Outline
Ⅰ
“We will not boast beyond our measure but according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure has apportioned to us”—2 Cor. 10:13:
A
The apostle Paul was bold, but he was not bold without limit; this shows that he was under the restriction of the Lord:
１
Paul’s boasting was according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure, the ruling God, had apportioned to him.
２
His ministry to the Gentile world, including Corinth, was according to the measure of God (Eph. 3:1-2, 8; Gal. 2:8); hence, his boast was within this limit.
B
The word rule in 2 Corinthians 10:13 literally means “a measuring rod,” like the rule of a carpenter:
１
The word measure in verse 13 indicates being ruled by God; God has allotted us just so much for our work and experience.
２
There is One who is ruling and measuring—the God of measure, the God who rules; therefore, we must stay within the limits of God’s ruling, of God’s measuring.
C
From 2 Corinthians 10:13-15, we can see that although we expect the Lord’s work to spread, we must learn how to be under God’s restriction:
１
We should not expect a spread that is without measure; that kind of spread would certainly not be within the limit of a walk according to the Spirit—Rom. 8:4-5, 14.
２
From experience we can testify that if we spread the work according to the Spirit, there will always be a limit:
ａ
Inwardly, we do not have the peace to spread the work beyond a certain point.
ｂ
Outwardly, the environment does not allow us to go beyond a particular boundary line.
Morning Nourishment
2 Cor. 10:15-16 We are not boasting beyond our measure in others' labors, but have the hope, as your faith is increasing, to be magnified in you according to our rule unto abundance, so that we may announce the gospel unto those parts beyond you, not so that we may boast in another man's rule in things already prepared.The Lord is especially interested in restricting the young people. If the young ones do not have a heart to serve the Lord, He will stir them up to serve Him. But once they have been stirred up, He will limit them. Human nature does not like this kind of limitation. For example, both in our sleeping and in our activity, we may not like limitations. When, spiritually speaking, we are asleep, God will stir us up. But when we become too active, He will restrict us…A young brother may want to be a leader among the young people. If he becomes a leader, he may then want to be a deacon or an elder in the church. In these matters he may expect to make swift progress. God’s way, however, is first to speed us up and then to slow us down, first to raise us up and then to lower us down. When we are down, He will lift us up. But when we get too far up, He will lower us down. Hence, God’s way of dealing with us is up and down, down and up. If we can take God’s ups and downs, we will eventually become useful in His work. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, p. 441)
Today’s Reading
Many young people cannot tolerate God’s ups and downs. After a few of these ups and downs, they want to quit. Their attitude may be, “If God wants me up, then let me go up to the heavens and stay there until the Lord Jesus comes back. But if God wants me down, let me stay down. But I don’t like going up and down, down and up.”God does not want us to be always up or to be always down. Even in nature the alternating of day and night testifies of this. There is no such thing as an unending day or night…God did not create us so that we would have a day or night that would last for many years. This may be according to our way, but it is not according to God’s way.
God has many ways to bring us down. Some young people have been brought down by their married life. Before a particular brother was married, he may have been like an eagle soaring in the air. He could easily talk about the wonderful, glorious church life. But not long after his wedding, it seems that the church life is no longer glorious. God is using his marriage to calm down such an excited brother. In some cases, such a brother may stay down for a long period of time after his marriage. But eventually, he is up again, although not in the same excited way as before. This is a sign of improvement.
Sometimes God may use one of the elders to bring you down. If such a thing happens to you, you should realize that God is the One who is putting you down, not the elder. He does it by means of the elder. Without having any intention, that elder may speak a certain word to you, and that word lowers you down. God deals with us in this way because He is a God of measure, apportioning to us a certain measure.
I realize that it is a serious matter to be down. Some brothers may be down for such a long time that it seems they will never rise up again. But perhaps after another period of time, they will once again be up…It seems that this being up and down is beyond our control or management. Yes, we do not control this or manage it. Therefore, we all must realize that God is in control and that this is His way to keep us within our measure.
In this country the Lord’s recovery has spread to a certain degree. Yet it seems that there has been a limit to this spread. However, this does not mean that the Lord will permanently stop the spread of the recovery. The point here is that, in our concept, once the Lord’s recovery begins to spread, it should spread farther and farther without restriction. However, this is not God’s concept. (Life-study of2 Corinthians, pp. 441-442)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1963, vol. 3, “Basic Principles for the Practice of the Church Life,” ch. 6