10月21日 被冲动引导

“你们却要在至圣的真道上造就自己。”犹 20

我们的主既没有冲动的本性，也不是冷血无情，他有一种镇定的力量永远不会陷入恐慌。我们大多数人是按着自己性情的方式来过基督徒的生活，而不是按着神的方式。冲动是天然生命的特性，但我们的主却总是不顾它，因为冲动会阻碍门徒生命的成长。留意神的灵如何阻止我们的冲动，他的阻止带来一种自觉愚蠢仓促，使我们立刻想要为自己辩护。对于一个孩子，冲动还可以接受，但对于一个大人，冲动就是灾难性的了。一个冲动的人常是一个耍小孩子脾气的人。冲动必须要藉着管教训练成为直觉。

作门徒完全建造在神超自然的恩典上。行走在水面对于凭着一股冲动的勇气是容易的，但行走在干地上作耶稣基督的门徒却是一件不同的事情。彼得在水面上向耶稣走去，但在地上却远远地跟着他。我们不需要神的恩典去面对危机，人的本性和骄傲已经足够了。我们可以高贵地面对压力，但每天二十四小时活出圣徒的生活，像一个门徒一样经受劳苦，过一个平凡、没人留意、被人忽视的生活，就一定需要神超自然的恩典。我们的天性想要为神做一件特别的事，但不需要这样。我们应当在平凡事上成为不平凡，在简陋的街道中，在卑劣的人群中成为圣洁，这不是五分钟学得会的功课。

October 21 Direction By Impulse

“Building up yourselves on your most holy faith.” Jude 20

There was nothing either of the nature of impulse or of cold-bloodedness about Our Lord, but only a calm strength that never got into panic. Most of us develop our Christianity along the line of our temperament, not along the line of God. Impulse is a trait in natural life, but Our Lord always ignores it, because it hinders the development of the life of a disciple. Watch how the Spirit of God checks impulse, His checks bring a rush of self-conscious foolishness which makes us instantly want to vindicate ourselves. Impulse is all right in a child, but it is disastrous in a man or woman; an impulsive man is always a petted man. Impulse has to be trained into intuition by discipline.

Discipleship is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God. Walking on the water is easy to impulsive pluck, but walking on dry land as a disciple of Jesus Christ is a different thing. Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus, but he followed Him afar off on the land. We do not need the grace of God to stand crises, human nature and pride are sufficient, we can face the strain magnificently; but it does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours in every day as a saint, to go through drudgery as a disciple, to live an ordinary, unobserved, ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus. It is inbred in us that we have to do exceptional things for God; but we have not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things, to be holy in mean streets, among mean people, and this is not learned in five minutes.