Ⅴ
God’s thoughts and ways to build up the church as the temple of the living God are higher than ours; we need to forsake our ways and our thoughts and return to Jehovah our God to take the way of enjoying Him in the church as the temple of the living God—Gen. 2:9; John 6:35, 57, 63; Isa. 55:6-13; 57:20; John 1:14; 2:19; 3:34; 17:17; Eph. 5:26; 2 Cor. 3:15-18; 6:16; Rom. 8:28-29; Rev. 22:1-2:
A
As God’s children, we need to change our concept and realize that God’s desire is to give Himself to us for our enjoyment—Psa. 36:8-9; 16:11; 19:8; 27:6; 42:4-5; 48:2; 63:7; 66:1-2; 81:1; 89:15-18; 95:1-2; 100:1-2; 126:1-6; Neh. 8:10; 1 John 1:3-4:
１
Fruit-bearing is to enjoy God—John 15:7-11.
２
Prayer is to enjoy God—Lam. 3:55-56; Hymns, #255.
３
Ministering the word is to enjoy God—John 6:57, 63; 7:37-39; 1 Cor. 15:10; 2 Cor. 3:1-6, 18; 2:17; 13:3; Eph. 3:2; 1 Pet. 4:10-11; Jer. 15:16; Ezek. 3:1-4; Isa. 55:8-11.
４
Preaching the gospel is to enjoy God—John 4:10, 13-14, 31-34.
５
Receiving His leading is to enjoy God—Exo. 33:14.
B
The secret of living the Christian life so that we may be overcomers is for us to take the way of enjoying God as the tree of life; God does not intend for us to do anything for Him; His only desire is to give Himself to us as food for our enjoyment—Gen. 2:9; Rev. 2:7.
C
We taste and see that Jehovah is good (Psa. 34:8) in the house of God, the temple of God, that is, in Christ (John 2:19-22), in the church (1 Tim. 3:15; 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 2 Cor. 6:16), in our spirit (Eph. 2:22), and ultimately in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:22).
D
We should love the habitation of God’s house, the temple, and the place where His glory abides, remains, to be manifested—Psa. 26:8; 84:1; 29:9b; Eph. 3:20-21a.
E
“One thing I have asked from Jehovah; ⁄ That do I seek: ⁄ To dwell in the house of Jehovah ⁄All the days of my life, ⁄ To behold the beauty of Jehovah, ⁄ And to inquire in His temple” (Psa. 27:4); the house of Jehovah is the enlarged, universal, divine-human incorporation for the Father’s manifestation, satisfaction, and rest (John 14:2, 20, 23).
F
In Christ, in the church, and in our spirit, we enjoy “the located God” as the fatness of His house to saturate us, as the river of His pleasures to quench our thirst, and as the fountain of life and light to feed us and enlighten us—Psa. 36:8-9.
G
“I will go to the altar of God, ⁄ To God my exceeding joy; ⁄ And I will praise You with the harp, ⁄ O God, my God”—43:4.
H
In the house of God, the temple of God, we enjoy the salvation of God’s countenance, God’s presence (42:5), so that He can be the salvation of our countenance (v. 11).
Ⅵ
“Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; ⁄ They will yet be praising You. Selah ⁄ Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, ⁄ In whose heart are the highways to Zion”—84:4-5:
A
“I will praise Your name forever and ever”—145:2b.
B
“I will praise Jehovah while I live; ⁄ I will sing psalms to my God while I yet have being”—146:2.
C
“You are holy, You who sit enthroned ⁄ Upon the praises of Israel”—22:3.
D
“Through Him then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise continually to God, that is, the fruit of lips confessing His name”—Heb. 13:15; Phil. 2:11.
Morning Nourishment
Psa. 27:4 One thing I have asked from Jehovah; that do I seek: to dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of Jehovah, and to inquire in His temple.Exo. 33:14 And He said, My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.
As God’s children, we need to change our concept and see that God’s only desire is to give Himself to us to be our enjoyment. The secret of the Christian life is not how much we work for Him, but how much we enjoy Him... We must learn this secret... We need to learn to simply turn our inner being to enjoy God... We need to learn to come to God to enjoy and absorb Him, and forget about everything, even a child’s illness. If we forget, the Lord will not forget, but if we remember, the Lord often seems to ignore the situation... He knows our “Lazarus” is sick, but He does not answer our prayer. Only when we stop does He come. The more we insist, the more He waits until “Lazarus” finally dies, is buried, and begins to stink. This is the Lord. He has no intention for us to do anything for Him. His only intention is that we learn to absorb and enjoy Him. (CWWL, 1958, vol. 1, “How to Enjoy God and How to Practice the Enjoyment of God,” p. 384)
Today’s Reading
If we want to preach the gospel, we should first spend half an hour or an hour contacting the Lord, beholding His glory, fellowshipping with Him, and praising Him. We should say, “Lord, You are too lovely. You are our Savior, and You are the Savior of all men. We come to enjoy You, to absorb You, and to live in the presence of Your countenance. We want to dwell in the house of the Lord.” There is no need for us to think about preaching the gospel. There is no need to worry about our utterance or what we should say... After absorbing the Lord and being filled with Him, we will not be the one speaking when we contact our professor. Rather, the Lord whom we have absorbed will be the One who is speaking through us. The words that we speak will be the very Lord whom we have absorbed, and it will be impossible for others not to be blessed.Moses spent forty days and forty nights on the mountain before Jehovah, doing nothing other than absorbing Him. He did not feel anything when he came down from the mountain, but the children of Israel saw the shining of his face. Why was his face shining? God did not do anything for him. Moses merely spent forty days before the Lord, fellowshipping with Him and absorbing Him. He forgot about everything and was fully occupied with the Lord. For forty days and forty nights, Moses was fully absorbed with God and filled with Him. As a result, his face shone. When he presented himself before men, he did not need to say anything concerning God; they saw God’s glory in his face. This is the wonder of the Christian life. The more we ask for power, the more power eludes us. But if we forget about power and instead fellowship with God, absorb Him, and enjoy Him, we will have power without being conscious of it.
I typically find that [some] pray to receive leading instead of to enjoy the Lord. They pray, “Lord, should I go here, or should I go there?” While they pray, their mind is busy with these questions. They are not actually praying to the Lord; they are praying for things. After praying, they consider the options and then decide which option is according to the Lord’s will and leading. This is the way many people pray. Hence, it is not surprising that they do not receive the Lord’s leading. If we know what fellowship with the Lord is, we do not need to pray this way. We can forget about all these things and simply contact the Lord, absorb Him, and enjoy Him. This is the shortcut, the expeditious way. As we absorb Him and enjoy Him, we will have His presence, which is His leading. (CWWL, 1958, vol. 1, “How to Enjoy God and How to Practice the Enjoyment of God,” pp. 382-383)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1969, vol. 3, “Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms,” ch. 23