To Do, and Not to Do

A light dawned on me this morning as I, with the serving ones in our office, delved into the Life-Study of Genesis on the the maturity and reigning aspect of Joseph's life. Joseph, as the issue of his maturity in the divine life truly lived a life under the restriction and sovereignty of God. He learnt well to do what he could not do and not to do what he could do. His feelings for his brethren and even his own father was under strict control; he was not ruled or overcome by his emotion. He was not overjoyed at joyful moments nor depressed at desperately despair moment. He was just fine, fair and balanced as a type of Christ. And was full of patient to wait for the Lord's perfect timing to reveal himself in due time to his family. And his procrastinated revelation was a discipline and lesson of life to his naive, fleshy and fleshly brothers.

To bear the cross is to experience the divine restriction sovereignly arranged by God, and not doing anything what one is able to do in the natural man. This is to experience crucifixion. To be in resurrection is to enjoy the divine anointing and inward strength with the outward ability to do things which one is not able to do, or is impossible, in the natural man. And only Christ is the reality of both crucifixion and resurrection.

Only in the subjective experience of proper growth in the divine life unto maturity can one be such a person; having the power not to do what one is able to do, and having the strength to do what one is not able to do. 

Lord, grow in me that I may mature in Your life to be such a one. 

To do, yea, what is impossible to be done, in myself, but in your strength; 

And not to do, even what I am very able to do, because of the divine restriction. 

Grace me Lord, I pray....

Christ Formed in Me

The speaking of the Lord is so vivid and strong these few days through the holy word for morning revival. Paul was very emphatic when he told the believers in Galatian 4:19 , "My children with whom I travail again in birth until Christ is formed in you."

God wants to give us Christ as everything and that Christ be formed in us. But many things in our Christian lives have been everything else but Christ; either they are good or evil, most of them are certainly not Christ. Unconsciously, distractions after distractions blinded us until one day we find ourselves void of Christ. But God's desire is the opposite.

How then can Christ be everything? The Christ we received in regeneration who is in our spirit needs a spreading into our soul. The presence of Christ in the spirit is indisputable fact but how about the same Christ spreading? 

Christ should occupy every avenue of our soul too--mind, emotion and will. Our mind be Christ's mind or vise versa; and the same with our emotion and will. Christ must be thoroughly mingled with our mind, emotion and will. Christ not only be in our mind but also our mind, Christ not only be in our emotion but also our emotion and Christ not only be in our will but also our will. Then this will issue in the formation on Christ in our life.

By the Lord's mercy, as He leads us to this stage, Christ will be in us and in our living and expression as the testimony of Jesus. 

Lord I long to be such. Grow in me, fill me and saturate me. Lord Jesus I need you.

Content

Today's morning revival was very enlightening. As I and the brothers pray-read Phil. 4:11-13 "Not that I speak according to lack, for I have learned, in whatever circumstances I am, to be content. I know also how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to hunger, both to abound and to lack. I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me.", I enjoyed the speaking of the Lord in the experience of Paul. In fact, I am experiencing it these days.

By the Lord's sovereignty, I always believe in the unsearchable riches of Christ bestowed upon His children, us, not according to our need only, but much more according to His riches. And He is faithful to His word. And it has been true with me and my family since the day I was regenerated. And I also believe in caring for the need of the Lord's work and the saints; sometimes the Lord allows poverty among some saints for some reasons. And as much as the Lord provides and blesses, it is a pleasure to share with others and care for one another not only in words, but in deeds too, especially when it means emptying your pocket. 

It so turned out that I have been emptied out, not because of lack, but because of care for others, especially the saints and the Lord's work. And it is quite an experience to not have when you actually have, for what you have is all locked up with some one or some entities. In reality you have, but in practicality you do not have. And you trust in the Lord for what you have already but not realised. Yes, a true experience, indeed, a joyful one. No worry, no tension, but blissful trust int he Lord.

I have learned? perhaps, I am learning, in whatever circumstances I am, to be content! Lord, teach me more, how to be abased and how to abound; in everything and in all things, .. to be filled and to hunger, to abound and to lack. Lord, teach me these lessons of life. 

Through this experience the Lord is training me NOT to trust in mammon, event in material blessings that come from the Lord. Lest the blessings replace the Blessers. The blessings from the Blesser are for the Blesser Himself through the blessee! This reminds me of a classical hymn : Once It Was The Blessing (Stanza 1)

Once it was the blessing,

Now it is the Lord;

Once it was the feeling,

 Now it is His Word;

Once His gift I wanted,

  Now, the Giver own;

Once I sought for healing,

  Now Himself alone.

All in all forever,

Only Christ I'll sing;

Everything is in Christ,

And Christ is everything.

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/513#ixzz23mS4MnzB

Joseph's Dream

Today I enjoy my Life-Study pursuit on Joseph's dream, it was so enlightening and encouraging.

Joseph had a glorious dream which became his vision, directing him and governing him. However, the dream he had was not fulfilled until the time of trial and testing the Lord had ordained for him passed through. That time period between the dreaming of the dream and its fulfillment was a confinement time, a real life perfecting training for Joseph, through which he was prepared to be enthroned in due time. In the midst, he was tested even of the genuineness of his dream. Though his own dream was not yet fulfilled, nevertheless, he was steadfast and interpreted the cup-bearer and baker's dream which were fulfilled within three day's time. He had the faith to speak as per the vision he had, not looking at his own, but rightly interpreted others' dream. And the fulfillment of other's dreams, not his own, was a great confirmation, encouragement and strengthening, especially in his faith.

Andrew Murray once said a word like this: The good minister of the Word should always minister more than what he has experienced. This means that we should speak more according to the vision than according to the fulfillment of the vision. Even if our vision has not been fulfilled, we should still speak of it to others. The time will come when our vision will be fulfilled. Joseph's dreams were eventually fulfilled through his interpretation of the dream of the cupbearer.  http://www.ministrybooks.org/books.cfm?id=220BCC

Lord, make me such a one who would wait upon You, open to be trained and perfected, enjoying Your grace and life supply to  go through every trails ordained for me.And accomplish your will in Your own time.

By the Spirit

This morning as I was enjoying my time with the Lord in the morning revival, the Lord spoke to me the timely word. The verses for the day are too familiar to me that it almost lost its essence, however, the Lord shone upon them and it became rhema.

For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death. Romans 8:2

Yes, the law of the Spirit of life is within me. It is by the operation of this law that I am freed from the law of sin! Without this law, there is no way for me to overcome sin or death. This precious verse needs experience, without which is a mere doctrine just for the ear and the mind. Why certain habits are not easily given up? All because the law of sin and death is too alive. Once the law of the Spirit of life operates, the law of sin and death is easily overcome just as an aerodynamic law overcomes the gravitational pull of the earth.

Furthermore in verse 11, this law of the Spirit of life is the One who raised Jesus from the death, and can give life to our mortal bodies! Yes indeed. When I turned to my spirit where this Spirit dwells I am revived and the deadness in my body is overcome. I experienced this a lot of time. Physical body abides by the physical laws and has its limit, however, the Spirit can give life to this mortal physical body and does things beyond the scope of physical science. How does that happen? Science can only cynically guess the probability, yet the Spirit by its divine and eternal nature explains it all; this is not a mere biblical teaching, but for us to experience and enjoy day by day.

Nevertheless, human cooperation to the operation of the Spirit is inevitable. Verse 13 goes, "If by the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body; you will live." I must put to death the practices of my body under the operation of the law of sin and of death, not by myself for that's not just a herculean task but a mission impossible, but by the Spirit! Meaning, if I turned to my spirit where the Spirit dwells and exercise my mingled spirit to put to death the practices of the body, then the Spirit in and through me will do the overcoming, and I becomes an overcomer! A very good instance is, to overcome the gravity of the earth, I have to make an effort to board a flight, that my duty. The the flight under the operation of the law of aerodynamic easily overcomes the law of gravity and I being in the flight enjoy the overcoming work of the operation of the law of aerodynamic. So I in the flight overcomes the law of gravity by the law of aerodynamic. Praise the Lord! By the Spirit...put to death the practices of the body; you will live...

Cords of a Man, Band of Love

I drew them with cords of a man, With band of love. Hosea 11:4a

God's love is divine, eternal, spiritual and heavenly, yet we, man are so fallen, fallen to the uttermost, rotten to the "odormost". But His love eternal none hinders to still love man. Thus to reach man, His love reaches man in the cords of man! From His being eternal he stepped out of eternity into time and stepped out of divinity into humanity. These cords includes all that God, in Christ has passed through in his humanity--incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, thereby becoming the life-giving Spirit to enter this man, then regenerates him, transforms him and conforms him to Himself and match Him in love to be an eternal couple forever unto  eternity.

What a blessing that I am a par t of "this man" whom God loves in Christ, and now as believer in Christ, He as the Spirit is in me,  working in me and transforming me! God in Christ as the Spirit has reached me with the bands of  love which are the cords of a man He Himself had passed through. This indeed is the best news and the greatest miracle under the sun. 

Even though man turns away from God and does things contrary to Him, still God's divine and eternal love none can alter, none can deter; instead, with the cords of a man and with the band of love, He woos and lures and gains man. That's how God gained me! This is my love story.

And I gently caused them to eat. Hosea 11:4b

As God romantically gains His beloved, man, He gently feeds him with Himself as the manna, as typified by the children of Israel eating manna in the wilderness. By such, He is reconstituted in him, His beloved, and makes Him an overcomer to be His bride to match Him and marry Him in love. 

This is exactly what God does to me; feeding me daily with himself as my daily manna, my daily bread, gaining me, reconstituting me, to be like Him in life and nature but not in the Godhead. This is indeed glorious, and He is worthy of all thanks and praises! Halleluijah!

Fellowship in Life

The Lord is so rich, so is His Body. Each member is under the headship of Christ and each member is member one to another. The supply of the Lord is from the member(s) of His Body to the other members. A visitation  of a brother and the fellowship in life were so rich these days. The Lord knows the need of each one and therefore speaks as He deemed best. 

I, as a member, too received a lot of help in life, in living and service. What a blessing to be in the Body! Without which I would be left starved, dry and empty. Praise the Lord for the Body and I am in the Body! Fellowship from a matured brother cherished me and nourished me unspeakably in the following points:

1. Touch the Lord: 

Sounds so simple and basic yet this is extremely important for a believer to go on stably in his Christian life in a normal and proper church-life. This is as crucial as breathing "pneuma (air)" for daily survival and breathing "Pnuema (the Spirit)" for revival. The ways are simple and basic; exercising the spirit day by day, even moment by moment. When a Christian lives such a life, he will love the Lord and will be very sensitive in his conscience; and would not allow any spot in his conscience. This is also related to the maturity in the divine life. When such is the case, his living will testify of his maturity in his purity and sensitivity of conscience. As such, down to earth matters, like money matter and the likes will be handled with utmost care and clarity.

2. The Word of God:

The stability, sincerity, sensitivity and soundness of a Christian very much depends on his understanding, experience and enjoyment of the Word of God. The Word is the very God and the very Spirit Himself. Without this Word and the understanding of it, a person is in darkness; he has no hope, no guidance and no future. Such is a blind man having eyes to see yet not perceiving, ears to hear but not understanding. The daily habit of eating and digesting the Word must be inculcated in every believers and must be his constitution and being. The Word must be studied with much carefulness and diligence, and that the Lord would shine on and through the Word revealing the deep things of God, His plan and His economy. It would not only be a famous dictum of the old, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path," but much more a life-line of a person's existence and a supply-chain of a person's abundance as blessings to others.

3. Service in the Church:

Any believer having been touched by the Lord and pursuing the Word will spontaneously live a serving life; serving man yet God. This is the universal priesthood the Lord so desired since eternity past, which somehow along the way was lost and is now being recovered from degree to degree. This service is out of the divine life, ministering the divine life and thereby building up the Body of Christ.