0721 天國之門道
虛心的人有福了…《馬太福音5:3》
要謹防把我們的主視為僅僅是一位教師。如果耶穌基督只是一位教師，那麼祂所能做的，是透過在我面前設定一個我無法達到的標準來使我沮喪。如果我不可能接近這麼崇高的理想，那麼向我提出它，又有什麼意義呢？如果我從來都不知道的話，我會更快樂些。告訴我要成為我永遠無法成為的人：要「清心」（馬太福音5:8）、要去做超出我職責的事，或要完全獻身於神，有什麼益處呢？在祂的教導對我來說，除了崇高的理想之外，還具有其它意義之先，我必須認識耶穌基督是我的救主，否則那隻會導致絕望。但當我被神的靈重生時，我認知耶穌基督的到來不僅僅是為了教導，祂來是為了使我成為祂教導我應該所是的人。救贖意味着耶穌基督可以將同樣掌管祂自己生命的性情放在任何人裡面，而神給我們的所有標準都是基於那個性情。
登山寶訓的教導在天然人中產生一種絕望感——這正是耶穌要它做到的。只要我們有一些自以為是的想法，認為我們能夠行出我們主的教導，神就會讓我們繼續下去，直到我們被路上的障礙物絆倒而暴露出自己的無知。只有在那時，我們才願意像乞丐一樣來到祂面前，並從祂那裡領受。 「虛心的人有福了」，這是神國里的首要原則。耶穌基督國度的根基是貧窮，而不是財富；不是為耶穌做決定，而是有一種絕對徒勞的感覺，以至於我們最終承認：「主啊，我甚至無法開始這樣做。」不然後耶穌說：「你們就有福了…」（馬太福音 5:11）。這是通往天國的門道，然而我們花了如此長久的時間才相信我們實際上是貧窮的！認識到我們自己的貧窮，就把我們帶到耶穌基督完成祂的工作的合宜位置。
來自章伯斯智慧之言
神設計環境要看我們如何行事。我們會成為天父的孩子？或會再次回到卑鄙、常識的態度？我們會冒一切風險並忠於祂嗎？「你要至死忠心，我就賜給你生命的冠冕。」生命的冠冕意味着我將看到我的主最終獲得了勝利，甚至在我身上也是。《至善—朝聖者歌集》
0721 The Doorway to the Kingdom
Blessed are the poor in spirit… —Matthew 5:3
Beware of thinking of our Lord as only a teacher. If Jesus Christ is only a teacher, then all He can do is frustrate me by setting a standard before me I cannot attain. What is the point of presenting me with such a lofty ideal if I cannot possibly come close to reaching it? I would be happier if I never knew it. What good is there in telling me to be what I can never be— to be “pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8), to do more than my duty, or to be completely devoted to God? I must know Jesus Christ as my Savior before His teaching has any meaning for me other than that of a lofty ideal which only leads to despair. But when I am born again by the Spirit of God, I know that Jesus Christ did not come only to teach— He came to make me what He teaches I should be. The redemption means that Jesus Christ can place within anyone the same nature that ruled His own life, and all the standards God gives us are based on that nature.
The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount produces a sense of despair in the natural man— exactly what Jesus means for it to do. As long as we have some self-righteous idea that we can carry out our Lord’s teaching, God will allow us to continue until we expose our own ignorance by stumbling over some obstacle in our way. Only then are we willing to come to Him as paupers and receive from Him. “Blessed are the poor in spirit….” This is the first principle in the kingdom of God. The underlying foundation of Jesus Christ’s kingdom is poverty, not possessions; not making decisions for Jesus, but having such a sense of absolute futility that we finally admit, “Lord, I cannot even begin to do it.” Then Jesus says, “Blessed are you…” (Matthew 5:11). This is the doorway to the kingdom, and yet it takes us so long to believe that we are actually poor! The knowledge of our own poverty is what brings us to the proper place where Jesus Christ accomplishes His work.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
God engineers circumstances to see what we will do. Will we be the children of our Father in heaven, or will we go back again to the meaner, common-sense attitude? Will we stake all and stand true to Him? “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” The crown of life means I shall see that my Lord has got the victory after all, even in me. The Highest Good—The Pilgrim’s Song Book, 530 L