"But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me, even from my mother's womb, and called me through his grace, to reveal his Son in me . . ." Galatians 1:15-16
God had set Paul apart before he was born. Even the profession he learned before his conversion was preplanned. God works like that. All that happened to you before you were saved, as well as after, has some definite meaning. Whatever your character and temperament, whatever your strengths and weaknesses, all are pre-known by God and prepared by him with future service in view. There is no accident, for everything is within God's providence. Nothing comes by chance.
Having been thus set apart from birth, none of us can afford to be casual or frivolous in our attitude to life. Each one of us must expect to discover what God has planned for us, and in his time and way to enter into it. God does not write off as valueless our unregenerate days. He does not want us to deny the very human elements in our makeup by presenting instead a false, because unreal, front. He has a use for the persons we are and intends to use the real us, purified by the cross, and not some pretense, in his service.
Watchman Nee
Friday, November 4, 2011
November 5
"For this, moreover, will I be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them." Ezekiel 36:37
God is here expressing his purpose to increase the house of Israel like a flock. Those unacquainted with him will ask why, if he wants to do this, he does not himself simply give the increase. Surely no one could stand in his way! But here he states his condition. He will do it for them if he is inquired of concerning it by the house of Israel. The principle is unmistakable: God has a purpose already determined, but he will not force it.
From this we can move to the Church's function before God today. Never let us think of the Church simply as a place for meetings. No, the Church is a group of people, redeemed by the precious blood, regenerated by the Spirit, and committed into God's hand for the role of inquiry of him in prayer until his will in the earth is brought to pass. The smallest group of Christians praying contributes to that. God will do whatever he has set himself to do, through the Church's prayer.
God is here expressing his purpose to increase the house of Israel like a flock. Those unacquainted with him will ask why, if he wants to do this, he does not himself simply give the increase. Surely no one could stand in his way! But here he states his condition. He will do it for them if he is inquired of concerning it by the house of Israel. The principle is unmistakable: God has a purpose already determined, but he will not force it.
From this we can move to the Church's function before God today. Never let us think of the Church simply as a place for meetings. No, the Church is a group of people, redeemed by the precious blood, regenerated by the Spirit, and committed into God's hand for the role of inquiry of him in prayer until his will in the earth is brought to pass. The smallest group of Christians praying contributes to that. God will do whatever he has set himself to do, through the Church's prayer.
November 4
"He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." John 14:9
The great message of the Bible is that the Word became flesh. There was a time when we did not know what grace and truth were. But today grace is no longer an abstraction, for in the life of the Lord Jesus we have seen how grace lives and walks among men. It has, as it were, become flesh. Similarly, we did not know truth or holiness or patience until we saw them in the Lord Jesus.
God is love, yet we are ignorant of how he loves. Now we have beheld this love come down to us in Jesus of Nazareth. We misunderstood spiritually, thinking that a spiritual man should neither smile nor weep, but be totally devoid of any human feelings. How wrong we were! For in the smiles and tears of the Lord we comprehend what spiritually in fact is. In God, these things were too far off for us to apprehend them. In Jesus, they are close at hand.
The great message of the Bible is that the Word became flesh. There was a time when we did not know what grace and truth were. But today grace is no longer an abstraction, for in the life of the Lord Jesus we have seen how grace lives and walks among men. It has, as it were, become flesh. Similarly, we did not know truth or holiness or patience until we saw them in the Lord Jesus.
God is love, yet we are ignorant of how he loves. Now we have beheld this love come down to us in Jesus of Nazareth. We misunderstood spiritually, thinking that a spiritual man should neither smile nor weep, but be totally devoid of any human feelings. How wrong we were! For in the smiles and tears of the Lord we comprehend what spiritually in fact is. In God, these things were too far off for us to apprehend them. In Jesus, they are close at hand.
Monday, October 31, 2011
November 3
"And he put the whole upon the hands of Aaron, and upon the hands of his sons, and waved them for a wave-offering before Jehovah." Leviticus 8:27
In this sacrificial ritual, the blood so placed on Aaron and his sons was taken from "the ram of consecration." When this had been done, then into Aaron's hands were placed "the wave offering." Aaron's action in lifting up this offering to God is what was then called "consecration." Can we now put this in New Testament terms?
According to the acceptance which Christ has before God, I now stand in the position of a servant who hears God's voice, does his will, and walks in his path. Hereafter my ears, my hands, and my feet belong to exclusively God. No one can borrow my ears to listen to another's voice, or my hands to do another's bidding, or my feet to walk in another's path. I even take a further step. I fill my two hands with Christ and uplift him. This means that I am here for the service of God and my body is devoted to that service.
In this sacrificial ritual, the blood so placed on Aaron and his sons was taken from "the ram of consecration." When this had been done, then into Aaron's hands were placed "the wave offering." Aaron's action in lifting up this offering to God is what was then called "consecration." Can we now put this in New Testament terms?
According to the acceptance which Christ has before God, I now stand in the position of a servant who hears God's voice, does his will, and walks in his path. Hereafter my ears, my hands, and my feet belong to exclusively God. No one can borrow my ears to listen to another's voice, or my hands to do another's bidding, or my feet to walk in another's path. I even take a further step. I fill my two hands with Christ and uplift him. This means that I am here for the service of God and my body is devoted to that service.
November 2
"Suddenly there shone round about him a light out of heaven: and he fell upon the earth." Acts 9:3-4
Real light from heaven is more than knowledge. It is the discovery of the Lord himself. Whoever sees him, sees light; and if we really see light, we will fall to the ground. Instruction does not have this effect. We may listen to any number of instructive sermons and even memorize their content, and still remain unchanged.
But that never happens when true light comes from God. When that light dawns, it blinds our eyes to one whole world that they may be opened to another. It does indeed cause us to see, but first it blinds and prostrates us. When Paul saw the light, he was smitten to the ground and for three days could see nothing.
Light is rigorous. It can do to a man what he himself can never do. Like Paul, who truly thought he ought to oppose Jesus, we may be rigid and inflexible, resistant to all persuasion; but when that light shines we are softened, weakened, broken. Light has to humble us before it enables us to see.
Real light from heaven is more than knowledge. It is the discovery of the Lord himself. Whoever sees him, sees light; and if we really see light, we will fall to the ground. Instruction does not have this effect. We may listen to any number of instructive sermons and even memorize their content, and still remain unchanged.
But that never happens when true light comes from God. When that light dawns, it blinds our eyes to one whole world that they may be opened to another. It does indeed cause us to see, but first it blinds and prostrates us. When Paul saw the light, he was smitten to the ground and for three days could see nothing.
Light is rigorous. It can do to a man what he himself can never do. Like Paul, who truly thought he ought to oppose Jesus, we may be rigid and inflexible, resistant to all persuasion; but when that light shines we are softened, weakened, broken. Light has to humble us before it enables us to see.
November 1
"For I know nothing against myself; yet am I not hereby justified." 1 Corinthians 4:4
"Who can disarm his errors?" asks the psalmist. The answer is, no one. By ourselves we cannot accurately know our faults. If, as Jeremiah said so forcefully, our hearts are deceitful above all things, then how can our attempts at introspection be trustworthy?
Examining ourselves with a deceitful heart, we will inevitably be deceived. Our thoughts and emotions are highly complex in their working, so the knowledge derived from them is undependable. We cannot be accurate in our self-judgments.
For this reason, introspection is not a virtue but a huge mistake. Only when the light of the Lord shines in is one able to discern what is right and what is wrong. If a Christian considers his defects overmuch, he is downcast; if he thinks upon his virtues, he grows proud. The only knowledge of self which is safe and healthy comes from the shining in of the light of God.
"Who can disarm his errors?" asks the psalmist. The answer is, no one. By ourselves we cannot accurately know our faults. If, as Jeremiah said so forcefully, our hearts are deceitful above all things, then how can our attempts at introspection be trustworthy?
Examining ourselves with a deceitful heart, we will inevitably be deceived. Our thoughts and emotions are highly complex in their working, so the knowledge derived from them is undependable. We cannot be accurate in our self-judgments.
For this reason, introspection is not a virtue but a huge mistake. Only when the light of the Lord shines in is one able to discern what is right and what is wrong. If a Christian considers his defects overmuch, he is downcast; if he thinks upon his virtues, he grows proud. The only knowledge of self which is safe and healthy comes from the shining in of the light of God.
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