to God as well. How many are the affairs which we decide to do
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God gives us the life that wins that we may obey His will as well as know His will. Never think that the victorious life is only, negatively, not sinning. It as well, positively speaking, enables us to commune with God and obey His will. God gives us this life not for the sake of fulfilling our purpose but for us to fulfill His. Therefore, no Christian should clasp a handhold on any other person. Without presenting all persons and friendships in our lives, we cannot satisfy God's heart. Persons must go. We need to be able to say from the heart: "Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee" (Ps. 73.25). We also need to say, "I will love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind" (see Matt. 22.37).
I have so appreciated our sister Margaret E. Barber.∗ She was truly one who loved the Lord with all her heart, soul and mind. After her death, the following words were found written in her Bible after Matthew 22.37 ("Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind"): "O Lord, I thank You, because You have such a command." How often we are distressed by having to notice the many commands of God. We should instead say what sister Barber wrote: "O Lord, I thank You, because You have such a command."
In this matter of consecration, God will not allow you to hold on to even that which He himself has given you. He will not allow you to hold on to your father and mother, your wife and children and friends. Even the Isaac born to promise needs to be laid on the altar. The failure of many Christians today is due to their being entangled by people.
2. Affairs—Not just persons but many affairs should be offered up to God as well. How many are the affairs which we decide to do
∗See footnote in previous chapter on Miss Barber.—Translator
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without seeking the will of God. One brother resolved that he must graduate first in his class and also rank first in his college entrance examination. As a result, he spent all his time and energy on education. After he knew victory, however, he laid this matter in God's hand and was freely resigned to whatever His will might be.
Although it may be good to spend a great deal of your time on your business, it will not be profitable to you if your intimate communion with God suffers as a consequence. If for your business you have a certain expectation which you will not give up, then you will feel you simply must obtain your goal. In that case you need to consecrate your business. You must not be brought under the power of anything.
Many brothers hope to get ahead of other people through education. This is their proud anticipation. I do not say they should quit school; I only say they must be willing to lay down everything if the Lord should call them. A true story can perhaps help to illustrate what has just been said. A Christian brother was an orphan, and his family situation was very poor. He had good penmanship as well as an excellent musical talent. In the orphanage, others learned carpentry and masonry, but he was able to attend high school because he obtained a scholarship every term. When he finished two years of college education, the school administration intended to send him on to St. John's University (in Shanghai) for another two years before sending him to America for further study. The condition was that he must serve in his alma mater upon his return from abroad. Both his mother and his uncle wrote to congratulate him.
Now at this point he was still not a Christian. But just two months ago this young man was saved, and at the same time he consecrated his life to God. One day during this period since his conversion, I asked him what his final decision would be with respect to his future education. He replied that he had decided to accept the school's offer. Actually, he was on the verge of signing the agreement. He
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even said to me that I ought to know and appreciate his ambition after being a schoolmate of his for eight years.
When we parted, I said to him, "Today we are brothers; but when you return from the States, I wonder if you will still be my brother." Upon hearing this, he went to the Lord and prayed, "O God, You know my ambition; yet You have called me. I by myself cannot lay down my ambition. Lord, if You will, I am willing even to go to the rural areas and preach the gospel."
After he finished praying, he went to the school principal and told him he would not sign the agreement since he was not going on to university. His principal thought he must be mad. But he said that the Lord had called him to preach the gospel.
Four days later, his uncle, cousins and mother all came to see him. His mother wept, saying, "All these years since your father died, I have worked hard with the hope that one day you would be able to forge ahead. Today you have the opportunity to advance, but now you refuse." His mother cried and cried. His uncle too said this: "Before you entered the orphanage, I took care of you. I even took care of your mother. Now you must take responsibility over these two families. Your cousins here do not have the money to go to school; but you have received such a splendid opportunity, and yet you are now intent on throwing it into the water." They even came to me and said: "Mr. Nee, your parents do not need your support, but we need him to support our living"
Our brother was truly at a critical crossroads. So he asked the Lord what he should do. He eventually saw that he owed the Lord far more than he owed to men. And as a result he obeyed God. Later, he did fulfill his responsibility to his mother and uncle by supplying their necessities, although he could never yield to their earlier expectation of him.