1023 舊生命蕩然無存！
若有人在基督里，他就是新造的人，舊事已過，都變成新的了。《哥林多後書5:17》
我們的主從不容忍我們的成見——祂直接反對偏見，並將它們治死。我們傾向於認為神對我們的成見有特別興趣，且非常肯定祂永遠不會像對付別人那樣對我們。我們甚至對自己說：「神必須以非常嚴格的方式對付其他人，但祂當然知道我的成見是對的。」但我們必須得知神不接受任何舊生命的東西！祂不但不站在我們成見這一邊，反而有意地將它們從我們身上挪除。我們道德教育的一部分就是要讓我們的成見被祂的旨意治死，並警醒祂是如何做的。神不重視我們帶給祂的任何東西，神只要我們做一件事，那就是我們無條件的降服。
當我們重生時，聖靈開始將祂的新創造做在我們裡面，終有一天舊生命會蕩然無存。我們舊有的陰暗面貌消失了，我們對待事物的舊態度也消失了，「一切都是出於神」（哥林多後書 5:18）。我們如何得到沒有情慾、沒有自我利益、對別人嘲諷也不敏感的生命呢？我們將如何得到那種「恩慈…不輕易發怒，不計算人的惡…」的愛呢？（哥林多前書 13:4-5）。唯一的辦法就是不讓任何舊生命的東西存留下來，只有對神單單完全的信靠——如此信靠以至於我們不再想要神的祝福，只想要神自己。我們是否已經到了這個地步：神可以撤回祂給我們的祝福，而不會影響我們對祂的信靠？一旦我們真正看到神在做工，我們就絕不再擔憂所發生的事情，因為我們實際上正信靠我們在天上的父，祂是世人無法看見的。
來自章伯斯的智慧
我們不是要宣揚行善。善行不是被宣講的，而是要被實踐的。《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