12月11日 个性

若有人要跟从我，就当舍己。（太十六24）

个性是个人生命的外壳，会拒人千里之外，又会把人隔离。不错，个性是每个人的特质，但若错把个性当作个人生命的话，我们只会一直与人隔绝。个性是神创造的天然保障，为覆庇生命的外衣。但是若要生命与神相交，则必须放下我们的个性。个性会冒充性格，正如情欲冒充爱情。神造人的天性，是为他自己；而个性却把人的天性低贬成只为自己。

个性的特征，就是独立自主、自我表现。最拦阻属灵生命的，是个性不断涌流。你若说“我不相信”，是因为个性的拦阻。个性永不会相信。反之，性格却不能不信。圣灵在你身上作工时，会把你推到个性的尽头处，这时你只能说“我不愿”；或降服于神，打破个性的外壳，让个人生命流出来。圣灵每次往往集中在一件事上（参太五23-24）。叫你不肯与弟兄和好的，就是你的个性。神要你与他联合，可是你若不肯放下自己的主权，就无法实现。“就当舍己”－－舍弃自己独立的主权，这样，真正的生命才有生长的机会。

祈祷◆噢，主啊，我的主人，愿我今天自觉地属于你，以致我与你在一起。因着你拥有了我而充满了童真的喜悦。

December 11 Individuality

“If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself.” Matthew 16:24

Individuality is the husk of the personal life. Individuality is all elbows, it separates and isolates. It is the characteristic of the child and rightly so; but if we mistake individuality for the personal life, we will remain isolated. The shell of individuality is God's created natural covering for the protection of the personal life; but individuality must go in order that the personal life may come out and be brought into fellowship with God. Individuality counterfeits personality as lust counterfeits love. God designed human nature for Himself; individuality debases human nature for itself.

The characteristics of individuality are independence and self-assertiveness. It is the continual assertion of individuality that hinders our spiritual life more than anything else. If you say – “I cannot believe,” it is because individuality is in the road; individuality never can believe. Personality cannot help believing. Watch yourself when the Spirit of God is at work. He pushes you to the margins of your individuality, and you have either to say – “I shan't,” or to surrender, to break the husk of individuality and let the personal life emerge. The Holy Spirit narrows it down every time to one thing (cf. Matthew 5:23-24). The thing in you that will not be reconciled to your brother is your individuality. God wants to bring you into union with Himself, but unless you are willing to give up your right to yourself He cannot. “Let him deny himself” – deny his independent right to himself, then the real life has a chance to grow.