6月19日 向着标竿直跑
6月19日 向着标竿直跑
保罗说：“向着标竿直跑，要得神在基督耶稣里从上面召我来得的奖赏。”（腓3:14）
纯全的基督徒是不断长进的。直到步入天堂，他才会认为自己的旅程已经终结。这种心志使他始终紧紧倚靠神，他为着每一丝微小的恩宠感恩，却绝不会因领受了极大的恩典而沾沾自喜、停滞不前。大卫说：“我醒了的时候，得见你的形像，就心满意足了”（诗17:15）。他曾在神的殿中享受过无数甜美相交的时刻，圣灵也曾赐给他世人一无所知的隐藏珍馐；然而大卫深知，唯有到了天上，从神那里得着那完全的福分，他才会真正得着饱足。
当古代高卢人第一次品尝到意大利的美酒时，他们被那甘甜深深折服，以至于他们不甘心仅仅通过贸易换取这美酒，而是立志要征服那整片出产葡萄的土地！同样，纯全的基督徒也不会满足于仅仅在某些特殊的时刻，品尝一点从天上降下的恩典与安慰的“样品”，从而与神维持一种远距离的属灵交往。绝不！他心中所思念的，是得着那涌流出这些丰富恩典的蒙福之地，并期盼着在神的国度中，亲自畅饮国度的美酒。
这样的默想会提升人的灵魂，使其不断向上攀登，离天堂越来越近。瞄准天空的人，射出的箭总比只瞄准树梢的人飞得更高。保罗说：“向着标竿直跑，要得神在基督耶稣里从上面召我来得的奖赏。”（腓3:14）其他人或许会钦佩使徒的属灵成就，并对拥有这般经历心满意足；然而，保罗若不能攀登神恩典的崭新高峰，他将会痛苦万分。他承认自己尚未得着他所奔跑追求的标竿。因为奖赏并不在赛程的中途，而在终点；为此，保罗倾尽全力向着终点飞奔。
麦琴（麦克谦）读经计划进度
家庭敬拜：申24章，诗114-115章，
个人灵修：赛51章，启21章
JUNE 19, FRIDAY
PRESSING TOWARD THE MARK
Paul said, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
The sincere Christian is progressive. He never comes to his journey’s end until he gets to heaven. This keeps him always leaning into God, thankful for each little favor but not smugly content with great measures of grace. “When I awake,” said David, “I shall be satisfied with thy likeness” (Psalm 17:15). He had enjoyed many sweet hours of communion at the house of God; and the Holy Spirit had brought him covered dishes of which the world knew nothing. Yet David realized he would never have enough until heaven gave him his full portion.
When the Gauls first tasted the wines of Italy, they were so impressed with their sweetness that they would not just trade for this wine but resolved to conquer the whole land which furnished the grapes! Thus the sincere Christian does not think it is enough to receive samples of grace and comfort from heaven on special occasions, doing long-distance business with God. No, he meditates on taking that holy and blessed place which is the source of these riches and looks forward to drinking the wine of the kingdom in the kingdom.
This kind of meditation raises the soul to climb nearer and nearer heaven. The man who aims at the sky shoots higher than he who intends only to hit a tree. Paul said, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). Other people admired the apostle’s spiritual achievements and would have been happy with them; yet Paul would have been most unhappy had he never scaled new heights of God’s grace. He admitted that he had not apprehended what he was running for. The prize does not appear at midway but at the end of the race; and Paul ran toward it with full speed.