当醒过来,从死里复活。(弗五14)

并非所有的主动性,即迈出第一步的意愿,都是从神感动来的。有人会对你说:“起来,行动吧!把你的闲懒治死,做你该做的,勇往直前!”这是人的推动力。当神的灵来到我们面前说:“起来,行动吧。”我们突然发现这推动力是从神发出。

年轻的时候,我们都有不少异象理想;可是总有一天,会发觉我们根本无力实现。所渴望的无法实行,就会视这等异象理想为已死。但神来对你说:“从死里复活…”当神的感动真的临到,会带出神奇无比的能力,叫我们能“从死里复生”,做出不可能的事。属灵推动力最特别之处,是我们先要“起来,行动”,然后生命和能力才会临到。神没有给我们可以得胜的生命,当我们胜过的时候他给我们生命。神的感动来时,他说:“从死里复活…”我们必须自己起来,神不会拖我们起来。主对那枯干了手的人说:“伸出你的手来。”那人一伸手,就得了医治。他必须采取主动。我们若主动去得胜,就必发现我们有神的感动,因为他立即给我们生命的大能。

祈祷◆“肉体是何等经常陷于危险和困顿之中”——然而这在我生命中激起什么呢?当我醒来,愿你以你灵的默示伴随我。

February 16: The Inspiration of Spiritual Initiative

Arise from the dead . . . —Ephesians 5:14

Not all initiative, the willingness to take the first step, is inspired by God. Someone may say to you, “Get up and get going! Take your reluctance by the throat and throw it overboard— just do what needs to be done!” That is what we mean by ordinary human initiative. But when the Spirit of God comes to us and says, in effect, “Get up and get going,” suddenly we find that the initiative is inspired.

We all have many dreams and aspirations when we are young, but sooner or later we realize we have no power to accomplish them. We cannot do the things we long to do, so our tendency is to think of our dreams and aspirations as dead. But God comes and says to us, “Arise from the dead . . . .” When God sends His inspiration, it comes to us with such miraculous power that we are able to “arise from the dead” and do the impossible. The remarkable thing about spiritual initiative is that the life and power comes after we “get up and get going.” God does not give us overcoming life— He gives us life as we overcome. When the inspiration of God comes, and He says, “Arise from the dead . . . ,” we have to get ourselves up; God will not lift us up. Our Lord said to the man with the withered hand, “Stretch out your hand” (Matthew 12:13). As soon as the man did so, his hand was healed. But he had to take the initiative. If we will take the initiative to overcome, we will find that we have the inspiration of God, because He immediately gives us the power of life.