Luke 6:46 (NKJV) “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?”
John 5:30 (NKJV) “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgement is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.”
If we want to do what Jesus has taught us in the Word, one important aspect is to live for Him—that is what consecration is. It is never our will but His will to be done in our lives. We need to lay down our lives by seeking God’s will instead of our own. However, many people are reluctant to lay down their lives because they want to be masters of their own destinies. Ironically, the decisions that they made apart from God may cause them to go through many sufferings. We have been crucified with Christ and we no longer live; the life that we live, we live for Him who loves us and gave Himself for us. Christians who want to make their lives count for the Lord will live purposeful, missional, and intentional lives that take counsel from the Lord. God is the master, Lord and director of such a consecrated life. No major decisions will be made without consulting God first and asking Him to direct our steps. Though tribulation will remain, there is safety in the presence of God when we know that He is on our side and who the enemy is.
When we ask questions like, “What is God’s calling on my life?” and “What is His opinion and wisdom on the situation?”, we are choosing to be yoked with Jesus. We will seek the face of God and refrain from making any major decision until we know that God is in it. If we know that we are walking in God’s will because we have sought His face and He has affirmed our plans, we won’t be easily shaken when adversity comes.
Receiving a word from God before making any major decision in life is the key to being resilient in adversity. He is the stronger ox with whom we are yoked, and who will pull us through when we meet obstacles while ploughing the land. We will be resilient in the face of contrary outcomes and experiences after hearing from the Lord. There may be tribulations and persecution when we live out this kind of lifestyle, for the devil will place obstacles and challenges along our path to derail us from God’s plans for our lives. Yet when you choose to live out God’s will, you will grow in resilience and learn to make necessary adjustments. Living out God’s will won’t necessarily mean a more prestigious job or higher pay, but we can be sure that it will be His best plan for us.
Sermon Series: Resilience (Part 2)
与耶稣同负一轭的生命
路加福音6:46 “你们为何称呼我主啊，主啊，却不遵行我的话行呢?”
约翰福音5:30 “我凭着自己不能作什么。我怎么听见，就怎么审判。我的审判也是公平的。因为我不求自己的意思，只求那差我来者的意思。”
当我们想行出耶稣在圣经中教导我们的事情时，其中一个重要的方面就是为祂而活，那就是分别为圣。永远不是照我们的意思，而是祂的旨意在我们的生命中成全。我们要舍己，不求自己的旨意，只求父的旨意，然而，很多人不愿意舍己，因为他们渴望成为自己命运的主人。然而，具有讽刺意味的是，在神之外所选择的决定使他们经历生命中的许多苦难。我们与基督同钉十字架，不再活著，我们如今活着的生命，是为爱我们并为我们舍命的主而活。那些想让自己的生命在主面前有价值的基督徒，会听从主的教导过有目的、有使命、有意愿的生活。神是主宰，是主，是分别为圣的生命的指挥者。生命中任何重大的决定，都必须征求神的意见，并求神指引我们的脚步。虽然还会有患难，在神的同在里是安全的。因为我们知道神站在我们这边，知道敌人是谁。
当我们问这样的问题:“神对我生命的呼召是什么?”以及“祂对我们面临的形势有什么看法和智慧?”，我们是在选择与耶稣同负一轭。在我们生命中做出任何重大决定之前，我们都会寻求神的面，直到我们知道神在其中。当我们知道我们是按照神的旨意行事，因为我们寻求了祂的面，祂确认了我们的计划，我们在逆境来临时就不会轻易动摇。
在生活中做任何重大决定之前，领受上帝的话语是逆境中保持坚韧的关键。与我们同轭的是更强壮的神，当我们前行时遇到拦阻，祂会拉我们渡过难关。在聆听主的声音后，我们会在面对相反的结果和经历时，有复原的能力。当我们过这样的生活时，可能会有苦难和迫害，因为魔鬼会在我们的道路上设置障碍和挑战，使我们偏离神对我们生活的计划。然而，当你选择活出神的旨意时，你就会成长，学会做出必要的调整。活出神的旨意并不一定意味着一个更有声望的工作或更高的报酬，但我们可以肯定这是神对我们最好的计划。
讲章系列: 韧性 (第2部分)