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Scripture Reading: Psa. 42:1-2, 5; 43:3-5; 73:1-2, 17, 25-26; Phil. 4:11b-13
The Bible reveals that the relationship between God and man is very intimate; it is intimate to the extent that man cannot leave God and cannot be without God. Since this is the case, we need to consider what influence God has on our life and what His relationship is to us in our living. The Bible shows that the relationship of God with man is so crucial that any time man leaves God and does not have God, he will have problems. Adam and Eve in Genesis are the best illustration of this. When they became independent from God, they fell into sin. The meaning of being independent from God is that one loses God in his living; he loses his relationship with God in his life. Whenever man is independent from God, he will suffer within and be full of problems. Furthermore, such independence is equal to sin.
We should not think that only doing something wrong is a sin. Even when we do something good, we are independent from God if what we do is done apart from God, has nothing to do with God, does not have God’s promise, and does not have God in it. If we do something in this way, no matter how well we handle the matter, God considers it to be a sin because we are independent from Him.
Mankind fell when Adam and Eve sinned the first time, when they ate of the wrong fruit. The source of this matter was in their acting apart from God. Their acting in this way was their independence from God. If eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge had been God’s command, it would not have been a sin. The first sin of mankind should not be viewed from the perspective of morality. Of course, after man fell, he did numerous immoral deeds. God detests everything that is immoral. Every immoral thing is the result of man’s leaving God. However, man’s first sin was not a matter of morality. The sin that Adam and Eve committed was not fornication, murder, or harming others; it was eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
We must see that the significance of the first sin of mankind is in man’s doing something apart from God. When man sinned, his relationship with God was absent. Man did something by himself; there was no element of God, no relationship with God, and nothing of God’s influence.
Hence, in our living we should often remind ourselves, “Do I have a relationship with God? Does God have an influence on the way I conduct myself?” We should not ask whether something is good or bad, right or wrong. Rather, we need to ask whether God is in it or not. If it is done with the element of God, in a relationship with God, and under God’s influence, it will definitely be good and proper. Many times something may appear to us to be good on the surface, but actually it has the element of sin within it. Satan adopted this method when tempting Adam and Eve. On one hand, Satan told Eve that in the day she ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, her eyes would be opened, and she would become like God, knowing good and evil. On the other hand, he showed her that the fruit was good to eat, good for food, and pleasant to the sight. Thus, Adam and Eve ate the fruit (Gen. 3:5-6). Apparently, the fruit was bright and good, but within it were countless sins. Every sin issued from the eating of that fruit. May all the saints see that whatever man does apart from God is done independently from God, and even if it appears to be bright and good outwardly, it has Satan’s element and is full of darkness and sin inwardly.
A spiritual person may contact a very wide scope of people and things, yet in all his daily living, what he pays attention to is his relationship with God and God’s influence. If a person is empty and does not have God, he will have no way to go on and will not be able to do anything. When we quiet down before God and examine and consider our situation, we cannot but acknowledge this fact. In our dealings with others our temperament is easily exposed. If we are put in a slightly higher position, we become proud; if we are put in a slightly lower position, we complain. Rarely do people fail to have problems with one another after being together for a number of years. Husbands and wives have problems getting along, and after they have children, their arguments increase. This is true also among colleagues and schoolmates. After being together for a while, everyone begins to complain.
In our dealing with others there will always be problems, sometimes more and sometimes less. Our humility causes problems, and our pride causes even more problems. If others treat us with pride, we are not able to handle it; if others treat us with humility, we still are unable to bear it. After getting married, many saints have a similar experience. On one hand, they say that marriage is very good, but on the other hand, husbands and wives always make demands on each other — the husband demands something of the wife and the wife complains about the husband. Man is thus difficult to deal with. Man himself is a problem. The source of this problem is that man has a lack — God. In our dealings with others we need to take God as the regulating factor and the center. If we have God in us as our center, our living will be balanced.
Anyone who drives a car knows that for the car to go faster or slower, there is the need for the driver to regulate the car. Without regulation, the car will get into an accident. In the same way, if man is not regulated, he becomes very peculiar. He will lean one way or the other, and it will be very easy for him to become extreme. For example, when a husband is not regulated, he may either love his wife to an extreme or loathe her. Our life can be compared to music. In order for music to have a pleasant sound, it must be suitably regulated; the fast and slow speeds and the high and low tones must be harmonized. If a piece of music has only one rhythm, it will sound monotonous and unpleasant. A regulated life is like a musical piece that is pleasing to the ear; it is graceful and harmonious. God is man’s regulation. Those who have God are regulated in their living. A living that has been adjusted by God is like a beautiful and pleasant song. Its tempo and pitch are just right. When a person who has God likes something, he is regulated; also, when he dislikes something, he is regulated. His life may be compared to a beautiful musical piece.
When a person who is not regulated loves his wife, he may love her to an extreme. Similarly, when he does not love her, his hatred can reach an extreme. This indicates that his living lacks regulation and balance. Consequently, this person veers off in either one direction or the other. However, the regulation in one’s living should not be by one’s own effort. Man needs God to regulate and balance his living. Many Christians can testify from their experience that whenever they had God, their living was balanced. Whenever they did not have God, their living became imbalanced. If our living has God in it, it will have God’s balancing and regulating. It will be like a steady car, running neither too fast nor too slow. This kind of living is like a soothing musical piece that sounds very graceful and pleasant. Conversely, a day in which we do not have God in our living is a day in which we have many problems.
For example, young people are all concerned with the matter of marriage. Marriage is something that God ordained and even takes delight in. However, we must realize that if God is not the center, our marriage will be imbalanced and will lose its regulation. Sooner or later this kind of marriage will have problems. We have seen many young people who initially loved each other very much and got married. Although they loved each other deeply, because neither of them had God within, it was not long before their love lost its balance and became unregulated. This kind of love is like a horse without a bridle or a car without brakes; it is extremely dangerous. If a husband and wife do not have God’s balancing and regulating, their marriage relationship will be both unpleasant and dangerous. For the sake of appearance, they may not talk about divorce, but they will suffer very much inwardly. This is because they do not have God as the center, balance, and regulation.
In principle, the relationship between a husband and a wife should have God as its center. As a husband loves his wife and as his wife loves him, both of them should pass through God. This passing through God is the balancing, the regulating. A husband may ask, “Exactly how should I love my wife?” When loving his wife, a husband should pray, “O God, do You agree with my loving her in this way?” Before loving our husband or wife, we must be examined and purified by God. Love that has passed through God is pure; it is not only regulated but also balanced. Conversely, if our love has not passed through God, our love may turn into hatred one day. The degree of our love today may be the degree of our hatred in the future. The measure of our love today may be the measure of our suffering later. This may happen because our love has not passed through God, does not have the element of God within it, is not carried out in a relationship with God, and does not have God’s promise. Young people, no matter whom you marry, you must bring this matter before the Lord. You must allow God to have a part in your marriage, and you must develop a relationship with Him. In this way your marriage will be balanced and regulated.
God is our balance and our regulation. Without God, we become extreme, leaning too much either to the right or to the left. Whenever we allow God to be the center, our person will immediately be balanced. For instance, if a poor person is without God, he suffers very much. Never think that it is a bad thing to be rich and a good thing to be poor. We should know that just as riches cause people to sin, so also poverty causes people to sin. Many immoral things and many acts of robbery are motivated by poverty. This is because man does not allow God to regulate and balance him in his poverty. On the other hand, we have also seen many poor saints who fear God and have God within them. Those who contact these poor saints do not sense a flavor of deprivation but smell the fragrance of God within them. This is because they are influenced and regulated by God. Of course, the rich also commit many sins. If God’s regulation has a place in man’s wealthiness, many sinful things will not be done. Rich people are extravagant, indulge in pleasure, and waste their money because they are empty and do not have God as their inner regulation.
There was a couple who dearly loved the Lord. They had a son who loved the Lord very much and was about to be married. This family had originally planned to give a great banquet at the wedding and invite many relatives and friends. However, because they belonged to God, they brought this matter before the Lord to inquire whether God was happy with their plans. After they had prayed a little before God, they immediately felt that what they were planning to do was excessive. God showed them that there were still many saints who were lacking in basic needs, such as food and clothing. Therefore, they reduced their estimated costs for the wedding to one-third of what it was originally, and they gave one-third to the poor saints and the other third to the printing of gospel tracts. This example shows that even the matter of our children’s marriage must be brought before God and be carried out in a relationship with God in order to bring in the real blessing. If wealth does not have God’s balance, it will definitely be harmful. The world today is evil because the poor as well as the rich all commit sins; everyone lacks God’s regulation and does not take God as their center.
Once a person loses God, he does not have a center. Hence, whenever we encounter something unpleasant, we must bring it before God; then we will immediately experience God coming in to balance us. God will do a regulating work in us. The general practice when someone’s parents pass away is that his relatives and friends come to comfort him. At such a time it is very difficult to restrain one’s grief. However, as Christians, we can bring our grief before God and let God balance it. If we do this, God will not allow us to grieve excessively. Likewise, if something pleasant happens to us, we must bring it to God and let Him regulate us. This will keep us from being overly excited. We have observed some people who are too happy and are carried away by their success. Eventually, something adverse happens and their joy is turned to sorrow. Hence, we must have God in all our joy and sorrow so that our life will not lose its regulation.
I once had to travel a long distance and go over many mountains with some others in order to reach a rural area where I was to preach. In those days because there were no cars or trains, we could only hire someone to pull a cart. When we were going up a mountain, the man pulling the cart had to exert much effort. Because we saw that it was very strenuous for him, we walked up the mountain ourselves. It was summertime, and after we had used our strength to climb up to the top of the mountain, we were covered with sweat. After we got back into the cart, the journey down the mountain was a terrifying experience. The cart did not have brakes, and although the man pulling the cart tried to stop it, he was not able to do so. The only thing he could do was to run down the mountain. It was truly frightening. After that, we decided not to ride in the cart when going either uphill or downhill. Because some people do not have brakes in their lives, when times are bad, they become despondent to an extreme and may even want to commit suicide. When they are happy, it goes to their head, and they want to indulge in eating and drinking. This is because they do not have God. If Christians do not allow God to be their center, they will go to an extreme when they encounter joy or sorrow.
Some people often lose their temper when eating at home. If the food tastes good, they complain that there is too little; if it tastes bad, they complain that there is too much. They may become so angry that they even turn the table over. Do not think that man can restrain himself from losing his temper. Only rocks and wood never lose their temper. Every normal person has a temper, but it must be regulated. If we allow our temper to pass through God, our temper will be within measure. Some ask, “How can we not lose our temper excessively?” The only way is to turn to God and wait awhile, allowing Him to balance us whenever we are about to lose our temper.
Even in trivial matters in our living, such as our attire, we should have God within us regulating, balancing, and passing through us. We should never consider that attire is a matter of personal choice. When we buy clothes, the material, the color, and the style should all pass through God. If the way we dress is before God, our dress and attire will be balanced and able to benefit others and cause them to be blessed. Sometimes our fashionable attire, which we think is very attractive, actually causes others to feel uncomfortable and uneasy. If this is the case, we have not benefited from our attire, nor have others felt pleasant about it.
One time when Dr. John Sung was preaching the gospel in Hankow, a very fashionably dressed young woman came in. After hearing the gospel, she was very touched and wanted to discuss the matter further. However, when she approached Dr. Sung, he strongly rebuked her and sent her away. On one hand, this young woman was very sad, for she had truly been touched; on the other hand, she was very angry. She thought, “How could a servant of God rebuke someone based simply on her appearance?” She went home venting her anger and crying, and she prayed, “O God, You do not look at the outward appearance; You look at the heart.” However, as she was praying, she had a clear feeling from God, which told her, “You have turned your heart to God inwardly, but why would you not turn your being to God outwardly? Why would you not make your outward appearance match your heart?” Therefore, she stopped crying, changed her appearance, and went to see Dr. Sung again the next day. When Dr. Sung saw her, he warmly welcomed her.
God can balance everything that happens in our living. To allow God to balance us results in a beautiful living. If a person is balanced by God, whether in joy, anger, sorrow, or delight, his living will be smooth and relaxed. When he should be angry, he will be angry; when he should be happy, he will be happy; when he dresses, he will dress suitably; when he eats, he will eat appropriately. Everything will be within the proper limit. This kind of living cannot be achieved by man himself but requires man to allow God to work within him.
There was once a servant of the Lord in the United States who had to move from his hometown to another city. When he had arranged the furnishings in his new house, he invited his elderly father to come and inspect the situation. His father said that everything was very good, but one thing bothered him. The son was curious and asked him what it was, and he answered, “When people come into the house, they will not be able to tell whether a son of God or a child of the devil lives here.” This old man feared God very much. This shows that to have God in what we do is a very great principle. When we decide to do something, we must consider whether God is in it. If the element of God is in our determination, we will require whatever we do, even the furnishing of our house, to have God in it.
Perhaps some will ask, “How can I let God influence my life and regulate my living?” The answer is very simple: we need to take God as the center of our human life. Although a believer is saved, he may not fully realize that God is in him and that he needs to serve God. Such a person does not have God’s feeling and does not recognize that God should be his unique center. We need God to be the center of our human life. Perhaps the young brothers and sisters are focused on their studies, but they need to realize that the center of their entire life should not be their books; it must be God. If books become their center, the books will do them more harm than good in the future.
Those who love money will be harmed by money and will come under its bondage sooner or later. Even though a person may be joined to many good things, if God is not balancing him inwardly, his situation will be very dangerous. In the church we encounter certain saints who often criticize others. This is very negative. In their criticizing there is no element of God. They impart no benefit to others; rather, they inflict much harm on others. If one has God in his living, he will be a benefit not only to his family but also to his society and country. If a Christian has God as his center, his manner and attitude will be normal and proper, and his actions and conduct will be appropriate.
Since God is the proper center of the human life, there are five things that we must do. First, we must take God as the center of our life. If we do this, regardless of what field we eventually work in, we will perform our work very well. Conversely, if we do not take God as the center in our occupation, we can potentially harm ourselves, our society, and our country. I hope you will grasp this point firmly and accurately.
Second, we must love God. We must see that if we love anything apart from God, the thing we love will become a problem to us. Loving God is the only thing we can do that will not become a problem. All man’s love should be poured upon God. All our hearts should love God.
Third, we must consecrate ourselves to God. At least once we should pray to God thoroughly, offering ourselves completely to Him and allowing Him to be the center of our life. We should never be afraid that if we consecrate our life to God, our future will be difficult. Such a fear is unfounded. If we consecrate ourselves to God, our human life will be a balanced life. We should allow God to come into us and be our everything.
Fourth, we must contact God in all things. In our daily walk we should obey the feeling that God gives us within. If He prohibits us from doing a certain thing, we should not do it. If we have the feeling that He wants us to do something, we should do it properly. We need to diligently obey every feeling we receive from God.
Fifth, we must spend time to get into His Word, to labor on the Bible. We must study the Bible properly from its first word to its last. We need to see not only the facts but also the principles, the life, and the truth contained therein.
If we exercise in this way, we become like transparent glass. Whatever comes to us will not be a problem, because God will regulate us from within. We can see in the New Testament that Paul was such a person. He knew how to be abased and how to abound, how to be filled and how to hunger. In everything and in all things he had learned the secret (Phil. 4:12). Neither suffering nor joy could press him down. He had the secret, which is Christ. Paul took Christ as his center in everything. Hence, when he was in prison, he was able to endure sufferings that would be unbearable to others. He could do all things in Him who empowered him (v. 13).
A person like Paul is shining and released. All those who approach this kind of person will be helped. Even the face of such a person reflects God’s salvation. He has been saved to the extent that he is not only saved within, but even his face expresses God’s salvation without. His face is a mirror reflecting God’s salvation. God is regulating and balancing within this kind of person. May God have mercy on us that we would bring every matter to Him and let every matter pass through Him. In this way we will have God as our center and regulation in everything in our living, whether great or small.
