0902 纯洁和神圣牺牲的生命
信我的人…从他腹中要流出…《约翰福音 7:38》
耶稣并没有说：「信我的人，必实现神一切丰盛的福气」，但实质上是说：「信我的人，将使他所领受的一切都会从他身上流出。」我们主的教导始终是反自我实现的。祂的目的不是要一个人的发展——祂的目的是要使一个人完全像祂自己，而神儿子的特点就是自我牺牲。如果我们信耶稣，真正重要的不是我们得到什么，而是祂通过我们倾泻而出什么。神的目的不只是要我们成为美丽、丰满的葡萄，而是要让我们成为葡萄，以便于祂能从我们里面榨出甜美。我们的属灵生命不能被世界成功的标准来衡量，而只能被神通过我们倾泻而出什么来衡量——我们绝对无法衡量这一点。
当伯大尼的马利亚「打破玉瓶…极贵的真哪哒香膏…把膏浇在[耶稣]的头上」时，那是无人看见特殊时机的举动；事实上，「…有几个人…说：『何用这样枉费香膏呢？』」（马可福音 14:3-4）。但耶稣称赞马利亚过度的奉献行为，并说：「…无论在什么地方传这福音，也要述说这女人所做的，以为记念。」（马可福音 14:9）。每当我们的主看到在我们当中有任何人做像马利亚所做的，祂都充满了喜乐——不受特定规则的束缚，而是完全降服于祂。神倾注了祂儿子的生命，「叫世人因他得救」（约翰福音 3:17）。我们准备好为祂倾倒我们的生命了吗？
「信我的人…从他腹中要流出活水的江河来。」——数百个其他人的生命将继续不断地得到更新。现在是我们打破生命的「玉瓶」的时候，停止寻求自己的满足，将我们的生命倾倒在祂面前。我们的主在问我们谁愿意为祂这样做呢？
来自章伯斯的智慧
耶稣基督所显明的不是一位尴尬的神，不是一位困惑的神，也不是一位置身于问题之外的神，而是在整个问题最核心的部分与人同在的那一位。《真的门徒》
0902 A Life of Pure and Holy Sacrifice
He who believes in Me…out of his heart will flow… —John 7:38
Jesus did not say, “He who believes in Me will realize all the blessings of the fullness of God,” but, in essence, “He who believes in Me will have everything he receives escape out of him.” Our Lord’s teaching was always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a person— His purpose is to make a person exactly like Himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us— and we cannot measure that at all.
When Mary of Bethany “broke the flask…of very costly oil…and poured it on [Jesus’] head,” it was an act for which no one else saw any special occasion; in fact, “…there were some who…said, ‘Why was this fragrant oil wasted?’ ” (Mark 14:3-4). But Jesus commended Mary for her extravagant act of devotion, and said, “…wherever this gospel is preached…what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (Mark 14:9). Our Lord is filled with overflowing joy whenever He sees any of us doing what Mary did— not being bound by a particular set of rules, but being totally surrendered to Him. God poured out the life of His Son “that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). Are we prepared to pour out our lives for Him?
“He who believes in Me…out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”— and hundreds of other lives will be continually refreshed. Now is the time for us to break “the flask” of our lives, to stop seeking our own satisfaction, and to pour out our lives before Him. Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him?
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Jesus Christ reveals, not an embarrassed God, not a confused God, not a God who stands apart from the problems, but One who stands in the thick of the whole thing with man. –Disciples Indeed, 388 L