1月7日

標 題：因異象而活

經 節：沒有異象，民就放肆；惟遵守律法的，便為有福。（箴言廿九章18節）

世人以「遠見」行事，神的百姓是藉「異象」而活。世人尋找遠大與高貴的目標，運用心思構想最偉大和最令人滿足的事情，好投資他們的生命。機關行號訂立目標和方針，並整理籌畫來達到目標。神百姓的作法卻截然不同，基督徒以神的異象來計畫人生，不管他們自己是否覺得有道理。神並沒有詢問我們個人的意見，看看怎樣做對我們的未來、家庭、教會或國家最好。祂早已知道！神要祂的百姓留心，並且向我們顯明祂的感情和旨意。神的道路並非我們的道路（以賽亞書五十五：8∼9）！

一旦人們行事不以神的異象為準則，他們就「放肆」。也就是，他們做自己眼中認為正確的事。他們設立目標、安排行事曆、禱告求神祝福，有些基督徒根本沒有活在神的旨意中。然而，他們卻貿然禱告，想要神祝福他們努力的成果﹗

能夠知道神心意的唯一辦法是讓神向你啟示。你永遠不可能憑自己查找神的心意。當你聽見神的心意，有一件事要立刻去行，就是順服。如同箴言作者的觀察：「惟遵守律法的，便為有福。」

We Live by Revelation

Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law. (Proverbs 29:18)

The world operates on vision. God’s people live by revelation. The world seeks grand and noble purposes and goals to achieve. People dream up the greatest and most satisfying things in which they can invest their lives. Institutions establish goals and objectives and then organize themselves to achieve them. God’s people function in a radically different way. Christians arrange their lives based on the revelation of God, regardless of whether it makes sense to them. God does not ask for our opinion about what is best for our future, our family, our church, or our country. He already knows! What God wants is to get the attention of His people and reveal to us what is on His heart and what is His will, for God’s ways are not our ways! (Isa. 55:8–9).

Whenever people do not base their lives on God’s revelation, they “cast off restraint.” That is, they do what is right in their own eyes. They set their goals, arrange their agendas, and then pray for God’s blessings. Some Christians are living far outside the will of God, yet they have the audacity to pray and ask God to bless their efforts!

The only way for you to know God’s will is for Him to reveal it to you. You will never discover it on your own. When you hear from the Father, you have an immediate agenda for your life: obedience. As the writer of Proverbs observed: “Happy is he who keeps the law.”