顺从谁,就作谁的奴仆。(罗六16)

要省察自己被什么力量辖制,首先要承认一个难以接受的事实,就是我要为被这样辖制而负责,因为我向此力量屈服了。我若作自己的奴仆,便要自己承担责任,因为我向自己屈服了。同样地,我若顺服神,是因为自己向神降服。

人若自幼顺从了自私自利之心,就会发现这是世上最强暴的捆锁。这种因降服而形成的桎梏,是人本性没有能力摆脱的。你只要对情欲稍为纵容(记住所谓情欲,就是“我一定要立刻得着”,这包括肉体的情欲和心思上的情欲)——一旦降服,你尽管恨自己不该如此,却已然成为它的奴仆了。除非有神的救赎,靠自己绝对没有解救的出路;所以必须完全谦卑降服在主耶稣面前,惟有他能溃败那辖制你的权势。“耶和华用膏膏我……报告被掳的得释放。”

我们在极小的事上,便可以发现:“啊!我要放下这嗜好是随时都做得到的。”是不能的。你会发觉这嗜好牢牢地辖制着你,因为你是甘愿向它降服。唱“他断开一切锁链”很容易,但同时却明明活在自我的捆锁里。只有降服于耶稣才能解脱人生中任何的奴役。

祈祷◆主啊,我赞美你,你阻止我即时要为自己寻求各样的东西,你使我唯独寻求你那永久的凭证——你的感动,让我获得在你里面的平安。

March 14: Obedience

“His servants ye are to whom ye obey.” Romans 6:16

The first thing to do in examining the power that dominates me is to take hold of the unwelcome fact that I am responsible for being thus dominated. If I am a slave to myself, I am to blame because at a point away back I yielded to myself. Likewise, if I obey God I do so because I have yielded myself to Him.

Yield in childhood to selfishness, and you will find it the most enchaining tyranny on earth. There is no power in the human soul of itself to break the bondage of a disposition formed by yielding. Yield for one second to anything in the nature of lust (remember what lust is: “I must have it at once,” whether it be the lust of the flesh or the lust of the mind) – once yield and though you may hate yourself for having yielded, you are a bondslave to that thing. There is no release in human power at all but only in the Redemption. You must yield yourself in utter humiliation to the only One Who can break the dominating power viz., the Lord Jesus Christ – “He hath anointed me . . . to preach deliverance to all captives.”

You find this out in the most ridiculously small ways – “Oh, I can give that habit up when I like.” You cannot, you will find that the habit absolutely dominates you because you yielded to it willingly. It is easy to sing – “He will break every fetter” and at the same time be living a life of obvious slavery to yourself. Yielding to Jesus will break every form of slavery in any human life.