The Believer and Emotion 433
covered. Let all the servants of the Lord learn this lesson from the
sisters. Our natural appeal does not help us in spiritual work and
neither will our lack of natural appeal hinder it. We shall abandon
our heart of dependence on the Lord , if we stress our power to
attract others; likewise, if we pay attention to any lack of power to
attract we also shall not walk after the spirit. Far better is it not to
think of this matter at all.
What are the servants of the Lord seeking today? Countless ones
aspire to spiritual power. But this power is obtained solely by paying
a price. Should a Christian die to his emotion he will possess spiritual
might. It is because he leans too much on his emotion and is bound
too strongly to his desire, affection and feeling that the Christian
forfeits real power. Only a deeper operation of the cross can fill us
with spiritual dynamite; other than that there is no way to it. When
the cross works upon our desire enabling us to live completely for
God, spiritual power will naturally be evidenced in us.
A believer’s emotion, if not overcome, will additionally hamper
him in spiritual work. As long as its influence obtains, his spirit is
impotent to control it and consequently unqualified to fulfill the
highest will of God. Take physical weariness as an example. We
should be able to distinguish (1) the need for rest due to bodily
fatigue, (2) the need for rest due to emotional weariness, and (3) the
need for rest due to both. God does not intend us to overwork. He
wishes us to rest when genuinely tired. Yet we should understand
whether we have need to rest due to bodily fatigue or emotional
weariness or both. Frequently what we say is rest is merely laziness.
Our body requires respite and so does our mind and spirit. But a
person should never rest because of a laziness which arises from the
evil nature in his emotion. How often laziness and emotional distaste
for work join to employ physical fatigue as a cover-up. Since man’s
emotion is highly self-favoring, believers should guard against
laziness intruding into what should be exclusively a good and proper
kind of rest.