Daily Devotion - Dec 18 - ¥q¥¬¯u¨C¤éÆF­×(¤é) Morning by Morning

司布真每日靈修(日) Morning by Morning

十二月十八日

經文: 「你們要撕裂心腸，不要撕裂衣裳。」（約珥書二：13）

撕裂衣裳或其他情緒的反應，這些外在的表象是容易表現，也容易模仿。但真正的悔改，靈裡的憂傷痛悔，卻是少見，也是困難。人們會注意那些讓人覺得敬虔的儀文禮法，但內心真正的割禮，反躬求諸己的檢討省思，對屬肉體血氣的人而言，是太麻煩細膩、太謙卑克己。

一般人喜歡感官直接的感受，或是外顯的表態，有如時下的官樣文章，只講究外在的繁文縟節、典禮儀式，卻不管實質的內涵，或其中的意義。這些愛慕虛浮的人，常是自義自滿、假冒為善。但他終究是自欺欺人，因為在最後審判日，上帝要看的是堅貞純正、謙卑仰賴祂的心、而不是口是心非，虛有其表的掛名基督徒。

若非真正的聖潔，所有的宗教儀文，只不過是個空殼；若沒有一顆誠懇的心，一切的敬拜也是徒具形式，終歸枉然。撕裂心腸是一種內心深度的轉變、椎心的痛悔，這完全是聖靈的工作，也是個人靈裡的實際經驗。

經文教我們要撕裂心腸，若我們心腸硬如堅石，如何能破碎呢？惟有把它帶到十字架前，聽聽耶穌在死前驚天動地的喊叫：「父啊，赦免他們，因為他們所做的，他們不知道。」耶穌那掏肝挖肺的喊叫，在今天仍帶著雷霆萬鈞的無比威力，能叫人扎心動容，能叫人俯伏跪拜，能使人知罪悔改。朋友，你曾有這樣的經驗嗎？


Morning, December 18

Scripture: "Rend your heart, and not your garments."(Joel 2:13)

GARMENT-RENDING and other outward signs of religious emotion, are easily manifested and are frequently hypocritical; but to feel true repentance is far more difficult, and consequently far less common. Men will attend to the most multiplied and minute ceremonial regulations—for such things are pleasing to the flesh—but true religion is too humbling, too heart-searching, too thorough for the tastes of the carnal men; they prefer something more ostentatious, flimsy, and worldly. Outward observances are temporarily comfortable; eye and ear are pleased; self-conceit is fed, and self-righteousness is puffed up: but they are ultimately delusive, for in the article of death, and at the day of judgment, the soul needs something more substantial than ceremonies and rituals to lean upon. Apart from vital godliness all religion is utterly vain; offered without a sincere heart, every form of worship is a solemn sham and an impudent mockery of the majesty of heaven.

HEART-RENDING is divinely wrought and solemnly felt. It is a secret grief which is personally experienced, not in mere form, but as a deep, soul-moving work of the Holy Spirit upon the inmost heart of each believer. It is not a matter to be merely talked of and believed in, but keenly and sensitively felt in every living child of the living God. It is powerfully humiliating, and completely sin-purging; but then it is sweetly preparative for those gracious consolations which proud unhumbled spirits are unable to receive; and it is distinctly discriminating, for it belongs to the elect of God, and to them alone.

The text commands us to rend our hearts, but they are naturally hard as marble: how, then, can this be done? We must take them to Calvary: a dying Saviour's voice rent the rocks once, and it is as powerful now. O blessed Spirit, let us hear the death-cries of Jesus, and our hearts shall be rent even as men rend their vestures in the day of lamentation.


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