First Peter chapter two tells us that we are living stones, coming to Him and being built up as a spiritual house. (1 Peter 2:5) We are His delight. So precious that the church is His dwelling place—the utmost love desire of the Infinite One! His utmost desire does not have an end. Rather, this love desire is infinite, glory upon glory, sweetness upon sweetness, and increases unceasingly.
The Lord once said while on earth, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:20) He treasures the time when we gather before Him to draw near to Him. Hebrews chapter 10 reads, “not neglecting to meet together,” (Hebrews 10:25) The Lord desires us to enjoy the feast together. The Lord is the same today. While on earth, He told his disciples that He desires… Today, His desire is the same, and now is even better, because a lot of things have already been accomplished!
It was a precious time when the Lord was with the disciples. But now the salvation has been accomplished. His special presence is with us. The Father, the Lord and the Holy Spirit dwell in our heart. What we have now is different from the past; it’s a different kind of preciousness. What the Lord treasures most is our personal time with Him, to be with Him and to have personal experience with Him. He is already with us. He lives in us. Yet, He still waits for us to draw near to Him, to be heart to heart with Him.
When the Lord visited Martha, Mary and Lazarus, Martha prepared food for the Lord. But the Lord said, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42) One thing is necessary. The Lord treasures us coming before Him attentively, like Mary. I believe that Mary also wanted to serve the Lord. The best service for the Lord is your heart— that you yearn to be close to Him. Isn’t this the best welcome for the Lord? Isn’t this the greatest enjoyment for the Lord? This is what the Lord enjoys the most.
The Lord says: one thing is necessary. This “one thing” is not merely one thing. It affects all aspects of your present life and the life to come! Paul said that training for godliness holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:8) Therefore, when you draw near to God and practice sweet daily living, both your present life and eternity will be affected. This is as important as life and death.
Throughout time in this movement, I have not changed. We have no hope if we stop teaching about drawing near to God. I also need to continue to improve. I believe that the Lord has guided me to share these messages with you, and I hope you consider them more. I have spoken a lot so that you’ll see how much the Lord desires to see your face and hear your voice. He desires you. This movement has been around for more than fifty years. I have treasured drawing near to the Lord since the very beginning. I deeply experienced God even on the day when I first believed. When I was still a young believer, I drew near to Him day and night. The Lord has prepared us and He’s coming soon.
I can’t fully describe the help I’ve gained from drawing close to the Lord. I have faced many difficulties. Until now, I have never encountered one situation that can’t be overcome by coming to the Lord. Because of Him, I can face all things. All I need to do is to draw near to Him more.