1023 旧生命荡然无存！
若有人在基督里，他就是新造的人，旧事已过，都变成新的了。《哥林多后书5:17》
我们的主从不容忍我们的成见——祂直接反对偏见，并将它们治死。我们倾向于认为神对我们的成见有特别兴趣，且非常肯定祂永远不会像对付别人那样对我们。我们甚至对自己说：「神必须以非常严格的方式对付其他人，但祂当然知道我的成见是对的。」但我们必须得知神不接受任何旧生命的东西！祂不但不站在我们成见这一边，反而有意地将它们从我们身上挪除。我们道德教育的一部分就是要让我们的成见被祂的旨意治死，并警醒祂是如何做的。神不重视我们带给祂的任何东西，神只要我们做一件事，那就是我们无条件的降服。
当我们重生时，圣灵开始将祂的新创造做在我们里面，终有一天旧生命会荡然无存。我们旧有的阴暗面貌消失了，我们对待事物的旧态度也消失了，「一切都是出于神」（哥林多后书 5:18）。我们如何得到没有情欲、没有自我利益、对别人嘲讽也不敏感的生命呢？我们将如何得到那种「恩慈…不轻易发怒，不计算人的恶…」的爱呢？（哥林多前书 13:4-5）。唯一的办法就是不让任何旧生命的东西存留下来，只有对神单单完全的信靠——如此信靠以至于我们不再想要神的祝福，只想要神自己。我们是否已经到了这个地步：神可以撤回祂给我们的祝福，而不会影响我们对祂的信靠？一旦我们真正看到神在做工，我们就绝不再担忧所发生的事情，因为我们实际上正信靠我们在天上的父，祂是世人无法看见的。
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》
1023 Nothing of the Old Life!
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. —2 Corinthians 5:17
Our Lord never tolerates our prejudices— He is directly opposed to them and puts them to death. We tend to think that God has some special interest in our particular prejudices, and are very sure that He will never deal with us as He has to deal with others. We even say to ourselves, “God has to deal with other people in a very strict way, but of course He knows that my prejudices are all right.” But we must learn that God accepts nothing of the old life! Instead of being on the side of our prejudices, He is deliberately removing them from us. It is part of our moral education to see our prejudices put to death by His providence, and to watch how He does it. God pays no respect to anything we bring to Him. There is only one thing God wants of us, and that is our unconditional surrender.
When we are born again, the Holy Spirit begins to work His new creation in us, and there will come a time when there is nothing remaining of the old life. Our old gloomy outlook disappears, as does our old attitude toward things, and “all things are of God” (2 Corinthians 5:18). How are we going to get a life that has no lust, no self-interest, and is not sensitive to the ridicule of others? How will we have the type of love that “is kind…is not provoked, [and] thinks no evil”? (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). The only way is by allowing nothing of the old life to remain, and by having only simple, perfect trust in God— such a trust that we no longer want God’s blessings, but only want God Himself. Have we come to the point where God can withdraw His blessings from us without our trust in Him being affected? Once we truly see God at work, we will never be concerned again about the things that happen, because we are actually trusting in our Father in heaven, whom the world cannot see.
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