In God’s economy God wants that Christ would be our all in all – He is faithful to call us into the fellowship of His Son (1 Cor. 1:9). But for Christ to be our all we need that all we have and are in our natural man would be stripped away. We are full of ourselves, so natural, and with no element of Christ in us – we need to be reorganized, reconstituted, and remodelled with God! This is why God allows things to happen in our life, things that are not so pleasant or sweet, so that we may be reconstituted with Christ and may enjoy Him only! He wants to strip us of our idols, our ambition, our self-confidence, and our self-sufficiency, that we may enjoy Him! [continue reading online and leave your comment / portion of enjoyment]
whenever we as God’s people exalt Christ there will be restoration and revival!
After we are saved, we daily call on the name of the Lord and we daily learn to give Him the first place in all things. We as regenerated people need to come together in the meetings of the church and exalt Christ by our singing, our praising, our praying, and even our shouting, Praise the Lord! We shouldn’t be silent – we need to exalt Christ by declaring, Oh, Lord Jesus, You are right now at the right hand of God – we exalt You! We give You the preeminence in our church life, our family life, our work life, our personal life, and in everything! We exalt You Lord Jesus! [continue reading online]
being the seekers of God who care for nothing but gaining God and obtaining God
It is not a matter of “keeping the law”, “doing the right thing and not the wrong thing”, “being good and not being evil” – all these belong to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It is a matter of enjoying God, seeking God, obtaining God, and even possessing God as our everything. God wants us to experience Him and enjoy Him to the extent that we honestly and genuinely say, “Lord, I don’t care for anything but the tree of life – I don’t care for anything other than God Himself”. This is what the psalmist experienced, enjoyed, and spoke about when he wrote Psalm 73. [read more online]
the solution to all our problems can be found by entering into the sanctuary of God
Psalm 73 speaks of a man who does his best to keep the law and God’s commandments, who is puzzled and almost stumbled when he sees that he is in suffering and pain while the evil men prosper and nothing seems to bother them. While the righteous man is being plagued and persecuted, going through all kinds of not-so-pleasant things, the evil men prosper. Why is it like this? The psalmist found the answer when he entered into the sanctuary of God – there he perceived their end, and he realized that God is his unique portion and reward! We also need to see this by coming into the sanctuary of God – here we have the answer! [read more online]
overcoming the loss of the first love by giving the Lord the preeminence in all things
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]
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]
the meal offering church life with no leaven and no honey is for God’s satisfaction
With the Lord Jesus there was no leaven (no sinful or negative thing) and no honey (no natural affection, attachment, or preference). Rather, He lived a life of the highest and finest humanity (fine flour) oiled with the Holy Spirit (mingled with oil), having the fragrance of resurrection (frankincense), and living under the cross every day (being salted). This One is our daily food and our supply, our sustenance, and by eating of Him we become His corporate reproduction! We also live a life of the highest humanity mingled with the Spirit, with the fragrance of resurrection, and being daily under the cross. Also, as we eat this One, we will reject any sinful thing or any good aspect of our natural man. [read more online]