第三週■週二

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晨興餧養

結三六26『我也要賜給你們新心，將新靈放在你們裏面；又從你們的肉體中除掉石心，賜給你們肉心。』

太十三8『但有的落在好土裏，就結果實，有的一百倍，有的六十倍，有的三十倍。』

〔馬太十三章八節的〕好土象徵好的心，沒有爲屬世的交通往來所硬化，沒有隱藏的罪，也沒有今世的思慮和錢財的迷惑。這樣的心讓出每一寸的地土，接受主的話，使主的話可以長大，結出果實，甚至結了百倍。（23。）（聖經恢復本，太十三8 註1。）

信息選讀

心與生命旣有這樣重要的關係，所以神爲要叫祂的生命能從我們裏面律出去，就不得不來對付我們的心。我們的心向着神總不外有四大問題，就是：不輭，不清，不愛，不安。不輭，是心志的問題；不清，不只是心思的問題，也是心情的問題；不愛，就只是心情的問題；而不安，乃是良心的問題。…神…來對付這四方面，叫我們的心能輭，能清，能愛，能安。

第一，神是要我們的心輭。心輭就是心志向神是折服的，是柔順的，沒有強項，沒有悖逆。神來對付我們的心，使我們的心能輭，乃是除掉我們的石心，賜給我們肉心，（結三六26，）就是把我們剛硬的石心，輭化成柔輭的肉心。

當我們剛得救的時候，心總是輭下來的。但有的人過些時候心又回頭剛硬起來，不順服主，甚至也不怕主，在主面前就又落下去了。所以我們的心甚麼時候硬了，我們甚麼時候就在神面前出了問題。我們在神面前屬靈生活的光景要對，必須心一直不硬，一直輭化纔可以。…怕得罪神…是應該的。天不要怕，地也不要怕，就是要怕得罪神。要把我們的心對付到這樣輭，纔可以。可惜有的弟兄姊妹，在許多事上都是輭的，就是一題到神和神的旨意，就硬起來了。…也有的弟兄姊妹，對甚麼事都是硬的，可是一題到神和神的旨意，他就輭了。這樣纔是一個心輭的人。我們要求神使我們的心能這樣輭。

神怎樣使我們的心輭，怎樣輭化我們的心？有時是用祂的愛來感動我們，有時是用祂的管教來擊打我們。神常是先用祂的愛來感動，若是愛感不動，就用祂的手藉着環境來擊打，直到我們的心輭下來。我們的心一輭下來，祂的生命就能在我們裏面運行了。

第二，神是要我們的心清。心清就是心思專一的思念神，也是心情向着神純一不雜，（參林後十一3，）只愛神、要神，除神以外，別無愛慕、傾向或想望。馬太五章八節說，『清心的人…必看見神。』所以心若不清，就不得看見神。只要我們的心思有一點思念在神之外的事物，或是我們的心情有一點愛慕在神之外的東西，我們的心就不清了，我們靈裏的生命也就因此受了阻礙。所以我們必須『同那清心呼求主的人』追求基督，（提後二22，）作一個清心愛主、要神的人，纔能讓神的生命在我們裏面自由運行。（李常受文集一九五三年第三册，一四七至一四九頁。）

參讀：生命的認識，第十篇。

WEEK 3 — DAY 2

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Morning Nourishment

Ezek. 36:26 I will also give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.

Matt. 13:8 But others fell on the good earth and yielded fruit, one a hundredfold, and one sixtyfold, and one thirtyfold.

The good earth [in Matthew 13:8] signifies the good heart that is not hardened by worldly traffic, that is without hidden sins, and that is without the anxiety of the age and the deceitfulness of riches. Such a heart gives every inch of its ground to receive the word that the word may grow, bear fruit, and produce even a hundredfold (v. 23). (Matt. 13:8, footnote 1)

Today’s Reading

Since the heart is so vitally related to life, God has no other alternative but to deal with our heart so that His life might be regulated out from us. Toward God, our heart has four great problems: hardness, impurity, unlovingness, and unpeacefulness. Hardness is a matter of the will, impurity is a matter not only of the mind but also of the emotion, unlovingness is a matter of the emotion, and unpeacefulness is a matter of the conscience…[God] deals with these four aspects so that our heart may be soft, pure, loving, and at peace.

First, God wants our heart to be soft. To be soft means that the will of the heart toward God is submissive and yielding, not stiff-necked and rebellious. When God deals with our heart so that our heart is soft, He takes away the heart of stone out of our flesh and gives us a heart of flesh (Ezek. 36:26). This means that He softens our hard, stony heart so that it becomes a soft heart of flesh.

When we are newly saved, the heart is always softened. But after a certain time the heart of some turns back and becomes hard again. Not being submissive to the Lord and not even fearing the Lord, they gradually fall away from the Lord’s presence. Whenever our heart is hardened, we have a problem before God. If we desire the condition of our spiritual living before God to be right, our heart must not be hardened; on the contrary, it must be continually softened…We ought to be fearful of offending God. Fear not heaven, and fear not earth; only fear to offend God. Our heart must be dealt with until it is soft to this extent; then it is all right. It is indeed sad that many brothers and sisters are soft in many things; yet as soon as God and the will of God are mentioned, they become very hard…There are also brothers and sisters who are hard toward everything; yet when God and the will of God are mentioned, they become soft. Such people have soft hearts. We should ask God to make our heart soft like this.

How does God make our heart soft? How does He soften our heart? Sometimes He uses His love to move us, and sometimes He uses chastisement to strike us. God often uses His love first to move us; if love cannot move us, He uses His hand through the environment to strike us until our heart is softened. Once our heart is softened, His life can work within us.

Second, God wants our heart to be pure. A pure heart means a heart that sets its mind specifically on God. It is also a heart in which the emotion is exceedingly pure and simple toward God. (See 2 Cor. 11:3.) It only loves God and wants God; besides God, it has no other love, inclination, or desire. Matthew 5:8 says, “The pure in heart…shall see God.” Thus, if the heart is not pure, we cannot see God. If our thought is a little concerned with things outside of God, or if our emotion has a little love toward things outside of God, our heart is no longer pure; the life in our spirit is also hindered because of this. Therefore, we must pursue “with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22), and be those who love the Lord and want God with a pure heart; then we can let the life of God work freely within us. (CWWL, 1953, vol. 3, “The Knowledge of Life,” pp. 110-111)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1953, vol. 3, “The Knowledge of Life,” ch. 10