Discipleship Letters 51-52

Discipleship Letter 51                                                Sept. 6, 2009

“For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did again and again—but Satan stopped us” (1 Thess. 2:18). “I have often been hindered from coming to you” (Rom. 15:22).

In the ministry of Paul, he was so often hindered by different things. His traveling plan was altered due to various emerging circumstances. He wanted to go to visit some church members in different locations. Yet, he was blocked. The obstacles that he encountered did not stop him. Rather, they led him to pray—“Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you” (1 Thess. 3:11).

“So we can see how Paul’s prayers were very much a part of his ministry and his travels. Significantly, his prayers focused around frustration, weakness and helplessness, as all true prayer must do. It is out of our helplessness that we pray best, because self-confidence robs our incentive to pray as we should.” [James M. Houston, The Prayer: Deepening Your Friendship with God (Colorado Springs: Victor, 2007), p. 240.]

Paul did again and again. The second again is what we need to model after. We tend to rely on ourselves when we talk about the first again. The second again let us know that we are fragile and weak. Nevertheless, “This precious treasure—this light and power that now shine within us—is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own” (2 Cor. 4:7). 

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Discipleship Letter 52                                                Sept. 13, 2009

“For we speak as messengers who have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He is the one who examines the motives of our hearts” (1 Thess. 2:4).

Paul never changed his message to make it more acceptable to others. Rather, he used different ways to convey The Way. He was entrusted with the Good News. The purpose of his existence was to please God, not people. God put Paul among various people groups—“When I am with the Jews, I become…When I am with the Gentiles, I fit in with them…When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression…” (1 Cor. 9:19-23). He never altered his purpose, to please God, and his motive, to bring them to Christ. No matter where we are at, our purpose is to please God.

God puts us here. It’s in this place where we learn to please God. 

Recently, I meditate upon Hebrews 11. “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth…These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised” (11:13, 39). In this faith chapter, all these biblical figures served the God of promise with the promises of God. By faith, we please the Lord, for “without faith it is impossible to please God” (11:6).

In Waiting, I Wait

“I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry” (Ps. 40:1, ESV).

David inclined upward to the Lord in prayer; God inclined downward to David in listening.  The phrase “He inclined to me” means that the Lord bent down to pay attention to David. God accommodated Himself in order to hear a mortal human like David. Such an inclination tells us something about the nature of God: He is always towards us and more than willing to relate to us. David understood his God in a relational and covenantal way. David knew that the God whom he believed was the God of covenant, not a Greek god, who is only up there without getting involved with human affairs.

The God of covenant got involved with Israel, made a covenant with Israel, and promised to dwell among Israel: “I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God” (Exod. 29:45-46, ESV).

For David, his present context was a context of trial. He could only wait. Not only did he wait, but also waited patiently. John Calvin translated it as “In waiting, I waited.” In the Commentary on the Book of Psalms, Calvin noted:

He tells us, not merely that he had waited, but by the repetition of the same expression, he shows that he had been a long time in anxious suspense. In proportion then as his trial was prolonged, the evidence and proof of his faith in enduring the delay with calmness and equanimity of mind was so much the more apparent. The meaning in short is, that although God delayed his help, yet the heart of David did not faint, or grow weary from delay; but that after he had given, as it were, sufficient proof of his patience, he was at length heard.[1]

As one theologian said, “God may delay, but He is never too late.” In waiting, David waited again and again because he believed that God would never be too late to rescue him. God’s “delay” was His loving concern for David. It was in His delay David learned the lesson of waiting. In waiting, God created a space for David to meditate upon his faith. David reflected and prayed, “Sacrifice and offering you have not desired, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart’” (Ps. 40:6-8, ESV). In God’s “delay”, David had a space to distinguish true religion from false religion. How easy it is to use sacrifice and offering to substitute for doing His will with gladness.  

David grew toward maturity in God’s likeness in God’s gracious “delay.”

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[1] John Calvin, Psalms 36-92. Calvin’s Commentaries, vol. V. 500^th Anniversary Edition (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2009), pp. 89-90.

Discipleship Letters 49-50

Discipleship Letter 49                                                August 23, 2009

“Offer yourselves to God…and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness” (Rom. 6:13, NIV).

Offer yourselves to God is the offering that God requires. Anything less than that falls short of his requirement. He doesn’t want us to serve Him without that first offering. It’s foundational to all other offerings. Then, Paul talks about “offer the parts of your body as instruments.” Instruments imply work. What it means is that who we are precedes what we do. As the hymn writer put it:

“What shall I give thee, master? Not just a part or half of my heart, I will give all to Thee.”

Our hearts come before our hands and feet. The course of our lives comes before the works of our hands. Many times we serve God with our hands and feet, but our hearts are far from Him. When He has no final say to the course of our lives, we stop being His followers. Offer yourselves to God is a radical demand on discipleship. Without this offering, what we do is pointless.

“But there is going to come a time of testing at the judgment day to see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone’s work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value” (1 Cor. 3:13, NLT).

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Discipleship Letter 50                                                Aug. 30, 2009

“For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love that you showed for his sake in serving that saints, as you still do. And we desire earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end” (Heb. 6:10-11, ESV).

Each Christian should keep that earnestness till the end. We should be eager to serve the Lord with our strength, spiritual gifts, time, and money. I am thankful that God has gradually raised up more servants to serve Him through different ministry opportunities.

“To present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship…Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Rom. 12:1, 11, ESV).

First of all, Paul talks about “bodies as a living sacrifice.” We function differently at the church. We’re placed in different positions. However, we are one living sacrifice. God looks at us as an individual as well as a corporate body. Secondly, our service is an act of worship. To worship is to work; to work is to worship. In worship, there must be work to do; at work, there must be worship.

Discipleship Letters 47-48

Discipleship Letter 47                                                June 21, 2009

“Who is Apollos, and who is Paul, that we should be the cause of such quarrels? Why, we’re only servants. Through us God caused you to believe. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us” (1 Cor. 3:5, NLT).

What is ministry?

(1)   Ministry identity: Apollos and Paul are mere servants. They are the two great leaders of the church at Corinth. Leaders of the church are the servants of the Lord; the servants of the Lord are the servants of the church. A good leader is a good servant.

(2)   Ministry gift: Each of us does the work with the gifts God has entrusted to us. We serve with our gifts. In other words, we are bounded by the gifts that we’ve been entrusted. We aren’t good at everything because we don’t have all the gifts. “My job was to plant the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it…” (1 Cor. 3:6, NLT). Paul is called to evangelize; Apollos, help new converts grow toward maturity in Christ. Paul isn’t more important than Apollos, or vice versa. They just did the work the Lord gave them.

(3)   Ministry purpose: Its purpose is to cause others to believe God. “Just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience. Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught…” (Col. 2:6-7, NLT).

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Discipleship Letter 48                                                June 28, 2009

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Rom. 12:18, ESV).

Once we get involved in ministry, it’s hard to say that it doesn’t depend on us. We often say that it doesn’t entirely depend on us. Rather, it usually depends on them. Paul says that “so far as it depends on you.” No matter what, the ups and downs of ministry depend on you more or less. Paul rarely spiritualizes Christian ministry. He knows that it’s hard and requires a lot of attention and energy. He knows that ministry doesn’t always go along with our plans, and the people who get involved don’t always get along well either.

That’s why Paul says, “If possible…” It’s not easy, but it’s possible because we who are in Christ do not be conformed to the standard of the world, but be transformed by the renewal of our mind (Rom. 12:2). Before we lived in flesh, everything was impossible. Now we still live in the flesh yet don’t live according to it, all things are possible.

This verse is a good reminder to myself, for it forces me to think about my part, not their parts. I realize that whenever I start to concentrate on their parts, I fail to “think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned” (Rom. 12:3, ESV).

Discipleship Letters 45-46

Discipleship Letter 45                                                June 07, 2009

One of the challenges that we face today as a church is hypocrisy. “Our lives don’t match our beliefs. In many ways, our lifestyles and perspectives are no different from those of anyone around us.” [David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons, Unchristian (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2008), p.46.]

One of the reasons why people turn away from Christianity is that there are many Christians whose beliefs and lifestyles don’t match. “You may be saying, ‘What terrible people you have been talking about!’ But you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you do these very same things” (Rom. 2:1, NLT).

We tell people not to do certain things; however, we do the exact same things. Lifestyle is the key word for the Christian message. We can know the Bible inside-out. We can have profound insights about life. We can sound religious and passionate in some occasions. But our lifestyles expose our true spirituality. People see us just as the way we see them. Stop being hypocritical is to be more aware of our own lifestyles—what we truly believe and how we live. We live in certain ways that don’t match what we should believe. Yet our lifestyles often match what we want to believe. This makes Christian faith unchristian.

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Discipleship Letter 46                                                June 14, 2009

“Because of God’s special favor to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful” (1 Cor. 3:10, NLT).

Each church member is called to build on this foundation—Jesus Christ. Whoever is called to build the church must build with maturity, purity, spiritual sensitivity, and sound doctrine. Each of us should build it with care. If we overlook the above criteria, we are careless. In ministry, why do we participate? We want to build his church. How do we build his church? By momentary enthusiasm? By strength? By human wisdom? “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty” (Zech. 4:6, NLT).

The Corinthians thought that they were mature, and filled with wisdom. But Paul said, “I couldn’t talk to you as I would to mature Christians…you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk and not with solid food, because you couldn’t handle anything stronger, for you are still controlled by your own sinful desires. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other…You are acting like people who don’t belong to the Lord” (1 Cor. 3:1-3, NLT). The Corinthians failed to build his church with care.

Discipleship Letters 43-44

Discipleship Letter 43                                                May 24, 2009

“So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified” (Rom. 15:7).

When we grow in faith and come to know Christ better in this church, we must learn to accept each other. Many people accept you not because you are good and lovely. Rather, they accept you because they know that Christ has first accepted them. Thus, they have no right not to accept others, for they can’t find any reason why God has accepted them in Christ in the first place.

If we don’t accept each other, we need to ask, “Why has Christ accepted you?” This question helps us ponder upon the fact that we have nothing to boast under the cross. Under the cross, Paul said, “I am the worst sinner” (1 Tim. 1:15). In light of God’s grace, each of us is considered as the worst sinner.

God will be glorified when we learn to accept each other. “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (Jn. 13:35). Accepting one another requires love that reveals our corporate identity as God’s people. When we learn to accept those who are different from us, the world will see an alternative lifestyle and value.

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Discipleship Letter 44                                                May 31, 2009

“Serving is the ability to relate to people in such a way that their dignity as human beings is affirmed and they are more empowered to live God-glorifying lives.” [Duane Elmer, Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility (Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2006), p. 146.]

Serving others is anti-cultural teaching. We don’t practice it if we don’t have a better reason. Nowadays, many people don’t have this ability to relate to others in the church. There are two types of people who fit into this category.

The first type of people is that they don’t know about this ability, and they don’t want to know it. They selectively hear what they want to hear; they practice based on their selective listening.

The second type of people is that they know about the ability.  But they only practice it momentarily. They pick positions that they are comfortable with. They don’t persistently live up to the idea of servanthood.

Jesus used this ability in full extent. He always seized every moment to utilize this ability to bless others. Jesus washed the disciples’ feet is one of the demonstrations to this ability (Jn. 13). May we all persistently use this ability to bless and empower each other. 

C. S. Lewis on Old Books

We stand on the shoulders of others in the past. We get to know different traditions of the history of the church in order to serve God here and now with wisdom and learned experience. “A living tradition is a self-critical developing stream, not a moribund repetition of the past. Tradition is the shoulder of previous experience on which we stand as we reach upward for what is new…The sweep of that tradition will open our eyes to wide resources of spirituality and give guidance for our own choices.”[1] In order to look forward, we learn to look backward. We learn to see the works of God in the Christian experience in the past; we learn to integrate the past experience into the present. It is in this sense that C. S. Lewis encouraged us to read books from previous generations. He noted:

Every Age has its own outlook. It is specially good at seeing certain truths and specially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period. And that means the old books…Nothing strikes me more when I read the controversies of past ages than the fact that both sides were usually assuming without question a good deal which we should now absolutely deny…We may be sure that the characteristic blindness of the twentieth century—the blindness about which posterity will ask, “But how could they have thought that?”—lies where we never suspected it… None of us can fully escape this blindness, but we shall certainly increase it, and weaken our guard against it, if we read only modern books…The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old  books. Not, of course, that there is any magic about the past. People were no cleverer then than they are now; they made as many mistakes as we. But not the same mistakes. They will not flatter us in the errors we are already committing; and their own error, being now open and palpable, will not endanger us. Two heads are better than one, not because either is infallible, but because they are unlikely to go wrong in the same direction.[2]

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[1] Bradley P. Holt, Thirsty for God: A Brief History of Christian Spirituality (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1993), p. 7.

[2] Quoted by Bradley P. Holt, Thirsty for God, pp. 7-8.

擔子的人生.心靈的質素

(Taken from http://kunglapyan.blogspot.com/2011/09/blog-post.html)

凡勞苦擔重擔的人、可以到我這裡來、我就使你們得安息。我心裡柔和謙卑、你們當負我的軛、學我的樣式、這樣、你們心裡就必得享安息。因為我的軛是容易的、我的擔子是輕省的。

耶穌承認沒有不負擔子的人生。然而，問題不是如何有技巧地負擔子，而是我們要背甚麼的擔子。熟識耶穌故事的人都知道耶穌的擔子從來就不輕。他背負十字架，承擔世人的罪，經歷被出賣和被無理的判刑，而最後，被釘在十字架上。為何耶穌仍說他的軛是容易的和他的擔子是輕省？他是否想透過與他比較，使那些自覺勞苦擔重擔的人不要投訴？要回答這問題，我們先要問當時的人正背負甚麼擔子。馬太福音的讀者主要是猶太人。按當時猶太規律，猶太人被要求嚴格遵守摩西律法，而他們也接受這要求。以安息日為例，拉比不滿足於一句無論何工都不可做的規定，反而努力嘗試為甚麼工都不可做定義。最後，他們制定三十九項定義，包括搬運、寫作、煮飯、洗衣服、種植、縫紉等。上主設立安息日有兩個目的：這是上主的日子和紀念上主對世界的拯救。但在這三十九項對安息日的界定下，安息日的目標沒有被提及，反而將安息日變成為一個行政和管理的課題。事實上，人遵守了這三十九項規定不等於他們就可以經驗在上主裡的安息，因為恐懼犯規已成為他們對安息日的體會。這就是耶穌說這話－「我心裡柔和謙卑、你們當負我的軛、學我的樣式、這樣、你們心裡就必得享安息」－的背景。

再以安息日為例，耶穌的心裡柔和謙卑，因為他知道他為何要守安息日。他曾說，「安息日是為人而設，不是人為安息日而設。」（可二27）他又說，「人子是安息日的主。」（太十二8）柔和謙卑不是一種待人態度（否則，耶穌責罵法利賽人就不是柔和謙卑了），而是一種心靈質素，即不懼怕犯規，也不介意因犯規被人指責，不是因為他是無政府主義者，而是因為他經歷真正的安息，不活在別人認為的標準中。耶穌的軛和擔子是輕省，不是因為他不需要為他的決定負上代價（事實上，他被他的堅持被釘在十字架），而是因為他知道為何要這樣生活和生活目的。我們的擔子變得沉重，不必是因為工作和生活壓力很大，而是因為我們承擔了一些不需要和不知為何的擔子。生活的安息不會只因放假而重拾，也不會只因減少工作量而恢復，反而要從調校生活的方向和意義而來。

Truthful Lips. Lying Lips

“Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment…Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight” (Prov. 12:19, 22, ESV). 

One of the primary purposes of Proverbs is to give instructions to young people and those who want to live out God’s way in daily living (1:2-7). Lying lips are everywhere in society. Nevertheless, truthful lips are hard to find. Truthful lips and lying lips set a sharp contrast in the book. The phrase “abomination to the Lord” is a very serious expression (Cf. Prov. 3:32; 11: 20; 12:22; 15:8, 9, 26; 16:5; 17:15; 20:10, 23).  It is used to “indicate the utmost divine censure against something. It offends Yahweh’s ‘ritual or moral order.’”[1]

The book of Proverbs is given to a people of God who wants to “receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity” (1:3). We are invited and exhorted to deal with things in fairness and equity. Truthful lips promote a moral ethic that all of us can be based on. Truthful lips invite all of us to look at the Truth, and we allow, or even restrain, ourselves to be measured by it. What is right or wrong is not easy to distinguish sometimes. At least, we know we’re not dealing with deception and falsehood. Those who have truthful lips may not be wise in the eyes of others. But they are His delight because they show integrity in life and promote honesty in society.

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[1] Tremper Longman III, Proverbs. Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), p. 248.

Increased Humility

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5).

Those who are humble receive grace from Him, for only those who are humble know that they are in need of grace. God is gracious with His grace. He demonstrates it on the cross. But His grace is only available to the humble. The proud can’t receive it because they themselves are the source of grace. One of the marks of growing in grace is increased humility. The way the Bible describes humility is different from our cultural understanding. We usually define humility in relation to people. We who are mature enough to put on different cultural masks know how to talk and act humbly. The biblical description of humility is related to God. It is a vertical dimension of knowing oneself before the holy, transcendent God. J. C. Ryle noted:

The man whose soul is “growing” feels his own sinfulness and unworthiness more every year. He is ready to say with Job, “I am vile—and with Abraham, I am “dust and ashes”—and with Jacob, “I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies”—and with David, “I am a worm”—and with Isaiah, “I am a man of unclean lips”—and with Peter, “I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Job 40:4; Gen. 18:27; 32:10; Ps. 22:6; Isa. 6:5; Luke 5:8). The nearer he draws to God, and the more he sees of God’s holiness and perfection, the more thoroughly is he sensible of his own countless imperfections. The further he journeys in the way to heaven, the more he understands what St. Paul means when he says, “I am not already perfect”—“I am not meet to be called an apostle”—“I am less than the least of all saints”—“I am chief of sinners” (Phil. 3:12; 1 Cor. 15:9; Eph. 3:8; 1 Tim. 1:15). The riper he is for glory, the more, like the ripe corn, he hangs down his head. The brighter and clearer is his light, the more he sees of the shortcomings and infirmities of his own heart. When first converted, he would tell you he saw but little of them compared to what he sees now. Would anyone know whether he is growing in grace? Be sure that you look within for increased humility.[1]

Biblical notion of humility comes from the inside out, not outside in. Human sinfulness is exposed as we are drawn near to Him. The closer we are to the mirror, the clearer we see the dirt on our faces.

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[1] J. C. Ryle, Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots (Peabody: Hendrickson, 2007), p. 110

The Enjoyment of God

“The good use the world that they may enjoy God; the wicked, on the contrary, wish to use God that they may enjoy the world,” said Saint Augustine.

The notion of the enjoyment of God is the end of the Christian living. God created us so that we can worship and enjoy Him in Christ through the fellowship of the Spirit. When we are able to enjoy the goodness of God in life, we place the creation in its rightful place in which we are mere stewards of God. We who enjoy God as the ultimate end are conscious of the fact that the world that God created cannot give us everlasting satisfaction. The world is a means to an end. The goal of Christian living is not to enjoy anything that is lesser than the Creator. The world itself is not the source of our happiness. True happiness comes from the Creator—the source of the world.

The wicked who wish to enjoy the world by using God deliberately choose the lesser god to worship. They are wicked because they worship the lesser god and give up the real source of happiness. The wicked choose the means by treating it as the end. They reverse the order of creation and devote themselves to this pattern of disorder. They then become what they worship: they are lesser than they were originally created in the beginning. They are wicked in this sense because they give up the goodness of God and allow the lesser gods to fill up their unfulfilled longings, which only God can satisfy.

For those who enjoy God as the end, they are found by God. Any knowledge of God is transformative. In order to find God, we are found by God. Once we are obtained by God, we are being gradually transformed into His likeness. Thus, the enjoyment of God is to know and be known by God. The knowledge of God ought to be a transforming power to savor our tastes to enjoy God. We enjoy God by knowing Him. Such an enjoyment will lead us to be like Him. Those who enjoy God as the end of being delightfully transformed into His likeness will never use God to enjoy the world, for they understand that the world can never give them such a delight in following, knowing, and being known by God.

For the good, the world is always a playground to enjoy God as the Creator, Provider, and Sustainer. The world is always the creation of God in which they live out the goal of their lives. In other words, apart from this world, the good cannot practice the enjoyment of God. However, while they are in the world, their enjoyment in God is far more superior to anything that the world can give.

Do not Counsel The Spirit

Recently, I start to use Marva J. Dawn’s (唐慕華)《展翅困乏中─31天以賽亞書四十章默想之路》[To Walk and Not Faint: A Month of Meditations on Isaiah 40] to do my daily devotion. There are 31 days of devotion. Each devotion is based on one verse in Isaiah 40. In the beginning of the year, I used it for a while and stopped at Day 10. I pick it up again because I remember I did get refreshed by using it for devotion. A lot of time I just read the Scriptures for devotion. Sometimes, I rely on a supply of devotional materials prepared by good writers.

“Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel?” (40:13, ESV)

In the Old Testament, the Spirit is always tied into the power of God, especially his creative power. “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2, ESV). Water symbolizes evil power in Hebrew culture. This verse gives a graphic imagery of a cosmic war between God and the evil force. In the midst of cosmic chaos, God’s Spirit fought against the power of disorder and turned it into orderliness. The Spirit of God hovering over the water is like an eagle “hovering over the nest of its young, protecting and preparing their nest” (cf. Deut. 32:11).[1] In the power of the Spirit, God placed all things according to their kinds: from disorder to order.

Who am I to “advise” (NLT) the Holy Spirit? How many times I tell Him what to do instead of waiting for His guidance. How many times I tend to correct and direct Him the way I want to go instead of quietly discerning His will through Scripture and His Body. Who knows enough to advise Him? What knows God’s will better than the Spirit? Paul says, “For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:10-11, ESV). God’s ways and thoughts are higher than my ways and thoughts (Isa. 55:8-9). Only the Spirit of God can comprehend the depths of God. We who believe in Jesus Christ—His death, resurrection, and return—are “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Eph. 1:13, ESV).

The result of this is through Jesus’ intercession: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, and even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (Jn. 14:16-17, ESV).

We know the One who searches the depths of God.

[1] See John Sailhamer, “Genesis,” in The Expository Bible Commentary. Vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990), p. 25.

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經歷.經驗

(Taken from http://arnoldii.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/王貽興《見微知博》/)

經歷只是經歷，任何人活得夠久，多少都有點經歷。然而經歷不直接等於經驗，經驗是智慧與觀念的累積。假使我們沒把經歷淬成經驗，沒讓年月教我們長著智慧，吃同一種虧，犯同一種錯，活也是白活。百忍成金，百煉成鋼，白活不成什麼，白活通常什麼都不成，就只是一事無成，而已。--王貽興

知少少扮代表

(Taken from http://fishandhappiness.blogspot.com/2011/09/blog-post.html)

「知少少扮代表」通常會令人反感，為何會如此呢？問題不是出在知少少，而在扮代表；其實，即使你知多多，是個真代表，一旦擺出那代表的姿態，露出那副「我比你懂得多」的嘴臉，也是討人厭的，更何況只是扮代表？

知少少的人在扮代表時，一般是高估了自己所知的，因此不會覺得是在扮代表；就算他們口裏說「我知的不多，認識不夠深」，而且說得真切，他們很可能仍是高估了自己所知的 --- 如果他們真的相信自己只是知少少，就不會假設別人對自己所知的有興趣，亦不會甘願自暴其短，因此就不會亟亟於公開自己所知的了。

知少少扮代表的人容易出醜，因為那扮代表的姿態討厭，容易引來別人的批評，有時只是一兩個簡單的問題，就足以令他們啞口無言，立刻露底。我年輕時經常看了一些書後就知少少扮代表，這種出醜的經驗當然免不了。記得有一段時間讀了好些唐君毅、牟宗三、和徐復觀的書，很隨便會在人前侃侃而談新儒家，雖然沒有自認專家，也顯然是當自己至少略懂一二。有一次又在人前扮代表，誰知有個同學突然問我：「其實新儒家和傳統的儒家有甚麼分別呢？」這個看似簡單的問題，我竟完全不知道應該怎樣回答，只好支吾以對；出了醜，還要裝作若無其事。

不知怎的，這次出醜令我印象特別深刻，雖然我沒有立刻改過知少少扮代表的習慣，卻也從此警惕了不少。後來人漸漸長進了，嚴肅地做起學問來，越發意識到自己所知非常有限（雖然我仍然自視頗高，仍然很「寸」），終於做到凡是自己不十分熟悉的，都不敢隨便發表意見。正因為這樣，雖然我對某些政治和經濟問題有興趣，卻沒有在這裏談論這些問題 --- 我既無高見，不如藏拙好了。

Daily Inclination

“Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!” (Ps. 119:36, ESV)

By nature, our hearts are inclined away from his laws and decrees. The sinful effects of the original sin are stamped within us. “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners” (Rom. 5:19a, ESV). The doctrine of the original sin still affects us. We always fall for what we want to do and fail to do what we ought to do. “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Rom. 7:19, ESV). To reflect on the dilemma between “want to” and “ought to”, John Piper notes, “The biblical doctrine of original sin boils down to this (to borrow from St. Augustine): We are free to do what we like, but we are not free to like what we ought to like.”[1]

The psalmist prays for the inclination of his heart towards God’s laws, statutes, and decrees, for they mirror the face of God. Whenever the heart of the psalmist is inclined to God’s laws, the face of God is drawn near.

Each day we ought to pray for our inclination so that we can think and do what we ought to. Our inclination towards Scripture ought to be our starting point in daily worship.

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[1] John Piper, Taste and See: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life (Colorado Springs: Multnomah, 2005), p. 42.