9月23日 传道者的目标

看哪，我们上耶路撒冷去。（路十八31）

在天然生命中，我们会按着发展而改变自己的野心。可是在信徒生命中，目标一开始就摆明出来，而这目标是始终如一的：主自己。我们始于基督，也终于基督－－“直等到我们……长大成人，满有基督长成的身量。”我们并不是依自己认为的理想信徒生命而行。传道人的目标是要行神的旨意，不是要大得使用，不是要赢得许多不信的人。他当然要合用，也当然要赢多人信主，但那不是他的目标。他的目标是遵行神的旨意。

在主的一生中，耶路撒冷是他在十架上成就天父旨意的顶峰。我们若未与他同往，就并未与他同行。主上耶路撒冷的路上，没有什么事物可以叫他灰心。在备受攻击的村镇，他没匆匆避过；在大受拥戴的地方，他也不会流连不去。不管人对他感恩或是忘恩，总不能叫他走向耶路撒冷的心意改变一丁点儿。

“仆人不能高过主人。”在往耶路撒冷的路上，我们也要遭遇同样的事。神的工作会透过我们彰显，有人得着祝福，一两个人会表示感激，其他的人可能会忘恩负义。可是，不要让任何事物使我们偏离上耶路撒冷的路。

“他们在那里钉他十字架。”这就是主到耶路撒冷所遭遇的，而这却开启我们得救的门。圣徒的终局不是钉十字架；凭神的恩典，他们的终局是荣耀的。在这当儿，我们口号是：也上耶路撒冷去。

祈祷◆主啊，我能够认识你是何等美好；我何其需要靠近你。当你成为我的生命时，我怎能颤抖！

September 23 The Missionary's Goal

“Behold, we go up to Jerusalem.” Luke 18:31

In the natural life our ambitions alter as we develop; in the Christian life the goal is given at the beginning, the beginning and the end are the same, viz., Our Lord Himself. We start with Christ and we end with Him – “until we all attain to the stature of the manhood of Christ Jesus,” not to our idea of what the Christian life should be. The aim of the missionary is to do God's will, not to be useful, not to win the heathen; he is useful and he does win the heathen, but that is not his aim. His aim is to do the will of his Lord.

In Our Lord's life Jerusalem was the place where He reached the climax of His Father's will upon the Cross, and unless we go with Jesus there we will have no companionship with Him. Nothing ever discouraged Our Lord on His way to Jerusalem. He never hurried through certain villages where He was persecuted, or lingered in others where He was blessed. Neither gratitude nor ingratitude turned Our Lord one hair's breadth away from His purpose to go up to Jerusalem.

“The disciple is not above his Master.” The same things will happen to us on our way to our Jerusalem. There will be the works of God manifested through us, people will get blessed, and one or two will show gratitude and the rest will show gross ingratitude, but nothing must deflect us from going up to our Jerusalem.

“There they crucified Him.” That is what happened when Our Lord reached Jerusalem, and that happening is the gateway to our salvation. The saints do not end in crucifixion: by the Lord's grace they end in glory. In the meantime our watchword is – I, too, go up to Jerusalem.