WEEK10—OUTLINE  40
consummatingintheNewJerusalem—Eph.4:46;
LivingaGodlyLife
ScriptureReading:Prov.29:18a;23:23;20:27;4:23;10:12b;17:9
Day1
I. “Where there is no vision, the people cast off
restraint”—Prov.29:18a:
A. IntheBiblevisiondenotesanextraordinaryscene;
it refers to a special kind of seeing—a glorious,
inwardseeing—andtothespiritualscenerythat
weseefromGod—Ezek.1:1,428;Dan.7:1,910,
1314.
B. Inordertohaveavision,weneedrevelation,light,
andsight—Eph.1:1718a.
C. Theheavenlyvisiongovernsus,restrictsus,con
trolsus,directsus,preservesus,revolutionizesus,
keepsusinthegenuineoneness,andgivesusthe
boldnesstogoon—Prov.29:18a.
D. When we see this vision, our entire inner being
has an inward turn, and we are changed in
thought,concept,andattitude.
E. The heavenly vision motivates us, energizes us,
holds us, gives us endurance, brings us into the
Lord’suptodatemove,andcausesourlifetobe
full of meaning and purpose—Heb. 1:8; 12:12;
Eph.3:11;2Tim.1:9;3:10;Rev.1:9;3:10.
F. EveryonewhoservestheLordmustbeaperson
with a vision; the inner vision will revolutionize
thewayweservetheLord—Acts26:1319;Rom.
1:9.
G. Undertheheavenlyvisionwearedirectedtoward
God’sdestination,andourlifeiscontrolledaccord
ingtoGod’seconomy—Phil.3:1314;1Tim.1:4.
H. The governing vision of the Bible is the Triune
God working Himself into His chosen and
redeemedpeopleinordertosaturatetheirentire
being with the Divine Trinity for the producing
and building up of the Body of Christ
41  WEEK10—OUTLINE
Rev.21:2,910.
Day2
II. “Buytruth,anddonotsellit”—Prov.23:23a:
A. Truthissomethingthatwehavetobuy,something
thathasaprice—v.23a:
1. Buyingrequiresthepayingofaprice.
2. IfwewanttopleasetheLordandstandforthe
truth,wemustpaytheprice—cf.Rev.3:18.
3. Ifourheartsarereadytoreceivetheloveofthe
truthandbuythetruthatanyprice,wewillbe
blessed—2Thes.2:1011;Prov.23:23.
B. Thedivinetruthisabsolute,andwemustbeabso
luteforthetruthandupholdtheabsolutenessof
thetruth—John14:6;18:37;3John34,8:
1. Tobeabsoluteforthetruthmeanstosetaside
feelings,toignorepersonalrelationships,and
tonotstandfortheself—Matt.16:2425;1Pet.
1:22.
2. Thetruthistheuniquestandard,andwemust
stand on the side of the truth to oppose our
selves;upholdingtheabsolutenessofthetruth
is possible only when we are delivered from
ourselves—John8:32;2John2;3John34.
3. WeshouldhonorGod’struth,takethewayof
thetruth,andnotcompromisethetruthinany
way—2Pet.2:2.
C. Fortheconsummationofthedivineeconomy,we
needtobeabsoluteforthepresenttruth—1:12:
1. Thepresenttruthisthetruththatispresent
with the believers, which they have already
receivedandnowpossess—v.12.
2. Thepresenttruthincludestherevelationcon
cerningtheeternaleconomyofGod(Eph.1:10;
3:9),theDivineTrinity(2Cor.13:14;Rev.1:4
5), the person and work of the allinclusive
Christ(Col.2:9,1617;3:11),theconsummated
lifegivingSpirit(John7:39;1Cor.15:45b;Rev.
WEEK10—OUTLINE  42
22:17), the eternal life of God (John 3:1516),
the church as the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22
23),andtheNewJerusalem(Rev.21:2,1011).
3. Thepresenttruthincludesthehighpeakofthe
divine revelation—the revelation that God
becamemansothatmanmaybecomeGodin
lifeandnaturebutnotintheGodhead—topro
duceandbuilduptheorganicBodyofChrist
for the fulfillment of God’s economy to close
this age and bring Christ back to set up His
kingdom—John 1:1214; 1 John 3:12; Rom.
8:3;1:34;12:45;Rev.11:15.
Day3
III. “The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah, 
Searching all the innermost parts of the inner
being”—Prov.20:27:
A. Man’s spirit is God’s lamp within man—Matt.
25:1:
1. The light shining within man’s regenerated
spiritisGodHimself—1John1:5.
2. Justasalampcontainslightandexpressesit,
man’s spirit was created to contain God and
expressHim.
3. Inorderforthedivinelighttoshineintoman’s
inwardparts,God’sSpiritastheoilmustsoak
(mingle with) man’s spirit as the wick and
“burn”togetherwithman’sspirit—Rom.8:16;
12:11.
4. If we respond to the spirit’s shining, we will
walkaccordingtothespirit—8:4.
B. TheSpiritofGodisalsoalamp,withasevenfold
intensitytoHisshining—Rev.4:5:
1. Ourregeneratedspiritisalampindweltbythe
SpiritofGod,whoisalsoalamp.
2. Man’s spirit and God’s spirit are both lamps,
togetherenlighteningtheinwardparts—Prov.
20:27;Rev.4:5.
43  WEEK10—OUTLINE
3. Thespiritwantstoenlighteneverypartofour
soul.
C. Whenweexerciseourspirittoprayproperly,there
isalampshining—Eph.6:18;1:1718;5:89:
1. As we pray, our spirit functions as a shining
lamp,searchingallthepartsofoursoul—Prov.
20:27.
2. Themoreweexerciseourspiritinprayer,the
moreweareenlightened—2 Cor.4:6:
a. Thelampmayshineonourthoughts,emo
tions,andwill.
b. Our inward parts will be thoroughly
searchedbytheLord—Psa.139:2324.
3. Aftersuchatimeofprayer,wewillfeelbright
andtransparent,filledwithGod—Eph.5:89.
Day4
IV. “Keepyourheartwithallvigilance,Forfromit
aretheissuesoflife”—Prov.4:23:
A. Thesoulisthepersonhimself,buttheheartisthe
personinaction—Luke1:66;2:19,51;Acts11:23;
Eph.3:17;1Thes.3:13:
1. Wehavesomethinginourinnerbeingthatrep
resents us, and this representative is our
heart—Luke6:45;John16:22;2Cor.3:16.
2. TherelationshipthatwehavewithGodfirst
dependsonourheart,becausetheheartisthe
organ by which we express ourselves and by
which we make decisions to receive or reject
things—Acts8:37;Rom.10:910.
3. Althoughourspiritispure,whatisexpressed
fromourspiritdependsonourheart—2Thes.
2:17;3:5.
B. The heart is the entrance and exit to our whole
being—Matt.13:19;15:1819:
1. It is through our heart that our real being
comes out because the traffic of our being is
throughourheart—Luke6:45.
2. Our spirit is the source of our being, but our
WEEK10—OUTLINE  44
heartisthepassage,theentranceandtheexit,
throughwhichthetrafficinourbeingpasses—
Matt.12:3435.
3. InordertobeaproperChristian,weneedto
exercise our spirit and guard our heart by
keepingitwithallvigilance—Prov.4:23.
Day5
C. The Hebrew word rendered “keep” in Proverbs
4:23means“guard”:
1. Weshouldguardourheartaboveallbecause
outofitaretheissuesoflife.
2. Issues in Proverbs 4:23 implies sources and
springsaswellasissues:
a. The issues of life are the f lowing out of
life—cf.John4:14.
b. Theheartisrelatedtothesourcesoflife,
thespringsoflife,andtheissuesoflife—cf.
Isa.12:3.
c. Thefountain,thesource,ofwhatweare,of
ourrealbeing,f lowsoutfromourheart—
cf.John7:3738.
D. We guard our heart by caring for our heart and
havingathoroughdealingwithourheartbefore
theLordinthewayoflife;themorewedealwith
our heart, the more we guard our heart—Psa.
26:2; 139:2324; Prov. 4:23; Rom. 8:27; Rev. 2:23;
Matt.13:1823;5:8.
E. InordertogrowinlifeforGod’sbuilding,weneed
tolovetheLord,takeheedtoourspirit,andguard
ourheartwithallvigilancetostayonthepathway
oflife—1Pet.1:8;2:2,5;3:4,15;Prov.21:2;4:18
23;Deut.10:12;Mark12:30.
Day6
V. “Lovecoversalltransgressions”—Prov.10:12b:
A. “Hewhocoversatransgressionseekslove,But
he who repeats a matter separates close
friends”—17:9.
45  WEEK10—OUTLINE
B. To cover is love; to uncover is not love—James
5:20.
C. Coveringbringsinblessing,butuncoveringbrings
inacurse—Gen.9:2227:
1. Thosewhouncoverotherssufferthecurse.
2. Those who cover others’ sins, defects, and
shortcomingsenjoygainandreceiveblessing.
D. “Lovecoversallthings”(1Cor.13:7a),notonlythe
goodthingsbutalsothebadthings:
1. “Theeldersneedtorealizethatintheirshep
herding,theyhavetocoverothers’sins,tonot
take account of others’ evils”—The Vital
Groups,p.72:
a. “Whoever uncovers the defects, shortcom
ings,andsinsofthemembersofthechurch
isdisqualifiedfromtheeldership”—p.72.
b. “Ouruncoveringofthemembersunderour
eldership, our shepherding, annuls our
qualification”—p.72.
2. WeneedtoshepherdothersaccordingtoGod,
with a love that covers all transgressions—1
Pet.5:2;Prov.10:12b.
E. “Above all, have fervent love among yourselves,
because love covers a multitude of sins”—1 Pet.
4:8.
WEEK10—DAY1  46
MorningNourishment
Prov. Wherethereisnovision,thepeoplecastoffre
29:18 straint.
Acts Therefore,KingAgrippa,Iwasnotdisobedient
26:19 totheheavenlyvision.
Proverbs29:18says,“Wherethereisnovision,thepeople
castoffrestraint.”Thismeansthatwithoutavision,thepeople
willbecomeloose,likewildhorsesintheiruntamedstate.The
clearestinstanceintheNewTestamentwherethewordvision
ismentionedisinthecaseofPaul.InActs26:19,whilehe
wasdefendinghimselfbeforeKingAgrippa,heutteredthis
word:“Iwasnotdisobedienttotheheavenlyvision.”
WhenPaulwasservingGodintheJewishreligion,hewas
servingbytradition,notbyvision,butfromthedaytheLord
methim,calledhim,andchosehimonthewaytoDamascus,
hebecameamanwithavision.Fromthattimeonward,his
servicewasgovernedbythatvision.(CWWL,1986,vol.2,“Cru
cialWordsofLeadingintheLord’sRecovery,Book1:TheVision
andDefiniteStepsforthePracticeoftheNewWay,”pp.45)
Today’sReading
Whenthedivinelightshinesoverthedivinerevelation,
thedivinerevelationbecomesthedivinevision(Acts26:19).
Avisionisaviewwherebywemayseesomething.Ifaper
son’s eyes are covered by a thick veil, there may be some
wonderfulsceneryinfrontofhim,butheisnotabletosee
it.Hecannotseebecausehehasnovision,butwhentheveil
istakenawayhecansee.
ManyChristiansreadtheBiblewithaveil.Thisiswhy
PaulsaidthatweshouldlookuntoChristwithanunveiled
face(2Cor.3:18).…PaulsaidthatwhenthesonsofIsrael
readthebooksofMoses,theyhaveaveiluponthemandsee
nothing(vv.1315).Paulthensaidthatwhenevertheirheart
turnstotheLord,theveilistakenawayandthatwherever
theSpiritis,thereisfreedom(vv.1617).Thismeansthat
whenweareveiled,wearebound;weareimprisoned;wedo
47  WEEK10—DAY1
nothavefreedom.Whentheveilisgone,wearereleased.
ThisfreedomcomesfromtheSpiritofGod.
WeneedtolearntocometotheBibleeverydaybycoming
toGod.Weshouldconfessoursinstomakeaclearsituation
sothatwecanhavefellowshipwithGodintheSpirit.Then
weshouldreadHiswordbyprayreading.Everydaywewill
receiverevelation;theSpiritwillalsoshineovertherevela
tion, and we will receive a vision. There is a progression
fromthewordtorevelationandfromrevelationtovision.
In Ephesians 1:17 Paul asked the Lord to grant us a
spiritofwisdomandrevelation.WhentheSpiritshinesover
the revelation, the vision is here. Without the light, we
cannotreceivethevision,eveniftheveilistakenaway.The
veil should be gone; and the light should come. Further
more,weneedthesight.Ifweareblind,wewillnotbeable
toseeanything,eveniftheveilisremovedandthelightis
here.Weneedtherevelation,thelight,thevisionthrough
thelight,andthesight.Thentheveilisgone,thevisionis
here,andwehavethelightwiththesight.Wealsohavethe
understandingofthevisionthroughtheSpirit’swisdom.
WeareonewiththeLordinourspirit,sowemustreview
thedivinerevelationinourspiritwiththeLord.Thenthe
lightshinestobringusthevision.Otherwise,atmostwecan
haveonlyrevelationbutnovision.Afterwereviewthedivine
revelationagainandagaininourspiritwiththeLordHim
self,morelightcomes,andthevisionishereforustosee.
PaulprayedinEphesians1:18thattheeyesofourheart
wouldbeenlightenedthatwemightsee.Weneednotonly
the light but also the sight.…We need the revelation plus
thelightplusthesight.ThelightcomesfromGod;thesight
iswithinus.Therevelationplusthedivinelightwithour
sightbringsusthevision.(CWWL,19941997,vol.3,“The
TriuneGod’sRevelationandHisMove,”pp.8586)
Further Reading: CWWL, 19941997, vol. 3, “The Triune
God’sRevelationandHisMove,”chs.12,4
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WEEK10—DAY2  48
MorningNourishment
Prov. Buythetruth,anddonotsellit.
23:23
3John3 ForIrejoicedgreatlyatthebrothers’com
ing and testifying to your steadfastness in
thetruth,evenasyouwalkintruth.
Truthissomethingthatwehavetobuy;itissomething
thathasaprice.IfwewanttopleasetheLordandstandfor
thetruth,wehavetopaytheprice.Ifweareclearaboutthe
truth,wehavetoobeyitalltheway.ManyChristianscannot
paythepricebecausetheywanttopleasemen;theytryto
dodgethetruth.…Truthislikeapillarinahouse.Apillar
is not like a window or a door, which can be enlarged or
reducedatwill.Apillarcannotbemoved;itcannotbemade
higherorlower,anditcannotbetilted.Inotherwords,truth
canneverbechanged.Ifwecannotpaythepricetoobeyany
partofthetruth,wecanonlycondemnourselvesandcon
fess our weakness; we cannot lower the standard of the
truthjustbecausewecannotmakeitorbecauseitcreates
direconsequencesforus.(CWWN,vol.37,p.254)
Today’sReading
EveryworkeroftheLordmustupholdtheabsolutenessof
thetruth.Thisispossibleonlywhenamanisdeliveredfrom
himself.Manybrothersandsistersarenotabsolutetothe
truth;theyareaffectedbypeople,things,andpersonalfeel
ings.Ifamanisnotabsolutetothetruth,hewill,inthecourse
ofhiswork,sacrificeGod’struthforman,himself,orhisown
desires.AbasicrequirementforbeingaservantoftheLordis
tonotsacrificethetruth.…Theproblemswithmanyworkers
stemfromtherelationshipwiththeirfriends,intimateacquain
tances,andfamily.Thetruthiscompromisedbytheirfriends,
immediatefamily,orrelatives.…Ifthetruthisthetruth,it
shouldnotbecompromised,whetherbyourownbrothers,our
relatives,orourintimatefriends.…Inacertainplaceacontro
versyarises.Anumberofthesaintsmaybefavorablydisposed
49  WEEK10—DAY2
towardaparticulargroupofbrothersandsidewiththem,
whereasanumberofothersmayhaveapreferenceforanother
groupofpeopleandlineupontheirside.Insteadofsitting
downandcountingthecostofbeingabsoluteforthetruthand
offollowingthetruth,theyareinfluencedanddirectedbytheir
ownemotions.Thisdoesnotmeanthatthebrothersarenot
speakingaboutthetruth.…Theyhavenotbrushedthetruth
completelyaside;theystillhavesomecareforthetruth.But
theyarenotabsolutetothetruth.Beingabsolutetothetruth
meansthatnopersonalfeelingsorfamilyrelationshipsare
allowedtostandinthewayofthetruth.Inspiritualmatters,
thetruthiscompromisedassoonashumanrelationshipsare
takenintoaccount.Assoonashumanrelationshipsbecome
involved,God’swordandHiscommandmentsarediscounted
throughhumanfactors,andthetruthiscompromised.
TheBiblecontainsmanyordinancesandcommandments.
TheseordinancesandcommandmentsarefromGod,andGod’s
servantsneedtopreachandannouncethem.…[We]cannotbe
aservantofGodifwecannotpreachbeyondwhatwecanprac
tice.Thisisbecausethetruthisabsolute.Thestandardofthe
divineWordmustnotbeloweredtothelevelofourpersonal
attainment.Wecannottamperwiththetruthinanywayin
ordertojustifyourowndeficiencies.…Wehavetotranscend
ourselves,ourownfeelings,andourownpersonalinterestin
ourspeaking.Thisisahighrequirementfortheservantsofthe
Lord.Wemustbewareofdoingthingsonewayastheyaffect
otherbrothersandsistersbutdoingthemanotherwayasthey
areappliedtoourspouseorourchildren.…IfGod’sWordsays
something,itisso,nomatterwhoisinvolved.…Wehaveto
learntoupholdtheabsolutenessofthetruth.(CWWN,vol.
52,“TheCharacteroftheLord’sWorker,”p.151153)
Further Reading: Lifestudy of Proverbs, msgs. 5, 7; Life
study of Genesis, msg. 33; CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “Basic
Training,”ch.2;CWWL,1978,vol.2,“LifeMessages,Vol
ume1,”ch.31
Enlightenmentandinspiration:



WEEK10—DAY3  50
MorningNourishment
Prov. ThespiritofmanisthelampofJehovah,search
20:27 ingalltheinnermostpartsoftheinnerbeing.
Rev. …Andthereweresevenlampsoffireburning
4:5 beforethethrone,whicharethesevenSpirits
ofGod.
Man’sspiritisthelampofJehovah,searchingalltheinner
mostpartsoftheinnerbeing(Prov.20:27).TheSpiritofGod
isalsoGod’slamp(Rev.4:5);infact,thereisasevenfoldinten
sitytoHisshining.Thisisthemeaningofthesevenlampsof
fire…which are the seven Spirits of God. Man’s spirit and
God’sSpiritarebothlamps,togetherenlighteningtheinward
parts.(CWWL,1979,vol.2,“LifeMessages,Volume2,”p.424)
Today’sReading
There are some people who live according to the flesh.
Theironlyconcernisthepleasureofthemoment.
Othersliveaccordingtotheirsoul.Theyareelatedwhen
thingsgowellforthembutdepressedwhentheircircumstances
arenotfavorable.Sometimestheyarepleasanttowardtheir
associates,butothertimestheyarecriticalorevenhateful.
Thereareotherswhoalsoliveaccordingtotheirsoulbut
arehighlyregardedbythosewhoknowthem.Ratherthan
beingchangeableliketheweather,theyactrationallyand
thinkaheadastowhatcourseofactiontheywilltake.Their
behavioriscontrolledbytheirthoughts.
Thesethreekindsofpeopleincludealmosteveryone.There
areveryfewwholiveaccordingtothespirit.Youwereinoneof
thesethreecategoriesuntilonedaywhenyouheardthegospel.
TheSpiritofGodtouchedyourconscience,whichispartofthe
spirit.Yourspiritwasactivated,leadingyoutorepentandcon
fessyoursins.YourspiritisnowalampindweltbytheSpirit
of God, who is also a lamp. The spirit wants to enlighten
everypartofyoursoul.Byrespondingtothespirit’sshining,
youwillbewalking“accordingtothespirit”(Rom.8:4).
SometimeswhenGodwantstoshineinus,wewillnotopen
51  WEEK10—DAY3
toHim.Thisiswhy,afterwehavebeenprayingforawhile,we
sometimeshavenothingmoretosay.Whenweuseourspirit
topray,itfunctionsasashininglamp,searchingalltheparts
ofoursoul.Itmayshineonourthoughts,butwerefusetohave
theLordprobethere.…Thespiritmayshineonouremotions,
especiallythesisters’,butwecloseup,sometimesevenweep
ing,beggingtheLordnottotouchthatarea.Thesamething
may happen with our will, especially the brothers’; if we
closeourwill,thespiritcannotfulfillitsfunctionofshining.
Whenweprayproperly,usingourspirit,thereisalamp
shining.Ifwesenseitshiningonourthoughts,wecansay,
“Lord, I open my mind to You. Shine in me. Expose my
thoughts.”InHislightweconfessoursins.WhenHeshines
onouremotions,wecanopenandconfesswhatHerevealsto
bewrong.ThenHewillshineonourwill,andwecanopen
thisroomalsotoHim.Asweopenallthesechambersoneby
one,thespiritwillshine,andwewillconfessoursins.…he
morewepray,themoreweareenlightened.Ourinwardparts
willallbethoroughlysearchedbytheLord.Aftersuchatime
ofprayer,wewillfeelbrightandtransparent,filledwithGod.
Thisisoneaspectofthelamp—ourspiritshiningwithin.
TheotheraspectisthatofthesevenSpirits.TheSpiritof
Godtodayisthesevenlampsshiningonusinanintensified
way.Manyofushaveexperiencedthisintensifiedshining,far
strongerthanasimpleprickoftheconscience,condemninga
wrongthoughtorwrongmotive.Whatdidnotbotherusinthe
pastwecannolongerdo.Ifweopenourmouthtotellajoke,
thesevenSpiritsshine,andoursentenceiscutoffinmidair.
Ifwebegintomakesomecriticalcommentsaboutacertain
sister,thesevenSpiritsshine,andourwordsfail.Evenwhen
weareoffjustalittle,theSpiritisthereasthelightshining.
(CWWL,1979,vol.2,“LifeMessages,Volume2,”pp.424426)
FurtherReading:CWWL,1979,vol.2,“LifeMessages,Vol
ume2,”ch.75;CWWL,1986,vol.3,“TheRevelationand
VisionofGod,”ch.1
Enlightenmentandinspiration:



WEEK10—DAY4  52
MorningNourishment
Prov. Keepyourheartwithallvigilance,forfromit
4:23 aretheissuesoflife.
Matt. Blessedarethepureinheart,fortheyshallsee
5:8 God.
TherelationshipthatwehavewithGodfirstdependson
theheart,becausetheheartistheveryorganbywhichwe
expressourselvesandbywhichwemakedecisionstoreceive
orrejectthings.…Themainentranceofabuildingisitsguard,
controllingwhatshouldremainoutsideandwhatshouldcome
in.Inthesameway,ourheartisourguard.Itistheentrance
intoourselves.Whatevergoesoutorcomesindoessothrough
ourheart.ThereisatleastoneverseintheScripturesthat
tellsusthis.Proverbs4:23says,“Keepyourheartwithallvig
ilance,Forfromitaretheissuesoflife.”Thiscanalsobe
translated“Guardyourheart.”Theissuesoflifearetheflow
ingoutoflife.Bythisversewecanrealizethattheheartisthe
entrance,theguard,ofourwholebeing.Webelieveinthe
LordJesus,butbywhatorgandowebelieve?Itisbytheheart
(Rom.10:10),becausetheheartistheorganthatweuseto
makeadecision,torejectorreceivesomething.(CWWL,1964,
vol.4,“PracticalLessonsontheExperienceofLife,”pp.449)
Today’sReading
Ezekiel 36:26 says that at the time of our conversion,
God renewed our heart. In God’s salvation, in His way of
conversion,thefirstpartwithinusthatHerecoveredand
touchedwasnotthespiritbuttheheart;thenthespiritfol
lows.Inverse26thereisfirsttheheartandthenthespirit.
TheheartisthefirstthingGodmustdealwithandtouch.
Thefirstthingwetouchwhenwecometoabuildingisthe
entrance;wehavetofindawaytogetthroughtheentrance.
Inthesameway,Godmustdealwithustoopenanentrance
toHimself.Whatistheentrance?Itistheheart.WhenGod
comestodealwithus,itisfirsttodealwithourheart.
Wehavethefellowshipoflife,thesenseoflife,andthe
53  WEEK10—DAY4
lawoflifewithin,andwehavetheanointingoftheTriune
Godwithinus.However,thisrequiresourcooperation,and
ourcooperationdependsfirstontheheart.Wespeakmuch
abouttheexerciseofthespirit.Thisisgood,butbeforewe
learnhowtoexerciseourspirit,wemustlearnhowtodeal
withourheart—toberenewedinourmind,tohavealoving
emotion,toberightinourconscience,andtohaveasoftwill.
Ifwedealwithourmind,emotion,conscience,andwill,
wewillhaveaproperheart,anditwillbeausefulentrance
forGod.WewillhaveagooddealingwiththeLord,andwe
willallowHimtohavethegroundandthewaytodealwith
usinaproperway.ThenwewillhavetheTriuneGodwithin
us as life and the anointing. This requires our coopera
tion.…Practicetobeclearinyourmind,lovetheLordwith
your emotion, have a right conscience, and be softened in
yourwill.Theonlywaytodothisisbypraying.Weneedto
gototheLordtopray,“Lord,givemeaclearmind,anunder
standingheart.”TheprayerinSongofSongs1:4,“Drawme;
wewillrunafteryou,”isaprayerforalovingheart.Wealso
havetopray,“Lord,givemealovinghearttowardYouand
emotions that love only You.” We also must pray for this,
andalsoprayforourconsciencetoberight.Thenwhenwe
pray,wewillseethatourwillisnotonlyhardenedbutstub
born,soweneedtoprayforourwilltobesoftened.
Whatdoesitmeanforapersontohaveapureheart?It
is these four matters—the mind is clear, the emotion is
loving,theconscienceisright,andthewillissoft.Thiskind
ofheartisapureandrightheart.Itisaproperheart.Weall
need to deal with our heart in this way. We need such a
heart,sowemustprayforthis.(CWWL,1964,vol.4,“Prac
ticalLessonsontheExperienceofLife,”pp.449450,455)
FurtherReading:CWWL,1970,vol.1,“TheFulfillmentof
God’sPurposebytheGrowthofChristinUs,”chs.69;
CWWL,1989,vol.1,“TheGloriousVisionandtheWayof
theCross,”chs.15
Enlightenmentandinspiration:



WEEK10—DAY5  54
MorningNourishment
Deut. And now, O Israel, what does Jehovah your
10:12 GodaskofyouexceptthatyoufearJehovah
your God so that you would walk in all His
ways and love Him and serve Jehovah your
Godwithallyourheartandwithallyoursoul;
1Thes. SothatHemayestablishyourheartsblameless
3:13 in holiness before our God and Father at the
comingofourLordJesuswithallHissaints.
Becausetheheartisourrepresentative,Solomonsaysin
Proverbs4:23,“Keepthyheartwithalldiligence;foroutof
itaretheissuesoflife.”…TheHebrewwordrendered“keep”
meansguard.Weshouldguardourheartaboveallbecause
outofitaretheissuesoflife.…Theheartisrelatedtothe
sourcesoflife,thespringsoflife,andtheissuesoflife.First
wehavethesource,thenthespring,andthentheissue.
Outoftheheartcomealltheissuesofourdailylife.As
humanbeings,wehavelife,andthislifeactsthroughour
heart.…Astheflowofelectricitydependsontheswitch,so
ourdailylivingisdependentonwhatourheartswitcheson
and off. Our heart is the switch of our human life, of our
dailylife,ofourbeing.ThewordlifeinProverbs4:23implies
anorganicelement,theelementoflife;italsoimpliesour
daily living and activities, in fact, our entire human life.
Hence, the word life in this verse is inclusive. As human
beings,wehaveahumanlife,andthishumanlifehasan
organicelementandalsoadailyliving.Theswitchofthis
lifeistheheart.(Lifestudyof1&2Thessalonians,p.182)
Today’sReading
SupposeasabrotherisstudyingtheBibleheisdisturbed
bythebarkingofadog.… AsheisreadingtheBibleandis
disturbedbythedog’sbarking,somethingwithinthisbroth
er’sheartmotivateshimtoshoutatthedog.Thisshoutingis
anissuethatspringsoutfromthesourceoftheheart.This
isanillustrationoftheheartastheactingrepresentativeof
55  WEEK10—DAY5
ourentirebeing.Theactivitiesandmovementsofourphys
icalbodydependonourphysicalheart.Inlikemanner,our
dailylivingdependsonourpsychologicalheart.Thewaywe
actandbehavedependsonthekindofheartwehave.
Tobealivingbelieverinvolvesbothourspiritandourheart.
Doctrinally,wemaysaythatwecanbecomelivingbyexercis
ingourspirit.Butinpracticeoftenitseemsthattheexerciseof
ourspiritdoesnotwork.…Thereasontheexerciseofthespirit
maynotworkisthattheheartdoesnotact.Thismeansthat
thereissomethingwrongintheheart.Perhapsthemindisnot
renewed,sanctified,transformed;itmaynotbesaturatedwith
theLordandoccupiedbyHim.Instead,itmaybefilledwith
worldlythings.Wemayexerciseourspiritandsay,“Praisethe
Lord”However,thisexercisemaynotworktomakeusliving.
Theexerciseofthespiritworksonlywhenourheartisactive.
Ifourheartisdormantorasleep,exercisingourspiritto
callonthenameoftheLordwillnotbeeffective.Thisexercise
cannotworkifouractingagent,ourheart,isdormant.Thisis
thereasonweneedtodealthoroughlywithourheart.This
dealingmustincludeourmind,emotion,andwill.Ourmind
mustbethemindofChrist,ouremotionmustbesaturated
withtheloveofChrist,andourwillmustbeonewithHiswill.
Ifthisistheconditionofourheart,ourheartwillbeactive
andfunctioning.ThenifwecallontheLordwhenourheartis
active,thiscallingwillbeveryeffective.…Weneedtopray,
“Lord,havemercyonme.Iwanttohavemymindrenewed.I
wanttohavemyemotionfilledwithYourlove.Iwanttohavea
willthatistrulyonewithYourwill.”Ifwehavesuchaheart,
thentheheartasouractingagentwillbeestablishedblame
lessinholiness,blamelessinthestateofbeingmadeholy.
(Lifestudyof1&2Thessalonians,pp.182183,194195)
Further Reading: CWWL, 19751976, vol. 2, “The Central
VisionforServingtheChurch,”ch.5;CWWL,1952,vol.2,
“TheVision,Ministry,andLeadingoftheLord’sServing
Ones,”ch.1
Enlightenmentandinspiration:



WEEK10—DAY6  56
MorningNourishment
Prov. Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all
10:12 transgressions.
17:9 Hewhocoversatransgressionseekslove,but
hewhorepeatsamatterseparatesclosefriends.
1Pet. Aboveall,haveferventloveamongyourselves,
4:8 becauselovecoversamultitudeofsins.
[Love]isnotprovoked.Peopleareeasilyprovokedbecause
oftheshortageoflove.Regardlessofhowmuchwearerebuked,
wewillnotbeprovokedifwearefilledwiththedivinelove.
Lovedoesnottakeaccountofevil.Wehavetoconfessthatwe
havetakenaccountofotherpeople’sevil.Somewiveshavea
record,anaccount,oftheirhusband’sfailuresanddefects.
Thisrecordmaynotbewritten,butitisintheirmind.
Theeldersneedtorealizethatintheirshepherding,they
havetocoverothers’sins,tonottakeaccountofothers’evils.
Lovecoversallthings[1Cor.13:7],notonlythegoodthings
butalsothebadthings.Whoeveruncoversthedefects,short
comings,andsinsofthemembersofthechurchisdisqualified
fromtheeldership.Ouruncoveringofthemembersunderour
eldership, our shepherding, annuls our qualification. Love
alsoenduresallthingsandneverfallsaway.FirstCorinthi
ans 13 concludes by saying, “Now there abide faith, hope,
love,thesethree;andthegreatestoftheseislove”(v.13).
Accordingtomyobservationthroughouttheyears,most
ofthecoworkershaveahumanspiritof“power”butnotof
love.Weneedaspiritoflovetoconquerthedegradationof
today’schurch.Weshouldnotsayordoanythingtothreaten
people.Instead,weshouldalwayssayanddothingswitha
spirit of love, which has been fanned into flame. (CWWL,
19941997,vol.5,“TheVitalGroups,”pp.123124)
Today’sReading
Ifwehateeachother,wewillhaveendlessstrife,butlove
covers not only one sin or some sins but all sins [cf. Prov.
10:12].Jamesendshiswritingbysaying,“Mybrothers,…he
57  WEEK10—DAY6
whoturnsasinnerbackfromtheerrorofhiswaywillsave
thatone’ssoulfromdeathandwillcoveramultitudeofsins”
(5:1920).Shouldwehateonewhoisnotuptothestandard,
whoisledastrayfromthetruth,orshouldwelovehim?We
maynotlovethosewhoarenotabletoliveincorporateliving.
Wemayloveonlytheparticulargroupofthosewholiveprop
erly in our homes. This is altogether not according to the
Spirit of the Lord as revealed in the Bible. If a brother is
good,hedoesnotneedourloveverymuch,becausehehas
alreadybeensufficientlyloved.Nearlyeveryonelovesagood
person,butwhataboutonewhoisledastrayfromthetruth?
Ifabrotherisledastrayfromthetruthtoattendthedenom
inationsorgotothemovies,oursmallgroupmayfeelthatwe
donotneedhim,andwedonotaccepthimbecauseheisnot
qualified.Thisisnotlove;thisishate.Lovecoversmanysins.
Evenifweknowthathegoestothemovies,weshouldnot
tellothers.Thisistocoverhim.Wedonotliketouncoverhim
orexposehim.Touncoverisnotlove.Hatredstirsupstrife,
butlovecoversallsins.Wewouldratherbelikethesonsof
Noahwhocoveredtheirfather’snakedness,whichwasdue
tohisdrunkenness.Wedonotliketouncoverothers.Cover
ingbringsinblessing,butuncoveringbringsinacurse.This
isnotasmallmatter.Thosewhouncoversufferthecurse,but
thosewhocoverothers’sins,defects,andshortcomingsenjoy,
gain,andreceiveblessing.CoveramultitudeofsinsinJames
5:20isanOldTestamentexpressionusedbyJamestoindi
catethatturninganerringbrotherbackistocoverhissins
sothatheisnotcondemned.Cover…sinshereequalssins…
forgiveninverse15,asinPsalm32:1,whichsays,“Blessedis
hewhosetransgressionisforgiven;Whosesiniscovered.”
(CWWL,19941997,vol.5,“AWordofLovetotheCowork
ers,Elders,Lovers,andSeekersoftheLord,”pp.1516)
FurtherReading:CWWN,vol.46,ch.174;CWWL,1952,vol.
2,“TheVision,Ministry,andLeadingoftheLord’sServ
ingOnes,”ch.1
Enlightenmentandinspiration:



WEEK10—HYMN  58 59 WEEK10—PROPHECY

Hymns,744 Compositionforprophecywithmainpointand
subpoints:
1 IndealingswiththeLordaslife, 

  Weneedaproperheart,

 ThatofHisriches,inHisgrace, 

  Wefullymaytakepart.

2 Weneedaheartinallthingspure,


  Withmindbothsoundandclear, 
 TounderstandHismindandheart 

  Intremblingandinfear. 

3 Weneedafervent,lovingheart, 
  Aheartonfirewithlove, 

 Withanemotionfilledwithzeal 
  ForHim,allelseabove. 

4 Weneedatrue,obedientheart, 

  Withasubmissivewill—

 Awillmadepliable,yetstrong, 
  God’spurposetofulfill.


5 Weneedaheartcondemningnot, 

  InallthingsrightwithGod; 
 Aheartwhichhasaconsciencepurged 

  Andcoveredwiththeblood. 

6 Lord,grantussuchaheartasthis, 
  ForeverfixedonThee, 

 ThatofThyselfwemaypartake

  AndThytruefullnessbe.