«　WEEK 10　DAY 4　»

　　2 Sam. 9:13 And Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem because he ate at the king’s table continually. And he was crippled in both his feet.

　　Heb. 12:2 Looking away unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down on the right hand of the throne of God.

　　All of us are like Mephibosheth, the grandson of King Saul (2 Sam. 4:4). Mephibosheth was lame; he was unable to walk. King David preserved his life, restored to him all his inheritance, and invited him to feast with him at the same table (9:1-13). After Mephibosheth received grace from David, he only looked at the riches on David’s table; he did not look at his two lame legs underneath the table. Whenever we look at ourselves, we discover that we are lame, and we become discouraged. After we have been saved, we should forget about our two lame legs and sit at the table of our King, Jesus Christ, to enjoy Him with all His unsearchable riches. We should only look at the riches on the Lord’s table and enjoy them. By our enjoyment of the unsearchably rich Christ, He will transform us. (CWWL, 1965, vol. 2, “The Tree of Life,” p. 200)

　　Before Mephibosheth knew of David’s love to him, David already loved him; after Mephibosheth knew of his love, David still loved him. God is the same toward us…. God loves you just the way you are. Come to God just as you are.

　　Now someone may say, “…We are saved by grace and not by works. God treats me in the same way that David treated Mephibosheth. But after I am saved, should not my behavior become better? Why do I still feel that I am sometimes high and sometimes low, at times good and at times bad?” In order to answer this question, please read 2 Samuel 9:13. “Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem because he ate at the king’s table continually. And he was crippled in both his feet.” We were saved by grace initially, and we are also kept in this salvation by grace. Many mistakenly have a concept that they were initially saved by grace but they are kept in this salvation by work. However, there is no such thing. We should realize that the condition for salvation is the condition for preservation. We are saved by Jesus, and we are kept by Jesus to the end. Although Mephibosheth dined with the king often, his two feet still remained lame. If one foot is lame, one can still jump. But if both feet are lame, it is not only inconvenient but also ugly. We can dine at the king’s table, and both feet can still be lame. The king would not allow a lame person to dine at his table on the first day and then drive him out after a few days because his feet were still lame. There is no such thing.

　　Our two feet are lame, but they are under the table. We should just eat what is on the table. Why do we put our two feet, which should be under the table, onto the table? We should just pay attention to what is on the table. What God has spread out here is wonderful, rich, and sweet. We just need to eat. We should not look at ourselves. Instead, we should look at the riches God has given us. Every time we look at ourselves, we will not have peace. Our eyes are for looking outside, not inside. Self-introspection is not our portion. If we keep our eyes upon the Lord, we will go from glory to glory and be transformed into His image. If we look at ourselves, we will be just like Mephibosheth with two feet lame. After we are saved, we receive a new life, and the Holy Spirit lives within us; we become entirely new. The self that comes from Adam never changes. How did a man as holy as St. Augustine feel when he was dying? He said, “Most of this world’s seeds of sin are within my self.” As long as we are still in this body, our two feet are still lame. We should not look at ourselves. We should only look at the riches and the grace that God has spread before us. When we do this, our hearts will be satisfied. (CWWN, vol. 18, pp. 287-288)

　　Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msgs. 8, 10-11