在開始這一系列的每日靈修以前，讓我們先來聚焦於一個有深刻屬靈意義的主題。我個人確信基督教會需要一個從神而來的新異象。我們經常在幾乎不自覺的情況下患上了一種屬靈近視的毛病！由於我們沒有清楚的看到神，所以我們也就沒有把自己的生命看清楚。要是我們對神有真正的認識，我們就能夠正視其他的事物如：生活、工作、金錢、服事、人際關係等等。

在整本聖經中，也許沒有其他關於神和祂榮耀的異象，比記錄在以賽亞書第六章的那個異象更大（除了約翰在啟示錄遇見全能的神以外），而我們所要研讀的正是這一章聖經。在研讀的過程中我們有時會暫時放下這段經文，而改為去思考一些相關的問題，不過神所賜給以賽亞的那個叫人震驚的異象將會是我們思考的核心。以賽亞面對面看見了永生的神以後，整個生命都被改變了，我相信在我們一起研讀這個主題時，同樣的事情也會發生在我們身上。

我們常會迷失在種種問題裡面，那是因為我們重視瞬間的事物過於重視生命的永恆；就像一個最小的硬幣只要放在眼前，它也足以把太陽給擋住。因此，我邀請你在我們開始進入屬靈旅程的第一天，要清楚認識「注目上帝、輕看世界」的真理，這樣你的生命力才能夠更充分的發揮，因為清楚地看見神，能讓我們看清楚其他的一切。

「注目上帝、輕看世界」

進深研究
詩九十九1-9；詩五十七11；賽三十三5

1. 詩篇的作者所肯定的是甚麼？
2. 詩篇的作者勸我們當做些甚麼？

祈禱
神啊，求您給我一個從您而來的新異象。我需要這異象，而且是十分的需要。求您以您的愛、您的能力和您榮耀的光輝充滿我整個視域。奉基督無可比擬和寶貴的名字祈求，阿們。

The Vision of God

Day 1

Needed - a new vision

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord..." (v.1)

Bible reading:
Isaiah 6:1-13

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.

2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.

3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."

4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.

7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

9 He said, "Go and tell this people: "'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.'

10 Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes.[a] Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed."

11 Then I said, "For how long, Lord?" And he answered: "Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged,

12 until the Lord has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken.

13 And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land."

Message

We begin by focusing on a theme of deep spiritual importance. It is my conviction that the Christian Church needs a fresh vision of God. Almost without our realizing it, a spiritual myopia has afflicted us; we are not seeing life clearly because we do not see God clearly. A right perspective on God gives us the right perspective on everything else - life, work, money, service, relationships, and so on.

There is possibly no greater vision of God and His glory in the whole of the Bible (apart from John's encounter with the Almighty in the book of Revelation) than the vision we find recorded in Isaiah chapter 6. It is with this chapter that we are to be concerned. We shall depart from it at times to look at other related aspects, but the thrilling vision of God that was given to Isaiah is to be central to our study. Isaiah came face to face with the living God and found that his whole life was transformed. I trust the same thing will happen to us as we pursue this theme together.

The reason our problems often seem overwhelming is because we allow the things of time to loom larger in our gaze than the things of eternity. The tiniest of coins, when held close to the eye, can blot out the sun. I invite you, therefore, on this very first day of our journey to begin to lay hold on the truth that life works better when we know how to glance at things but gaze at God. Seeing Him clearly will enable us to see all other things clearly.

"Glance at things but gaze at God"

Prayer
O God, give me, I pray, a fresh vision of Yourself. I need it and need it badly. Fill my whole horizon with the splendour of Your love, Your power and Your glory. In Christ's peerless and precious name I ask it. Amen.

Further study
Psalm 99:1-9; 21:13; 57:11
Isaiah 33:5

1. What does the psalmist affirm?
2. What does the psalmist exhort us to do?

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