10月18日 传道者忠贞的要决

因他们是为主的名出外，对于外邦人一无所取。（约翰三书7节）

主曾告诉我们，怎样才是爱祂。“你爱我吗？（约翰福音21：15-17） ”“你喂养我的羊。（约翰福音21：15-17） ”——把你放在我对人的关怀里，而不是把我放在你对人的兴趣里。哥林多前书13：4-8节“爱是恒久忍耐，又有恩慈；爱是不嫉妒；爱是不自夸，不张狂，不作害羞的事，不求自己的益处，不轻易发怒，不计算人的恶，不喜欢不义，只喜欢真理；凡事包容，凡事相信，凡事盼望，凡事忍耐。爱是永不止息。 ”描述这爱的品质，是神自己的爱。我对主耶稣爱的考验，是在实际事情上，其他的不过是空口的卖弄爱情。

我对主耶稣的忠心，是圣灵在我心里做成超自然的救赎圣工，把神的爱浇灌在我心里。这爱在我与人接触时，就产生功效。虽然一切的常理都否定祂，说祂好像晨雾般虚渺，但我仍忠于祂的名。

传道者忠贞的要决，就是单归附主耶稣，不受任何人任何事的缠累，但又不是与外界隔绝。主不断与外界事物接触，祂的分别为圣，是在于内心朝向神。外表的隔绝，往往表示人里面暗暗地恋慕着表面上拒绝的东西。

传道者的忠贞，是要保持心灵单向主耶稣开敞。主所差派出去做工的人，均是平凡人，只是圣灵在他们里面加上专一不移的忠贞。

October 18 The Key To Missionary Devotion

“For His name's sake they went forth.” 3 John 7

Our Lord has told us how love to Him is to manifest itself. “Lovest thou Me?” “Feed My sheep” – identify yourself with My interests in other people, not, identify Me with your interests in other people. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 gives the character of this love, it is the love of God expressing itself. The test of my love for Jesus is the practical one, all the rest is sentimental jargon.

Loyalty to Jesus Christ is the supernatural work of Redemption wrought in me by the Holy Ghost Who sheds abroad the love of God in my heart, and that love works efficaciously through me in contact with everyone I meet. I remain loyal to His Name although every common-sense fact gives the lie to Him, and declares that He has no more power than a morning mist.

The key to missionary devotion means being attached to nothing and no one saving Our Lord Himself, not being detached from things externally. Our Lord was amazingly in and out among ordinary things; His detachment was on the inside towards God. External detachment is often an indication of a secret vital attachment to the things we keep away from externally.

The loyalty of a missionary is to keep his soul concentratedly open to the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. The men and women Our Lord sends out on His enterprises are the ordinary human stuff, plus dominating devotion to Himself wrought by the Holy Ghost.