經文: 「你們當以基督耶穌的心為心。」— [聖經·腓立比書 2章5節]
耶穌基督的心是怎樣一顆心？「祂本有上帝的形象，不以自己與上帝同等為強奪，反倒虛己，取了奴僕的形象，成為人的樣式，既有人的樣子，就自己卑微，存心順服，以至於死，且死在十字架上。」(腓立比書 二6-8)。耶穌如此犧牲順服的生命，和愛人生命靈魂的大愛，就是上帝將耶穌升為至高的原因，我們理當效法耶穌的榜樣。祂為拯救人類，虛己成為人的樣式，我們也當被模成耶穌的樣式，擁有上帝的生命去愛上帝愛人。
犧牲捨己、甘心順服上帝的旨意，成就上帝救贖人類的計劃，這就是耶穌基督的生命，也是祂來到世間的目的。「愛是不求自己的益處。」(哥林多前書 十三5)，這就是耶穌生命的寫照，祂活著就是要討天父的歡心並使人蒙福。
千萬不要說這是辦不到的事，「在人是不能，在上帝凡事都能。」(馬可福音 十27)，我們之所以被拯救揀選，就是被呼召以謹慎戒懼的心活出基督徒的品格，因為上帝要作工在我們裡面，且樂意成就祂的美意。
常聽人這麼說：傳道人在傳道前要先行道，如此眾人才明白他所傳的信息，即所謂的言教不如身教。是的，我們有如天國的大使，惟有藉著愛心的具體行動，才能將隱藏的耶穌表彰出來。
因為教會一直在教導信徒，如何效法基督做個好基督徒，所以傳道人很自然地也是傳遞這樣的信息：「要效法我們，因為我們是屬基督的。」
讓我們不斷地操練直到我們的信心抓住這個應許：「上帝要作工在我心裡。」，如此我們就會剛強壯膽、信心百倍，聖靈的能力就自然產生，來配合上帝對我們的呼召。無論傳道人或平信徒，但願這個金句：「要以基督的心為心。」成為終其一生努力不懈的目標，且不斷調整心態、修正腳步直到完全為止。
—《 神 的 心 意 》
[每日靈修 8月1日]
作者：慕安德烈
編輯：榮華興
『 The Christ Like Life 』
Scripture: “Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” — [Philippians 2:3]
And what was the mind that was in Christ Jesus ? “Being in the form of God, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the Cross.” Self-emptying and self-sacrifice, obedience to God’s will, and love to men, even unto the death of the Cross – such was the character of Christ for which God so highly exalted Him. Such is the character of Christ that we are to imitate. He was made in the likeness of men, that we might be conformed into the likeness of God.
Self-effacement, self-sacrifice, that God’s will might be done, and that man might be saved – such was the life of Christ. “Love seeketh not its own.” This was His life; He lived only to please God and to bless men.
Let no one say that this is an impossibility. “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” We are called to work out this salvation of a Christlike character with fear and trembling; for “it is God that worketh in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” He of whom Christ said, “It is the Father in me that doeth the works,” is He who works in us to will and to do.
It has been said that the “missionary who is to commend the Gospel must first embody it in a character fully conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ. It is only as far as he can live Christ before the eyes of the converts that he can help them to understand his message. It has at times come to pass that our representatives on the field, just because they are what we have made them, have far too often hidden the Christ whom they are giving their lives to reveal.”
As the Church aims at making some marked degree of likeness to Christ’s character the standard for Christian teachers, our missionaries will be able to pass this on to their converts, and say to them: “Be ye followers of us, even as we are of Christ.”
Let us not rest until our faith lays hold of the promise, “It is God that worketh in us.” The confidence will be aroused, that as the character of Christ is the revelation with which every missionary has been entrusted, so the power will be given to fulfil this high and holy calling. Let ministers and missionaries and all intercessors make this their one great plea and aim to have this mind that was in Christ Jesus.
— God’s Best Secrets by Andrew Murray
「 1 August 」
