0902 純潔和神聖犧牲的生命
信我的人…從他腹中要流出…《約翰福音 7:38》
耶穌並沒有說：「信我的人，必實現神一切豐盛的福氣」，但實質上是說：「信我的人，將使他所領受的一切都會從他身上流出。」我們主的教導始終是反自我實現的。祂的目的不是要一個人的發展——祂的目的是要使一個人完全像祂自己，而神兒子的特點就是自我犧牲。如果我們信耶穌，真正重要的不是我們得到什麼，而是祂通過我們傾瀉而出什麼。神的目的不只是要我們成為美麗、豐滿的葡萄，而是要讓我們成為葡萄，以便於祂能從我們裡面榨出甜美。我們的屬靈生命不能被世界成功的標準來衡量，而只能被神通過我們傾瀉而出什麼來衡量——我們絕對無法衡量這一點。
當伯大尼的馬利亞「打破玉瓶…極貴的真哪噠香膏…把膏澆在[耶穌]的頭上」時，那是無人看見特殊時機的舉動；事實上，「…有幾個人…說：『何用這樣枉費香膏呢？』」（馬可福音 14:3-4）。但耶穌稱讚馬利亞過度的奉獻行為，並說：「…無論在什麼地方傳這福音，也要述說這女人所做的，以為記念。」（馬可福音 14:9）。每當我們的主看到在我們當中有任何人做像馬利亞所做的，祂都充滿了喜樂——不受特定規則的束縛，而是完全降服於祂。神傾注了祂兒子的生命，「叫世人因他得救」（約翰福音 3:17）。我們準備好為祂傾倒我們的生命了嗎？
「信我的人…從他腹中要流出活水的江河來。」——數百個其他人的生命將繼續不斷地得到更新。現在是我們打破生命的「玉瓶」的時候，停止尋求自己的滿足，將我們的生命傾倒在祂面前。我們的主在問我們誰願意為祂這樣做呢？
來自章伯斯的智慧
耶穌基督所顯明的不是一位尷尬的神，不是一位困惑的神，也不是一位置身於問題之外的神，而是在整個問題最核心的部分與人同在的那一位。《真的門徒》
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