One very simple way to overcome the loss of the first love for the Lord is to give Christ the first place, the preeminence, in all things. The Bible begins with, “In the beginning, God …” (Gen. 1:1), and Colossians tells us that Christ must have the first place, the preeminence, in all things (Col. 1:18). In order for us to love the Lord with the first and best love, we need to consider the Lord Jesus as the first in everything. In God’s eyes and in God’s economy, Christ is the first – but what about in our personal universe, in our decisions, considerations, emotions, living, walking, speaking, attitude, and in all our being? [read more online]
overcoming the loss of the first love by giving the Lord the preeminence in all things
Filed Under: Christ lives in me, consecration, Enjoying Christ, expounding the truth, His heart's desire, love the Lord, morning revival, our birthright, the Christian Life, the church life, the Lord's recovery Tagged With: crystallization study of Psalms, degradation comes in, give Christ the preeminence, give the Lord the first place, guard yourselves from idols, His love constrains us, holy word for morning revival, Lord Jesus I love You, lose our first love, loving the Lord with our first love, overcome the loss of the first love, recover our first love, the first place in all things
desolation comes in when God’s people do not properly appreciate and exalt Christ
Our failure to give Christ the first place in all things – our failure to love Him with the best love and appreciate Him – brings in desolation and degradation. The problem of desolation can be solved by Christ being appreciated and exalted by God’s people (see Psa. 80:17). When Christ is enjoyed, appreciated, given the first place, given the preeminence in all things – when He is properly appreciated and exalted, the house and the city of God can be maintained, preserved, and built up! Our not giving Christ the preeminence and our not appreciating Him is the cause of our failure and desolation. [read more online]
Filed Under: consecration, Enjoying Christ, expounding the truth, God's economy, His heart's desire, love the Lord, morning revival, the Body of Christ, the Christian Life, the church life, the high peak, the Lord's recovery, the Word of God Tagged With: based on His covenant, crystallization study of Psalms, degradation comes in, enjoy Christ, exalt and appreciate Christ, give Christ the preeminence, give the Lord the first place, holy word for morning revival, life-study of Psalms, loving Him with our best love, pray for God's interest, the house of God
seeing what it means to be a genuine church in the focus of the Lord’s recovery
To be in the Lord’s recovery means that we are Christians NOT just for our own need and not just for ourselves (we don’t focus only on, What can God do for me?) – we are Christians for God’s need, God’s pleasure, God’s heart’s desire, and even God’s goal! Yes, we have our needs, we see what we are, but what about God’s need? What about God’s purpose, His goal, and His economy? We are here learning to lift our view from our petty needs and problems, and look to the Lord to be one with Him for His economy, His need. [read more online]
Filed Under: Christ lives in me, consecration, Enjoying Christ, experiencing Christ, expounding the truth, God's economy, His heart's desire, morning revival, the Body of Christ, the Christian Life, the church life, the Lord's recovery Tagged With: a genuine church, caring for God's need, corporate expression, holy word for morning revival, it's the Lord's mercy, the church of God, the focus of the Lord's recovery, the local church, the Lord's recovery, the nature of the church, the testimony of Jesus
being the captives of Christ in His triumphal procession scattering His fragrance
In our experience we all have to admit that many times Christ is captive to us, and we “defeat Christ” by living in our natural man, in our flesh, and guided by our self. We may not have problems with sin or with the world, but the question is, Who is Whose Captive? This is why we all need to pray, Lord, make me Your captive – never let me win! Defeat me all the time! The Lord doesn’t need “spiritual giants” but He needs little captives, those who have been defeated by Christ and who are subdued by Him. We need to cooperate with the Lord’s defeating work by praying in such a way, so that He may have a gateway to enter in and defeat us all the time. [continue reading online]
Filed Under: Christ lives in me, consecration, Enjoying Christ, experiencing Christ, expounding the truth, God's economy, love the Lord, morning revival, our birthright, the Body of Christ, the Christian Life, the high peak, the Lord's recovery, the Word of God Tagged With: a triumphant procession, being captives of Christ, defeated by Christ, holy word for morning revival, incense bearers, love the church, make me Your captive, ministers of the new covenant, never let me win, rest in our spirit, subdued by Christ, the focus of the Lord's recovery, the fragrance of Christ, we are captives of Christ, who is whose captive?
being a laboring farmer and an unashamed workman cutting straight the word of truth
The word of God is like a grain of wheat – it dispenses God as life into us to nourish us. Also, the Word of God is like a fire and a hammer to purify us and break down our self, our natural life, our flesh, our lusts, and even our concepts (see Jer. 23:28-29). As laboring farmers, we diligently and patiently minister the Word of God to people for their growth in the divine life. In all our contact with the saints, we should be pure and have only one motive – ministering Christ to them so that they might grow in life in the Lord (1 Tim. 5:1-2). [continue reading online]
Filed Under: consecration, Enjoying Christ, experiencing Christ, expounding the truth, God's economy, morning revival, our birthright, serving the saints, the Body of Christ, the Christian Life, the Lord's recovery, the Word of God Tagged With: a laboring farmer, an all-fitting life, an unashamed workman, approved to God, being an inoculator, cut straight the Word of the truth, holy word for morning revival, minister the Word of God, rightly unfold the word, the economy of God, the focus of the Lord's recovery, working together with God
being a good soldier of Christ Jesus and an athlete contending in the games
In Rev. 18:13 we see that the cargo of the material Babylon is gold and the souls of men. Babylon deals in the souls of men – even today, men sell their soul to their occupation and they neglect God and His eternal destiny. We need to have a job, we need to earn a living, and we need to take care of all the practical aspects of our human life, but we should not sell our soul to Satan! Our soul was created to enjoy God and express God, and we fight for God’s interest on the earth one in soul with all the saints! [continue reading online]
Filed Under: consecration, Enjoying Christ, experiencing Christ, expounding the truth, God's economy, morning revival, our birthright, serving the saints, the Body of Christ, the Christian Life, the high peak, the Lord's recovery Tagged With: a good soldier, a soldier of Christ Jesus, being an athlete, being an inoculator, contending in the games, fighting for God's interest, filled with life, holy word for morning revival, maintain the morale, our service is a warfare, run with endurance, the church is God's army, the focus of the Lord's recovery, the Lord's army, well-pleasing to God
the recovery of living a life of the altar and the tent in the church life today
When God appears to us, when we see Him face to face, something of God is being transfused into us – His element is now transfused into our being. Once this transfusion takes place, there’s something going on in us – the element of God is being infused into every part of our being! Before God appeared to us, we did not have faith or we did not even think of God and His purpose; but when He appeared to us, we have His element transfused into us and infused into every part of our inner being… Slowly, this element saturates us so that we cannot help it but believe! This is faith: the element of God transfused into use, infused into us, and saturating us! [read more online]
Filed Under: consecration, Enjoying Christ, expounding the truth, His heart's desire, longings, love the Lord, our birthright, serving the saints, the Body of Christ, the Christian Life, the high peak, the Lord's recovery Tagged With: a life of consecration, a life of the altar and the tent, Abraham is our father, consecrate to the Lord, filled and saturated, God is and we are not, God's appearing, move for the Lord, pilgrims on this earth, set settled occupied, sojourners on the earth, the father of faith, transfusion and infusion, what is faith?
