十月三十一日
使我裏面重新有正直的靈。（詩51：10）
背道的人只要還有一點生命的火花，當他恢復過來的時候必然發出呻吟的聲音。我們悔改時必須有這樣的心情，在恩典上要有長進也一樣地需要這種重新的工作。開頭時我們需要信心好來到基督的面前，現在也只有信心能使我們就到耶穌面前。那時我們需要至高者說一句話，需要慈愛的神向我們發言，好終止我們的懼怕；不久我們就必發現，當我們感到我們的罪時，現在還得需要神的話。一個人若不像開頭之時那樣感到聖靈力量的流露，就不會更新，因爲這工作仍是偉大的，血和肉在現時和過去也是一樣的。
基督徒呀！願你個人的軟弱，使你熱切地祈求神的幫助。要記得，當大衛感到自己無能無力的時候，幷不袖起手來，或是閉起嘴來，而是趕快到施恩座前說：“使我裏面重新有正直的靈。”你不要因爲無依無靠、無能爲力就沉睡起來，而要以它當作驅策我們的鞭撻，使我們熱烈地尋求大能的以色列的幫助者。
願你祈求神的恩典，正像爲你的生命祈求一樣說：“神啊！使我裏面重新有正直的靈。”誠心禱告神的人，神必用他的誠實來完成這件工作。要多禱告、多生活在神的話語之中，治死那使你遠離主的情欲，留心將來不使罪再起來。神自有他自己的辦法；要坐在路邊好當他經過的時候，你已準備停當。常常獲取靈命所需，使你所蒙的恩不至衰亡；要知道一切能力都從他而出，要常常說：“使我裏面重新有正直的靈。”
October
31
“Renew
a right spirit within me.”–Psalm 51:10
A backslider, if there be a spark of life
left in him will groan after restoration. In this renewal the same exercise of
grace is required as at our conversion. We needed repentance then; we certainly
need it now. We wanted faith that we might come to Christ at first; only the
like grace can bring us to Jesus now. We wanted a word from the Most High, a
word from the lip of the loving One, to end our fears then; we shall soon
discover, when under a sense of present sin, that we need it now. No man can be
renewed without as real and true a manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s energy as
he felt at first, because the work is as great, and flesh and blood are as much
in the way now as ever they were. Let thy personal weakness, O Christian, be an
argument to make thee pray earnestly to thy God for help. Remember, David when
he felt himself to be powerless, did not fold his arms or close his lips, but
he hastened to the mercy-seat with “renew a right spirit within me.”
Let not the doctrine that you, unaided, can do nothing, make you sleep; but let
it be a goad in your side to drive you with an awful earnestness to Israel’s
strong Helper. O that you may have grace to plead with God, as though you
pleaded for your very life–“Lord, renew a right spirit within me.”
He who sincerely prays to God to do this, will prove his honesty by using the
means through which God works. Be much in prayer; live much upon the Word of
God; kill the lusts which have driven your Lord from you; be careful to watch
over the future uprisings of sin. The Lord has his own appointed ways; sit by
the wayside and you will be ready when he passes by. Continue in all those
blessed ordinances which will foster and nourish your dying graces; and,
knowing that all the power must proceed from him, cease not to cry, “Renew
a right spirit within me.”
