1222 父的吸引
若不是差我來的父吸引人，就沒有能到我這裡來的。到我這裡來的，在末日我要叫他復活。《約翰福音6:44》
當神開始吸引我到祂自己那裡時，我意志的問題就立即出現了。我會對神揭示的真理做出正面的反應嗎？我會到祂那裡嗎？當神呼召時，與人討論或反覆思考關於屬靈的事情，是不合宜，也是對祂的不尊敬。當神說話時，永遠不要與任何人討論，好像要決定你應該如何回應（見加拉太書 1:15-16）。信仰不是智力活動的結果，而是我通過有意地承諾委身其中的意願作為的結果。但我會委身、把自己完全並絕對地交給神，且願意只按照祂說的去做嗎？如果我願意，我會發現我是紮根於現實，就像神的寶座一樣確實。
在傳福音時，總是專註在意志的問題上。信仰必須出於意志去相信，必須要有意志的降服，而非降服於有說服力或強勁的論點。我必須有意識地走出去，把我的信心置於神和祂的真理上。我不可信靠自己的行為，而只能相信神。相信自己的頭腦的理解，就成為完全信任神的障礙。我必須願意忽視自己的感受，將之拋在身後。我必須要定意去相信。但沒有我用力、定意的努力將自己與舊的看待事情方式分開來，就永遠無法做到這一點。我必須完全降服於神。
每個人被造，都被賦予了超越自己能力範圍的潛力。但正是神吸引我，我與祂的關係首先是內在的、個人的關係，而非理性上的關係。通過神的奇蹟和我自己決意去相信，我就進入與神的關係中。然後，我開始對我生命轉變的奇蹟有了理智上的欣賞和理解。
來自章伯斯的智慧
當心不要把神的話與更適合你自己的觀念來作交換。《真的門徒》
1222 The Drawing of the Father
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him… —John 6:44
When God begins to draw me to Himself, the problem of my will comes in immediately. Will I react positively to the truth that God has revealed? Will I come to Him? To discuss or deliberate over spiritual matters when God calls is inappropriate and disrespectful to Him. When God speaks, never discuss it with anyone as if to decide what your response may be (see Galatians 1:15-16). Belief is not the result of an intellectual act, but the result of an act of my will whereby I deliberately commit myself. But will I commit, placing myself completely and absolutely on God, and be willing to act solely on what He says? If I will, I will find that I am grounded on reality as certain as God’s throne.
In preaching the gospel, always focus on the matter of the will. Belief must come from the will to believe. There must be a surrender of the will, not a surrender to a persuasive or powerful argument. I must deliberately step out, placing my faith in God and in His truth. And I must place no confidence in my own works, but only in God. Trusting in my own mental understanding becomes a hindrance to complete trust in God. I must be willing to ignore and leave my feelings behind. I must will to believe. But this can never be accomplished without my forceful, determined effort to separate myself from my old ways of looking at things. I must surrender myself completely to God.
Everyone has been created with the ability to reach out beyond his own grasp. But it is God who draws me, and my relationship to Him in the first place is an inner, personal one, not an intellectual one. I come into the relationship through the miracle of God and through my own will to believe. Then I begin to get an intelligent appreciation and understanding of the wonder of the transformation in my life.
來自章伯斯的智慧
Beware of bartering the Word of God for a more suitable conception of your own. Disciples Indeed, 386 R