The secret of living the Christian life to be an overcomer is for us to take the way of eating and enjoying Christ as the tree of life; we can eat Him as our spiritual food by eating His words of spirit and life through musing on God’s word. Amen!
This week we come to a new topic in our morning revival, The Secret of Living the Christian Life to be an Overcomer – Taking the Way of Eating and Enjoying Christ as the Tree of Life.
Hallelujah, we want to learn the secret of living the Christian life in such a way that we are an overcomer! What the Lord is looking after today is the overcoming ones.
In this age of degradation, He is looking for those who overcome to eat Jesus, those who overcome by eating Jesus. We want to be such ones.
We want to take the way of eating and enjoying Christ as the tree of life in our daily Christian life and in our church life.
We can all testify that God is good for food, for we have tasted and we can tell all that He is not only our supply and nourishment but He is also good for food! Since God is good for food, we need to know the way to eat God.
How can we eat God? How can we take God in as our food?
In Genesis, He comes to man in the form of the tree of life, but man fell by partaking of the wrong tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
But God is good for food! And we need to know how to enjoy God, how to eat God, and how to take God in!
And we need to take God in as our food in the way of enjoying Him.
We don’t eat merely because we have to eat; we eat because we love the food and we want to eat.
Similarly in our Christian life, we need to eat the Lord not because we have to live, so we have to eat Him; we eat Him because He is so tasty, so enjoyable, and so sweet!
However, many times in our Christian experience we can testify that we don’t really want to eat the Lord because we have not tasted His sweetness, and there is little enjoyment of the Lord.
We may eat Him as we eat our broccoli: they are on our plates, we know they are healthy for us to eat, but we do not enjoy them.
But praise the Lord, we can discover that the Lord is not only good for food but also so enjoyable! Our God is so enjoyable and His taste is so sweet!
May we learn to eat the Lord and enjoy Him, and may we discover how enjoyable our God is.
The Secret of Living the Christian Life to be an Overcomer: Taking the Way of Eating and Enjoying Christ as the Tree of Life!
We need to see a vision of Christ as the tree of life, and we need to realize that, unless we daily partake of Him as life and live because of Him, we are defeated Christians.
Living by the tree of knowledge of good and evil, no matter how positive may be and how good they may sound, leads to death. But enjoying Christ as the tree of life leads to life.
The secret for us to live the Christian life to be an overcomer is taking the way of eating and enjoying Christ as the tree of life.
From the very beginning of the Bible, we see that God didn’t intend that man would do something for Him or that he would work for God.
Rather, according to Gen. 2:9, God put man in a garden, and His desire is to give Himself to man as food for his enjoyment.
Only those who take the way of eating and enjoying Christ as the tree of life in their daily living will see their life and work remaining in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 2:7).
May we have a drastic change of concept from doing things and speaking according to merely what is good and right to come to the tree of life.
God’s relationship with man is not only that man would worship God, obey God, and trust God; He wants to be enjoyed by man, so He presents Himself to man as the tree of life.
Day by day we are put in front of a choice: we can choose the tree of life or the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
The first vision in the Bible is the vision of the tree of life; if we see this vision, we will be impacted and will give ourselves to just eat and enjoy Christ as the tree of life.
This vision of the tree of life, the first vision of the Bible, governs all the visions in the Bible.
The first thing God did with man in His relationship with man was to put him in front of the tree of life.
God didn’t tell man to worship Him or serve Him; He put him in front of the tree of life. It matters to God what we eat, for what we eat will determine the way we live and who do we express.
The tree of life in Genesis 2 accomplishes the purpose of God in Genesis 1.
Man’s eating of the tree of life accomplishes God’s eternal purpose in creating man.
From the beginning to the end of the Bible we see that God presents Himself to man as food.
If we look at the history of the people of Israel, when they were about to have an exodus out of Egypt, they didn’t train or do a worship service but they ate: they ate the Passover lamb with all the elements of the Passover.
Then, in the wilderness, they ate manna, the bread out of heaven, which God caused to rain on them every day.
And when the tabernacle was erected and there were all the priestly services set up, they ate again, for the peace offering was the food supply to both God and man.
When they entered the good land, there we much eating of the produce of the land.
The history of the Old Testament is a history of eating, and when God’s people ate in a proper way, they became God’s expression on earth.
In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus came and He presented Himself before man as food.
All those around Him were expecting a great teacher and a deliverer, but He came and gave them food, both physically when he fed them and spiritually by presenting Himself as food.
![But she came and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, help me! But He answered and said, It is not good to take the children's bread and throw [it] to the little dogs. And she said, Yes, Lord, for even the little dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Matt. 15:25-27](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/But-she-came-and-worshipped-Him-saying-Lord-help-me-683x1024.jpg?resize=450%2C675&ssl=1 "But she came and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, help me! But He answered and said, It is not good to take the children's bread and throw [it] to the little dogs. And she said, Yes, Lord, for even the little dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Matt. 15:25-27")
Many followed Him for the physical food, but the Lord indicated that He is the bread of life, the bread of God, even the living bread for them to eat and live forever.
In Matt. 15 we see that the Gentile woman realized that He is the crumbs under the table even for the Gentiles to eat.
Again and again, the Lord presents Himself to us as food.
Even at our lowest point, the Lord is still accessible, He is still reachable and tangible, for He wants to feed us.
In the Epistles we see that Christ is our Passover, we need to keep the feast, and we need to eat the spiritual food and drink the spiritual drink (1 Corinthians 10).
In Revelation, we see food again, for God promises to give the overcomers to eat the hidden manna and to eat the tree of life.
The secret of living the Christian life to be an overcomer is that we are eating and enjoying Christ as the tree of life.
Blessed are those who wash their robes to eat the tree of life! God’s way is for us to eat the tree of life.
By eating Him, we overcome, and we overcome to eat. By eating the Lord, the testimony of the church is produced.
By eating the Lord, the testimony of the church is maintained. By eating the Lord, we will be produced as overcomers.
By eating the Lord, He will produce the bride.
Lord Jesus, we want to learn the secret of living the Christian life to be an overcomer by eating and enjoying Christ as the tree of life! Amen, Lord, we want to take this way, the way of eating and enjoying Christ as the tree of life. Save us from trying our best or working hard to improve ourselves. May we drop our striving and struggling and simply come to You to eat You as the tree of life. We want to overcome to eat of You as the tree of life. We want to take the way of eating and enjoying Christ as the tree of life so that our life and work will remain in the New Jerusalem! Amen, Lord, make us Your overcomers! Make us those who eat Jesus and take in Jesus as the tree of life day by day, even moment by moment!
We Eat the Lord Jesus by Eating His Words through Musing on the Word of God to Live because of Him
![But He answered and said, It is written, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out through the mouth of God." Matt. 4:4 How sweet are Your words to my taste! / [Sweeter] than honey to my mouth! Psa. 119:103](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/But-He-answered-and-said-It-is-written-Man-shall-not-live-on-bread-alone-but-on-every-word-that-proceeds-out-through-the-mouth-of-God-683x1024.jpg?resize=450%2C675&ssl=1 "But He answered and said, It is written, \"Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out through the mouth of God.\" Matt. 4:4 How sweet are Your words to my taste! / [Sweeter] than honey to my mouth! Psa. 119:103")
How do we eat the Lord Jesus? How can a man eat another man? How can we, human beings, partake of what God is?
We eat the Lord Jesus by eating His words of spirit and life, and this causes us to live because of Him (John 6:57, 63).
The flesh profits nothing; we cannot and should not attempt to eat the Lord’s flesh in a natural or physical way, but partake of His words which are spirit and life.
When we eat the Lord, we spontaneously live because of Him; without any effort, our eating of the Lord issues in our expressing the Lord.
Satan’s tactic, however, is to tempt us to try to be a Christian without enjoying the Lord.
We have a heart for the Lord and desire to serve Him, and we love the Lord, but Satan tempts us to do all these without eating and enjoying the Lord.
We can live because of Christ as our energizing element and supplying factor as we eat Him in the word, for we live Christ by eating Him (Gal. 2:20; Phil. 1:19-21).
How can we eat the Lord in His word?
The way is presented to us both in the Old and in the New Testament, and that is mixing the word of God with our spirit of faith through prayer.
We need to muse on the word of God, that is, we need to carefully and prayerfully consider the Word, pray with the Word, speak the Word to God, converse with God and with ourselves with the Word, and let the Word speak to us.
We need to take the Word of God and “chew it”; like cows chew the cud, we need to “chew the cud” when we read the word of God.
We need to converse with ourselves with the Word and praise the Lord with His word.
Musing upon the Word is slower and finer than just pray-reading the Word. In musing on the word of God, we worship God with His word, we talk to Him with His word, and we enjoy the Lord in His word.
We may bow down and worship the Lord, we may ponder on the Word, remember it, and give ourselves a rebuke.
Through musing on God’s word we enjoy the Lord, worship Him, pray, converse with ourselves in the Lord’s presence, sing, and praise the Lord.
There is no set way or practice how to do it, so we simply need to learn to muse on the word of God.
Like Jeremiah in Jer. 15:16, we need to find the word of God and eat it, and His words will become the joy and gladness of our heart.
When we muse on the word of God, we are infused with God, we breathe Him into us, and we receive spiritual nourishment.
Musing on God’s word involves more than just meditating on it or contemplating it.
Through musing on God’s word, we talk to God, we worship and enjoy Him, we receive grace from Him, and we converse with ourselves in the Word in God’s presence.
Like the psalmist said in Psa. 119:147, we may anticipate the dawn and cry out, hoping in God’s words.
Musing on the word of God causes us to delight ourselves in His word, and it also exposes us and sometimes causes us to weep before the Lord.
May we take the way of eating and enjoying Christ as the tree of life by musing on His word every day!
May we take in the words of the Lord which are spirit and life through prayerful consideration of God’s words, opening our whole being to Him and partaking of His riches in His word!
Lord Jesus, we want to eat You as our spiritual food for our enjoyment by musing on the Word of God. We open to receive You as the Spirit who gives life through our eating Your words of spirit and life. Amen, Lord, we exercise our spirit of faith as we come to Your Word to receive spirit and life. Teach us how to muse on Your words so that we may eat and enjoy You in Your word. Shine on us through Your word. We want to eat Your words day by day so that we may be inwardly energized to live Christ and express Christ. Amen, Lord, become our energizing element and supplying factor as we take the way of eating and enjoying Christ as the tree of life! We want to eat You and live because of You today!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Ricky Acosta in the message, and portions from, Life-study of Exodus, pp. 670-671, by Witness Lee, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Taking the Way of Enjoying Christ as the Tree of Life (2022 Memorial Day Weekend Conference), week 5, entitled, The Secret of Living the Christian Life to be an Overcomer – Taking the Way of Eating and Enjoying Christ as the Tree of Life.
- Hymns on this topic:
– The tree of life, how sweet the fruit, / With God as life complete. / I once was dead, but now I live, / Was starved, but now I eat. (Hymns #1143)
– Your words were found, / And I ate them. / And Your words became, / Became to me, / The gladness and joy / Of my heart, / Became the gladness and joy / Of my heart. (Scripture song)
– Now to enjoy Thee I come to Thy Word, / On Thee to feed till my hunger is o’er. / Now in my spirit I turn unto Thee, / Of Thee to drink till I’m thirsty no more. / Feeding and drinking, Lord Jesus, of Thee, / Feeding by reading, and drinking by prayer; / Reading and praying, I eat and I drink, / Praying and reading-Lord, Thou art my fare. (Hymns #811)
About aGodMan
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To touch the tree of life is to touch God, and…to touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is to touch fire and death. In order to serve God and work for Him, a Christian must learn to stay away from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil… For example, a couple may be arguing. Our natural concept is to exhort them to be reconciled with each other, but if we know the principle of the tree of life, we will not exhort them to be patient or humble. If we are clear about the principle of the tree of life, we will lead this couple into life. Only those who touch the tree of life will see their life and work remaining in the New Jerusalem. Those who are sinful will gointo the lake of fire. Those who are merely moral will also go into the lake of fire…Within the tree of life there is surely love and humility, but the love and humility that issue from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil end up in the lake of fire. Only the virtues that issue from the tree of life will last in eternity. Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1932-1949, vol. 2, pp. 224-225
According to the entire revelation in the Holy Bible, God’s words are good for us to eat, and we need to eat them (Psa. 119:103; Matt. 4:4; Heb. 5:12-14; 1 Pet. 2:2-3). God’s word is the divine supply as food to nourish us. Through the word as our food, God dispenses His riches into our inner being to nourish us that we may be constituted with His element. This is a crucial aspect of God’s economy. When we eat God’s words, His word becomes our heart’s gladness and joy.
Jer. 15:16, footnote 1, Recovery Version Bible
Brother, what is the way to live the Christian life and be an overcomer? It is by eating and enjoying the Lord as the tree of life.
And we eat Him by musing on His word, that is, by conversing with Him in His word, praying with the word, singing the word, and worshiping God in his word.
Wow brother, eating is the secret to living an overcoming Christian life!
I appreciated that eating is to receive the Lord as the Spirit through His words of spirit and life by means of all prayer and musing upon His words!
We live by eating!
This is true physically and spiritually.
If we’re are satisfied with being merely moral, we will go into the lake of fire just like all the sinners. Only the virtues that come from the tree of life will last into eternity.
Amen! O Lord keep us contacting You through praying, reading, musing and breathing in Your words that are spirit and life that we may live and express You!
amen Brother I enjoyed that we should only come to the word as knowledge but we should be those who enjoy the Lord as the tree of life by musing on the word
to muse on the word is to enjoy the word, consider the word, converse the word back to God, praise God and worship God
May this become our practice to eat the word by musing upon it
Amen.
We have the grafted life in us.
The life of God both human and divine has been grafted in our life to become one life. This grafted life is the mingled life. The compound spirit joined with our spirit. Now this grafted life is grafting into our being spreading through our hearts overcoming our mind will emotion … choosing Christ Loving Christ Living Christ!
We are qualified God-men in Christ ! Living the grafted life which is the highest life in the universe . The embodied triune God in a tripartite man.
AMEN
* According, To the Entire revelation In the Holy Bible; “God’s words are good for Us to eat; and, We need to eat them”.
(Psa. 119:103; Matt. 4:4; Heb. 5:12-14; 1 Pet. 2:2-3).
* God’s Word is the Divine supply as food to nourish Us. Through the Word as our food, God dispenses His riches Into our Inner being to nourish Us, that, We may be constituted with His element. This is a crucial aspect of “God’s economy”.
*When We eat God’s words, His word becomes our heart’s gladness and Joy.
“The law of Your mouth is better to me; Than, thousands of pieces of Gold and silver”.
Psa.119:72