第四週■週六
晨興餧養
提後一2『寫信給我親愛的孩子提摩太：願恩典、憐憫、平安，從父神和我們的主基督耶穌歸與你。』
雅二12 ～ 13『你們旣然要按自由的律法受審判，就該照這律法說話行事。因爲那不憐憫人的，也要受無憐憫的審判；憐憫原是向審判誇勝。』
在保羅的書信裏，只有提摩太前後書開頭的問安說到神的憐憫。神的憐憫比神的恩典達到的更遠。在召會墮落的光景中，神的憐憫是需要的。這憐憫帶進神豐富的恩典，彀應對任何的墮落。（提摩太後書生命讀經，二頁。）
信息選讀
輕看貧窮的弟兄，就是無憐憫。凡這樣輕看弟兄的，顯在基督審判臺前的時候，也必不蒙憐憫。…〔在雅各書二章十三節〕雅各告訴我們，不可輕看我們的弟兄。倘若我們輕看弟兄，意思就是不憐憫他；那麼，我們來到主面前受審判的時候，祂也不會憐憫我們，因爲我們不憐憫弟兄。因此，我們必須憐憫人，因爲正如雅各所說，憐憫原是向審判誇勝、誇耀。〔13。〕我們今天若憐憫弟兄，將來在主審判臺前也要蒙主憐憫。（雅各書生命讀經，六三頁。）
我們若要服事主，就必須認識那靈、那靈裏的生命、以及神的義。不僅如此，我們還必須認識神在祂恩典揀選裏的憐憫。…我仰望主，使我們對祂揀選我們的憐憫這件事有深刻的印象。不要信靠你能作甚麼，或是你計畫要作甚麼；反之，要在主面前俯伏，爲着祂的憐憫敬拜祂。你越爲着主的憐憫敬拜祂，你就越被拔高。不要掙扎努力去背負責任；你會發現在主的憐憫裏，乃是主在背負你。我們都需要這樣來認識主。主揀選我們、豫定我們、呼召我們，並且把我們擺在祂的恢復裏，這是何等的憐憫！對於我們的將來，我們不信靠自己，我們乃是信靠祂，以及祂奇妙的憐憫。每一件與我們有關的事，都是主發起的。一切都在於祂，沒有一件事是出於我們的。我能作見證，我們越爲着神的憐憫敬拜祂，我們就越深入祂的心，也越與祂是一。
不要掙扎着想背負甚麼責任，反要爲着神的揀選敬拜祂。你若這樣作，祂就要背負着你來負責任。我們越想憑自己來負責任，我們裏面就越受苦，並且滿了苦味。但我們若爲着主的憐憫敬拜祂，並經歷祂背負着我們來負責任，我們裏面就滿了甜如蜜的味道。我天天喜樂的原因之一，就是我學會信靠主的憐憫，並且爲此敬拜祂。多年前，我常求主爲我作許多事，但現在我的禱告則是爲着祂的憐憫感謝祂。祂說，祂要向誰施憐憫，就向誰施憐憫，要對誰動憐恤，就對誰動憐恤。我們若享受主的憐憫，爲着祂的揀選敬拜祂，我們就要在諸天界裏了。
我們同主前行，並不在於我們的定意或奔跑，乃在於神的憐憫。我們的定意是無益的，我們的奔跑是徒然的。然而，神的憐憫卻行奇妙的事。我們是善變的，總是刻變時翻。我們屬靈的光景有如不穩定的天氣。因此，我們需要看見，恩典的揀選並不在於我們，乃在於神在創立世界以前就揀選了我們。我們今天所經歷的，與神在已過永遠裏的揀選有關。我們若看見這個，就會轉眼不看自己，不看我們的環境，只定睛注視祂。（羅馬書生命讀經，七二四至七二五頁。）
參讀：雅各書生命讀經，第六篇；羅馬書生命讀經，第五十八篇。
WEEK 4 — DAY 6
Morning Nourishment
2 Tim. 1:2 To Timothy, beloved child: Grace, mercy, peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
James 2:12-13 So speak and so do as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom. For the judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
Only in 1 and 2 Timothy, among all his Epistles, did the apostle include God’s mercy in the opening greeting. God’s mercy reaches farther than His grace. In the degraded situation of the churches, God’s mercy is needed. This mercy brings in God’s rich grace, which is sufficient to deal with any degradation. (Life-study of 2 Timothy, p. 2)
Todays Reading
To despise a poor brother is to have no mercy. Anyone who despises a poor brother in this way will not receive mercy when he appears before the judgment seat of Christ. [In James 2:13] James is telling us not to despise our brother. If we despise a brother, this means that we do not have mercy on him. Then when we come before the Lord to be judged, He will not show mercy to us, because we have not shown mercy to our brother. Therefore, we need to show mercy, for, as James says, mercy triumphs over, boasts over, judgment. If we have mercy on our brother today, we will receive mercy from the Lord at His judgment seat. (Life-study of James, p. 51)
If we would serve the Lord, we must know the Spirit, the life in the Spirit, and the righteousness of God. Furthermore, we must know God’s mercy in the selection of grace…I look to the Lord that He will deeply impress us with the matter of His mercy in selecting us. Do not put your trust in what you are able to do or in what you plan to do. Rather, bow down before the Lord and worship Him for His mercy. The more you worship the Lord for His mercy, the more you will be uplifted. Instead of striving to bear responsibility, you will find that, in His mercy, the Lord is bearing you. We all need to know the Lord in this way. What a mercy that He has selected us, predestinated us, called us, and placed us in His recovery! For our future we trust not in ourselves but in Him and in His marvelous mercy. Everything regarding us has been initiated by the Lord. All is of Him; nothing is of us. I can testify that the more we worship God for His mercy, the more we are deeply in His heart and the more we are one with Him.
Do not strive to bear responsibility. Instead, worship God for His selection. If you do this, He will bear you in the bearing of responsibility. The more we try in ourselves to be responsible, the more we will suffer inwardly. Our inward taste will be that of bitterness. But if we worship the Lord for His mercy and experience Him bearing us in bearing the responsibility, our inward taste will be as sweet as honey. One reason I am happy day by day is that I have learned to trust in the Lord’s mercy and to worship Him for it. Years ago I used to ask the Lord to do so many things for me. But now I pray by thanking Him for His mercy. He said that He will have mercy on whomever He will have mercy and compassion on whomever He will have compassion. If we enjoy the Lord’s mercy and worship Him for His selection, we will be in the heavenlies.
Our going on with the Lord is a matter not of our willing or running but of God’s mercy. Our willing is of no avail, and our running is in vain. God’s mercy, however, works in a wonderful way. We are changeable, constantly fluctuating. It seems that, as far as we are concerned, our spiritual condition is like weather that is unstable. Hence, we need to see that the selection of grace does not depend on us but depends on God’s selection of us before the world began. What we are experiencing today is related to God’s selection in eternity past. If we see this, we will turn our eyes away from ourselves and from our circumstances and gaze steadfastly upon Him. (Life-study of Romans, pp. 593-594)
Further Reading: Life-study of James, msg. 6; Life-study of Romans, msg. 58
