蒙神呼召，凭着相信神而活，以及活在与神的交通里，都是为着享受神。我们已蒙召来享受神，我们必须学习凭着相信神而活，使我们可以享受神；我们还需要活在与神的交通里，使我们有分于祂一切的丰富。这都是为着一件事－享受神。但在亚伯拉罕身上，我们没有看见这种享受；我们是在以撒身上看见这种享受。我们至少都有一些蒙神呼召，凭着相信神而活，活在与神的交通里，以及受损失的经历。我们是今日的真亚伯拉罕。但我们也能见证，使我们十分惊奇的，就是在我们的损失中有一些享受。当我们受损失时，不如不觉享受了一些东西，每当我们忍受从神来的对付，我们同时有一些享受。我们是受苦的亚伯拉罕，然而我们也是享受的以撒。
因这缘故，以撒的记载不是紧接在亚伯拉罕的记载之后，乃是和亚伯拉罕生平的记载调在一起，亚伯拉罕还在的时候，以撒就进来了，因为他们在生命的经历上不是两个分开的个人，乃是一个完整人的两面经历。我们需要亚伯拉罕和以撒二者的经历。也许就在今天，你有一种经历，你说，“我不知道这事为甚么临到我。”但在里面深处你知道，在你的损失中你得着并享受基督。这是以撒的经历。
我们若只有亚伯拉罕，没有以撒，我们会对亚伯拉罕的记载非常灰心。我们会说，“作信心的父若只受损失，那有甚么益处？”然而当我们一看见以撒的经历，我们就要说，“现在我明白亚伯拉罕为甚么要受这么多的损失。亚伯拉罕所有消极的经历，乃是为着以撒积极的享受。”亚伯拉罕是为着以撒。亚伯拉罕得着了许多，他蒙福，得昌大，但他将一切所有的都给了以撒（创二四36，二五5）。亚伯拉罕受苦是为着以撒得益。亚伯拉罕越受苦，以撒越得益。我们都必须认识，今天我们不仅是亚伯拉罕，也是以撒。我们遭受损失，是叫我们有所得着。我们像亚伯拉罕一样损失，也像以撒一样得着。没有亚伯拉罕的经历，我们就不能有以撒的经历。神对付我们像对付亚伯拉罕一样，使我们可以有以撒的经历。
每日一问：我们有亚伯拉罕的经历，也有以撒的经历。哪一个代表受苦的经历，哪一个代表享受的经历？这两者之间有什么关系？
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Isaac’s Experience – Receiving Grace (4) — Gal. 5:24
Being called by God, living by faith in God, and living in fellowship with God — all of these are for the enjoyment of God. We have been called to enjoy God; we must learn to live by faith in God so that we may enjoy God; and we need to live in fellowship with God so that we may partake of all His riches. All of this is for one thing — the enjoyment of God. But it is not in Abraham that we see this enjoyment; it is in Isaac. We all have at least some experience of being called by God, living by faith in God, living in fellowship with God, and suffering loss. We are today’s true Abraham. But we can also testify to something that greatly surprises us — there is some enjoyment even within our loss. When we suffer loss, we unconsciously enjoy something. Every time we endure God’s dealing, we simultaneously have some enjoyment. We are the suffering Abraham, yet we are also the enjoying Isaac.
For this reason, the record of Isaac does not come after the record of Abraham; rather, it is interwoven with the narrative of Abraham’s life. While Abraham was still present, Isaac came in — because in life experience they are not two separate individuals, but two aspects of one complete person’s experience. We need both the Abraham experience and the Isaac experience. Perhaps even today, you have an experience and say, “I don’t know why this happened to me.” Yet deep within you know that in your loss you have gained and enjoyed Christ. This is Isaac’s experience.
If we only had Abraham without Isaac, we would be greatly discouraged by Abraham’s record. We would say, “What is the profit if the father of faith only suffers loss?” But once we see Isaac’s experience, we say, “Now I understand why Abraham had to suffer so much. All of Abraham’s negative experiences were for the positive enjoyment of Isaac.” Abraham was for Isaac. Abraham gained much — he was blessed and became great — but he gave everything he had to Isaac (Gen. 24:36; 25:5). Abraham’s suffering was for Isaac’s gain. The more Abraham suffered, the more Isaac gained. We must all recognize that today we are not only Abraham, but also Isaac. We suffer loss so that we may gain. We lose like Abraham, and we gain like Isaac. Without Abraham’s experience, we cannot have Isaac’s experience. God deals with us as He dealt with Abraham, so that we may have Isaac’s experience.
Daily Question: We have the experience of Abraham and also the experience of Isaac. Which one represents the experience of suffering, and which represents the experience of enjoyment? What is the relationship between the two?