11月17日 永恒的目标

你既行了这事……我便指着自己起誓说，论福，我必赐大福给你……。（创二十二15-19）

亚伯拉罕接触到神的本性，他如今明白神的真实。“神自己，是我的目标，不论代价，亲爱的主，不论何方。”

不论代价，不论何方，就是自己没有任何可选择的，只求神带领到达目标。若神对我里面的性情说话，我根本不会质疑发问，只会马上顺服。耶稣说：“来”，我就来；他说：“放手”，我就放手；他说：“这事要信靠神”，我就信靠。整个过程证明了神的性情在我里面。

神对我启示他自己，决定于我的品性，而不在于神的品性。“由于我是卑贱的，以致你的道路，在我看来也往往是卑贱的。”在顺服的操练下，我来到亚伯拉罕曾到之处，认识神是谁。我没有在主耶稣里与神面对面以前，没有遇到一位真的神，但如今我知道“在整个世界中，除你以外，我再没有谁”。

神的应许对我们毫无价值，除非我们藉顺服明白神的本性。圣经的话可以念过三百六十五次，而仍对我们毫无意义。但突然我们却看出神的意思，因为在某些事上我们顺服神，他的性情立刻向我们敞开了。“神的应许不论有多少，在基督都是是的，所以藉着他也是实在的。”这个“是的”，必须从顺服中出来；我们若藉着生命中的顺服对应许说“阿们”，那应许就属于我们。

祈祷◆主啊，求你唤醒我，以致我那必死的身体，能真正成为一个顺服圣灵的仆人。

November 17 The Eternal Goal

“By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing . . . that in blessing I will bless thee. . . .” Genesis 22:15-19

Abraham has reached the place where he is in touch with the very nature of God, he understands now the Reality of God.

“My goal is God Himself . . .
At any cost, dear Lord, by any road.”

“At any cost, by any road” means nothing self-chosen in the way God brings us to the goal.

There is no possibility of questioning when God speaks if He speaks to His own nature in me; prompt obedience is the only result. When Jesus says – “Come,” I simply come; when He says – “Let go,” I let go; when He says – “Trust in God in this matter,” I do trust. The whole working out is the evidence that the nature of God is in me.

God's revelation of Himself to me is determined by my character, not by God's character.

“‘Tis because I am mean,
Thy ways so oft look mean to me.”

By the discipline of obedience I get to the place where Abraham was and I see Who God is. I never have a real God until I have come face to face with Him in Jesus Christ, then I know that “in all the world, my God, there is none but Thee, there is none but Thee.” The promises of God are of no value to us until by obedience we understand the nature of God. We read some things in the Bible three hundred and sixty-five times and they mean nothing to us, then all of a sudden we see what God means, because in some particular we have obeyed God, and instantly His nature is opened up. “All the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen.” The “yea” must be born of obedience; when by the obedience of our lives we say “Amen” to a promise, then that promise is ours.