大使命7 

終極追求

上週我們談到耶穌在約翰福音十七章禱告，使天父所愛祂的愛會在我們裡面。倘若我有足夠時間，我相信我可以合乎聖經地來證明，天父對祂兒子的愛和祂兒子對天父的愛，是所有受造物中最偉大的能力，而這樣的愛是在聖靈裡被彰顯出來。我們所能感受到的終極經歷、滿足或狂喜就是這樣的愛。當我們觸摸到此愛，它會滿溢出來，變成對任何事、任何人，甚至我們敵人的真愛。

我為這樣的愛祈求了25年，我還沒得著，但我會持續祈求。我相信天父是此禱告的答案，祂會在我裡面工作，預備我來迎接此愛。正如我曾寫過或常說：『任何太快或太容易發生的事通常都無足輕重』，這是全然的聖經真理。我們在聖經裡和歷史上看見，預備主偉大的使者和僕人所需付上的一切。

雖然我尚未得著這樣的愛，但我有預先嚐到其滋味。我曾在很短的時間被神的愛淹沒，我如此深愛我所看見的每件事，我認為我可能很容易為其付上生命。我會看著一棵樹、一隻狗、一隻貓、一條魚，愛上他們就像從來沒有過的。我甚至會看著無生命東西，像是一把椅子，卻被這樣的愛征服了。在我認識基督以前，我用過許多毒品，卻從來沒有經歷過如此被神的愛淹沒般的神奇。

我對神的愛上癮，我迫切渴望下一次被注射這樣的愛。最不可置信的是，我知道在這世代末了，神將會擁有一群不單是短暫經歷這樣愛的人─他們將會行走在祂的愛中。

現在這些經歷聽起來很美好，的確如此，遠超過我所經歷過的任何事。然而，我當時卻很難以這樣的方式生活和運作。我那時仍不成熟，不夠強壯，或不夠智慧持有這樣的愛，所以主必須拿走。即便如此，我現在知道沒有任何經歷比神的愛來得更偉大，這是終極的追求。

我也瞭解我對此愛的追求可能很自私，在某種程度上的確如此。沒有任何感覺可以與此愛相比；然而，真愛不單是追求一種感覺，而是將那感覺轉變成行善。我認為此經歷是用神的眼睛去看、用祂的心去體會。 主不單注視著我們、愛我們而已，祂更是幫助我們。倘若信心沒有行為是死的，那麼愛沒有善工亦是死的。正如海蒂貝克曾說：『愛看起來像某樣東西。』

耶穌行在這樣的愛裡，聖經說耶穌行走四方到處行善，並且摧毀魔鬼的工作。每一位行走在神的愛裡面的人也將會如此行，不是只是為著美好的感覺，而是讓我們可以變得像祂一樣，做祂曾做過的事。

我也明白我禱告這樣的愛那麼長的時間，卻只有預先嘗過幾次的原因，是因為我比多數人有更多的缺點，在我能行走在此愛以前，一定要先戰勝這些缺點。那或許不會花你如此長的時間，就算花你更久的時間，都是為了讓你得益處。邪惡的根在我們裡面有多深，當它被除去時，主就可以用祂自己充滿我們有那麼深。

當我們持守在生命的道路上，我們便漸漸在愛中成長，這也是千真萬確的。藉此方式，這可能是轉變成實際行動最有效的方式。我們會在未來幾週更多談到此；倘若我們是基督的真門徒，我們生命中主要的擺上一定是對主、對天父與對人這樣的愛。身為人類的一個主要工作任務便是愛神，其次是愛人如己。這將是判定我們這一生成功與否的主要事情。

 (摘自喬納 word for the week, Week 7, 2014)

 

The Ultimate Quest - The Great Commission, Part 7

Week 7, 2014
Rick Joyner

Last week we discussed how Jesus prayed in John 17 that the love the Father had for Him would be in us. If I had time here, I believe I could biblically prove that the love of the Father for His Son and the Son’s love for the Father is the greatest power in all of creation and is personified in the Holy Spirit. The ultimate experience, fulfillment, or ecstasy that we could ever feel is this love. When we touch this love, it will overflow into a true love for everything and everyone, even our enemies. This love is the ultimate quest, the ultimate treasure we could ever find.

I’ve been asking for this love for over twenty-five years now. I have not attained it yet, but I don’t intend to quit asking for it. I trust that the Father is answering this prayer by working to prepare me for it. As I have written and often said, “Anything that happens too quickly or easily is usually insignificant.” This is a sound biblical truth. We see this in what it took to prepare the great messengers and servants of the Lord in Scripture and in history.

Although I have not yet acquired this love, I have been given foretastes. For short periods of time, I have been so flooded with God’s love that everything I looked at I loved so deeply I think I could have easily given my life for it. I would see a tree, a dog, a cat, a fish, and love it like I have never felt love for anything before. I would even look at an inanimate object, like a chair, and be overcome by love for it. Before I knew Christ, I tried a lot of different drugs, but I never experienced anything remotely close to the wonder of being flooded with the love of God.

I’m addicted. I crave my next fix of this love. The most incredible thing is that I know that before the end of this age, God will have a people who do much more than merely have temporary experiences like this—they will walk in His love.

Now these experiences may sound wonderful, and they were, far beyond anything I have experienced. However, it was really hard to live and function this way. I was not mature enough, strong enough, or wise enough for it, and the Lord had to take it away. Even so, I now know there is nothing else that we could ever experience greater than the love of God. This is the ultimate quest.

I also realize that my quest for this love could be selfish, and certainly is, to some degree. Nothing I have ever felt compares with this. However, true love does not simply pursue a feeling, but converts that feeling into doing what is good. I think this experience is to see with God’s eyes and to feel with His heart. The Lord does not only look at us to love us, but also to help us. If faith without works is dead, then love without works is also dead. As Heidi Baker once said, “Love looks like something.”

Jesus walked in this love, and Scripture says that Jesus went around doing good and destroying the works of the devil. Everyone who is walking in God’s love will walk that way, not so we can be high on love rolling around in a wonderful feeling. It is so we can become like Him and do the works He did.

I also realize that the reason I have been praying for this love for so long and have only had a couple of foretastes could be because I have more flaws than most, which must be overcome before I can walk in this. It may not take you nearly as long. Even if it takes you longer, it could work out for your good. As deep as evil has gotten its roots into us, that is how deep the Lord can fill us with Himself when the evil has been removed.

It is also true that we grow gradually in love as we stay on the path of life. In this way, it is probably most effectively converted into practical action. We will discuss this more in weeks to come. If we are true disciples of Christ, then this love for Him, for God, and for one another must always be the primary devotion of our life. A primary job assignment as human beings is to love God and, after that, it is to love one another. This will be the primary thing we will be judged on as to whether we were successful in this life or not.