0821 不被注意的事工
虚心的人有福了…《马太福音 5:3》
新约注意到了一些按照我们的标准来看似乎不值得注意的事情。「虚心的人有福了」这句话的字面意思就是「穷人有福了」穷人真是太平凡了！今日的讲台倾向于强调一个人的意志力或他品格之美——这些都是很容易被注意到的。我们经常听到「为耶稣基督做出决定」，强调我们的主从不信任的事情。祂从未要求我们为祂做决定，而是要我们降服于祂——是非常不同的事。耶稣基督国度的基础，是在于那些平凡人的真实可爱。我在贫穷中真的蒙福。如果我没有意志力，而且本性没有什么价值或卓越，那么耶稣对我说：「你是有福的，因为你通过你的贫穷才能进入我的国。」我无法凭借自己的善良进入祂的国——我只能是绝对的乞丐才能进入祂的国。
代表神说话的爱的真正特质，总是被拥有这种品质的人所忽视。有意识的影响力是骄傲的和非基督教的。如果我怀疑自己是否对神有任何用处，我立刻就会失去主触摸时的美丽和新鲜感。 「信我的人……从他腹中要流出活水的江河来。」（约翰福音7:38）。如果我检查流出的东西，我就失去了主的触摸。
谁是影响我们最大的人？当然不是那些认为自己影响了我们的人，而是那些根本不知道他们正在影响我们的人。在基督徒的生活中，敬虔的影响力从不自觉。如果我们意识到自己的影响力，它就不再具有耶稣触摸所特有的真正可爱。我们总是知道耶稣何时在工作，因为祂在平凡中制造一些鼓舞人心的东西。
来自章伯斯的智慧
我们不是要宣扬行善。善行不是被宣讲的，而是要被实践的。《故我差遣你》
0821 The Ministry of the Unnoticed
Blessed are the poor in spirit… —Matthew 5:3
The New Testament notices things that do not seem worthy of notice by our standards. “Blessed are the poor in spirit….” This literally means, “Blessed are the paupers.” Paupers are remarkably commonplace! The preaching of today tends to point out a person’s strength of will or the beauty of his character— things that are easily noticed. The statement we so often hear, “Make a decision for Jesus Christ,” places the emphasis on something our Lord never trusted. He never asks us to decide for Him, but to yield to Him— something very different. At the foundation of Jesus Christ’s kingdom is the genuine loveliness of those who are commonplace. I am truly blessed in my poverty. If I have no strength of will and a nature without worth or excellence, then Jesus says to me, “Blessed are you, because it is through your poverty that you can enter My kingdom.” I cannot enter His kingdom by virtue of my goodness— I can only enter it as an absolute pauper.
The true character of the loveliness that speaks for God is always unnoticed by the one possessing that quality. Conscious influence is prideful and unchristian. If I wonder if I am being of any use to God, I instantly lose the beauty and the freshness of the touch of the Lord. “He who believes in Me…out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). And if I examine the outflow, I lose the touch of the Lord.
Who are the people who have influenced us most? Certainly not the ones who thought they did, but those who did not have even the slightest idea that they were influencing us. In the Christian life, godly influence is never conscious of itself. If we are conscious of our influence, it ceases to have the genuine loveliness which is characteristic of the touch of Jesus. We always know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something that is inspiring.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We are not to preach the doing of good things; good deeds are not to be preached, they are to be performed. So Send I You, 1330 L