| 認識上帝 | |
| 經文: 「認識祢獨一的真神……，這就是永生。」（約翰福音十七：3） | |
| 靈命的深淺與對上帝的認識有絕對的關係，而且這永生之道，不是靠你頭腦所熟悉的聖經知識，或是別人口中所得來的見證而得知，而是你親身的體驗、主觀的經歷，才能有活潑的信仰。就像冬天的太陽晒在你皮膚上，讓你覺得癢酥酥的，很舒服。當你等候上帝仰望祂時，永生上帝的愛與榮光，也要這樣流洩在你身上，那是有具體感覺的。
然而爲何我們似乎很少有過這樣的經驗？那是因爲我們太少給上帝時間，讓祂向我們顯現。當我們禱告時，我們自覺已經很知道如何禱告，卻忘記禱告時最重要的事是安靜在祂的面前，好讓祂向我們顯現祂自己，啓示祂的心意，動工在我們心裡，如此來經歷上帝，與永生上帝連結在一起，你才會明白永恒的生命意謂著什麽，耶穌同在的甘甜，也讓你預嚐天堂的滋味。 你聽過勞倫斯弟兄吧！他極渴慕上帝，因此他到修道院，想藉著苦修安靜祈禱來認識上帝。一位長輩給了他一本「如何禱告」的小冊，但他把它放一邊，他說：「我若不真正認識我祈禱的對象，什麽書對我都沒有幫助。」 他相信尋找的必尋見，叩門的上帝也必給他開門。於是他長時間在上帝面前祈禱敬拜，想知道這位聖潔權能的上帝，是怎樣一位上帝，祂的同在又是怎樣的感覺。他不斷地操練，不斷地等候主，直到他不只在心裡相信主的同在，也敏感地體察到主同在的平安是怎樣的感覺（就像你知道肚子餓是什麽感覺，肚子飽又是什麽感覺一樣），他操練到一個地步，以致能持續保守自己在上帝的同在裡。 可見花時間在上帝面前安靜等候，是何等何等重要的事！在寒冬太陽怎樣照著我們，使我們溫暖，同樣地當你閉眼定睛仰望祂時，想像祂是光，就像太陽一樣，就在你面前，祂要照耀你，將祂的光與熱，傳至你全身，你只要單純地享受祂、默念祂的聖名，感謝祂的恩典，你會明白上帝同在時極重無比的榮耀是什麽意思。上帝要向那些等祂的人啓示祂就是生命、亮光、喜樂和能力。 「耶和華阿，求祢仰起臉來，光照我們。」（詩篇四：6） 「你們要休息，要知道我是上帝。」（詩篇四十六：10） | |
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| THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD | |
| Scripture: "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee."—JOHN xvii. 3. | |
| The knowledge of God is absolutely necessary for the spiritual life.
It is life eternal. Not the intellectual knowledge we receive from others, or
through our own power of thought, but the living, experimental knowledge in
which God makes Himself known to the soul. Just as the rays of the sun on a cold
win¬ter's day warm the body, imparting its heat to us, so the living God sheds
the life-giving rays of His holiness and love into the heart that waits on
Him. How is it we so seldom experience this life-giving power of the true knowledge of God? Because we do not give God time enough to reveal Himself to us. When we pray, we think we know well enough how to speak to God. And we forget that one of the very first things in prayer is to be silent before God, that He may reveal Himself. By His hidden but mighty power, God will manifest His presence, resting on us and working in us. To know God in the personal experience of His presence and love is life indeed. You have heard of Brother Lawrence. He had a great long¬ing to know God, and for this purpose went into a monastery. His spiritual advisers gave him Prayer Books to use, but he put them aside. It helps little to pray, he said, if I do not know the God to Whom I pray. And he believed that God would reveal Himself. He remained a long time in silent adoration, in order to come under the full impression of the presence of this great and holy Being. He continued in this practice, until later he lived consciously and constantly in God's presence, and experienced His blessed nearness and keeping power. As the sun rising each morning is the pledge of light through the day, so the quiet time waiting upon God, to yield ourselves for Him to shine on us, will be the pledge of His presence and His power resting with us all the day. See! that you be sure that the sun has risen upon your soul. Learn this great lesson that the sun each day proclaims: As the sun on a cold day shines on us and imparts its warmth, believe that the living God will work in you with His love and His almighty power. God will reveal Himself as life and light and joy and strength to the soul that waits upon Him. "Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us" (Ps. iv. 6). "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. xlvi. 10). | |
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