B
If we would enter, possess, and enjoy the all-inclusive Christ as the reality of the good land, we must do so by the presence of the Lord; the Lord promised Moses, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exo. 33:14); God’s presence is His way, the “map” that shows His people the way they should take:
１
In order for us to fully gain and possess Christ as the all-inclusive land for God’s building, we must hold on to this principle: God’s presence is the criterion for every matter; regardless of what we do, we must pay attention to whether or not we have God’s presence; if we have God’s presence, we have everything, but if we lose God’s presence, we lose everything—Matt. 1:23; 2 Tim. 4:22; Gal. 6:18; Psa. 27:4, 8; 51:11; 2 Cor. 2:10; Ezek. 48:35.
２
The presence of the Lord, the smile of the Lord, is the governing principle; we must learn to be kept, to be ruled, to be governed, and to be guided, not by His secondhand presence but by the direct, firsthand presence of the Lord; His precious presence is the power for us to possess the all-inclusive Christ as the reality of the good land flowing with milk and honey—Exo. 3:8; 25:30; Deut. 26:9; Ezek. 20:6.
３
“In my youth I was taught various ways to overcome, to be victorious, to be holy, and to be spiritual. However, not any of these ways worked. Eventually, through more than sixty-eight years of experience, I have found out that nothing works but the Lord’s presence. His being with us is everything”—Life-study of Joshua, p. 48.
Morning Nourishment
Exo. 33:14 And He said, My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.Psa. 27:8 When You say, Seek My face, to You my heart says, Your face, O Jehovah, will I seek.
Matt. 1:23 “…And they shall call His name Emmanuel” (which is translated, God with us).
2 Tim. 4:22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.
In my youth I was taught various ways to overcome, to be victorious, to be holy, and to be spiritual. However, not any of these ways worked. Eventually, through more than sixty-eight years of experience, I have found out that nothing works but the Lord’s presence. His being with us is everything. (Life-study of Joshua, p. 48)
Today’s Reading
If we would go on to possess the land, we must do so by the presence of the Lord. If the presence of the Lord goes with us, we can enter and enjoy the land. You remember how the Lord promised Moses, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exo. 33:14). This means that He would bring the people into the possession of the land by His presence. So Moses said to the Lord, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here” (v. 15). Moses demanded that the Lord’s presence must go with them; otherwise, he would not go.One time, four or five of us who were serving the Lord together were going to a certain place….One brother at that time, however, was not happy with us, yet he had no choice but to go. We all traveled on the same train: all but this one brother sat in car number one, and he sat by himself in car number two…. He left with us, he traveled with us, and he arrived with us, but his presence was not with us.
Some Christian workers have said to me, “…Do you not believe that the Lord has blessed us?” “Undoubtedly,” I have answered, “the Lord has helped you and blessed you, but let us be silent for a little while before the Lord.” After a while I have asked, “Brother, do you feel in your deepest sense that you have the presence of the Lord with you? I know that you have done something for the Lord; I know that the Lord has helped you and blessed you. But I wish to know, in the innermost part of your being, do you feel that the Lord is so present with you? Do you always sense His face smiling upon you, and has the very smile of the Lord entered into you?”…Eventually, such brothers have said, “I must tell you, for some time I have lost my fellowship with the Lord.” Then I asked, “Brother, …are you governed by the help of the Lord or by His presence? Are you governed by His blessing or by His smile?”
Although it may be with tears in our eyes, we must say day by day, “Lord, nothing but Your smiling presence will satisfy me. I do not want anything but the smile of Your glorious face. As long as I have this, I care not whether the heaven comes down or the earth falls apart. The whole world may rise against me, but as long as I have Your smile upon me, I can praise You, and everything is well.” The Lord said, “My presence shall go with you.” What a treasure! The presence, the smile, of the Lord is the governing principle. We must be fearful of receiving anything from the Lord yet losing His presence….
The Lord Himself may very well give you something, and yet that very thing will rob you of His presence….We must learn to be kept, to be ruled, to be governed, to be guided simply by the presence of the Lord….We do not want His presence secondhand….Try to be governed by the direct, firsthand presence of the Lord. This is not only a requirement and a qualification but also a power for you to go on to possess the land. The firsthand presence of the Lord will strengthen you with might to obtain the fullness, the all-inclusiveness of Christ. What a strength, what a power, is in the direct presence of the Lord! (CWWL, 1961-1962, vol. 4, “The All-inclusive Christ,” pp. 294-296)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1961-1962, vol. 4, “The All-inclusive Christ,” ch. 11; Life-study of Exodus, msgs. 175-177