荒漠甘泉07/14

荒漠甘泉∕7 月 14日

原作∕Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

「用繩索把祭牲拴住,牽到壇角那裡。」(聖經詩篇一一八篇 27 節)

 

          讀者阿,祭壇不是在呼召我們嗎?我們不是要請求繩索把我們栓在祭壇上,使我們永遠不能把我們的奉獻拿回來嗎?我們常常在生活充滿了玫瑰色彩的時候,樂意選擇十字架;在天色灰暗的時候,就退縮了。所以如果能用繩索把我們栓住的話,多麼好呢! 

        聖靈阿,求祢把我們栓住,栓在十字架上,讓我們永遠不會離開它。求祢用救恩的紅繩、愛的金繩、望的銀繩,把我們栓住,叫我們不能逃回舊日的寬路去,也叫我們不去羨慕別的命運──只羨慕作主痛苦悲傷中卑賤的伴侶! 

        讀者阿,壇角在呼召你了。你願不願意來呢?你願不願意永遠居在順從謙卑的靈中,把你自己完全奉獻給主呢?──選 

    在一次野外聚會裡,有一位弟兄,願意把自己奉獻給神。他每天晚上在祭壇旁邊奉獻自己;但是每天晚上在他離開聚會以前,魔鬼就來使他相信:他並沒有感覺什麼分別,一定是神沒有接受他的奉獻。

 

  一次一次他這樣被仇敵擊退,最後一天晚上,他來赴會的時候,帶了一把斧頭和一根長大的木椿來。他把自己奉獻了以後 ,就將木椿釘入他所跪的那塊地上。當他走出會場的時候,魔鬼又來引誘他相信這一切都不過是一幕鬧劇而已。

 

  他立刻回到木椿那裡,指著木椿說:「你看,魔鬼先生,你看見那根木椿嗎?那就是我的證人 ── 證明神已經永遠接受了我。」魔鬼立即離開了他,這位弟兄對於這個問題,以後再沒有什麼疑惑了。 ── 微小的聲音(The Still Small Voice

 

  親愛的,如果你也受了引誘疑惑你的奉獻的話,你也可以在一個地方釘下一根木椿,讓它在神前、魔鬼前,做一個證人說,你已經永遠解決了這個問題。

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"Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar." (Psalm 118:27.)

Is not this altar inviting thee? Shall we not ask to be bound to it, that we may never be able to start back from our attitude of consecration? There are times when life is full of roseate light, and we choose the Cross; at other times, when the sky is grey, we shrink from it. It is well to be bound.

        Wilt Thou bind us, most blessed Spirit, and enamor us with the Cross, and let us never leave it? Bind us with the scarlet cord of redemption, and the golden cord of love, and the silver cord of Advent-hope, so we will not go back from it, or wish for another lot than to be the humble partners with our Lord in His pain and sorrow!

        The horns of the altar invite thee. Wilt thou come? Wilt thou dwell ever in a spirit of resigned humility, and give thyself wholly to the Lord? --Selected

        The story is told of a colored brother who, at a camp meeting, tried to give himself to God. Every night at the altar he consecrated himself; but every night before he left the meeting, the devil would come to him and convince him that he did not feel any different and therefore he was not consecrated.

Again and again he was beaten back by the adversary. Finally, one evening he came to the meeting with an axe and a big stake. After consecrating himself, he drove the stake into the ground just where he had knelt. As he was leaving the building, the devil came to him as usual and tried to make him believe that it was all a farce.

At once he went back to the stake and, pointing to it, said, "Look here, Mr. Devil, do you see the stake? Well, that's my witness that God has forever accepted me." Immediately the devil left him, and he had no further doubts on the subject.─The Still Small Voice.

Beloved, if you are tempted to doubt the finality of your consecration, drive a stake down somewhere and let it be your witness before God and even the devil that you have settled the question forever.

Are you groping for a blessing,
Never getting there?
Listen to a word in season,
Get somewhere.

Are you struggling for salvation,
By your anxious prayer?
Stop your struggling, simply trust, and-
Get somewhere.

Does the answer seem to linger,
To your earnest prayer?
Turn your praying into praise, and-
Get somewhere.

You will never know His fullness,
Till you boldly dare
To commit your all to Him, and-
Get somewhere.
─Songs of the Spirit.

 

 

 

發表於2008/06/19 01:10 (3644閱讀)


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