第九週•週一

W09D01-ch

晨興餧養

申八8『那地有小麥、大麥、葡萄樹、無花果樹、石榴樹…。』

西二19『…持定元首；本於祂，全身…以神的增長而長大。』

一27 ～ 28『…基督在你們裏面成了榮耀的盼望；我們宣揚祂，是用全般的智慧警戒各人，教導各人，好將各人在基督裏成熟的獻上。』

當你看見一棵成熟的石榴樹，你就馬上體會生命的豐盛和美麗。

你若是享受基督作復活者，憑着祂復活的大能活出耶穌在地上的生活，忍受各種的壓迫、逼害、困難和衝突，你就要體會到基督的甘甜和滿足在你的裏面，並且你要將生命的美麗和豐盛顯給別人。當別人碰着你的時候，他們要感到基督的可愛和吸引，並且有豐盛的生命分給他們。（李常受文集一九六一至一九六二年第四册，三二一頁。）

信息選讀

我們越因着愛主耶穌，而樂意受祂的約束與管理時，就越在生命中長大，甚至在豐盛的生命中長大。這指明神愛子的國，乃是爲了叫我們享受基督作生命。…當我們持守我們的哲學、倫理、禁慾主義或規條，我們就在黑暗的權勢之下。但神已拯救我們脫離了這權勢，把我們遷入愛的國裏，就是滿了生命和亮光的國裏。在這裏我們…只有神的愛子基督。在這裏我們有愛、光和生命。

舉例說明神愛子的國，比充分解釋愛子的國要容易些。想想看你的經歷。當我們認識主耶穌是這樣的可愛可親，我們就開始愛祂。我們一愛主耶穌，就感覺到愛的甜美。這個愛的感覺不僅包括了主耶穌，也包括了我們。我們曉得，我們也是神聖之愛的對象。我們旣是這神聖之愛的對象，自然而然的就在一種支配或管理之下。我們開始愛主耶穌以前，可以爲所欲爲。但我們越說，『主耶穌，我愛你！』我們就越沒有自由。我們開始愛主耶穌以前，還不覺得有這樣的管理和約束。我們待別人不好，或是享受屬世的娛樂，一點也不覺得裏頭的約束。但我們成了愛主耶穌的人之後，就進到祂的管理之下。這個管理並不嚴酷；相反的，乃是甜美而愉快的。…因着主在我們裏頭的管制是甜美的，我們就用不着操心會說閒話，或有不討祂喜悅的思想。我們在愛的甜美中，受最大的管理和約束。這就是神愛子的國。

憑基督而活，就是我們不憑基督以外的任何事物而活。我們若看見甚麼是憑基督而活，就會領悟，我們許多人仍舊在某種形式的轄制之下；這種轄制是由己所建立，由己所設立並執行的。這種轄制就是黑暗的權勢。我們若在這種權勢之下，我們讀經就得不着光，禱告也沒有話語。雖然父拯救了我們脫離黑暗的權勢，脫離我們天然的思想、情感、喜好和行爲，我們仍舊可能停留在天然人的一些光景裏。這使我們被扣留在黑暗的權勢之下。事實上，由於我們在黑暗的權勢及轄制之下，沒有實際在神愛子的國裏，我們就很少享受基督作眾聖徒的分。…我們在復活裏，憑着子作我們的生命而活，我們就活在祂的國裏，在父的愛裏享受祂。（歌羅西書生命讀經，三八至四一頁。）

參讀：包羅萬有的基督，第六章。

WEEK 9 — DAY 1

Morning Nourishment

Deut. 8:8 A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates…

Col. 2:19 …Holding the Head, out from whom all the Body…grows with the growth of God.

1:27-28…Christ in you, the hope of glory, whom we announce, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man full-grown in Christ.

When you see a ripe pomegranate, you immediately realize the abundance and the beauty of life.

If you enjoy Christ as the resurrected One and by the power of His resurrection you live the life of Jesus on the earth to suffer all kinds of pressure, persecutions, troubles, and conflicts, you will realize the sweetness and satisfaction of Christ within you, and you will manifest the beauty and the abundance of life to others. When others touch you, they will sense the loveliness and attractiveness of Christ, and an abundance of life will be imparted to them. (CWWL, 1961-1962, vol. 4, “The All-inclusive Christ,” p. 243)

Today’s Reading

The more we are willing to be restricted and ruled by the Lord Jesus out of our love for Him, the more we will grow in life, even in the abundance of life. This indicates that the kingdom of the Son of His love is for our enjoyment of Christ as life…When we were holding to our philosophy, ethics, asceticism, and ordinances, we were under the authority of darkness. But God has delivered us out of this authority and has transferred us into a kingdom of love that is full of life and light. Here we…just have Christ, the Son of His love. Here we have love, light, and life.

It is easier to give an illustration of the kingdom of the Son of His love than it is to give an adequate definition of it. Consider your experience. Coming to realize that the Lord Jesus is so loving and lovable, we began to love Him. As we love the Lord Jesus, we are conscious of a sweet sense of love. Not only does this sense of love include the Lord Jesus, but it also includes us. We realize that we also are the objects of the divine love. As objects of this divine love, we spontaneously come under a certain control or ruling. Before we began to love the Lord Jesus, we were free to do whatever we wanted. But the more we say, “Lord Jesus, I love You,” the less freedom we have. Before we began to love the Lord Jesus, we did not sense this ruling or restriction. We could mistreat people or engage in worldly entertainments without any sense of inward restriction. But as those who love the Lord Jesus, we have
come under His rule. This rule is not harsh; on the contrary, it is sweet and pleasant…Because of the pleasantness of the Lord’s rule in us, we do not care even to speak a vain word or to have a thought that is displeasing to Him. We are ruled and restricted to the uttermost in the sweetness of love. This is the kingdom of the Son of His love.

To live by Christ means that we do not live by anything other than Christ. If we see what it is to live by Christ, we will realize that many of us are still under some form of control established by the self, a control set up and carried out by the self. This kind of control is the authority of darkness. If we are under this authority, we receive no light in reading the Bible, and we have no utterance in prayer. Although the Father has delivered us out of the authority of darkness, out of our natural thought, emotion, preference, and behavior, we may still remain in some aspect of our natural being. This causes us to be held under the authority of darkness. Because, in actuality, we are under the authority and control of darkness and are not in the kingdom of the Son of His love in a practical way, we have little enjoyment of Christ as the portion of the saints. When we live by the Son as our life in resurrection,
we are living in His kingdom, enjoying Him in the Father’s love. (Life-study of
Colossians, second edition, pp. 33, 32-34)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1961-1962, vol. 4, “The All-inclusive Christ,” ch. 6