5月1日 是真知而非感情

因我們行事為人，是憑著信心，不是憑著眼見。（林後五7）

有些時候，我們感覺到神的關顧；之後，他就開始使用我們。不久，我們便裝出一副可憐兮兮的樣子，整天說什麼試煉困難；其實，神一直訓練我們在隱藏中盡自己的本分。屬靈方面來說，除非是不得已，沒有一個人願意隱藏自己。神若關上天門，我們能盡什麼本分？有些人整天想著頭上有發光的金圈，做榮光四射的聖徒，充滿了感動啟示，並有聖徒經常造就。徒有外表（原文作鍍金邊）的聖徒是無用的，是不正常的。他無法過平凡的生活，而且根本不像神。我們活在地上，不是做行將長成的天使。我們在世作工，是因為我們已從上面而生，有極大無比的能力，得以在磨難中站立。

要是我們想把罕有的啟示經歷重演一遍，就表示我們要的不是神。我們只是寶貴與神說話的時刻，並且堅持要他再來一次。其實神是要我們行在信心中。我們多少人曾袖手旁觀地說：“神若不向我顯現，我是無能為力的。”他不會顯現。這樣，就是沒有啟示，沒有神出奇不意的觸摸，我們也得著手去做。那知，“原來他一直在這裡，我竟然不知！”不要為那罕有的時刻而活，這只是驚喜的禮物。當神看我們沒有走歪，就會將啟示顯明出來。千萬別把啟示的一刻作為標準，我們的標準乃是盡自己的本分。

祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著你的釋放和鼓勵，我感謝你。那近乎璀璨的喜樂已湧流在我心內。願你那寧靜的平安在此刻充滿我。

May 1 Insight Not Emotion

"I have to lead my life in faith, without seeing Him." 2 Corinthians 5:7

For a time we are conscious of God's attentions, then, when God begins to use us in His enterprises, we take on a pathetic look and talk of the trials and the difficulties, and all the time God is trying to make us do our duty as obscure people. None of us would be obscure spiritually if we could help it. Can we do our duty when God has shut up heaven? Some of us always want to be illuminated saints with golden haloes and the flush of inspiration, and to have the saints of God dealing with us all the time. A gilt-edged saint is no good, he is abnormal, unfit for daily life, and altogether unlike God. We are here as men and women, not as half-fledged angels, to do the work of the world, and to do it with an infinitely greater power to stand the turmoil because we have been born from above.

If we try to re-introduce the rare moments of inspiration, it is a sign that it is not God we want. We are making a fetish of the moments when God did come and speak, and insisting that He must do it again; whereas what God wants us to do is to "walk by faith." How many of us have laid ourselves by, as it were, and said – "I cannot do any more until God appears to me." He never will, and without any inspiration, without any sudden touch of God, we will have to get up. Then comes the surprise – "Why, He was there all the time, and I never knew it!" Never live for the rare moments, they are surprises. God will give us touches of inspiration when He sees we are not in danger of being led away by them. We must never make our moments of inspiration our standard; our standard is our duty.