11有一天〔一位弟兄〕可能看见他对妻子的爱不该是天然的爱。因此他会祷告说,“主,我承认我对妻子的爱一直是天然的爱。求你赐给我恩典,使我对妻子过一种钉十字架的生活。”这就是在爱妻子这特别一件事上被模成基督的死。几天以后,他看见甚至他与圣徒的接触都是太天然了。……所以,他祷告并向主承认这事,求主施恩典,使他不再照他天然的生命牧养圣徒。他可能祷告说,“主,我要模成你的死。我要像你一样过钉十字架的生活。当你在地上时,你不照着天然的生命爱人或关心人。你所作的一切都在复活里。主,给我恩典,从现在起,叫我不在天然的生命里牧养你的圣徒,而是在你里面牧养圣徒。”借着这个经历,他也在这件事上模成基督的死。一项又一项,他模成基督的死。他越这样模成基督的死,他的全人就越得着复活。在爱妻子和牧养圣徒的事上,他都经历复活(李文集一九七八年第一册,六一五至六二○页)。
11One day [a brother] may come to see that his love for his wife should not be a natural love. Thus, he may pray, “Lord, I confess that my love for my wife has been a natural love. Grant me the grace to live a crucified life with my wife.” This is to be conformed to Christ’s death in the particular matter of loving his wife. Several days later he may realize that even his contact with the saints has been too natural…Therefore, he prays and confesses this matter to the Lord, asking Him for the grace to no longer shepherd the saints according to his natural life. He may pray, “Lord, I want to be conformed to Your death. Like You, I want to live a crucified life. When You were on earth, You did not love people or care for them according to the natural life. Everything You did was in resurrection. Lord, grant me the grace that from now on I will not shepherd Your saints in my natural life but in You.” Through this experience he becomes conformed to the death of Christ in this matter also. Item by item, he is conformed to Christ’s death. The more he is conformed to Christ’s death in this way, the more his being is resurrected. In loving his wife and in shepherding the saints, he is resurrected. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “The Experience of Christ,” pp. 475-478)