主啊,这人将来如何?……与你何干?你跟从我吧。(约二十一21-22)
我们最难学的功课之一,就是固执地拒绝承认我们不能干涉别人的生活。我们要经很长的时间才明白,干涉神在别人生命中的吩咐,也就是作他人业余的天意安排,是很危险的。你看见人家受苦,你就说:“他不该受苦,我要设法使他不受苦。”于是你将手放在神允许的旨意之前阻止它发生,神说:“这与你何干?” 若你的灵性停滞不前,永不可任其发展,而是要到神面前寻出根源。很可能是因为你在干扰别人的生命;或提供你无权提供的;或指点你无权指点的。要是神真要你劝勉别人,他必定叫你的劝勉直接有圣灵感动。你的责任是保持与神有正确良好的关系,以致他的智慧分辨能随时随地透过你叫他人得福。
我们多半活在自我意识的边缘上--自觉是在事奉神,自觉爱神。这都是不成熟的,还并不是真正的生命。成熟的表现是不再凭观感知觉;我们对神完全的归服,以致不再意识到自己被神使用。我们若仍意识到被神用作擘开的饼和浇奠的酒,那么就得追求另一个境界,就是把自觉的意识,以及神透过我们工作的意识,都同时消除。圣徒是从不自觉是圣徒,他们只知依靠神。
祈祷◆噢,愿我藉着你内住的圣灵,将我与敬拜、美善和圣洁联合起来。主啊,感动我的身体和心灵,直至它们能为着你而融合为一。
November 15: What Is That To Thee?
“Lord, what shall this man do? . . What is that to thee? Follow thou Me.” John 21:21,2
One of our severest lessons comes from the stubborn refusal to see that we must not interfere in other people’s lives. It takes a long time to realize the danger of being an amateur providence, that is, interfering with God’s order for others. You see a certain person suffering, and you say – He shall not suffer, and I will see that he does not. You put your band straight in front of God’s permissive will to prevent it, and God says – “What is that to thee?” If there is stagnation spiritually, never allow it to go on, but get into God’s presence and find out the reason for it. Possibly you will find it is because you have been interfering in the life of another; proposing things you had no right to propose; advising when you had no right to advise. When you do have to give advice to another, God will advise through you with the direct understanding of His Spirit; your part is to be so rightly related to God that His discernment comes through you all the time for the blessing of another soul.
Most of us live on the borders of consciousness – consciously serving, consciously devoted to God. All this is immature, it is not the real life yet. The mature stage is the life of a child which is never conscious; we become so abandoned to God that the consciousness of being used never enters in. When we are consciously being used as broken bread and poured-out wine, there is another stage to be reached, where all consciousness of ourselves and of what God is doing through us is eliminated. A saint is never consciously a saint; a saint is consciously dependent on God.