1122 淺而深
所以你們或吃或喝，無論作什麼，都要為榮耀神而行。《哥林多前書 10:31》
你要慎防讓自己認為生活的淺薄面不是神所命定的；它們與深奧的事物一樣，同樣都是被祂命定的。有時我們拒絕淺薄，不是出於我們對神的忠心，而是因為我們想讓人覺得我們並非淺薄的事實。這是靈性驕傲的確實標誌。我們必須當心，因為這就是我們生活中生出對他人的蔑視；那導致我們隨時譴責別人，因為他們比我們更淺薄。要謹防冒充為有深度的人，連神都變成一個嬰孩。
淺薄並不是罪惡的標誌，也不表明你的生命絕無深度——連海洋都有岸邊。即使生活中淺薄之事，例如吃喝、行走、說話，都是神所命定的；這些都是我們的主所做的事。祂身為神子做了這些事，並且祂說：「學生不能高過先生… 」（馬太福音 10:24）。
我們受生活中淺薄事物的安全防衛。我們必須以常識的方式來過表面的、常識性的生活；那麼，當神賜我們更深層次之事物時，它們顯然與淺薄的關注是有別的。永遠不要向神以外的任何人展示你生命的深度。我們是如此令人作嘔地認真，如此拚命地關心我們自己的品格和聲譽，以致我們拒絕在淺薄的日常生活中表現得像基督徒。
要下定決心，除了神之外，不要把任何人當真。你可能會發現，第一個你必須最嚴厲批評的人，你知道的最大騙子，就是你自己。
來自章伯斯的智慧
我們永遠不能通過頭腦中的問題得到解答而進入神的國，只能通過獻身。《至善—禰偉大的救贖》
1122 Shallow and Profound
Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. —1 Corinthians 10:31
Beware of allowing yourself to think that the shallow aspects of life are not ordained by God; they are ordained by Him equally as much as the profound. We sometimes refuse to be shallow, not out of our deep devotion to God but because we wish to impress other people with the fact that we are not shallow. This is a sure sign of spiritual pride. We must be careful, for this is how contempt for others is produced in our lives. And it causes us to be a walking rebuke to other people because they are more shallow than we are. Beware of posing as a profound person— God became a baby.
To be shallow is not a sign of being sinful, nor is shallowness an indication that there is no depth to your life at all— the ocean has a shore. Even the shallow things of life, such as eating and drinking, walking and talking, are ordained by God. These are all things our Lord did. He did them as the Son of God, and He said, “A disciple is not above his teacher…” (Matthew 10:24).
We are safeguarded by the shallow things of life. We have to live the surface, commonsense life in a commonsense way. Then when God gives us the deeper things, they are obviously separated from the shallow concerns. Never show the depth of your life to anyone but God. We are so nauseatingly serious, so desperately interested in our own character and reputation, we refuse to behave like Christians in the shallow concerns of life.
Make a determination to take no one seriously except God. You may find that the first person you must be the most critical with, as being the greatest fraud you have ever known, is yourself.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We never enter into the Kingdom of God by having our head questions answered, but only by commitment.—The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption, 565 R