我把虹放在云彩中,这就可作我与地立约的记号了。(创九13)
神的旨意是要人类与他有道德上的关系,而他的约就是为此。“为什么神不救我?”事实是他已经救了我,可是我还没有进入与他的关系。“为什么神不做这个?不做那个?”他已经做了,问题是我是否愿意踏进这个约的关系里?神的一切祝福都已经作成,不过我要先因他的约,与他建立关系,这一切才成为我的。
等待神是不信的化身,意味着我对他不信任;我等待神在我里面做事,好叫我可以信得过他所做的。神不会这样做,因为这不是神与人关系的基础。在人与神的约中,人要离开自己原来的位置,正如神在他与人的约中走出自己原来的位置一样。问题在于我们对神的信心--一样非常难得的东西。我们往往只信自己的感觉;我们要神把东西放进我们手里,让我知道我实在有了,否则就不肯信。得着了,就说“如今我信了。”这并不是信。“仰望我的,必然得救。”
我若当真与神立约,完全交托,就不再自觉有功,一点不再有人的成分在里面,只意识到完全与神合一,那时一切都在平安喜乐中被转化了。
祈祷◆主啊,愿你今天以充沛的能力,以及甜蜜的恩慈和美善,来感动我们每个人的生命;让它有机会彰显你的面容和能力。
December 6: The Bow In The Cloud
“I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth.” Genesis 9:13
It is the Will of God that human beings should get into moral relationship with Him, and His covenants are for this purpose. Why does not God save me? He has saved me, but I have not entered into relationship with Him. Why does not God do this and that? He has done it, the point is – Will I step into covenant relationship? All the great blessings of God are finished and complete, but they are not mine until I enter into relationship with Him on the basis of His covenant.
Waiting for God is incarnate unbelief, it means that I have no faith in Him; I wait for Him to do something in me that I may trust in that. God will not do it, because that is not the basis of the God-and-man relationship. Man has to go out of himself in his covenant with God as God goes out of Himself in His covenant with man. It is a question of faith in God – the rarest thing; we have faith only in our feelings. I do not believe God unless He will give me something in my hand whereby I may know I have it, then I say – “Now I believe.” There is no faith there. “Look unto Me, and be ye saved.”
When I have really transacted business with God on His covenant and have let go entirely, there is no sense of merit, no human ingredient in it at all, but a complete overwhelming sense of being brought into union with God, and the whole thing is transfigured with peace and joy.