HOW TO BE USEFUL TO THE LORD
CHAPTER FIVE
WEEK 2 - FRIDAY
Bible Reading: Mark 10:27; 2 Corinthians 13:6; Ephesians 4:13; 1 John 3:2
Read and Pray: "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." (1 John 3:2)
The more God mixes with us, the more we have His element. The more God mixes with us, the more Christ spreads in us. Thus, Christ will gradually grow in us until He is formed and matures in us. This leads us to perfect growth (Ephesians 4:13). When we reach the stage of perfect manhood, Christ will be fully expressed through us. He will spread from our spirit and fully occupy our soul, and then, He will permeate our body, and glory will be expressed. At that moment, we will be mature and ready to be raptured, for Christ will be fully developed and formed in us.
1 John 3:2 says: "When He is revealed, we shall be like Him." Are we like Him now? To what extent do we express Christ? Since the moment we were saved, has God continued to mix with us? Every time God moves in us, are we touched but not moved? Do we let Him prevail? Is the element of God in our opinions and preferences?
Perhaps, until today, some of us still have the concept that it is enough to be saved and “go to heaven,” and there is no need to worry about the matter of overcoming. Some even say, "We don’t expect to receive a reward. We are satisfied to serve as watchmen at the gates of the heavenly mansions." Furthermore, they say, "All the messages about truth are very good, but we cannot reach their level. They are too difficult, so we will forget them. Our God is a God of compassion. He predestined us not to be judged, but to be saved. Therefore, it is good enough for us to be saved. We should avoid 'big sins,' but if, from time to time, we commit 'little sins,' we don’t need to think much about it. We Christians should not be too zealous. Why should we go to meetings and pray every day? It is enough to be saved."
However, if one of them were to become seriously ill and was on the brink of death, they would no longer say this. On the contrary, they would regret their previous attitude toward grace and say to the Lord, "Lord, You saved me, and I truly know You forgave my sins and gave me eternal life, so I am not distressed if You wish to take me today to be with You. However, when I think that, in all my life, I have walked according to my flesh and only attended to myself, when I think that I never thought of Your interests or lived a single day according to the gospel, how can I go to see You in peace? Lord, have mercy on me! If You gave me a few more years, I would live them entirely for You."
If he expired without completing his words, would he go to a “heavenly mansion”? If so, would he not feel ashamed when he saw the Lord in that “heavenly mansion”? A person cannot go, so negligently, to meet even the president of a country, much less the Lord. At the very least, they need to comb their hair, wash their face, and change their clothes.
Many people have been saved, but even after that, they still live according to the flesh and the natural life, love the world, indulge in lusts, practice deceit, and do evil; yet, they still believe that when they die, their soul will immediately go to a heavenly mansion. If that were the case, what kind of place would that heavenly mansion be? Wouldn’t it be a den of robbers?
This is not God’s concept of salvation. God’s intention is that all the saved may be conformed to the image of His Son. Now, think about yourself—are your thoughts impure? Have they been purified by the Holy Spirit? Is your natural being strong? Has it been transformed by the Holy Spirit?
It is true that the Lord bought and redeemed you with His precious blood. However, God will ask you how much you have been transformed in His life². Have you been conformed to the image of His Son? Do you look like Him? God’s salvation is not according to the doctrine taught by a degraded Christianity, but according to His purpose of grace.
I’m not asking if you’ve been saved. I know you’ve already been washed by the precious blood and received God’s life, but do you live in Him? Are you under the control of the Spirit? Do you submit to heavenly authority? Are you being disciplined by the heavens?
ALL THINGS ARE IMPOSSIBLE FOR MEN,
BUT POSSIBLE FOR GOD
I know some will say, "I really can’t." However, once you have the desire, the strength of God will come to you. "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible" (Mark 10:27). He is our strength. The question is not whether we are able, but whether we are willing. Are we willing to hate the world? To hate the flesh? To hate the natural being? It is lamentable to know that many are simply not willing. They continue to walk according to the flesh and indulge in lusts.
I hope that we all ask ourselves, according to our conscience and feelings: “Since we walk according to the flesh, indulge in lusts, and live entirely for ourselves, if we had to die today, would our soul immediately go to a ‘heavenly mansion’?” There is no such logic either on earth or in heaven. How can the harvest be gathered into the barn before it ripens? The harvest needs to be mature. The saved must grow to maturity, so that they can be raptured and taken to God.
God has His economy, His administration, and His dispensation. God’s salvation is not what many people imagine: a matter of heaven and hell, of going to heaven or to hell. God has His plan, His arrangement, and, in His grace, He has His economy.
May the Lord have mercy on us so that we are not disapproved (2 Corinthians 13:6). We all must pray for the church and that the Lord grant grace to the church, so that it may continue on the path of His restoration. More than four hundred years have passed since the Reformation in the time of Martin Luther, and God is still restoring His truths. May we, who live in these last days, not allow traditional errors to hinder the way of God’s restoration. We all have the responsibility to fulfill this commission.
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² Transformed by the divine life within the Christian.
Enjoy more: Hymn 323
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