0921 服事者之预定目的
耶和华赐我出胎,造就我做他的仆人…《以赛亚书 49:5》
当我们认识到自己在基督耶稣里被神拣选了之后发生的第一件事,就是我们先入为主的观念、狭隘的思想以及所有其它忠诚的破灭——我们完全转变为神自己心意的仆人。人类被造是为了荣耀神并永远以祂为乐,永远享受祂。罪使人类偏向另一条道路,但丝毫没有改变神的旨意。当我们重生时,我们就被带入到神对人类伟大心意的领悟,即祂创造我们是为祂自己。认识到神对我们的拣选,是世上最令人喜乐之事,我们必须学会信靠神这个伟大的创造旨意。神做的第一件事,就是迫使全世界的利益通过我们内心渠道进入我们里面。神的爱,甚至祂的本质,都被引入到我们里面。我们在约翰福音 3 : 16中看到了全能神的本质——「神如此爱世人」
我们必须不断保持我们的心灵对神创造心意此一事实的开放,绝不可以我们自己的意图混淆或遮蔽之。如果我们这样做,神将必须强迫排除我们的意图,无论会带来多大的伤害。服事者被造的目的,是成为神的仆人,是神在他身上得荣耀的人。一旦我们意识到正是通过耶稣基督的救恩,我们才被变得完全以合乎神的心意,我们就会明白为什么耶稣基督的要求是如此严厉和无情。祂要求祂的仆人绝对的正确,因为祂已将神的本质放在他们里面。
要小心,以免忘记神对你生命的目的。
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》
0921 The Missionary’s Predestined Purpose
Now the Lord says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant… —Isaiah 49:5
The first thing that happens after we recognize our election by God in Christ Jesus is the destruction of our preconceived ideas, our narrow-minded thinking, and all of our other allegiances— we are turned solely into servants of God’s own purpose. The entire human race was created to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Sin has diverted the human race onto another course, but it has not altered God’s purpose to the slightest degree. And when we are born again we are brought into the realization of God’s great purpose for the human race, namely, that He created us for Himself. This realization of our election by God is the most joyful on earth, and we must learn to rely on this tremendous creative purpose of God. The first thing God will do is force the interests of the whole world through the channel of our hearts. The love of God, and even His very nature, is introduced into us. And we see the nature of Almighty God purely focused in John 3:16— “For God so loved the world….”
We must continually keep our soul open to the fact of God’s creative purpose, and never confuse or cloud it with our own intentions. If we do, God will have to force our intentions aside no matter how much it may hurt. A missionary is created for the purpose of being God’s servant, one in whom God is glorified. Once we realize that it is through the salvation of Jesus Christ that we are made perfectly fit for the purpose of God, we will understand why Jesus Christ is so strict and relentless in His demands. He demands absolute righteousness from His servants, because He has put into them the very nature of God.
Beware lest you forget God’s purpose for your life.
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