4月18日 常作准备

神……呼叫说……他说，我在这里。（出三4）

神说话的时候，我们却像在五里雾中，毫无反应。摩西的回答，表示他站在某一岗位上。常作准备的意思，就是与神有正常的关系，又知道自己目前所站的岗位。我们往往很急切地告诉神，我们想到哪里去。但那对神工作常作准备的人，呼召一临到，他们就夺得奖赏。我们总是等待特别的时机、特别的激情，当这临到，我们就会迅速回答：“我在这里。”耶稣基督被高举上升，我们就愿意与他一同上升；但对不为人所知的任务，我们往往不准备承担。

为神常作准备的意思，就是事无大小，我们都乐意去做。我们行事没有选择的余地；不论神的计划怎样，我们都乐于遵循。无论什么任务临到，我们听见神的声音，如同我们的主听见他父的声音一样。我们当存着活泼的爱，作好充分准备，随时待命而发。父怎样对待耶稣基督，他也盼望父照样对待我们。他可以任意差遣我们，叫我们承担愉快的任务，或卑微的任务；因为我们与主合一，正如父与主合一一样。“叫他们合而为一，像我们一样。”

要随时准备神突然来访。一个常作准备的人是不必再作准备的了。试想想神呼召我们后，我们花多少时间去作准备！那火烧的荆棘，正象征一个常作准备的心灵四周的景象，有神的同在，火烧得更熊。

祈祷◆噢，主啊，最能够感受你的，可能就是我自己，愿你的旨意能毫无障碍地在我里面并透过我得以成就。

April 18 Readiness

“God called unto him and he said, Here am I” Exodus 3:4

When God speaks, many of us are like men in a fog, we give no answer. Moses’ reply revealed that he was somewhere. Readiness means a right relationship to God and a knowledge of where we are at present. We are so busy telling God where we would like to go. The man or woman who is ready for God and His work is the one who carries off the prize when the summons comes. We wait with the idea of some great opportunity, something sensational, and when it comes we are quick to cry – “Here am I.” Whenever Jesus Christ is in the ascendant, we are there, but we are not ready for an obscure duty.

Readiness for God means that we are ready to do the tiniest little thing or the great big thing, it makes no difference. We have no choice in what we want to do, whatever God’s programme may be we are there, ready. When any duty presents itself we hear God’s voice as Our Lord heard His Father’s voice, and we are ready for it with all the alertness of our love for Him. Jesus Christ expects to do with us as His Father did with Him. He can put us where He likes, in pleasant duties or in mean duties, because the union is that of the Father and Himself. “That they may be one, even as We are one.”

Be ready for the sudden surprise visits of God. A ready person never needs to get ready. Think of the time we waste trying to get ready when God has called! The burning bush is a symbol of everything that surrounds the ready soul, it is ablaze with the presence of God.