太十九26 耶稣看着他们说，在人这是不能的，在神凡事都能。

　　约十五5 我是葡萄树，你们是枝子；住在我里面的，我也住在他里面，这人就多结果子；因为离了我，你们就不能作什么。

　　约壹五13 我将这些话写给你们信入神儿子之名的人，要叫你们晓得自己有永远的生命。

　　每当主要求我们为祂作什么，祂不是要我们凭自己作。……要凭自己的力量遵守神的命令，乃是侮辱神；这在神眼中是可憎恶的。我们若想这样作，主会说，“我没有要求你凭自己的力量或能力为我作什么，因为你没有力量或能力。我要求你为我作的，我要你凭着我来作。要学习相信我、信靠我；我会为你作一切。我只要你有分于我的工作。我要在人里面，与人一同来作。……你若与我合作，我就能作我想要作的。”不凭自己，乃凭主来为主作事，这是祂所喜悦的（申命记生命读经，一七五页）。

　　Matt. 19:26 …Jesus said to them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

　　John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.

　　1 John 5:13 I have written these things to you that you may know that you have eternal life, to you who believe into the name of the Son of God.

　　Whenever the Lord asks us to do something for Him, He does not intend that we do that thing by ourselves….Trying to keep His commandment by our energy is an insult to God; it is abominable in His sight. If we try to do this, the Lord might say, “I do not ask you to do something for Me by your strength or ability, for you do not have the strength or the ability. What I ask you to do for Me, I want you to do by Me. Learn to have faith in Me, to trust in Me. I will do everything for you. I simply want you to participate in My operation. I want to do something in man and with man….If you cooperate with Me, I will be able to do what I desire to do.” To do something for the Lord not by ourselves but by the Lord—this is pleasing to Him. (Life-study of Deuteronomy, p. 149)

　　在我们的深处有一件恶事。这恶事可能看起来很好，就是我们想要凭自己实行神的旨意，完成神的旨意。在神眼中，这意愿不管看起来有多好，实际上是可憎恶的。我们绝不该以为凭自己能为神作什么。我们凭自己不可能为神作任何事。我们需要另一个生命—神圣的生命，就是神的生命。我们要有这生命，就必须重生，也就是从神而生。我们凭自己受造的生命无法遵守神所要求的；我们没有能力实行神的旨意。就算我们的心思是清明的，爱是平衡的，意志是刚强的，我们仍然没有能力遵守神的诫命，或遵行神的旨意。

　　神要我们彰显祂；但我们凭自己或在自己里面能彰显神么？当然不能！就像狗不能彰显鸟一样，我们也不能用自己受造的生命彰显神。我们要彰显神，就必须有神的生命。这生命就是神圣的生命，永远的生命。实际上，这生命乃是具体化于基督，又实化为赐生命之灵的三一神。

　　我们虽然得着了神圣的生命，却不习惯凭这生命而活。我们可能从来没有想过要凭神圣的生命而活；反之，我们继续信靠我们老旧的生命。我们甚至为改进这老旧的生命而祷告。我们会在祷告中说，“主，你知道我多么软弱。”主会回答说，“你不需要告诉我你软弱；我知道你软弱。你不仅软弱，你还是死的；这就是我给你另一个生命的原因。你为什么不凭我所给你的这新生命而活？”

　　我不确信我们中间有人（包括我自己在内），知道如何凭神圣的生命而活。……我们也许清楚申命记这卷书是显明神，暴露我们，并揭示基督是我们的生命、我们生命的供应并我们的一切；但我们没有将这认识付诸实行。我们不凭神圣的生命活着，反而可能转向旧生命，求主耶稣帮助我们改进自己。

　　在履行神所要求的事上，我们不该信靠自己。我们需要学习以主的心愿为我们的心愿，说，“主，你的心愿就是我的心愿。在完成你心愿的事上，我不信靠自己，因为我无法遵行你的旨意。主，因为我不信靠自己，也因为我没有能力履行你的心愿，所以，我以你为我的生命和生命的供应。”（申命记生命读经，一七五至一七七页）

　　参读：申命记生命读经，第二、九、二十一、二十三篇。

　　Deep within us there is an evil thing. This evil thing, which may appear to be very good, is our desire to do the will of God and to carry out the will of God by ourselves. In God’s view, this desire, despite its nice appearance, is actually abominable. We should never think that by ourselves we are able to do something for God. It is impossible for us to do anything for God by ourselves. We need another life—the divine life, the life of God. In order to have this life, we must be reborn, regenerated; that is, we need to be born of God. With our created life we cannot observe what God demands; we do not have the capacity to do God’s will. Even if our mind is clear, our love is balanced, and our will is strong, we still do not have the capacity to keep God’s commandment or to do His will.

　　God wants us to express Him. But are we, in ourselves and by ourselves, able to express God? Certainly not! Just as a dog cannot express a bird, so we with our created life cannot express God. In order to express God, we must have the life of God. This life is the divine life, the eternal life. Actually, this life is the Triune God embodied in Christ, who is realized as the life-giving Spirit.

　　Although we have received the divine life, we are not accustomed to living by this life. We may never have had the thought of living by the divine life. Instead, we continue to trust in our old life. We may even pray for the improvement of the old life. In our prayer we may say, “Lord, You know how weak I am.” The Lord may answer, “There is no need for you to tell Me that you are weak. I know that you are weak. You are not merely weak—you are dead. This is the reason I have given you another life. Why would you not live by this new life which I have given you?”

　　I do not have the confidence that anyone among us, including myself, knows how to live by the divine life….We may be clear that the book of Deuteronomy manifests God, exposes us, and unveils Christ as our life, our life supply, and our everything, but we may not put this knowledge into practice. Instead of living by the divine life, we may turn to the old life and ask the Lord Jesus to help us to improve ourselves.

　　In fulfilling God’s requirements, we should not have any trust in ourselves. We need to learn to take the Lord’s desire as our desire and say, “Lord, I desire what You desire. In carrying out Your desire, I do not have any trust in myself, for I am not able to do Your will. Lord, because I have no trust in myself and because I have no capacity to fulfill Your desire, I take You as my life and life supply.” (Life-study of Deuteronomy, pp. 149-151)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Deuteronomy, msgs. 2, 9, 21, 23