6月21日 内室的事奉

你们是……有君尊的祭司。（彼前二9）

我们凭什么资格成为君尊的祭司？是凭救赎。我们有没有立志放下自己，投身在祭司祷告的职分上？整天只顾审查自己是否合水准，就产生以自我为中心、自怨自艾的基督徒，而不是活泼有力、天真无邪神的儿女。除非我们与神有正确的关系，否则只会挣扎求存，说：“看我打了何等的胜仗！”这态度一点也表现不出救赎的奇能。要不顾一切地相信救恩是完全的，然后只照耶稣所说的－－为那半夜来找你的朋友祷告，为圣徒祷告，为万人祷告。祷告时要知道只有在耶稣基督里才得完全，不要说：“主啊，我已尽了所能，求你听我祷告。”

到底神何时才把我们从以自我为中心的恶习中释放出来？我们要对自己厌恶至死，以致神无论说我们什么，我们也不觉得诧异。我们内心的卑污，实无法可测。只有一处是我们可得完全的，就是在耶稣基督里。我们进入他那里，就要竭尽所能作内室的事奉。

祈祷◆愿你在今天施福予我们，护卫我们的意念和心灵，抵挡模糊的幻想和虚假的情绪，以及那如幽灵的想像，保守我们完全属你。

June 21 The Ministry Of The Interior

“But ye are . . . a royal priesthood.” 1 Peter 2:9

By what right do we become “a royal priesthood”? By the right of the Atonement. Are we prepared to leave ourselves resolutely alone and to launch out into the priestly work of prayer? The continual grubbing on the inside to see whether we are what we ought to be generates a self-centred, morbid type of Christianity, not the robust, simple life of the child of God. Until we get into a right relationship to God, it is a case of hanging on by the skin of our teeth, and we say – What a wonderful victory I have got. There is nothing indicative of the miracle of Redemption in that. Launch out in reckless belief that the Redemption is complete, and then bother no more about yourself, but begin to do as Jesus Christ said – pray for the friend who comes to you at midnight, pray for the saints, pray for all men. Pray on the realization that you are only perfect in Christ Jesus, not on this plea – “O Lord, I have done my best, please hear me.”

How long is it going to take God to free us from the morbid habit of thinking about ourselves? We must get sick unto death of ourselves, until there is no longer any surprise at anything God can tell us about ourselves. We cannot touch the depths of meanness in ourselves. There is only one place where we are right, and that is in Christ Jesus. When we are there, then we have to pour out for all we are worth in this ministry of the interior.