1020 神的旨意是我的意願嗎？
神的旨意就是要你們成為聖潔…《帖撒羅尼迦前書 4:3》
成聖不是神是否願意使我成聖的問題——而是那是我的意願嗎？我願意讓神在我身上做每件事，通過基督十字架的贖罪而使成聖變得可能嗎？我願意讓耶穌成為我的聖潔，讓祂的生命展現在我的肉身中嗎？（見哥林多前書 1:30）。小心不要說：「噢，我渴望成聖。」不，你並不渴望的。要認識到你的需要，但要停止渴望，並將其變成行動。要以絕對、毫無疑問的信心接受耶穌基督成為你的聖潔，耶穌贖罪的偉大神跡就會在你裡面成為真實。
耶穌所成就的一切，根基於基督在十字架上所完成的工作，通過神白白賜下愛的恩賜，就成為我的了。作為一個得救和被聖化的靈魂，我的態度是完全謙卑的聖潔（沒有驕傲的聖潔這回事）。這聖潔是基於痛苦悔改、難以言喻的羞恥感和墮落感，也是基於一種驚奇的領悟，即神的愛在我對祂毫不在乎時向我顯明了（見羅馬書5:8）。祂為我的救恩和成聖完成了一切，難怪保羅說沒有什麼「能叫我們與神的愛隔絕；這愛是在我們的主基督耶穌里的。」（羅馬書8:39）。
成聖使我與耶穌基督合而為一，並在祂裡面與神合一，而那隻能通過基督宏偉的贖罪來實現。千萬不要混淆而倒果為因。在我身上的結果是順服、服事和禱告，這是對因基督十字架的贖罪在我身上帶來的奇妙成聖所無法表達的感謝和崇拜的結果。
來自章伯斯的智慧
我們應該總是選擇我們的書籍如同神選擇我們的朋友一樣，稍微超出我們一點點，這樣我們就必須盡全力以跟上它們。《神手之陰》
1020 Is God’s Will My Will?
This is the will of God, your sanctification… —1 Thessalonians 4:3
Sanctification is not a question of whether God is willing to sanctify me— is it my will? Am I willing to let God do in me everything that has been made possible through the atonement of the Cross of Christ? Am I willing to let Jesus become sanctification to me, and to let His life be exhibited in my human flesh? (see 1 Corinthians 1:30). Beware of saying, “Oh, I am longing to be sanctified.” No, you are not. Recognize your need, but stop longing and make it a matter of action. Receive Jesus Christ to become sanctification for you by absolute, unquestioning faith, and the great miracle of the atonement of Jesus will become real in you.
All that Jesus made possible becomes mine through the free and loving gift of God on the basis of what Christ accomplished on the cross. And my attitude as a saved and sanctified soul is that of profound, humble holiness (there is no such thing as proud holiness). It is a holiness based on agonizing repentance, a sense of inexpressible shame and degradation, and also on the amazing realization that the love of God demonstrated itself to me while I cared nothing about Him (see Romans 5:8). He completed everything for my salvation and sanctification. No wonder Paul said that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).
Sanctification makes me one with Jesus Christ, and in Him one with God, and it is accomplished only through the magnificent atonement of Christ. Never confuse the effect with the cause. The effect in me is obedience, service, and prayer, and is the outcome of inexpressible thanks and adoration for the miraculous sanctification that has been brought about in me because of the atonement through the Cross of Christ.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We should always choose our books as God chooses our friends, just a bit beyond us, so that we have to do our level best to keep up with them. Shade of His Hand, 1216 L