於2022-01-07發佈


跟隨萬王之王22 

聖經上最大的應許就是:「我們若尋求神,我們將尋見祂」和「我們若親近祂,祂將親近我們」。生命中有什麼比親近神更有價值的事?誠如我的一個朋友所說:「神一時的恩寵值得一生的努力」。 

我們同時被呼召去做和成為,我們所成為的比我們所做的更重要,因為主在受造物中設定一個律法,讓所有活物都「各從其類」(創世記1:12)。我們只能製造出我們所擁有的,倘若親近主是我們的本質,我們將在那些所影響的人當中產生此特質。當馬利亞親近耶穌,而不是幫著馬大為耶穌做一些事,耶穌稱此為「上好的福份」。

為耶穌做事真的很棒,卻不是最棒的事。如果我們把與祂同在當作首要的事,我們最後反而會為主成就更多的事。對主而言,勞動力是廉價的,祂可以使用最微小、軟弱和愚拙的人把事做好,正如保羅在哥林多前書一章26-29節所解釋的。事實上,主偏愛使用這樣的人,以致於沒有人在祂的同在中竊取榮耀。換言之,為主勞動並不是為了獎賞,乃是因為你愛祂,也因為祂配得。

正如聖經不斷重申,我們可以為主做許多大事,主卻不認識我們(馬太福音7:22-23)。因此,當人們在行不法之事時仍可以為主做大事,但他們會從祂的同在中被趕除。當然,我們應當為主做大事,但更重要的是我們行事為人要一致,好叫我們所做的是出於對的心態。

我們的基本呼召是變得像主一樣,做祂曾做過的事。我們被呼召為祂的身體,因為祂今日想透過我們做祂之前在地上所做之事。當神透過我們行事時,那是我們所能擁有最滿足和最興奮的經歷。不難理解有許多人會沉迷在祂的工,但祂的工必須排在第二,親近主才是「上好的福份」。

我們可能落入的最大陷阱之一就是自以為非常像主,以致我們試圖為所做的每件事擁有完美動機。不要尋求凡事完美,好叫你能被主使用。相反地,要知道能被主使用,你就會變得完全。在路加福音十章,主差遣祂的門徒傳揚福音、醫治病人和趕除魔鬼,這些門徒有多完美?他們非常不成熟,甚至不知道該如何禱告。我們怎麼知道?因為下一章他們求主教導他們禱告。

我們不需變得完美才能在祂的同在中,反之,我們是在祂的同在中而變得完全。同樣地,我們不需要完美才能親近主或被祂使用。我們的錯覺在於:必須達到一定的成熟或聖潔才能被主使用或親近祂,這是要被祂使用或親近祂的最大障礙之一。完美主義是邪惡、宗教的靈上的致命陷阱,想要讓我們與神的關係基於宗教表現,而不是基於祂的救贖工作和父子或父女關係。

彼得是犯最多錯誤的門徒,也被主責備最多,但他也被主使用最多。耶穌甚至給彼得天國的鑰匙,他用來打開猶太人和外邦人福音的門。祂在暴風雨時下船行在水面上的信心和主動精神很了不起,但也許更了不起的是失敗沒有阻止他。彼得受到聖經上最大的責備之一,被神的兒子稱為「撒旦」,但他卻沒有放棄。他一晚否認主三次,他仍沒有放棄。那才是真實的信心─基於耶穌是誰而不是我們是誰。

所以,讓我們用信心親近那位想親近我們的主,祂如此想親近我們,以致於祂為我們開了一條路來親近祂。在2022年,首先讓我們立下一個最重要的決心來親近祂,持守「上好的福份」,與祂同坐席,將其視為我們被呼召去做的首要之事。

(摘自喬納word for the week, Week 52, 2021)

 

Follow the King, Part 22

 The greatest promises in Scripture are: “If we seek God, we will find Him,” and “If we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.” What could possibly be more valuable in life than the nearness of God? Or, as one of my friends used to say, “One moment of the favor of God is worth a lifetime of effort.”

       We are called to both do and become. What we become is more important than what we do because the Lord set a law in creation that all living things “produce after their own kind” (see Genesis 1:12). We can only produce what we are. If drawing closer to Him is in our nature, we will produce this in those we influence. Jesus called this “the best part” when Mary chose Him rather than helping Martha do things for Him.

       Doing things for Him is great, but it is not the highest thing. If we keep the main thing being with Him, we will end up accomplishing much more for Him. To the Lord, labor is cheap. He can get things done with the most insignificant, weak, foolish people, as Paul explained in I Corinthians 1:26-29. In fact, He prefers using such people, so no one may glory in His presence. However, what is most valuable to Him is a great heart. In other words, labor for Him, not for the rewards but because you love Him and because He deserves it.

       As is repeatedly declared in Scripture, we can do many great things for the Lord without Him knowing us (see Matthew 7:22-23). So, people can do great things for Him even while practicing lawlessness, but they will be driven from His presence. Of course, we should want to do great things for Him, but far more important than what we do is what we become, so that what we do comes from a right heart.

       Our basic calling is to become like the Lord and do the works He did. We are called His body because He wants to do through us today what He did when He walked the earth. When God does something through us, it is among the most fulfilling and exciting experiences we can have. It is understandable that many get addicted to His work, but His work must become secondary to getting closer to Him, which is “the best part.”

       One of the biggest traps we can fall into is to esteem to become like Him so much that we try to have perfect motives for everything we do. Don’t seek to be perfected, so you can be used by Him. Instead, know that by being used by Him, you will be perfected. How perfect were His disciples when He sent them to preach His gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons in Luke 10? They were so immature they did not even know how to pray. We know this because in Luke 11, they asked Him to teach them how to pray.

       We don’t have to be perfect to be in His presence. Instead, we become perfected by being in His presence. Likewise, we don’t have to be perfect to be used by Him, or to draw close to Him. The delusion that we must reach a certain level of maturity or holiness to be used by Him or to get close to Him is one of the biggest hindrances to being used by Him or getting close to Him. Perfectionism is the deadly trap of an evil, religious spirit that wants us to base our relationship with God on religious performance rather than His atoning work and a Father-son or Father-daughter relationship. 

       Peter was the disciple that made the most mistakes, was rebuked the most, but was also used the most. Jesus even gave Peter the keys to the kingdom, which he used to open the doors of the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles. His faith and initiative to get out of the boat and walk on water during a storm was remarkable, but perhaps even more remarkable was how he did not let his failures stop him. Peter received one of the worst rebukes in Scripture, being called “Satan” by the Son of God, but he did not quit. He denied the Lord three times in one night and still did not quit. That is real faith based on who Jesus is and not on who we are.

       So, let’s use our faith to draw near to the One who wants to be close to us—so much so that He made a way for us to be close to Him. In 2022, let’s make it our first and foremost resolution to get closer to Him and to keep “the best part,” sitting with Him, as the main thing we are called to do.