2月23日 事奉的决心

人子来，不是要受人的服侍，乃是要服侍人。（太二十28）

保罗对事奉的观念与主一样：“我在你们中间作服侍的，像他一样。”“我们为基督的缘故作你们的仆人。”我们常以为一个蒙召作传道的人，是被召成为与众不同的人。对于耶稣基督，他被召的是别人门前的地毯；做他们的属灵领袖，却绝不是他们的上司。保罗说:“我晓得怎样处卑贱。”

保罗对事奉的观念是这样：“我为你们耗尽了最后一分力量，你尽管称赞我，或是指责我，一点也没有关系。”只要有一个人尚未认识耶稣基督，保罗就是欠他的债，要服侍他直到认识主。保罗事奉的根源不是爱人，乃是爱主。我们若献身人类的幸福努力，很快就会心碎而倒退，因为人忘恩负义，比狗更加厉害。但若动机是出于爱神，那么怎样冷酷无情也不能阻拦我们的服侍。

保罗体会耶稣基督怎样对待他，就成为他决意服侍人的秘诀。“我从前是亵渎神的，逼迫人的，侮慢人的。”——不论人怎样对待我，也绝对比不上我昔日怎样以恶毒来对待耶稣基督。我们一旦体会耶稣基督怎样为我们的卑鄙、自私、罪恶服侍到底，那么，不论别人怎样待我们，也不能改变我们为主服侍人的决心。

祈祷◆主啊，你仆人的话，正好标明我内心深切的祷告——我的神，我仰赖你的恩赐，好像我不能从任何人身上寻见，或在人内心的幻想或构思中出现。

February 23 The Determination To Serve

“The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” Matthew 20:28

Paul's idea of service is the same as Our Lord's: “I am among you as He that serveth;” “ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.” We have the idea that a man called to the ministry is called to be a different kind of being from other men. According to Jesus Christ, he is called to be the “door-mat” of other men; their spiritual leader, but never their superior. “I know how to be abased,” says Paul. This is Paul's idea of service – “I will spend myself to the last ebb for you; you may give me praise or give me blame, it will make no difference.” So long as there is a human being who does not know Jesus Christ, I am his debtor to serve him until he does. The mainspring of Paul's service is not love for men, but love for Jesus Christ. If we are devoted to the cause of humanity, we shall soon be crushed and broken-hearted, for we shall often meet with more ingratitude from men than we would from a dog; but if our motive is love to God, no ingratitude can hinder us from serving our fellow men.

Paul's realization of how Jesus Christ had dealt with him is the secret of his determination to serve others. “I was before a perjurer, a blasphemer, an injurious person” – no matter how men may treat me, they will never treat me with the spite and hatred with which I treated Jesus Christ. When we realize that Jesus Christ has served us to the end of our meanness, our selfishness, and sin, nothing that we meet with from others can exhaust our determination to serve men for His sake.