第五週 • 週二

晨興餧養

出三3     摩西說，我要過去看這大異象，這荊棘為何沒有燒掉呢？

申三三16 得地和其中所充滿的寶物，並住在荊棘中者的喜悅…。

    荊棘被火燒着卻沒有燒毀的事實，指明神聖別的榮耀該在我們裏面焚燒，但我們不該被耗盡。若是一個神的僕人被耗盡，這意思是說，他乃是用自己的能力為神作事。神不要用我們天然的生命作燃料，祂只要以祂自己作燃料來焚燒。我們只需要是荊棘，讓神聖的火在其中焚燒。

    我信摩西從未忘記那個燒着荊棘的異象；所記得的那個異象必定在他裏面作工，不斷題醒他不要用天然的力量或才幹。藉着燒着之荊棘的異象，神使摩西有印象，他是器皿，是通道，透過他，神得以顯明。要學習我們只是荊棘為着彰顯神，這個功課不是容易的。多年來我一直學一個功課，就是為神作工，但不用天然的生命作燃料，只讓神在我裏面焚燒（出埃及記生命讀經，八五至八六頁）。

信息選讀

    火燒荊棘的記載對於神所呼召的人，成為不能磨滅的紀念和見證，見證我們不是別的，我們只是荊棘。

    但願這荊棘的記載使我們有深刻的印象，絕不忘記。我們在自己裏面一無所是，我們只是荊棘。但神仍然寶貴我們，巴望像火焰一樣從我們裏面彰顯祂自己。我們該寶貝祂的焚燒，而絕不照着天然的人信靠我們的所是。我們天然的人及其纔能、力量和才幹，都必須被了結並忘記。…荊棘能作甚麼？甚麼也不能作。

雖然你認為自己很能幹，最後你將承認你只是無用的荊棘。…感謝神，祂眷顧我們，與我們同在，並且在我們身上焚燒。雖然神聖的火焰在我們裏面並在我們身上焚燒，我們卻不被燒毀。

今天父神在子裏，子作為那靈，如火臨及我們。主耶穌曾說，祂來要把火丟在地上（路十二49）。五旬節那天，那靈以火焰舌頭的形狀來到。…這聖別的火焰，這神聖的焚燒，俘擄了我們，如今我們是有三一神燒着之荊棘的一部分。三一神現今正在祂所揀選並救贖的召會裏面和身上焚燒。因此，召會就是三一神在蒙救贖的人性中焚燒。這就是神聖的經綸（提前一4）。

    你若為着召會生活讚美主，稱讚召會生活，你就越將自己擺在神的祝福之下。我在召會生活所有的年日中，從未見過一個說召會消極話的人是在神的祝福之下。相反的，所有說召會貧窮、下沉、發死的人，都在咒詛之下。凡說召會積極話的，宣告召會是可愛的，並且召會是神的家的人，都蒙了祝福。這不僅僅是道理，這乃是在許多聖徒的經歷中可以得到證實的見證。

    復活的神住在荊棘中，這事實指明今天團體的荊棘作為神的居所，完全是在復活裏的事。那聖者能眷臨我們並住在我們中間，是因為祂在復活裏。祂是復活的神，而我們這些祂的子民乃是在復活裏。…那位偉大的『我是』，復活的神，亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的神住在我們裏面，我們也享受祂。我們個人是荊棘，而我們在一起乃是團體的荊棘，有復活的神在其中焚燒。這就是今日召會生活的圖畫（出埃及記生命讀經，八六至八七、一三二、九五、一○○至一○一頁）。

參讀：出埃及記生命讀經，第六篇；事奉的基本功課，第二十課；長老訓練第二冊，第三章。

WEEK 5--DAY 2

Morning Nourishment

Exo. 3:3 "And Moses said, I must turn aside now and see this great sight, why the thornbush does not burn up."

Deut. 33:16 "With the choicest things of the earth, and the fullness thereof, and the favor of Him who dwelt in the thornbush..."

     The fact that the thornbush burned without being consumed indicates that the glory of God’s holiness should burn within us, but that we should not be exhausted. If a servant of God is exhausted, it may mean that he is using his own energy to do something for God. God does not want to use our natural life as fuel. He will burn only with Himself as fuel. We are simply to be a thornbush with the divine fire burning within it.

     I believe Moses never forgot the sight of that burning thorn-bush. The memory of that vision must have worked within him to constantly remind him not to use his natural strength or ability. Through the sign of the burning thornbush, God impressed Moses that he was a vessel, a channel, through which God was to be manifested. It is not easy to learn that we are simply a bush for the manifestation of God. Throughout the years I have been learning one lesson: to work for God without using the natural life as the fuel, but letting God burn within me. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 70-71)

 Today's Reading

    The record of the burning thornbush is to be a continuing memorial and testimony to God’s called ones. It bears witness to the fact that we can be nothing other than thornbushes.

    May this record of the thornbush make such a deep impression upon us that we never forget it. In ourselves, we are nothing; we are mere thornbushes. But God still treasures us and desires to manifest Himself as a flame of fire from within us. We should treasure His burning by never putting any trust in what we are according to the natural man. Our natural man with its energy, strength, and ability must be terminated and forgotten....What can a thornbush do? Nothing. Although you may consider yourself to be capable, you will eventually realize that you are merely a useless thornbush....Thank God that He visits us, stays with us, and burns upon us. Although the divine flame burns within us and upon us, we ourselves are not consumed.

     Today God the Father in the Son and the Son as the Spirit have come down upon us as fire. The Lord Jesus once said that He came to cast fire upon the earth (Luke 12:49). On the DAY of Pentecost the Spirit came in the form of tongues of fire....This holy fire, this divine burning, has captured us, and now we are part of the thornbush that is burning with the Triune God. The Triune God is burning within and upon the church He has chosen and redeemed. Thus, the church is the Triune God burning within a redeemed humanity. This is the divine economy (1 Tim. 1:4).

     If you praise the Lord for the church life and speak well concerning it, you will put yourself under God’s blessing. During all the years I have been in the church life, I have not seen one person who spoke negatively about the church who was under God’s blessing. On the contrary, all who have said that the church was poor, low, or dead have been under a curse. Those who speak positively about the church, declaring that the church is lovely and that it is God’s house, receive the blessing. This is not mere doctrine; it is a testimony that can be verified by the experiences of many saints.

     The fact that the God of resurrection dwelt in the thornbush indicates that being a corporate thornbush as God’s dwelling place toDAY is a matter altogether in resurrection. The holy One can visit us and dwell among us because He is in resurrection. He is the God of resurrection, and we, His people, are in resurrection....The great I Am, the God of resurrection, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, dwells within us, and we enjoy Him. Individually we are a thornbush, and together we are a corporate thornbush burning with the God of resurrection. This is a picture of the church life today. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 71-72, 112, 79, 83-84)

     Further Reading: Life-study of Exodus, msg. 6; Basic Lessons on Service, lsn. 20; Elders’

                                       Training, Book 2: The Vision of the Lord’s Recovery, ch. 3