5月20日
标 题：一步步地顺服
经 节：这些事以后，神要试验亚伯拉罕，就呼叫他说：“亚伯拉罕！”他说：“我在这里。”神说：“你带着你的儿子，就是你独生的儿子，你所爱的以撒，往摩利亚地去，在我所要指示你的山上，把他献为燔祭。”（创世记廿二章1～2节）
我们的困难不在于不晓得神的旨意，我们的苦恼是明白神的旨意，可是不想做！
当神第一次向亚伯拉罕说话时，祂的指示相当直截了当，祂说：“往我所要指示你的地去。”（创世记十二：1）接下来的许多年，神领亚伯拉罕经历一些试验。当亚伯拉罕等了廿五年，才等到神给自己儿子的应许，他学习到耐心。在与诸王的战役和毁灭所多玛、蛾摩拉这件事情上，亚伯拉罕学习到信任神。亚伯拉罕信心之旅的最顶峰，是神要他献上自己最心爱的一样东西。亚伯拉罕过去的顺服，让我们看到他愿意立即献上自己所有，而这回他是否预备好了？神并没有在一开始，就要求亚伯拉罕作出偌大的牺牲，这是发生在亚伯拉罕与神同行三十年之后的事。
在你的基督徒之旅中，神会逐渐向你显明祂自己的作为。你对神的信任会愈来愈深，就像亚伯拉罕一样。当你刚成为基督徒，你主人可能给你相当基本的指示，像受洗及改变生活的方式等。当你更进一步相信神，祂会培育你的个性，好让你面对更大的试验。那最大的试验会让你明白神的大爱，并更清楚神的作为。你是否预备好遵循神下一个指示呢？
Obedience Step by Step
Now it came to pass after these things that God
tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I
am.” Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you
love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on
one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” (Genesis 22:1-2)
Our difficulty is not that we don’t know God’s
will. Our discomfort comes from the fact that we do know His will, but we do
not want to do it!
When God first spoke to Abraham, His commands were
straightforward. “Go to a land I will show you” (Gen. 12:1). Then God led
Abraham through a number of tests over the years. Abraham learned patience as
he waited on God’s promise of a son, which took twenty-five years to be
fulfilled. Abraham learned to trust God through battles with kings and through
the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The pinnacle of Abraham’s walk of faith
was when God asked him to sacrifice the one thing that meant more to him than
anything else. Abraham’s previous obedience indicated that he would have
quickly and decisively sacrificed anything else God asked of him, but was he
prepared for this? God did not ask Abraham to make such a significant sacrifice
at the beginning of their relationship. This came more than thirty years after
Abraham began walking with God.
As the Father progressively reveals His ways to you
in your Christian pilgrimage, you, like Abraham, will develop a deeper level of
trust in Him. When you first became a Christian, your Master’s instructions
were probably fundamental, such as being baptized or changing your lifestyle.
But as you learn to trust Him more deeply, He will develop your character to
match bigger tests, and with the greater test will come a greater love for God
and knowledge of His ways. Are you ready for God’s next revelation?
