regarding this new proposal or plan which God has placed before you? Will you examine yourself by asking these probing questions? It really is true to say, “I cannot live a holy life,” but you can decide to let Jesus Christ make you holy. “You cannot serve the Lord…”— but you can place yourself in the proper position where God’s almighty power will flow through you. Is your relationship with God sufficient for you to expect Him to exhibit His wonderful life in you?
“The people said to Joshua, ‘No, but we will serve the Lord!’ ” (Joshua 24:21). This is not an impulsive action, but a deliberate commitment. We tend to say, “But God could never have called me to this. I’m too unworthy. It can’t mean me.” It does mean you, and the more weak and feeble you are, the better. The person who is still relying and trusting in anything within himself is the last person to even come close to saying, “I will serve the Lord.”
We say, “Oh, if only I really could believe!” The question is, “Will I believe?” No wonder Jesus Christ placed such emphasis on the sin of unbelief. “He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58). If we really believed that God meant what He said, just imagine what we would be like! Do I really dare to let God be to me all that He says He will be?
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We can understand the attributes of God in other ways, but we can only understand the Father’s heart in the Cross of Christ. –The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption, 558 L