Scripture Reading: Psa. 119:25, 50, 57a, 58a, 103, 105, 107, 130a, 135a, 154; 1:2-3; John 1:4; Col. 2:7a; 2 Tim. 3:16a; Col. 1:12; 2 Cor. 4:6; 3:18
Ⅰ
Through the function of the Word of God, God's loving seekers receive the blessing of light becoming life—Psa. 119:130a, 105, 25, 50:
A
A great principle in the Bible is that light and life always go together; where light is, there is life, and where life is, there is light—36:9; John 1:4; 8:12:
１
There is a line throughout the Bible that speaks of light and life together—Gen. 1:3; John 1:4; 8:12; Rev. 21:23; 22:1, 5:
ａ
There is only one realm and source of life, and that is light.
ｂ
Life comes from light; light is the key to life.
ｃ
On God's side, there is first life and then light; on our side, there is first light and then life—Psa. 36:9; John 1:1, 4-5; 8:12; 2 Cor. 4:6; Acts 26:13.
２
The Bible reveals that life comes from the shining of light and that the amount of life is in direct proportion to the amount of light—Gen. 1:3-25; 2 Cor. 4:6.
３
In Genesis 1 the first-day light was for generating life, and the fourth-day lights were for the growth of life; the first-day light is sufficient for our regeneration, but for our growth in life, we need the fourth-day lights—vv. 3, 14-19; John 3:3; 2 Cor. 4:6; Eph. 4:16; 5:8-9, 13-14.
４
Both the spirit of man and the Spirit of the Lord are lamps, shining and enlightening our inward parts—Prov. 20:27; Luke 15:8.
５
Where the light shines, there the life supply goes.
６
God's way of transforming us is through enlightening; wherever the light shines, life is supplied to that place for our transformation—2 Cor. 3:18; 4:6.
７
The divine light is the divine life in the Son operating in us; this light shines in the darkness within us, and the darkness cannot overcome it—Acts 26:18; 1 Pet. 2:9; Col. 1:12-13; John 1:5.
８
When we walk in the light, the divine things are real to us, and we see one reality after another; however, when we are in darkness, nothing is real to us—1 John 1:7; 2:8.
B
The Word of God gives us light, and then it enlivens us, giving us life—Psa. 119:25, 50, 107, 154:
１
Although it is good to have light, the light must penetrate deeper until it becomes life.
２
When light goes deeper, reaching into our spirit, it becomes life, and we receive the life supply—Mal. 4:2.
C
As sons of light, we should live in the light, walk in the light, remain in the light, and be persons altogether in the light— John 12:36; 1 John 1:5, 7; 2:8.
Ⅱ
Through the function of the Word of God, God's loving seekers receive the blessing of being watered and of absorbing God—Psa. 1:2-3:
A
God's loving seekers experience the blessing of being watered by the Word:
１
When the Word becomes water in our spirit, we receive its nourishment, for the food supply is in the water—Isa. 55:1; Rev. 22:1-2.
２
If we would be watered by the Word, we must have proper roots and fine root hairs, which absorb the life supply— Mark 4:5-6, 17; Luke 8:6.
B
God's loving seekers experience the blessing of absorbing God through the Word—Col. 2:7a:
１
As believers in Christ, we are living plants rooted in Christ, and now through our roots we are absorbing the riches of the processed and consummated Triune God into our being— 1 Cor. 3:9; Col. 2:19.
２
If we contact the Lord and spend time in the Word with much prayer, we will absorb God into us to be the element that causes us to grow.
３
If we would absorb God, we need to have tender, new roots; therefore, we should not let ourselves get old but be fresh, revived, and renewed day by day—2 Cor. 4:16; Lam. 3:22-23.
Ⅲ
Through the function of the Word of God, God's loving seekers receive the blessing of inhaling God—2 Tim. 3:16a; John 20:22:
A
The Holy Pneuma is the Holy Spirit, or Holy Breath—v. 22:
１
In the Gospel of John there are three wonderful words: Word, flesh, and breath; the Word is God, the flesh is man, and the breath is the Spirit—1:1, 14; 20:22.
２
As we inhale the Holy Breath, the Spirit supplies us for our experience of Christ and for our living because He lives— 6:57b; 14:19.
B
To say that all Scripture is God-breathed is to say that the Bible is the breath, the breathing out, of God, who is Spirit— 2 Tim. 3:16a:
１
Because the Bible is the breathing out of God, the Bible has the element of God.
２
The Bible is not only the breathing out of God but is God Himself breathed into His Word.
C
God has breathed Himself out in the Word so that we can inhale Him, breathe Him in, through the Word:
１
God has breathed Himself out in the Scriptures, and thus our reading of the Scriptures should be the receiving of God's breath.
２
When God breathes Himself out, He exhales Himself, and when we contact God through the Word, we inhale God.
D
In order to be a man of God with the breath of God, we need to inhale, to breathe in, God's word— John 1:1; 20:22; 2 Tim. 3:16a.
Ⅳ
Through the function of the Word of God, God's loving seekers receive the blessing of enjoying God as their portion— Psa. 119:57a; 73:26:
A
The highest blessing is the enjoyment of God Himself as our portion—Num. 6:22-27; 2 Cor. 13:14.
B
When we have God as our portion, we have God Himself as everything to us.
C
The more we come to the Bible in the proper way, the more the Author of this book—God Himself—becomes our portion—Psa. 73:26.
D
God can be our portion because in the Word, by the Word, and through the Word He is real, present, practical, enjoyable, and available to us—119:103; 34:8.
Ⅴ
Through the function of the Word of God, God's loving seekers receive the blessing of enjoying God's countenance and the shining of His face—119:58a, 135a; 80:3; 24:6; 105:4; 2 Cor. 4:6; 3:16, 18:
A
As seekers of God, the psalmists lovingly sought God in a deeply personal and intimate way, seeking the help of His countenance and asking for the shining of His face—Psa. 42:5; 80:3.
B
In the blessing in Numbers 6:25-26, we have both the face and the countenance:
１
The face denotes the presence of a person, and the countenance denotes the expression of the person.
２
When the processed and consummated Triune God is dispensed into us through the function of the Word, we have the face of God and also His countenance—2 Cor. 13:14; 4:6.
C
If we are faithful in contacting the Lord through the Word, we will experience the shining of His face—v. 6; 3:16, 18:
１
Like Moses, we all, with an unveiled face, should be on the mountaintop under the shining of the face of God—Exo. 24:15-18; 2 Cor. 3:16.
２
Our desire should be, through the Word, to remain under this pleasant, delightful shining, staying with God, being infused with God, and glowing with God—Exo. 34:29; 2 Cor. 3:18.