Today many Christians are interested in spiritual gifts. Too often, however, we neglect two of the greatest gifts, the Holy Bible and the Holy Spirit. One is without; the other is within; and the two correspond to each other. In the Bible we find Christ as light and life; in the Spirit we also find Christ as light and life.
Suppose on earth today there were no Bible. After two thousand years, what would there be on this earth concerning the Lord? There would be just a mass of confusion. You may say we would have the Spirit. It is right to trust in the Spirit, but just as a physical life cannot exist without a body, so the Spirit and the Word must always be taken together. Your life is like the Spirit, and your body is like the Word. If you take care of your body and keep it in good health, your life will last longer. Similarly, if you are built up through regularly reading the Word and spending time in prayer, your spirit will be healthy, and your family life and the church life will be greatly improved.
Let us answer some questions before we continue.
My day starts very early. Should I still get up extra early to spend time in the Word?
It is not too hard for anyone to get up ten minutes earlier in order to eat the Word. It is a healthy habit, beneficial not only spiritually but even physically. Our anxieties will be replaced by joy when we read the Word; it is a medicine to heal us of our tensions and worries (see Prov. 4:20-22).
Is it best to get into the Word before the sun is out?
That thought comes from the typology of the gathering of manna. The Israelites had to gather manna before the sun rose, or it would melt (Exo. 16:21). If you can get up that early, that is good. But I am not that legal! If you are a nurse, you may have irregular hours. I just ask you to spend ten minutes before you start your day, whether it is at 5:30 or 8:30.
Should we eat the Word alone or corporately?
Personal contact with the Lord is basic; corporate contact, helpful. If you have time, do both; if not, take care of your private contact with Him. Personal contact can be likened to textbooks; corporate, to reference books. If you are taking a course in school, you must study the textbook in order to pass; if possible, study the reference books too. In the past few years, some saints have had only a corporate morning watch; when they come to pray-read alone, they don’t know what to do. It is poor to be able to read the reference books but not be able to study the textbook!
Suppose we do not sense a speaking during our ten minutes with the Lord. Should we be concerned or expect this to be the case sometimes?
When you go to breakfast, don’t be thinking about how it will taste; just sit down and eat. Intending to get a “good taste” from your morning reading will just be a frustration to you. Our feelings are complicated and fluctuating, as changeable as the weather. Don’t trust them. Even if the Word seems not to stay with you, it is doing its cleansing work. I encourage you by saying not to try to get anything from your reading; then you will not be discouraged when you don’t seem to get anything.
Before you start any day, it is a necessity to come to the Lord. To thus put Him first is to pay Him high honor. He will surely reward you, whether it seems so or not.
Many times in a meeting I sense the anointing to do something. Then the next day when I’m supposed to do it, the sense is gone. It has happened countless times. Sometimes I think I should go ahead and take care of it on the basis of my previous sense, and other times I decide to let it go.
The Christian life is a life by faith, not by feeling. We should come to the meetings regularly, for example. Many meetings we may feel we have not received anything, but nonetheless we are getting the benefit every time. If you stop coming, you will see how like the world you will become after a few months.
At the beginning of our Christian life, out of sympathy for our weakness, the Lord surely gives us a feeling. But in order to train us to live by faith, after a certain period He removes the feeling. Then we descend into the valley. Knowing we cannot take too much, the Lord for a shorter period restores the feeling. This gives us the sense of being on the mountaintop. Such a cycle is repeated until gradually the dependence on feelings is gone; there is no mountaintop and no valley. Whether we are opposed or welcomed matters little. Whether it is bright or cloudy, we do not care.
Before you enter such a stage, do not be troubled. If you feel that the anointing of the evening before is gone, contact the Lord again. If the anointing returns, follow it; if not, don’t do anything. The Lord does not expect you to live by last night. He just asks us to live today. This is the simple way of faith.
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