During the years of 1932, 1933, and 1934 I was seeking to abide in Christ. By reading the Scriptures I realized that John 15 was a most crucial chapter. “Abide in Me and I in you” (John 15:4). I even gave message after message telling people that all other teachings were not necessary. They only needed to do one thing, that is, to abide in the Lord. I spent as much money as I could afford to buy books concerning abiding. For nearly three years almost every day I was commanding the Lord, “Lord, help me to abide in You.” But the more I told the Lord to help me, the more the Lord didn’t do anything.
I believe all of you who have sought the Lord in that way can also testify that kind of seeking didn’t work and that kind of prayer didn’t work. It took me a long time to realize this didn’t work. Finally, after a certain period of time, I didn’t give the Lord the commandment to help me to abide in Him, but I lived a life spontaneously abiding in Him. Suppose a branch on a tree knows that it has to abide in the tree and let the tree abide in it. The more this branch would practice abiding, the more the branch would be off. The real abiding is a natural thing; it is not a practice. But for us today to get into the natural condition is not so easy. It is hard even for me to speak such a message to you.
I hope that through these messages you could see something. Many of you have checked whether or not you love the Lord. You have realized that you love the Lord, but you may have considered that you do not love Him so absolutely. Sometimes people without experience would say, “Yes, you love the Lord, but not absolutely.” Then you go back home and try to be absolute. I did these things. Eventually, I began to question how absolute is absolute. Some people and even some books would say you are still not absolute. One even gave an illustration that if on the balance you need a hundred ounces to balance and you only have ninety-nine, you are short until you put on another ounce. But in our experience if we put on another ounce of absoluteness still it is ninety-nine. Regardless of how many additional ounces of absoluteness I put in, always it is still ninety-nine. So I discovered it is a kind of nonsense to talk about absoluteness. How absolute is absolute? I am not a sloppy person, and I really tried to be absolute. The more I added another ounce of absoluteness, the shorter I was of ninety-nine ounces. That was a wrong way. By trying to be more absolute you get nowhere.
I know that you have all practiced to be absolute. I don’t blame you, because I passed through this stage. You, too, have to pass through. You tell others that they need to be absolute. You tell others that three years ago we had a cause, and we were so absolute, but now we are not so absolute. According to your sensation you were more absolute three years ago. Actually, you are more absolute today. But I have not said a word because you have to pass this stage. I would be foolish to tell you not to pass this stage because you would stop and not go on. Thank the Lord that you have come here to this point. Now you may look back and see that your teachings on absoluteness mean nothing. You just need to love the Lord, to seek the Lord, and to stay with Him. Tell the Lord that you love Him, that you want everything of Him, but that you would not do anything, that the Lord must do it. Tell Him that you love to be one spirit with Him, but that you wouldn’t do it. But don’t imitate. Imitating doesn’t work. It is altogether a matter of growth in life.
I do believe that now is the time at least some of you have come to the stage where you need this help. This help will be a rest to you and a release to you. Eventually, from morning to evening, you will just enjoy the Lord living Himself out of you. Day by day you will not be saving yourself, but you will be saved. Some of you may say you understand now what I mean, and that you will do it. If you would do it, that is very good. Don’t try not to do it. If you try not to do it, you are performing. Recently, my daughter and her two sons came to visit me. The first is a little over three years of age, and the second is close to two years. The first one has grown up to a stage that he spoke the best Chinese to me, with the best tone and the proper pronunciation, and the grammar was altogether right. The second one just followed the first one. The first one said, “Come to my home,” and the second one could just say, “My home.” You have to realize regardless of how much you endeavor, if your growth is like the first one you will speak a complete sentence: “Come to my home and play with me.” If you don’t have much growth you may simply say, “Home, play.” How you respond to these Perfecting Messages will be according to your growth in life. In the church life we do not have classes or grades. We have only one general grade which includes everyone. When we give a message, some needs will surely be met. Some needs will not be met today, but after six months you would remember what you heard, and you would receive the help.