HOW TO BE USEFUL TO THE LORD
CHAPTER THREE
WEEK 2 - FRIDAY
Bible Reading: Mt 13:32; 25:1-13; John 7:38; 1 Co 18:1
Read and pray: “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)
BEING USED BY THE LORD AND THE OVERFLOW OF LIFE
WORKING FOR THE LORD ACCORDING TO THE OVERFLOW OF LIFE
Many children of God often think that working for the Lord is the same as being used by Him. It is true that being used by the Lord means working for Him, but what does it actually mean to work for Him? Today, thanks to the Lord’s mercy, we clearly see that working for the Lord is not about how many things we accomplish for Him but about how much of the Lord’s life overflows from us and is infused into others through us.
Brother Watchman Nee often said, “Authentic work is the overflow of life.” Undoubtedly, our work includes an aspect of accomplishing certain things. However, we do not work merely to accomplish tasks. Instead, we work to allow the Lord’s life to overflow, infusing and ministering His life to others—that is, dispensing the Lord Himself to them.
Let’s take the preaching of the gospel as an example. Our work for the Lord, in this regard, is, on one hand, to lead people to salvation and, on the other hand, to minister the Lord’s life to sinners.
Regarding the perfecting of Christians, on one hand, we need to nourish them, but on the other, our true intention is to dispense more and more of the Lord’s life to them. In our fellowship with the brothers or during our visits, we seem to be helping and perfecting others.
In reality, if these moments are up to standard, there should be the overflow of the Lord’s life and the dispensing of this life to the brothers. Even when we speak words of comfort and encouragement, there must be an overflow of the Lord’s life for the brothers. John 7:38 shows that the Lord’s intention is that we, who have His life, allow rivers of living water to flow from within us to meet the needs of many.
The reason why the Catholic Church and Protestant churches have become a great tree (Mt 13:32) is that they carry out many works and initiatives, but they lack inner life.
The Catholic Church undertakes many works and projects, but it is rare to find a true element of life in them. The same is true for many Protestant denominations. They have initiatives such as evangelistic missions, schools, and hospitals. However, in all these large-scale works, it is difficult for people to receive something of the element of life. Often, the same happens among us. Our activities, services, and works do not always have a real connection with the element of life.
THE OVERFLOW OF LIFE DOES NOT DEPEND ON ELOQUENCE OR GIFTS
A message from the pulpit may be convincing and inspiring, but that does not necessarily mean it expresses life and Christ to the listeners. A scriptural exposition may be interesting and satisfying, but it does not necessarily infuse the life of Christ into them.
On the other hand, a brother may stand up in a meeting and give a short testimony. His speech may lack eloquence and fluency, and he may seem unable to touch people’s emotions. Yet, after he speaks, the listeners feel that something inexplicable, something spiritual, has happened to them. It is as if the Lord has come to them and touched their deepest parts, even if they are unaware of it. This is the overflow of life to others.
Sometimes, when a brother speaks in a meeting, his voice is strong and clear, and his words flow easily. He can capture the audience’s attention and make everyone nod in agreement. However, once he finishes speaking, nothing remains. Such a message is like music that does not inspire. It is simply like sounding bronze or a clanging cymbal (1 Co 18:1). When the sounds end, nothing is left, and those who heard them received no life.
You may also visit someone. As you sit in front of them, they may not say a word, yet you feel something has entered you and touched your feelings. If you live according to the flesh, the feeling this person gives you may expose and condemn your flesh. If you love sins and the world, their presence may touch a specific sin or a specific aspect of the world and even convict you of it.
On the other hand, you may meet someone who talks a lot, but none of their words penetrate you or affect your feelings. It seems that everything they say is vain and useless.
The first person did not speak much to exhort you, but through a simple contact with you, they touched your problem. Meanwhile, the second person spoke extensively and quoted many verses, yet nothing had an effect on you. The difference between the two is that one can infuse life into others, even if their speech is not fluent, while the other cannot make life overflow, despite speaking many words. This is why we must understand that authentic work consists of the overflow and infusion of life.
Spiritual hunger is often sadder than physical hunger. In some local churches, people feel unhappy in their spirit when they attend meetings, while in others, they feel the presence of the Spirit. All of this depends on whether there is an overflow of life. If we try to convince others merely with doctrines, it will be useless. People can only understand spiritual matters when these things touch their life. Therefore, when we address spiritual matters, the question is: Are we touching something related to doctrine or to life?
One day, someone asked a brother, “Can a saved person remain in darkness?” The brother replied, “Are you in the light today?” That person asked a question with their mind, but the brother answered them in life to touch their inner feeling. That is why, even in our conversations with others, there is a difference between being in doctrine and being in life.
PAYING THE PRICE TO ALLOW GOD TO WORK IN US
One day, someone told me, “We cannot say that the five virgins in Matthew 25 are saved.” So I asked them, “Are all the wise ones saved? Are you wise?” (see verses 1-13).
We must understand that constant debates over doctrines are useless. We can only solve people’s problems by touching them in the aspect of life. It is only through the overflow of life that we can reach their inner being, and once we touch them in this way, something spiritual will enter them.
Thus, being used by God means working for Him, which, in turn, means allowing His life to overflow, infusing the divine life and God Himself into others. However, before we can dispense God to others, we ourselves must have God and have life.
We can never let flow what we do not have, what we have not experienced, or what we have not received. We can only let flow what we have first received ourselves. Therefore, a person who intends to work for God must first allow God to work in them. Only those who have allowed God to work in their life are fit to work for God.
This happens because a person can only experience God when they allow Him to work in them. By doing so, the life of God enters them through their experiences, and then they will be able to let flow to others the life they have received.
For this reason, we must pay a price. Allowing God to work in us is paying a price. Those who are unwilling to pay this price can only preach doctrines but cannot dispense life to others.
Enjoy more: Hymn 236
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