1月11日 我对神的顺服将损害别人的利益

他们就抓住他（古利奈人西门），把十字架搁在他身上。 (路二十三26)

我们若顺服神，别人所损失的会比我们所损失的还多，这就是那为难的地方了。我们若爱主，顺服他并不觉得付上什么代价，这原是可喜的；但那些不爱他的人，所受的损失就更大了。我们要是顺服神，自然就会打岔其他人的计划，他们就会冷嘲地说：“这就叫做基督教？”我们固然可以不使别人受损，但若要顺服神就万不可如此；要付出的代价，就让它付出去吧！

再次，人性的自尊就出来辩护了，我们说：“我决不从任何人接受任何东西！”我们不接受，就是悖逆神了。主在世上与人的关系如何，我们也得如何，我们决无权指望另谋出路（参阅路八2-3）

我们若说要自己承担全部责任，那么灵命就会沉滞停顿，趑趄不前了。我们根本不可能如此。在神整个宇宙计划中，人就是这样座落其中，以致我们一顺服神，其他人必然受影响。我们愿否顺服神而放弃独立自主、甘心走上自卑的路？还是走另一条路，说：“我绝不叫别人无辜受苦”？我们可以选择不顺服神，使形势缓和，可是我们却叫主忧伤。另一方面，如果我们顺服神，他必会照顾那些因我们顺服而被逼受苦的人。我们只要一味顺服，一切后果就交给神吧。

但要当心这个意念：你顺服神，却指定神照你的意思行事。这要当心！

祈祷◆在一切事情上，噢，主啊，我都承认你。保守我们与你保持和谐，以致别人可以捕捉到属神的喜乐和愉快。

January 11 What My Obedience To GOD Costs Other People

“They laid hold upon one Simon . . . and on him they laid the cross.” Luke 23:26

If we obey God it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the sting comes in. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything, it is a delight, but it costs those who do not love Him a good deal. If we obey God it will mean that other people's plans are upset, and they will gibe us with it – “You call this Christianity?” We can prevent the suffering; but if we are going to obey God, we must not prevent it, we must let the cost be paid.

Our human pride entrenches itself on this point, and we say – I will never accept anything from anyone. We shall have to, or disobey God. We have no right to expect to be in any other relation than our Lord Himself was in (see Luke 8:2-3).

Stagnation in spiritual life comes when we say we will bear the whole thing ourselves. We cannot. We are so involved in the universal purposes of God that immediately we obey God, others are affected. Are we going to remain loyal in our obedience to God and go through the humiliation of refusing to be independent, or are we going to take the other line and say – I will not cost other people suffering? We can disobey God if we choose, and it will bring immediate relief to the situation, but we shall be a grief to our Lord. Whereas if we obey God, He will look after those who have been pressed into the consequences of our obedience. We have simply to obey and to leave all consequences with Him.

Beware of the inclination to dictate to God as to what you will allow to happen if you obey Him.