Although some saved ones may not feel very strongly that the Lord is lovely or that they want to love God, within them they still have a little love for the Lord. One time I went to visit a brother who loved playing cards. I asked him, “Which do you think is more lovely—the Lord or the cards?” He said, “Outwardly I feel that the cards are more lovely, but inwardly I still feel that the Lord is more lovely.” In fact, he knew that it was a good thing for him to love the Lord, yet he still enjoyed playing cards. These two things were competing for this person—the Lord was competing from within while the cards were competing from without. One day, however, the cards will lose, and the Lord will gain the victory. Sooner or later the power inside of him will overcome the power which is outside of him. A person who hates sins does not do so because he is afraid of sins. Christians hate sins because the Lord is lovely and they have the Lord’s love within them.
Every saved one inwardly feels that the Lord is lovely. It is not a matter of “knowing,” because knowing is just a matter of our mind; rather, it is a matter of “feeling.” Feeling is a matter of an inner sense. A saved one not only knows that the Lord is lovely, but he also feels that the Lord is lovely. A Christian may commit a great sin. While committing the sin, he may, on the one hand, enjoy the pleasures of sin while, on the other hand, still feel that the Lord is lovely. Hence, a Christian is almost always a paradox. Nearly every Christian is different on the inside than he is on the outside and experiences contradictions between what he is within and what he is without. It is rare to find a Christian whose inner being is in harmony with his outer being. What is it to have one’s inner being in harmony with one’s outer being? This is to love the Lord without and within. The majority of Christians love themselves outwardly, but inwardly they still love the Lord. Some love to dress up outwardly, but inwardly they still love the Lord. Some love their wife outwardly, but inwardly they still love the Lord. Some love their children outwardly, but inwardly they still love the Lord. Every Christian more or less loves the Lord. On the one hand, we do like lustful things, fashion, and clothing, but on the other hand, we feel that the Lord is truly lovely.
Although there may be a difference in degree, every Christian does feel that the Lord is lovely. This is the motivation of a Christian’s consecration. After we are saved, the Lord draws our heart to Himself over and over again in many ways and through different kinds of environments and methods, so that we would tell Him, “O Lord, not only do You love me but You are truly lovely. I fully consecrate myself to You.” All Christians have to take this initial step, and no one can escape from this. Anyone who has never given himself to the Lord has no way to take the Lord’s way.
After someone is saved, if he wants to have a rich experience of the Lord, the first step he needs to take is consecration. If a person does not give himself to the Lord after his salvation, he will have no way to take the Lord’s way. For our prayers to be answered, faith is of vital importance; however, those who have never given themselves to the Lord cannot have much faith. Only those who truly consecrate themselves to the Lord have adequate faith. After we have absolutely consecrated ourselves to the Lord, faith comes. Faith comes from consecration. Moreover, if a person desires to belong to the Lord completely, he must fully consecrate himself to the Lord. No one can be holy without consecrating himself to the Lord. A person will have no way to overcome if he has not consecrated himself to the Lord. Furthermore, one can see hardly any light unless he consecrates himself to the Lord. How well we walk before God altogether hinges on our consecration. Man’s heart always turns to the world, but only when man turns to God will God shine on him with His light.
Suppose there is a light behind me. If I do not turn around, I will not receive its shining because light shines in a particular direction. When a man’s heart is turned to things other than God, it is impossible for God to shine on him. Some pray that God would shine on them, but still they do not receive any light. Some may even wonder why others always receive light, but they never receive any light. This is solely because they are turned away from God. Whenever they turn around, God’s light will have a way to shine on them. “Whenever their heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” (2 Cor. 3:16). If a Christian does not have light within him, this shows that inwardly he is still somewhat turned away from God. Since he is turned away from God, he needs to turn around. What is consecration? Consecration is to turn our whole being around. When our heart is in the world, we spontaneously are facing the world; hence, we need to turn. Whenever our heart is facing the Lord within, immediately our inner being will be enlightened, and we will know what is the will of God and what is not the will of God.
Moreover, for a Christian to be spiritual, he also must consecrate himself to the Lord. We may use an illustration: A cup can be placed outside for half a day while the rain is very heavy, but the cup is not filled with even half a drop of water. Why not? The reason the cup is not filled up is because it is upside down. Although the rain is pouring down, the cup does not have one drop of water. All children of God should be filled with the Holy Spirit, and it should be easy for them to receive the filling of the Holy Spirit. However, some people always ask for the filling of the Holy Spirit yet never receive it. What is the reason for this? If we turn the cup right side up, it will be filled with water right away. If we are not willing to turn our heart to face toward God but instead are always facing “downward,” facing toward the world, then it is impossible for us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It is absolutely impossible for a person whose heart is totally toward the world to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to receive the grace of God. However, as soon as he turns his heart toward God, he will immediately be filled with the Holy Spirit. All the experienced ones can testify of this. Furthermore, a person also must be consecrated if he wants to fellowship with God and have His presence all the time. Anyone who is not consecrated cannot have fellowship with God; neither can he have the presence of God. We can use an electric lamp as an illustration. If an electric lamp has a broken wire, the electricity is cut off. In this case, having one broken wire is the same as having two broken wires. Therefore, for us to enjoy the fellowship and the presence of God, we must be consecrated people.