460 The Spiritual Man
him. Since he is now filled, he has no more requests to make. A life
such as this can be summed up in one word: satisfied. The
characteristic of spiritual life is satisfaction—not in the sense of self-
centeredness, self-sufficiency, or self-filling but in that of the person
having found all his needs fully met in God. To him God’s will is the
very best; he is satisfied. What else need he ask for? Only emotional
Christians find fault with God’s arrangement and aspire to have more
by conceiving numberless expectations in their hearts. But one who
has allowed the Holy Spirit to operate deeply in him by the cross no
longer yearns for anything according to himself. His desire is
fulfilled already in God.
At this point the believer’s desire is totally renewed (this does not
mean that thereafter there can be no failure); it is united with God’s
desire. Not only is he, negatively, resisting the Lord no longer; but
positively, he is delighting in His delight. He is not suppressing his
desires; he is simply delighted with what God requires of him. If God
desires him to suffer, he asks Him to make him suffer. He finds
sweetness in such suffering. If God desires him to be afflicted, he
willingly seeks such affliction. He loves affliction more than healing.
If God desires to bring him low, he gladly cooperates with Him in
bringing himself down. He delights now only in what God delights
in. He covets nothing outside Him. He expects no uplifting if God
does not so desire. He does not resist God but rather welcomes
whatever He bestows, whether sweet or bitter.
The cross produces fruits. Each crucifixion brings to us the fruit of
God’s life. All who are willing to accept the practical cross which
God gives shall find themselves living a pure spiritual life. Daily
there is for us the practical cross God desires us to bear. Every cross
has its peculiar mission to accomplish a particular work in our life.
May no cross ever be wasted upon us!