254 The Spiritual Man
The child of God should not be overanxious to make new gains;
what he essentially requires is to keep what he already has, for not
losing is itself a gain. The way to retain what he possesses is to
engage it. Burying it beneath the earth is a sure way to lose it. When
a believer allows the life in his spirit to flow freely, he not only shall
gain others but shall gain himself as well. One gains by losing self
for others and not by hoarding for oneself. The life within a spiritual
man must be released by performing spiritual labor. If one’s inner
being is always open and free (it must of course be closed to the
enemy), the life of God shall flow out from him to the salvation and
edification of many. The moment spiritual exertion ceases, at that
precise moment spiritual life is blocked. These two are inseparable.
No matter what earthly occupation the believer may have, he is
apportioned a measure of work by God as well. One who is spiritual
knows his place in the body of Christ; as a consequence he also
knows the limits of his work. Each member has his usefulness; his
work lies in discharging that usefulness. Some gifts are dispensed to
benefit particular members; while others, the whole body. A
Christian ought to recognize the limits of his gift and to labor within
those bounds. But many fail. They either withdraw from their work
and thus stifle the development of their spiritual life, or they
overextend themselves to their harm. Misusing hands and feet
damages a person just as much as not using his hands and feet at all.
One sure means of losing life, as we have seen, is to try to keep
spiritual life to oneself; yet to work indiscriminately can equally
impede life.
Spiritual PowerWe must desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit experientially if
we desire to have power in witnessing for Christ and in combating
Satan. More and more people are in hot pursuit of such experiences
today. But the question should be raised as to what lies behind such a