Author: Billy Conrad

July 22

Lord, what do You want me to do? — Acts 9:6

Scripture reading: Acts 9:1–22

In the midst of persecuting the Lord‘s disciples, Saul was confronted with a bright light from heaven (Acts 9:3). A voice spoke to him saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (v. 4). Saul asked who was speaking, and when Jesus identified Himself, Saul‘s response was, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” As soon as Saul was willing to yield, he was in a condition where God could meet his need, where God could display His power, where God could have the man.

Friend, are you saying today, “What do You want me to do?” The place of yieldedness is just where God wants us. People are saying, “I want the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I want to be healed. I would like to know for certain that I am a child of God,” and I see nothing, absolutely nothing, in the way, except that they have not yielded to the plan of God.

In Acts 19:6, the condition was met that Paul demanded, and when he laid his hands on the Ephesian disciples, they were instantly filled with the Spirit and spoke in other tongues and prophesied. The only thing they needed was just to be in the condition where God could come in.

The main thing today that God wants is obedience. When you begin yielding and yielding to God, He has a plan for your life, and you come in to that wonderful place where all you have to do is eat the fruits of Canaan.

It is the call of God that counts. Paul answered the call of God. I believe God wants to stir our heart today to obedience. Our response should be, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Thought for today: God is looking for obedience.

7月22日

主啊，你想让我做什么？——使徒行传 9:6

经文阅读：使徒行传 9:1–22

就在逼迫主的门徒的时候，扫罗遇到了一道从天而来的亮光（使徒行传 9:3）。有一个声音对他说：“扫罗，扫罗，你为什么逼迫我？”（第 4 节）。扫罗问是谁在说话，当耶稣自我表明身份时，扫罗的回应是：“主啊，你想让我做什么？”只要扫罗愿意顺服，他就处在神可以满足他需要、显出能力、掌管他生命的状态中。

朋友，你今天是不是在说：“你希望我做什么？”顺服的地方正是上帝希望我们所在的地方。有人说，“我想要圣灵的洗礼。我想要被医治。我想确切地知道自己是上帝的孩子，”但我看到的，没有任何障碍，绝对没有，唯一的问题是他们还没有顺服上帝的计划。

在使徒行传19:6中，保罗所要求的条件得到了满足，当他把手按在以弗所的门徒身上时，他们立刻被圣灵充满，说起方言，讲论预言。他们唯一需要的就是处在神可以进入的状态。

今天上帝最主要想要的是顺从。当你开始不断向上帝屈服时，祂对你的生命有一个计划，你就会来到那个美妙的地方，在那里你所要做的只是享用迦南的果实。

重要的是上帝的呼召。保罗回应了上帝的呼召。我相信上帝今天想激起我们的心去顺从。我们的回应应该是：“主啊，你希望我做什么？”

今日思考：上帝正在寻找顺从的人。

July 21

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. — Isaiah 26:3

Scripture reading: Isaiah 54:5–55:9

We must keep in the spiritual tide—God supreme, the altar within the body. Faith is the evidence, the power, the principle, keeping us in rest. We must have the Spirit in anointing, intercession, revelation, and great power of ministry. To be baptized in the Holy Spirit is to be in God‘s plan—the Spirit preeminent, revealing the Christ of God, making the Word of God alive something divine. “Our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the…Spirit; for the…Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:5–6).

I knew a believer whose job was to carry bags of coal. He had been in bed three weeks away from his work. I showed him Romans 7:25: “I thank God; through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.” I said, “Keep your mind on God and go to work, shouting victory.” He did, and the first day he was able to carry a hundred bags, his mind stayed on God and kept in peace. “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble” (Psalm 119:165).

If your peace is disturbed, there is something wrong. Apply the blood of Jesus, and keep your mind stayed upon Jehovah, where “hearts are fully blessed, finding as He promised, perfect peace and rest.” Keep your mind on God, gaining strength in Him day by day.

“The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). This is a new dispensation, this divine place: Christ in you, the hope and evidence of glory (Colossians 1:27).

May God gird you with truth (Ephesians 6:14). I commend you to Him in the name of Jesus.

Thought for today: If you are not free in the Spirit, your mind is in the wrong place.

7月21日

你必保守心思专注于你的他，得享完全的平安，因为他信靠你。—以赛亚书 26:3

经文阅读：以赛亚书 54:5–55:9

我们必须保持在属灵的潮流中——上帝至上，圣坛在我们身体内。信心是凭据，是力量，是原则，让我们保持安息。我们必须拥有恩膏、代祷、启示和强大的事奉能力的圣灵。受圣灵浸礼就是进入神的计划——圣灵至高无上，显明神的基督，让神的话语活起来，充满神性。“我们的充足从神而来，他也使我们作为…圣灵的仆人充足；因为…圣灵赐生命”（哥林多后书 3:5–6）。

我认识一个信徒，他的工作是搬煤袋。他已经离开工作床上三周了。我给他看了《罗马书》7:25：“感谢神，通过我们的主耶稣基督！这样看来，我凭着心意事奉神的律法，但凭着肉体事奉罪的律法。” 我对他说：“把你的心放在神身上去工作，大声喊出胜利。” 他照做了，第一天他就能搬一百袋煤，他的心思专注在神身上，并且保持平安。“爱你律法的人有大平安，什么事也不能使他们绊脚”（诗篇119:165）。

如果你的内心受到打扰，那说明有问题。求耶稣的宝血遮盖你，并让心思专注在耶和华身上，在那里“心灵得到完全的祝福，如祂所应许，找到完全的平安与安息。”保持心思在神身上，每天在祂里面得到力量。

“律法是借着摩西传的，恩典和真理却是借着耶稣基督来的”（约翰福音 1:17）。这是一个新的时代，这个神圣的境地：基督在你里面，是荣耀的盼望和凭据（歌罗西书 1:27）。

愿上帝以真理装备你（以弗所书 6:14）。我以耶稣的名把你交托给祂。

今日思考：如果你的心灵不自由，你的思绪就会走偏。

July 20

Nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus. — Acts 20:24

Scripture reading: Romans 13:14–14:19

The ministry of the Spirit has been entrusted to us. We must be in the place of edifying the church. Law is not liberty, but if there is a move of God within you, God has written His laws in your heart so that you may delight in Him. God desires to set forth in us a perfect blending of His life and our lives so that we may have abounding inward joy—a place of reigning over all things, not a place of endeavor. There is a great difference between an endeavor and a delight.

God says to us, “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). Trying will never cause us to reach a place of holiness, but there is a place, or an attitude, where God gives us faith to rest on His Word, and we delight inwardly over everything. “I delight to do Your will, O my God” (Psalm 40:8). There is a place of great joy. Do we want condemnation?

We know there is something within that has been accomplished by the power of God, something greater than there could be in the natural order of the flesh. We are the representatives of Jesus. He was eaten up with zeal. (See John 2:17.) This intense zeal changes us by the operation of the Word; we do not rest in the letter, but we allow the blessed Holy Spirit to lift us by His power.

The disciples were with Jesus three years. He spoke out of the abundance of His heart toward them. John said, “We have touched Him; our eyes have gazed into His eyes.” (See 1 John 1:1). Did Jesus know about Judas? Yes. Did He ever tell? No. When Jesus told the disciples that one of them would betray Him, they said, “Lord, is it I?” (Matthew 26:22). The essence of divine order is to bring the church together, so that there is no schism in the body, but a perfect blending of heart to heart.

“The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). The sword cut off Malchus‘s ear, but the Spirit healed it again. (See Luke 22:50–51.) Our ministry has to be in the Spirit, “free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). When we live in the ministry of the Spirit, we are free; in the letter we are bound. If it is “an eye for an eye” (Matthew 5:38), we have lost the principle. If we are to come to a place of great liberty, the law must be at an end. Yet we love the law of God; we love to do it and not put one thing aside.

“Clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered…by the Spirit of the living God…on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:3). It‘s heart worship when God has made the incision; the Spirit has come to blend with humanity.

Thought for today: Ours is not an endeavor society, but a delight to live in the will of God.

7月20日

我也不把自己的生命看得宝贵，只要能完成主耶稣托付给我的跑道和事工，就满心喜乐。——使徒行传 20:24

经文阅读：罗马书 13:14–14:19

圣灵的事工已经托付给我们。我们必须处在建立教会的地方。律法并不是自由，但如果你里面有神的作为，神已经把祂的律写在你的心里，让你能以祂为乐。神希望在我们里面显明祂生命和我们生命的完美融合，让我们有充足的内在喜乐——一个掌管万物的地方，而不是努力的地方。努力和喜乐之间有很大的区别。

上帝对我们说：“你们要圣洁，因为我本圣洁”（彼得前书 1:16）。光靠努力永远无法让我们达到圣洁的境地，但有一个地方，或者说一种心态，上帝会赐给我们信心去依靠祂的话语，我们内心为一切感到喜悦。“我的神啊，我乐意照你的旨意行”（诗篇 40:8）。那里是充满大喜乐的地方。我们想要受到谴责吗？

我们知道内心里有些事是靠神的力量完成的，比肉体自然秩序中可能有的要伟大。我们是耶稣的代表。他充满热忱。（参见约翰福音 2:17。）这种强烈的热忱通过神的话语改变我们；我们不止停留在文字上，而是让恩赐的圣灵凭着祂的能力提升我们。

门徒跟随耶稣三年。他对他们说的话都出自内心的丰富。约翰说：“我们亲眼看过他，我们亲手摸过他。”（见约翰一书 1:1）耶稣知道犹大吗？知道。他曾告诉过吗？没有。当耶稣告诉门徒有人要出卖他时，他们说：“主啊，是我吗？”（马太福音 26:22）神圣秩序的本质是让教会团结在一起，使身体没有分裂，而是心与心完美地融合。

“字句杀人，灵却使人活”（哥林多后书 3:6）。剑砍掉了马尔谷的耳朵，但圣灵又把它治好了。（见路加福音 22:50–51。）我们的事工必须在灵里进行，“脱离罪和死的律”（罗马书 8:2）。当我们活在圣灵的事工中时，我们是自由的；在字句里我们是被捆绑的。如果是“以眼还眼”（马太福音 5:38），我们就失去了原则。如果我们要进入极大的自由地步，律法就必须结束。然而我们爱神的律法；我们乐意去遵行，而不放下任何一条。

“显然，你们是基督的书信，由永生神的灵所事奉……写在肉体的牌子上，也就是在心上”（哥林多后书3:3）。当神开了心窍，灵与人相融合时，这就是心灵的敬拜。

今天的感悟：我们不是一个以努力为荣的社会，而是一个乐于活在上帝旨意中的社会。