The plowers plowed upon my back;
They made their furrows long.
— Psalm 129:3

To follow the Lord is not cheap by any means. There is no shortcut. We should never think, “The Lord is moving so fast! Now I can grow so quickly!” Biblically it has never been so. We cannot circumvent the normal and healthy process of true Christian growth. (more…)

The plowers plowed upon my back;
They made their furrows long.
— Psalm 129:3

For us to serve the Lord we must be enlarged. This means that we must prepare ourselves to be plowed. Plowing begins in our “youth.” Once we begin to love the Lord His hand is already upon us in our environment. The most important thing to remember as we experience the Lord’s plowing is not to escape. (more…)

The plowers plowed upon my back;
They made their furrows long.
— Psalm 129:3

When we serve the Lord, it is good if people can look at us and see furrows. This means that we don’t impress people with our talent or ability. Instead people say, “There is something different about this person. He has the mark of the Lord’s workmanship. He is a man of God.” (more…)

The plowers plowed upon my back;
They made their furrows long.
— Psalm 129:3

Today there are many young people among us who love the Lord. Young people are often so “complete.” This means that they do not have many furrows. They do not have the mark of the Lord’s workmanship, or a sign of the Lord’s dealing with them. (more…)

The plowers plowed upon my back;
They made their furrows long.
— Psalm 129:3

The Lord knows exactly what He is doing. His intention is that the plow would make long furrows in our back. A furrow is a narrow ditch plowed into the ground for growing crops. At a farm we can often see one furrow after another dug into the soil so that many different crops can grow. Spiritually speaking, when we are cut deeply by the Lord it is for us to grow in life and bear abundant fruit. (more…)

The plowers plowed upon my back;
They made their furrows long.
— Psalm 129:3

When the “plow” comes in our experience, it is not pleasant. It makes us as low as the ground. We feel that we are abased. We are overwhelmed with difficulties. (more…)

The plowers plowed upon my back;
They made their furrows long.
— Psalm 129:3

Everyone who loves the Lord will experience affliction. The psalmist vividly describes his affliction after many years of experience: “I was made so low. I was put in a place of abasement. I was put in a place where no one respected me, no one appreciated me, and no one realized my desire or consecration. (more…)

The plowers plowed upon my back;
They made their furrows long.
— Psalm 129:3

Whenever you are involved in spiritual activities, you feel that you are a high person. You may even feel that you are on the “cutting edge” of the church life. The Lord desires to make us low, but we desire to be high. We like to rise up, but the Lord tells us to come down. The Lord will arrange everything in our environment for us to be made low. (more…)

The plowers plowed upon my back;
They made their furrows long.
— Psalm 129:3

The third verse of this psalm is one of the most precious verses in the Bible. It is so profound that it is difficult to appreciate. This is a poetic description of environmental dealings and affliction. (more…)

“Many times they have afflicted me from my youth,”
Let Israel now say;
“Many times have they afflicted me since my youth,
yet they did not prevail against me.”
— Psalm 129:1-2

All of the saints who have been in the church life for many years may not feel prevailing or useful, but the fact is that they are still here. It is not a small thing that they have remained after going through so many difficulties and trials. (more…)

“Many times they have afflicted me from my youth,”
Let Israel now say;
“Many times have they afflicted me since my youth,
yet they did not prevail against me.”
— Psalm 129:1-2

The younger ones among us should ask themselves, “Will I still be here in ten years?” This is not a light matter. Young brothers and sisters, there is no guarantee that in a few years all of you will still be here. That is why it is so improper for you to look at the older saints and think, “You are out of date.” Without the older ones you wouldn’t even be here. (more…)

“Many times they have afflicted me from my youth,”
Let Israel now say;
“Many times have they afflicted me since my youth,
yet they did not prevail against me.”
— Psalm 129:1-2

Those who have been following the Lord for many years can testify that their dealings and afflictions have always come from the Lord with His testimony in view. It is not a proud or improper boasting but the declaring of a marvelous fact: “I am still here! Praise the Lord, I am part of Israel! I am part of the Lord’s testimony! Many times have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me!” (more…)

“Many times they have afflicted me from my youth,”
Let Israel now say;
“Many times have they afflicted me since my youth,
yet they did not prevail against me.”
— Psalm 129:1-2

The writer of this psalm has had many years of experiencing suffering and affliction. However, he realizes that it was all for “Israel,” the Lord’s testimony. (more…)

Once we come to the point in the Psalms of Ascent in which  we are able to minister life to meet the needs of those around us, we may feel, “It is sufficient. There is no need for anything more. This is as high as it can go.” However, we still need another “turn” in our experience. (more…)

We have seen that the third stage of the Psalms of Ascent, the stage of enjoyment, begins with two different “turns” from captivity. In Psalm 126 we are freed from the world and from Christianity to be brought into the church life. After enjoying the church life we are eventually released from the captivity of our self-life by falling into the ground to die. This leads to the experience of transformation as seen in Psalm 127. (more…)

Do not be anxious for your life, what you should eat or what you should drink; nor for your body, what you should put on. Is not the life more than food, and the body than clothing?
— Matthew 6:25

Some people are particular about what food they buy. They will not buy anything except the choicest meat. If the Lord provides, you can eat whatever you want, but why waste your mind on this? It is not a sin to eat well, but you should not waste your mind, emotion, and will on such things. You should be simple and live a simple life for the Lord. (more…)

Do not be anxious for your life, what you should eat or what you should drink; nor for your body, what you should put on. Is not the life more than food, and the body than clothing?
— Matthew 6:25

Some sisters are particular about what cosmetics they use, saying one brand is better for Asian women than another. If you really believe that, your mind, emotion, and will are lost. Others are picky about clothing, and must wear only brand name clothes. (more…)

And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
— Matthew 22:37

There is nothing wrong with having a business, but a business will occupy your mind, emotion, and will. This is why I encourage brothers to serve the Lord full-time. Our mind, emotion, and will are limited. We should invest our entire heart into the Lord’s recovery and with the brothers and sisters. We must equip ourselves with this kind of heart. (more…)

There was a time when some young people reported to Brother Lee that I was considering going into some business. (I was considering it, for I felt it might relieve Brother Lee of some burden.) (more…)

When the world comes to us, we must be conscious of its operation. Everything in the world operates to tempt us. The temptations we encounter are no different than those the people in the world encounter. (more…)

And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
— Matthew 22:37

You have to cultivate a will that is absolute for the Lord, to the extent that nothing else can turn you aside. For example, a brother may consecrate himself to the Lord and desire to serve full-time. However, after being offered a job with a good salary, he takes it. That indicates that his will is not adequately equipped. (more…)

In the church life, there are more young sisters than young brothers, but eventually it is the brothers who become more manifested. The reason for this has to do with this issue of equipping. (more…)

I would like to say something to the sisters. The young sisters love the Lord, but their love is primarily something of the emotion. I am afraid that after you marry, most of you will lose your heart for the Lord. (more…)

Brother Lee once testified, “I am for the Lord. I dare not expose myself to any temptation.” One day he went somewhere with Brother Austin-Sparks. Brother Austin-Sparks wanted to go through an old suspension bridge, but Brother Lee wouldn’t go with him, saying, “I do not want to put myself in any kind of danger, for I desire to be preserved for the Lord.” (more…)

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You may think that equipping is simply a matter of reading the Bible. In fact, it is your heart that has to be equipped first. Without a proper heart, it is useless to talk about equipping. (more…)

I know also how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to hunger, both to abound and to lack.
— Philippians 4:12

You must tell the Lord, “Lord, You must work on my emotions constantly. I am willing to be equipped in my emotions. I do not want to waste my love on anything other than You. I desire to love You alone.” If this is the case, you will have a pure emotion. (more…)

No one has a heart that is free from being wild or free of self. We all have a “wild heart”; our heart is for ourselves, and we all consider what will be of gain to ourselves. (more…)