1月2日

標 題：禍哉！

經 節：那時我說︰「禍哉！我滅亡了！因為我是嘴唇不潔的人，又住在嘴唇不潔的民中，又因我眼見大君王─萬軍之耶和華。」（以賽亞書六章5節）

以尊崇的眼光來仰望神，使我們能清楚地洞視罪的本質，並且能真實地認識自己的本相。相反地，小看神則會減低我們對罪的敏感度，並且自我膨脹、高看自己。以賽亞在沒有親眼看見神那無法用言語形容的榮耀之前，也許正滿足於自己個人的聖潔。朝見聖潔的神，使得以賽亞立即敏銳地察覺自己的不潔和周圍百姓的罪過。敬拜神卻又依然故我是不可能的。我們真實敬拜神的最佳指針是一顆被改變的心。

我們是否已經滿足於不聖潔的生活方式，且與罪惡的世界同流合污呢？當有些人活出神的心意的同時，我們是否視他們為「超級屬靈」，而自己甘於落入罪惡的深淵？如果我們只與周遭的人比較個人的聖潔，我們可能誤以為自己正活出聖潔的生活。然而，當我們朝見聖潔的神時，我們唯一的反應可能是「禍哉！」

除非你周遭的人能清楚地認出你的確與世人不同，不然他們不會相信耶穌。神要使你聖潔，就如同祂是聖潔的一樣。當神管教你的時候，你的生命會徹底地被煉淨。這種被煉淨後的生活與世界的潮流走向絕對不相同。如此一來，你奉獻的生命將會使世人（包括你周遭的人）確信你是服事一位聖潔的神。

Woe Is Me!

So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts." '(Isaiah 6:5)

An exalted view of God brings a clear view of sin and a realistic view of self. A diminished view of God brings a reduced concern for sin and an inflated view of self. Isaiah may have been satisfied with his personal holiness until he saw the Lord in His unspeakable glory. Isaiah’s encounter with holy God made him immediately and keenly aware of his own unholiness and the sinfulness of those around him. It is impossible to worship God and remain unchanged. The best indication that we have truly worshiped is a changed heart.

Have we so conformed ourselves to a sinful world that we are satisfied with unholy living? Have we sunk so far below God’s standard that when someone does live as God intended, we consider that person “super spiritual”? If we only compare our personal holiness to those around us, we may be deceived into believing that we are living a consecrated life. Yet when we encounter holy God, our only response can be “Woe is me!”

You will not see those around you trusting Jesus until they recognize a clear difference between you and the rest of the world. God wants to sanctify you as He is holy. When God deals with you, there will be a radical degree of purity about your life that is absolutely different from what the world can produce. The world, including those closest to you, will be convinced you serve a holy God by your consecrated life.