第四週 • 週一

w04d01-ch

晨興餧養

約十五4~5 你們要住在我裏面，我也住在你們裏面。枝子若不住在葡萄樹上，自己就不能結果子，你們若不住在我裏面，也是這樣。我是葡萄樹，你們是枝子；住在我裏面的，我也住在他裏面，這人就多結果子；因為離了我，你們就不能作甚麼。

我們若要住在葡萄樹上，就必須看見我們是葡萄樹枝子的事實（約十五5）。我們住在基督裏，有賴於一清楚的異象：我們乃是葡萄樹上的枝子。我們若看見我們已經在祂裏面，我們就能住在祂裏面；我們不願離開祂。

我們一旦看見我們是葡萄樹上的枝子，就需要維持我們與葡萄樹之間的交通。任何的絕緣體都會使我們與葡萄樹豐富的供應隔絕。一點的不順從，一個罪，甚或罪的念頭，都能成為絕緣體，使我們與葡萄樹的豐富隔絕。我們若不定罪這樣的事，而緊持不放，這些東西就要使我們與葡萄樹的豐富供應隔絕。首先，我們必須看見我們是枝子；然後，我們需要維持我們與主之間的交通。我們與祂之間不該有任何東西。…從經歷中我們知道，即使是一件很小的事，都會使我們與葡萄樹豐富的供應隔絕。我們需要禱告主說，『主，願你我之間沒有任何間隔，使我與你豐富的供應隔絕。』（約翰福音生命讀經，四五六至四五七頁）

信息選讀

我們需要讓子住在我們裏面（約十五4~5）。…我們住在祂裏面，祂就住在我們裏面。但許多時候我們不給祂地位、空間以住在我們裏面。主渴望擴展祂在我們裏面的住留，然而我們卻喜歡弄窄祂的住留。我們限制祂。在住留的基督與我們之間一直有溫和的抗爭。當基督的住留逐漸在我們裏面擴展時，卻有一些東西在裏面限制了這位住留的基督。這位住留的基督想要逐漸得到更多的地位，甚至是一寸一寸的得到；但有時候，即使祂得着一寸，也都有抗爭。基督想要得到另一寸，但我們限制祂這樣作。…哦，我們何等需要維持我們與祂之間的交通，甘願讓祂得着更多的地位，使祂在我們裏面擴展。願我們讓主在我們裏面擴展祂自己，任祂取得祂所要的。我們若這樣作，就會有真正生命的長大。我們會看見生命在裏面增長。

為甚麼那麼多的聖徒幾乎沒有生命的長進？只因他們不讓主在他們裏面擴展。也許沒有絕緣體，卻有太多的限制。這住留的事是非常細緻而柔嫩的。請記住，我們必須留心兩件事—不要有任何絕緣體，也不要有任何限制。消除絕緣體比去掉限制容易。恐怕即使你讀這篇信息，你還沒有豫備好除去每個限制。讚美主，祂有耐心，且有恩慈。祂永不離開你，祂在等候，最多只是轉過臉去。祂能作的就是這麼多。但是祂仍留在這裏。願我們仰望祂的憐憫與恩典，好叫我們一直給祂地位在我們裏面擴展，允許祂擴展到我們裏面的每個角落和通道。這乃是生命長大的路。

葡萄樹的枝子無法單獨生存，離了樹，就要枯乾而死。枝子與葡萄樹的關係描繪出我們與主的關係。離了祂，我們就一無所是，一無所有，也一無所能。我們的所是、所有並所能，必須只在主裏面，也藉着主在我們裏面。對我們而言，住在主裏面，並讓主住在我們裏面，是非常重要的。否則，我們就完了，就甚麼都不是了。離了祂，我們就一無所是，一無所有，也一無所能。既然我們之於主是枝子，主之於我們是葡萄樹，我們就必須住在祂裏面，也讓祂住在我們裏面（約翰福音生命讀經，四五七至四五九頁）。

參讀：約翰福音生命讀經，第三十四篇。

WEEK 4—DAY 1

Morning Nourishment

John 15:4-5 Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.

If we are to abide in the vine, we must see the fact that we are the branches in the vine (John 15:5). Our abiding in Christ depends upon a clear vision that we are branches in the vine. If we see that we are already in Him, then we will be able to abide in Him. We will not want to stay away from Him.

Once we see the fact that we are branches in the vine, we need to maintain the fellowship between us and the vine. Any insulation will separate us from the rich supply of the vine tree. A little disobedience, a sin, or even a sinful thought can be the insulation that separates us from the riches of the vine. If we do not condemn such things but hold on to them, they will insulate us from the rich supply of the vine tree. First, we must see that we are branches. Then we need to maintain the fellowship between us and the Lord. Nothing should be between Him and us…From experience we know that even a small thing can insulate us from the rich supply of the vine tree. We need to pray to the Lord, “Lord, let there be nothing between You and me separating me from Your rich supply.” (Life-study of John, 2nd ed., pp. 391-392)

Today’s Reading

We need to let the Son abide in us (John 15:4-5)…We abide in Him, and He abides in us. But many times we do not give Him the ground, the space, to abide in us. The Lord desires to spread His abiding within us. However, we like to narrow down His abiding. We restrict Him. There is constantly a gentle struggle between the abiding Christ and us. While Christ’s abiding is gradually spreading within us, there is something within that restricts this abiding Christ. The abiding Christ wants to gain more ground gradually, even inch by inch. But sometimes there is a struggle over His gaining even one inch. Christ wants to gain another inch, but we restrict Him from doing so…Oh, how we need to keep our fellowship with Him and be willing to allow Him to take more ground and to expand within us! May we allow the Lord to spread Himself within us, taking as much ground as He wants. If we do this, we will have the real growth of life. We will see the growth of life within.

Why do so many of the saints scarcely grow in life? Simply because they do not allow the Lord to spread within them. There may be no insulation, but there is too much limitation. This matter of abiding is very delicate and tender. Please keep in mind that we must take care of two things—not to have any insulation and not to have any limitation. It is easier to eliminate the insulation than it is to remove the limitation. I am afraid that even as you read this message, you may not be ready to take away every limitation. Praise the Lord that He is patient and kind. He will never leave you. He is waiting. At the most, He will turn His face aside. That is all that He will do. But He will stay here. May we look to Him for mercy and grace that we may always give Him the ground to expand within us, allowing Him to spread into every corner and avenue of our inner being. This is the way to have the growth in life.

A branch of a vine cannot live by itself, for it will wither and die apart from the vine. The relationship between the branches and the vine pictures the relationship between us and the Lord. We are nothing, we have nothing, and we can do nothing apart from Him. What we are, what we have, and what we do must be only in the Lord and by the Lord in us. It is very important for us to abide in the Lord and for the Lord to abide in us. Otherwise, we will be finished and be nothing. Apart from Him we are nothing, we have nothing, and we can do nothing. Since we are the branches to the Lord and the Lord is the vine to us, we must abide in Him and let Him abide in us. (Life-study of John, 2nd ed., pp. 392-393)

Further Reading: Life-study of John, msg. 34