第二週．週三

晨興餧養

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太六６『你禱告的時候，要進你的密室，關上門，禱告你在隱密中的父，你父在隱密中察看，必要報答你。』

１８『為要不叫人，只叫你在隱密中的父，看出你在禁食；你父在隱密中察看，必要報答你。』

那些只知道顯揚己並炫耀肉體的聖徒，不會在生命裏長大。真正生命的長大，乃是除去己。…我們該多多禱告，但不要讓別人知道我們有多少禱告；這纔是健康的。你若天天禱告而不告訴別人，或者不讓別人知道，這表示你是健康的，並且你正在長大。然而，假定你一直告訴別人你有多少禱告，你若這樣作，不僅要失去賞賜，你也不健康，不會在生命裏長大。我們都必須承認，我們裏面有狡猾的己、詭詐的肉體。…當我們獨自在房間禱告的時候，我們常常盼望別人能聽見。照樣，我們行義，用意是要別人能看見。這樣的願望和用意是不健康的；這些指明我們不是在生命裏長大。…你的義行若在隱密中，你就能確信自己是在生命裏長大，並且是健康的。但無論何時你在義行上顯揚自己，你就不健康。這樣的顯揚大大阻撓了你在生命裏長大。（馬太福音生命讀經，二九一至二九二頁。）

信息選讀

宇宙指明神是隱藏的，神是隱密的。…我們也許看見了神所作的事，但我們沒有人見過祂，因為祂總是隱藏的，總是隱密的。神的生命屬於這樣隱密和隱藏的性質。我們若憑著自己的生命愛人，這生命就想要在人面前炫耀自己。但我們若憑著神的愛愛人，這愛就始終是隱藏的。我們人的生命喜愛炫耀、公開顯揚，但神的生命總是隱藏的。假冒為善的人就是有外面的表顯，裏面卻空無一物的人。他所有的一切僅僅是外面的表演，裏面沒有實際。這完全與神的性情和祂隱藏的生命相對。雖然神的內涵極其豐富，但表顯出來的只有一點點。我們若憑著這神聖的生命而活，也許會多多禱告，但別人不會知道我們禱告了多少。我們可能多多施捨，幫助別人，但沒有人會知道我們給了多少。我們可能常常禁食，但這也不為人所知。我們裏面可能有許多，但表顯出來的卻不多。這就是國度子民在行義一事上的性質。

這與屬世之人的性質迥然不同。當世人捐出一百元時，他們就大作廣告，好像他們捐了一筆很大的數目。但我們基督徒捐出一百元時，最好只讓別人知道我們捐了一角。我們所作的比別人所看見的多。我們在天然的生命裏，絕不能實行這樣的施捨，只有在神聖的生命，不喜歡顯揚的生命裏，纔可能這樣實行。這是本段話的重點。

我們若認真要成為國度的子民，就必須學習憑著我們父隱藏的生命而活。我們不可憑著自己天然的生命而活，這生命總是炫耀自己。我們若憑著我們父隱藏的生命而活，我們會作許多事而不公開顯揚。反之，我們所作的一切都會在隱密中，從人眼前隱藏。許多聖徒的傳記顯示他們在隱密中作了某些事，這些事常常到他們死後纔為人所知。這是正確的路。…我們的禱告該在隱密中。…國度子民必須有密室禱告的經歷，在隱密中接觸他們的天父，經歷對父隱密的享受，並從祂接受隱密的回答。［太六6。］（馬太福音生命讀經，二九二至二九三、二九五至二九六頁。）

參讀：馬太福音生命讀經，第二十一篇。

WEEK 2 — DAY 3

Morning Nourishment

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Matt. 6:6 But you, when you pray, enter into your private room, and shut your door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

          18 So that you may not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

Those saints who know only to make a show of the self and a display of the flesh will not grow in life. The genuine growth in life is to cut off the self…We should pray much yet not let others know how much we pray. This is healthy. If you pray every day without telling others or letting them know about it, it means that you are healthy and that you are growing. However, suppose you always tell others how much you pray. If you do this, you will not only lose your reward, but you will not grow in life or be healthy. We all must admit that we have the subtle self, the subtle flesh, within us … When we pray alone in our room, we often wish that others could hear us. Likewise, we do our righteous deeds with the intention that others could see them. Such desires and intentions are not healthy; they indicate that we are not growing in life…If your righteous deeds are in secret, you may be assured that you are growing in life and are healthy. But any time you exhibit yourself in your righteous deeds, you are not healthy. Such an exhibition greatly frustrates your growth in life. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 244-245)

Today’s Reading

The universe indicates that God is hidden, that God is secret…We may have seen the things done by God, but none of us has ever seen Him, for He is always hidden, always secret. God’s life is of such a secret and hidden nature. If we love others by our own life, this life will seek to make a display of itself before men. But if we love others by the love of God, this love will always remain hidden. Our human life loves to make a display, a public show, but God’s life is always hidden. A hypocrite is one who has an outward manifestation without having anything within. Everything he has is merely an outward show; there is no reality inwardly. This is absolutely contrary to God’s nature and to His hidden life. Although God has so much within Him, only a little is manifested. If we live by this divine life, we may pray much, but others will not know how much we have prayed. We may give a great deal to help others, but no one will know how much we give. We may fast often, but this also will not be known by others. We may have a great deal within us, but very little will be manifested. This is the nature of the kingdom people in the doing of their righteous deeds.

This is vastly different from the nature of the worldly people. When the worldly ones donate a hundred dollars, they advertise it, making it appear that they have given a much greater amount. But when we Christians give a hundred dollars, it is better that we only let others know that we have given a dime. We do more than what is visible to others. We can never practice this kind of giving in our natural life. It is possible only in the divine life, the life that does not enjoy making a show. This is the crucial point in this portion of the Word.

If we are serious about being the kingdom people, we must learn to live by the hidden life of our Father. We must not live by our natural life, which is always making a display of itself. If we live by our Father’s hidden life, we will do many things without making any public show of them. Rather, all that we do will be in secret, hidden from the eyes of others. The biographies of many saints reveal that they did certain things in secret, things that often were not made known until after they had died. This is the right way. Our prayer should be in secret…The kingdom people must have some experience of prayer in their private room, contacting their heavenly Father in secret, experiencing some secret enjoyment of the Father, and receiving some secret answer from Him [Matt. 6:6]. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 245- 246, 248)

Further Reading: Life-study of Matthew, msg. 21