10月18日
傳道者忠貞的要訣
因他們是為主的名出外,對於外邦人一無所取。(約翰三書7節)
主曾告訴我們,怎樣才是愛祂。“你愛我嗎?(約翰福音21:15-17) ”“你餵養我的羊。(約翰福音21:15-17) ”——把你放在我對人的關懷裡,而不是把我放在你對人的興趣裡。哥林多前書13:4-8節“愛是恒久忍耐,又有恩慈;愛是不嫉妒;愛是不自誇,不張狂,不作害羞的事,不求自己的益處,不輕易發怒,不計算人的惡,不喜歡不義,只喜歡真理;凡事包容,凡事相信,凡事盼望,凡事忍耐。愛是永不止息。 ”描述這愛的品質,是神自己的愛。我對主耶穌愛的考驗,是在實際事情上,其他的不過是空口的賣弄愛情。
我對主耶穌的忠心,是聖靈在我心裡做成超自然的救贖聖工,把神的愛澆灌在我心裡。這愛在我與人接觸時,就產生功效。雖然一切的常理都否定祂,說祂好像晨霧般虛渺,但我仍忠於祂的名。
傳道者忠貞的要訣,就是單歸附主耶穌,不受任何人任何事的纏累,但又不是與外界隔絕。主不斷與外界事物接觸,祂的分別為聖,是在於內心朝向神。外表的隔絕,往往表示人裡面暗暗地戀慕著表面上拒絕的東西。
傳道者的忠貞,是要保持心靈單向主耶穌開敞。主所差派出去做工的人,均是平凡人,只是聖靈在他們裡面加上專一不移的忠貞。
October
18 The Key To Missionary Devotion
“For
His name’s sake they went forth.” 3 John 7
Our Lord has
told us how love to Him is to manifest itself. “Lovest thou Me?” “Feed My
sheep” – identify yourself with My interests in other people, not, identify Me
with your interests in other people. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 gives the character
of this love, it is the love of God expressing itself. The test of my love for
Jesus is the practical one, all the rest is sentimental jargon.
Loyalty to
Jesus Christ is the supernatural work of Redemption wrought in me by the Holy
Ghost Who sheds abroad the love of God in my heart, and that love works
efficaciously through me in contact with everyone I meet. I remain loyal to His
Name although every common-sense fact gives the lie to Him, and declares that
He has no more power than a morning mist.
The key to
missionary devotion means being attached to nothing and no one saving Our Lord
Himself, not being detached from things externally. Our Lord was amazingly in
and out among ordinary things; His detachment was on the inside towards God.
External detachment is often an indication of a secret vital attachment to the
things we keep away from externally.
The loyalty
of a missionary is to keep his soul concentratedly open to the nature of the
Lord Jesus Christ. The men and women Our Lord sends out on His enterprises are
the ordinary human stuff, plus dominating devotion to Himself wrought by the
Holy Ghost.