荒漠甘泉03/28

荒漠甘泉∕3 28

原作∕Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

 

等到抬普天下主耶和華約櫃的祭司把腳站在約但河水裡,約但河的水,就是從上往下流的水,必然斷絕,立起成壘。」 (約書亞記三章十三節)

 

  勇敢的利未人!誰能不佩服他們的膽量 ── 抬了約櫃伸腳到還未分開的水中去。神也一無其他的勉勵和應允,只等待看他們的信心。神重視信心,尤其是不憑理由的信心。你可以推想當初眾百姓看見這些利未人抬了約櫃下水,他們一定發急地說:「要是我,決不這樣作無謂的犧牲!冒這樣大的險!可惜,他們和約櫃就要被約但河的急流沖去了!」可是,並不這樣;「抬耶和華約櫃的祭司在約但河中的乾地上站定」17節)。 我們不要小看信心,我們的信心能幫助神成就祂的計劃。「…來幫助耶和華」(聖經士師記五章 23 節)


 
  信心能幫助神。信心能叫神封住獅子的口,能叫神使火失其利害。這並非說:沒有人的信心,神就失去祂的全能,而不能作什麼;祂仍能,可是祂即使作了,祂得不著榮耀。祂若封住獅子的口,只叫牠餓一天罷了;祂使火失其利害,只使宇宙中間多一件反常的事罷了。並沒有什麼意思。神根據人的信心這麼作了,才能從大利烏與尼布甲尼撒口中得到稱頌。信心榮耀神,所以神也重視信心。真信心有了神的應允就滿足了,它肯讓神揀選神看為適當的時候來完成祂的應允,不管那時候有多久。今天在恩典下同作利未人的哪,讓我們憑著無理由的信心,抬起神的應允來,不要想我們抬的是神的棺材。這是永活之神的約櫃呀!讓我們一面唱歌,一面下水罷! ── 強卜奈斯(Thomas Champness


 
  勇敢的精神是使徒時代教會的特點。如果我們想為神作大事業,想從神得到大使命,我們必須有勇敢的信心。如果我們與超然的神接觸,向祂要人力所不能得到的東西,我告訴你,拿得多比拿得少還容易,大膽地站在應允上比膽怯地攀住海岸來得容易


 
  讓我們相信:在神凡事都能;並且相信:在信的人,凡事都能


 
  讓我們今天來替神作大事業,相信祂能力是能完成一切的── 譯自在地上的天上生活(Days of Heaven upon Earth

 
**********************

 "And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon a heap."(Joshua 3:13.)

BRAVE Levites! Who can help admiring them, to carry the Ark right into the stream; for the waters were not divided till their feet dipped in the water (ver. 15). God had not promised aught else. God honors faith. "Obstinate faith," that the PROMISE sees and "looks to that alone," You can fancy how the people would watch these holy men march on, and some of the bystanders would be saying, "You would not catch me running that risk! Why, man, the ark will be carried away!" not so; "the priests stood firm on dry ground." We must not overlook the fact that faith on our part helps God to carry out His plans." /come up to the help of the Lord."  The Ark hand staves for the shoulders. Even the Ark did not move of itself; it was carried. When God is the architect, men are the masons and laborers.

Faith assists god. It can stop the mouth of lions and quench the violence of fire. It yet honors God, and God honors it. Oh, for this faith that will go on, leaving God to fulfill His promise when He sees fit! Fellow Levites, let us shoulder our load, and do not let us look as if we were carrying God's coffin. It is the Ark of the living God! Sing as you march towards the flood! --- Thomas Champness.

One of the special marks of the Holy Ghost in the Apostolic Church was the spirit of boldness. One of the most essential qualities of the faith that is to attempt, great things for God, and expect great things from God, is holy audacity. Where we are dealing with a supernatural Being, and taking from Him things that are humanly impossible, it is easier to take much than little; it is easier to stand in a place of audacious trust than in a place of cautious, timid clinging to the shore.

Like wise seamen in the life of faith, let us launch out into the deep, and find that all things are possible with God, and all things are possible unto him that believeth.

Let us, today, attempt great things for God; take His faith and believe for them and His strength to accomplish them. --- Days of Heaven upon Earth.

 

 

 

發表於2008/06/19 01:08 (3210閱讀)


隨機文章