大使命 52
真實的省察
去年我領受一句話，就是我們正在斷定谷，凡是沒有在基督裡長大成熟，每天尋求祂的人將會開始退後，遠離祂。我們必須刻意讓我們的屬靈生命成長，否則它不會自動發生。甚至連生物都教導我們，當我們停止生長時，我們便開始死去。
此時是許多人為新的一年立定心志的時候。為什麼不立定如此的心志呢？願我們在新的一年每天尋求主，尋求明白我們的呼召與目的，做我們需要做的來使我們所蒙的恩召和揀選堅定不移。
在哥林多後書十三章5節，使徒勸誡信徒：『你們總要自己省察有信心沒有，也要自己試驗。』有一些方法讓我們一段時間省察或試驗自己，新年正是這樣做的好時間。在我們前幾週所談到的一些觀點中，此時的您將如何歸類自己與主的關係？
您還是一個初信者的生命嗎？當我們剛信主時，這並沒有錯，但若我們一直停留在原地，我們可能已經在生命的道路上，卻沒有繼續向前行。生命的江河是流動的，會去到某個地方，所有在江河裡的生命也當如此。
我們是門徒嗎？我們是否每天一醒來就想著我們的夫子呢？想著我們要如何向祂學習，要學些什麼，要如何變得像祂一樣，並做祂的工？我們是否活出祂所定義的門徒生命呢？我們在過去二週當中有談論到此定義。
我們是否從門徒畢業，成為主的僕人，為祂與福音的緣故來做每件事呢？我們是否將我們所擁有的每件事都視為主的，沒有保留給自己，甚至是我們的時間？我們是否有學習為祂來做每件事，甚至是單調沈悶的工作，歡喜來做如同獻給祂的？
在暑假時主告訴我現在我是祂的朋友，而不單是僕人了。當祂開始讓我看見做一個朋友所需要承擔的，我感到與祂的關係似乎重頭來過，是如此不同，卻比以前更好，但非常不同。我只能說自己是在此階段的開始，一個新手而已。為此緣故，我不會詳細說明此所指為何，直到我更瞭解，做得更好時。然而，這是我現在生命的主要目標，亦是我曾做過最有趣的事。
還有另一個階段─兒子職分。我認為成為神真正忠心朋友之人可以成為兒子，但卻是更崇高的呼召。此呼召崇高到連使徒保羅在他生命的盡頭都不認為他已經得著了（參考腓立比書3章）。有一次我以為自己對此瞭解很多，我一定可以得著此崇高的呼召，我當時年輕又自以為是。現在我所確定的是，它是所有受造物最崇高的呼召，在末日會有對此的顯明，正如羅馬書告訴我們的。當然，我想要得著它，但現在單是想要成為神的朋友都讓我不知所措。
重點是，倘若我們真實的省察自己在哪個階段，首先讓我們決定我們要在這個階段盡可能成為最好的，並尋求進入下一階段。在這些階段我們需要完成的事取決於自己；許多人被呼召，但很少被選上，更少人繼續『使你們所蒙的恩召和揀選堅定不移』(參考彼得後書1:10)。這是聖靈的工作，唯有靈可以生靈。然而，聖靈是幫助者，不是『執行者』，祂不會做祂的部分，直到我們做了我們的部分。
我們的部分是尋找以致尋見，叩門直到開門，祈求直到得著，並且每天背起十字架跟隨主。此意味著我們要犧牲本想去做的事，也意味著不愛自己的生命，甚至死亡，好讓基督的生命可以彰顯在我們裡面。最後，它將要付出許多時間，因為凡是尋求救自己生命的，必喪掉生命，但凡為主的緣故喪掉生命的，必得著生命。我們藉由喪掉自己生命或自私所得著的生命，將會比我們可以為自己實現的生命來得更豐盛。
我禱告2015年將是您最好的一年，主的榮耀將在您與您所愛的人生命中彰顯出來。
(摘自喬納 word for the week, Week52, 2014)
A True Evaluation- The Great Commission, Part 52
Week 52, 2014
Rick Joyner
Last year I received a word that we were in the Valley of Decision, and that those who were not maturing in Christ and daily seeking Him would begin to backslide and turn away from Him. We must be intentional about our spiritual maturity, or it won’t happen. Even biology teaches us that when we stop growing, we start dying.
This is the time of year when many are making resolutions for the coming year. Why not make this one? May this be the year in which we seek the Lord in every way we can, seek to know our calling and purpose, and do what we need to do to make our calling and election sure.
In II Corinthians 13:5, the apostle exhorts believers to: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves!” (NKJV) There are a number of ways we should periodically test or evaluate ourselves. The New Year is a good time for this. In light of what we have been covering, where would you categorize your relationship with the Lord at this time?
Are you still just a convert? There is nothing wrong with this when we are newly converted, but if we have stayed there for long, we may have gotten on the path of life, but we are not walking it. The river of life is flowing, going somewhere, and so are the lives of all who are in the river.
Are we a disciple? Do we wake up each day thinking of our Master, how we can learn from Him, learn about Him, become more like Him, and do His works? Are we living the life of a disciple as He defined it in the verses we covered these last two weeks?
Have we graduated from this to become a servant of the Lord, doing all things for Him and for the sake of His gospel? Do we count everything that we have as the Lord’s, holding back nothing as our own, even our time? Have we learned to do everything as unto Him, even the drudgery, doing it cheerfully as an offering unto Him?
This past summer I was told that now I am a friend, not just a servant. As He began showing me what being a friend entailed, I felt I was almost starting all over again in my relationship with Him, it was so different. It was much better, but very different. Still I can only claim to be a beginner at this, a novice. For that reason, I will not elaborate on what this means until I understand it better and am doing it better. However, this is the main goal of my life right now, and it is the most exciting thing I’ve ever done.
There is another level—sonship. I think this is available for those who become true and faithful friends of God, but it is a much higher calling. It is a calling so high that even the Apostle Paul near the end of his life did not think he had yet attained it (see Philippians 3). At one time in my life, I thought I knew a lot about this, and I was certainly going to be one. I was young and presumptuous. All I know for sure right now is that it is the highest calling in all of creation, and that there will be a manifestation of this at the end of this age, as we are told in Romans. Of course, I would like to attain to it, but I am overwhelmed right now with just trying to be a friend of God.
The point is, if we do a true evaluation of where we are, first let us determine that we are going to be the best we can be at this level, and seek to go to the next one. Most of what needs to be done on any of these levels is up to us. Many are called, but few are chosen—few go on to “make your call and election sure” (see II Peter 1:10). The work must be of the Holy Spirit, and only the Spirit can beget that which is spirit. However, the Holy Spirit is the Helper, not the “doer.” He won’t do His part until we do ours.
Our part is to seek so as to find, to knock until the doors are opened, ask until we receive, and take up our crosses each day to follow Him. That means sacrificing things we may want to do for things we need to do. It means not loving our own lives even unto death, so the life of Christ can be manifest in us. In the end, it will pay off many times over, because those who seek to save their lives will lose them, but those who lose their lives for His sake will find them. That life we find by losing our own lives, or selfishness, will be more abundant than we could ever make happen for ourselves.
I pray that 2015 will be your best year yet, and that the glory of the Lord will be manifest to you and to all who you love.
