«　WEEK 5　DAY 1　»

　　Heb. 1:1-2 God, having spoken of old in many portions and in many ways to the fathers in the prophets, has at the last of these days spoken to us in the Son…

　　Psa. 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

　　John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life;…the words which I have spoken to you are Spirit and are life.

　　It is a punishment not to have God’s speaking. In the days of 1 Samuel 3, the Word of God was rare. That was a punishment to the family and house of Eli the priest. When you are under God’s blessing, God will be speaking every minute. God’s speaking to you proves that you are under His blessing… Is God speaking to you? That means that He is real, living, and moving.

　　The living God imparts Himself into us by speaking… God wants to transfuse Himself into us. This is mainly accomplished by speaking. The more He speaks to you, the more His divine element will be imparted or transfused into your being… Once you hear His speaking, you can never be the same. (Life-study of Hebrews, pp. 21-22)

　　When God speaks, the light shines. The first element with God’s Word is light… There is no need for you to expound it or interpret it. The light shines, for the Word bears light. The divine Word is the best illuminator, the best light-bearer… We can all prove this by our experience. Whenever we hear His Word, we are under His shining, and this shining brings us light. With this light there is the understanding, vision, and the proper wisdom, knowledge, and utterance… When you have light, you have the seeing power, the view, and the vision. When you have light, you have knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. This gives you utterance, and you cannot be dumb.

　　The Word also brings us life. The Lord Jesus said that the words He speaks are spirit and life (John 6:63). “In the beginning was the Word… In Him was life” (John 1:1,4). In the Word is life. When you touch the Word, you are enlivened. Today so many are living because they are filled with the Word. I am so happy to see that in this age, an age full of evils, the young people have sold themselves to the Holy Word. To so many of you the thing most precious in your heart is the Word. This is a good sign that the Lord is moving among you. His speaking is with us, and His Word is in us. Today everyone in the church life is bubbling because of the Word of life. We have the living Word.

　　The life that is in the Word includes a great deal. It includes holiness, love, humility, kindness, and patience. Life includes all the divine attributes and all the human virtues… Do not try to be humble, for humility is like a bird. If you try to catch it, it flies away. Do not try to love your wife or to submit to your husband. You cannot do it. Simply take the Word. The Word brings life, and this life will issue in love and submission. Humility, love, and submission are all found in this life. We cannot acquire these virtues by our effort or work. They are all in the divine life. How can we have life? Simply take the Word and life comes. When life comes, every good thing comes with it. In this life is the humility and beauty of a human being. Since God created man in His image, there certainly is beauty in humanity. But this beauty of humanity can only be found in the divine life, and the divine life is in the divine Word. When the Word comes, life comes, and beauty comes with the life. Look at the church people; everyone is handsome and beautiful. If the same people were not in the church life, they would have the appearance of scorpions, turtles, or monkeys. I have truly fallen in love with the church people. Even the older ones are so lovely. This beauty, this loveliness, comes from life, and life comes from the Word. When God speaks, life is there. This life is so rich. (Life-study of Hebrews, pp. 22-25)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Hebrews, msg. 2; CWWL, 1990, vol. 1, “The Apostles’ Teaching,” ch. 1