January 6
Hold fast to the LORD your God. — Joshua 23:8
Scripture reading: Genesis 32:24–33:11
If God is ever disappointed when you wait in His presence, it will be because you are not fervent. If you are not serious and intense, you disappoint God. If God is with you and you know it, be in earnest. Pray and believe: “Hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end” (Hebrews 3:6). If you do not, you disappoint God.
Jacob was that way. God said, “You are not real enough; you are not hot enough; you are too ordinary; you are no good to Me unless you are filled with zeal—white hot!” The Angel of the Lord said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks” (Genesis 32:26). Jacob knew if God went without blessing him, he could not meet Esau. If you are left alone with God and you cannot get to a place of victory, it is a terrible time. You must never let go, whatever you are seeking—fresh revelation, light for your path, some particular need—never let go. Victory is ours if we are earnest enough.
You must always master that with which you are wrestling. If darkness covers you, if a fresh revelation is what you need, or if your mind needs to be relieved, always get the victory. God says you are not earnest enough. You say, “The Word does not say that.” But it was in God‘s mind. In wrestling, the strength is in the neck, chest, and thigh; the thigh is the source of strength. So God touched Jacob‘s thigh. With that strength gone, defeat is sure.
What did Jacob do? He hung on. Jacob said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” (v. 26). And God blessed him: “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel” (v. 28). The change of Jacob to Israel was wonderful! Now Jacob had power.
What happened after that? Read how God blessed and honored him. Esau met him. There was no fighting now. What a blessed state of grace! They kissed each other: “When a man‟s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Proverbs 16:7).
“What about all these cattle, Jacob?”
“Oh, they are a present.”
“I have plenty; I don‘t want your cattle. What a joy it is to see your face again!”
What a wonderful change! Who caused it? God.
Could Jacob hold God? Can you hold God? Yes, you can. Sincerity can hold Him, dependence can hold Him, weakness can hold Him, for “when [you are] weak, then [you are] strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). I‘ll tell you what cannot hold Him: self-righteousness cannot hold Him; pride cannot hold Him; assumption cannot hold Him; high-mindedness cannot hold Him—thinking you are something when you are nothing, puffed up in your imagination. You can hold Him in your prayer closet, in the prayer meeting, everywhere: “If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20).
Can you hold Him? You may sometimes think that He has left you. Oh, no! He does not leave Jacob, Israel. What changed his name? Jacob obtained the blessing because of the favor of God and his yieldedness to God‘s will. God‘s Spirit was working in him to bring him to a place of helplessness. God worked to bring him to Bethel, the place of victory. Jacob remembered Bethel, and through all the trying circumstances, he had kept his vow. (See Genesis 28:20–22.) When we make vows and keep them, God helps us and
leads us to victory.
Thought for today: Let us in all our seeking see that we have the favor of God. Keep His commandments. Walk in the Spirit. Be tenderhearted and lovable. If we do these things, our ministry will be a blessing to others.
通向胜利之路
1月6日
要紧紧倚靠你们的神耶和华。——约书亚记 23:8
经文阅读：创世纪 32:24–33:11
如果当你在神面前等候时，神感到失望，那是因为你不够热切。如果你不认真、不专注，你就会让神失望。如果神与你同在，而你知道这一点，就当认真。祷告并相信：“要坚持那向终极坚固的盼望的信心和喜乐”（希伯来书 3:6）。如果你不这样做，你就会让神失望。
雅各就是那样的人。上帝说：“你不够真实；你不够热烈；你太普通；除非你充满热心——炽热的热心，否则你对我毫无用处！”耶和华的使者说：“让我去吧，因为天快亮了”（创世记 32:26）。雅各知道，如果上帝在未赐福他之前离开，他就无法去见以扫。如果你独自与上帝相处而无法达到胜利的境地，那将是非常痛苦的时刻。不管你在寻找什么——新的启示、指引你道路的光、或某种特定的需要——都不要放手。如果我们足够虔诚，胜利就是我们的。
你必须始终掌握你所挣扎的对象。如果黑暗笼罩你，如果你需要新的启示，或者你的心智需要得到释放，总是要获得胜利。上帝说你不够真诚。你会说，“圣言没有这样说。”但这在上帝的心意中。在摔跤中，力量在于颈部、胸部和大腿；大腿是力量的源泉。所以上帝触碰了雅各的大腿。力量一旦消失，失败就是必然的。
雅各做了什么？他紧紧抓住。雅各说：“我不让你走，除非你赐福给我！”（第26节）上帝就赐福给他：“你的名字不再叫雅各，要叫以色列”（第28节）。雅各变为以色列真是奇妙！现在雅各有了力量。
那之后发生了什么？阅读上帝如何赐福和尊荣他。以扫遇见了他。现在没有争斗了，多么蒙福的恩典状态啊！他们彼此亲嘴：“人的行为蒙耶和华喜悦，连他的仇敌也与他和好。”（箴言 16:7）
“雅各，这些牛怎么办？”
“哦，他们是礼物。”
“我有很多；我不需要你的牛。再次见到你的面孔真是太高兴了！”
多么美妙的变化啊！是谁造成的？是上帝。
雅各能抓住神吗？你能抓住神吗？是的，你可以。真诚可以抓住祂，依靠可以抓住祂，软弱可以抓住祂，因为“因为我的能力是在人的软弱上显得完全”（哥林多后书12:10）。我来告诉你什么抓不住祂：自以为义抓不住祂；骄傲抓不住祂；假设抓不住祂；自高自大抓不住祂——自以为自己有价值而实际上什么也不是，在自己的想象中自高自大。你可以在你的祷告室里抓住祂，在祷告会上抓住祂，到处都可以抓住祂：“看哪，我站在门外叩门，若有听见我声音就开门的，我要进到他那里去，我与他，他与我一同吃饭”（启示录3:20）。
你能抓住他吗？你有时可能会认为他离开了你。哦，不！他不会离开雅各，也不会离开以色列。是谁改变了他的名字呢？雅各因蒙神的恩宠，以及顺服神的旨意而获得了祝福。神的灵在他里面工作，使他到达无助的地步。神的工作是为了带他到伯特利，那胜利之地。雅各记得伯特利，并且在所有的艰难环境中，他都守住了自己的誓言。（见创世记28:20–22。）当我们立誓并遵守誓言时，神会帮助我们，引领我们走向胜利。
今日的思考：在我们所有的寻求中，让我们看到自己得到上帝的恩宠。遵守祂的诫命。顺着圣灵行事。心存柔情，值得被爱。如果我们做到这些，我们的事工将会成为别人的祝福。
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