9月12日 合一：主的产业
合一：主的产业
“父啊，祢我之间可曾有过任何不和？既然他们是属祢也属我的，如今又怎能彼此相争呢？”
基督一结束讲论，就为门徒祷告。合一与和睦是祂极切望留给他们的产业，这也是祂当下求神赐给他们的恩典：“圣父啊，求你因你所赐给我的名保守他们”（约17:11）。随后祂又说，“叫他们合而为一，像我们一样。”这就仿佛在求问：“父啊，祢我之间可曾有过任何不和？既然他们是属祢也属我的，如今又怎能彼此相争呢？”基督又再次为同样的恩慈恳切代求，这不是因为很难从神那里求得这福分，而是因为祂深爱祂的百姓，深切渴望他们彼此合一、彼此相爱。请注意，耶稣在反复为这合一祈求时，未曾为自己的性命求过一字。既然如此，我们怎能轻忽合一的价值呢？
祂曾告诉儿女们，他们在世人手中必会遭遇各样的患难。然而，相较于求神免去他们的苦难，祂更恳切地祈求他们不要彼此相争。祂知道，若祂的圣徒能在怜悯中同心合意，这属天之爱的火焰，就能熄灭逼迫者燃起的烈焰，或至少能消除那火所带来的恐惧。简而言之，凡活在争竞与纷争中的圣徒，都是在得罪基督亲自为他们献上的有力代求。
基督为成就和平付出了极大的代价。正如耶稣先是传讲和平，随后借着祷告从天上赐下和平；祂不仅为此代求，更亲自为此付上代价。然而，祂的祷告绝不像我们那样，是乞丐般的哀求。祂向神所求的，正是祂将要以重价买赎回来的。那时祂正走向那偿付赎价之地，就是各各他。在那里，祂甘心倾倒自己的宝血，作为成就和平的赎价。当然，这首要是指我们与神之间的和好，但基督心中同样挂念着另一种和睦，那就是弟兄之间的彼此相爱。
麦琴（麦克谦）读经计划进度
家庭敬拜：撒下7章，林后1章，
个人灵修：结15章，约16章
SEPTEMBER 12, SATURDAY
UNITY WAS HIS LEGACY
“Father, has there ever been any discord between You and Me? Then why should these who are Yours and Mine disagree now?”
As soon as Christ finished His sermon He went to prayer for His disciples. Unity and peace was the legacy He wished so much to leave with them, and this was the request He now asked God to give them: “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me” (John 17:11). And then He added, “that they may be one, as we are.” It is as if He had asked, “Father, has there ever been any discord between You and Me? Then why should these who are Yours and Mine disagree now?” Again, Christ continues to plead hard for the same mercy, not because it was so hard to wrest this blessing from God but because His desire for His people’s unity and love was for their sakes. Notice also that Jesus did not speak a word for His own life while He redoubled His prayer for this unity. How can we thus miss its value?
He told His children what they must look for at the world’s hand—all kinds of tribulation. Yet He did not pray so much for their immunity from suffering as He did against contentions amongst them. He knew that if His saints could agree in compassion, this heavenly fire of love would quench the flames of their persecutors’ fire, or at least the terror of them. In a word, saints who live in strife and contention are sinning against the strong prayers which Christ Himself uttered on their behalf.
The price Christ paid for peace was great. Just as Jesus went from preaching peace to pulling down peace from heaven by prayer, so He went from praying about it to paying for it, but His prayers were not the petitions of a beggar, as ours are. He prayed that God would give Him only what He had paid for. And He was on His way to the place of payment, Calvary, where His blood was the price He willingly laid down for peace. Now this was principally our peace with God but Christ had this other peace in mind also—love among the brethren.