1月24日 全权在握的指挥

我特意向你显现。(徒二十六16)

保罗在大马色路上所见的异象,绝非霎时的冲动,而是十分清楚肯定是从神而来的指示,因此他说:“故此我没有违背那从天上来的异象。”主其实是对保罗说:“你的一生完全由我作主;除了我,你不能再有任何目标与计划。”“我拣选了他。”

我们重生了,必然都有异象。要是我们要灵命长进,便要行主要我们行的;而最要紧的就是学习不违背异象,不要说那是无法达致的(或作高不可及的)。

单单知道神救赎了世人,又知道圣灵叫耶稣所成就的一切并实现在我身上,这还是不够的;我必须与他有个人的关系,作为根基。保罗所得的不是一篇道理、一套教义,叫他去传扬;他乃是与耶稣基督有一个亲身的经历,让主完全占有了他。第16节最令人触目——“派你作执事作见证”。保罗是效忠于主,而不是一个使命。他是完完全全属于耶稣基督的;此外,便别无所见,也不再为别的事物而活。“我在你们中间不知道别的,只知道耶稣基督并他钉十字架。”

祈祷◆噢,主啊,求你以爱慕的枷锁将我与你结连;在你差派我时,以你的眷佑环绕我;加添我的能力,以致我愈来愈能够被你使用。

January 24 The Overmastering Direction

“I have appeared unto thee for this purpose.” Acts 26:16

The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was no passing emotion, but a vision that had very clear and emphatic directions for him, and he says, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.” Our Lord said, in effect, to Paul – Your whole life is to be overmastered by Me; you are to have no end, no aim, and no purpose but Mine. “I have chosen him.”

When we are born again we all have visions, if we are spiritual at all, of what Jesus wants us to be, and the great thing is to learn not to be disobedient to the vision, not to say that it cannot be attained. It is not sufficient to know that God has redeemed the world, and to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did effectual in me; I must have the basis of a personal relationship to Him. Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim, he was brought into a vivid, personal, overmastering relationship to Jesus Christ. Verse 16 is immensely commanding – “to make thee a minister and a witness.” There is nothing there apart from the personal relationship. Paul was devoted to a Person not to a cause. He was absolutely Jesus Christ's, he saw nothing else, he lived for nothing else. “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”