'God’s purpose
cannot be accomplished as long as Satan continues to find opportunity to work
through that soul life which remains uncommitted to the death of the cross.
Self-pity, self-love, fear of suffering, withdrawal from the cross: these are
some of the manifestations of soul life, for its prime motivation is
self-preservation. It is exceedingly reluctant to endure any loss. This is
precisely why the Lord summons us to deny self and take up our cross so as to
crush our natural life. Every cross which passes before us beckons us to
forsake ourselves. We should not harbor any self-love but lay down our lives by
the power of God. The Lord says to us that this cross is ours, for we each
receive from God our own particular cross. That is what we ought to bear.
Although it is our cross, it nevertheless is closely connected with the cross
of the Lord. '
P198 The Spiritual
Man - by Watchman Nee
We've been
discussing humbling recently and this ties right in with humbling ourselves,
doesn't it? We can't be humble if our
main focus is ourselves. If we wake up every day with the hope that it won't be
a hard day for us- a hard day at work, a hard day at home, a hard day at
school, what are we really hoping for? Seriously, ask yourself this question,
and truly attempt to answer it.
What do you mean
when you say you had a hard week at work and really hope next week is
different? What are you saying when you
stress to a friend that things have been really hard at home and you just want
things to settle down. Perhaps you've uttered the words that school has really
been difficult lately, that you can't wait until it's over. You know you've heard all this before, you
know you've even been one to say something along these lines, in this context
of having a really difficult, hard time in your life.
If I've had a hard
day I might mean that people have been contrary towards me, not acting, or
saying things I want to hear but rather warring against me. I might mean I've
had the hard task of undertaking some difficult work that has tired me out,
exhausted me. And I might mean I've felt out of sorts - mentally, emotionally,
or even physically, sometimes all three or any other combo.
The point being is-
the hardship comes to me based on my particular perception of what it means for
me to have a good day versus a bad one.
My bad day full of taxing physical labor outside in the yard might be
another's bliss, another's joy. No one
likes to be argued with- or do they? Feeling physically unwell truly is
something the majority of people do not like, so having a bad day based on
physical health is understandable, but again we are focused where, when we are
enduring our physical hardship? Self. We believe we should not have this
physical hardship based on what? Just based on being alive? Based on the idea
we can be hardship free and if we can be then we should be and if we aren't
then it's a difficulty undeserved. If others have a hardship free life then we
should too, right? If another doesn't have a bad back then we certainly do not
deserve one. If another doesn't have difficulty walking then why must we? If people
in general don't seem to have the ailments we suffer from then we are being
unduly burdened. We base our belief on the idea of what we believe to be a
difficulty free life. Yet part of us has
to realize NO ONE has a difficulty free life. We have this predisposition to
believing we are owed certain things in life or else our life is filled with
difficulty.
Do you think it is
true that some of the most humble people are those who have very little in life
and have grown up with extreme hardship, accepting things for what they are
without believing they are owed a better life?
Self-focus.
Can a person be
taught to be self-centered? Is it a
person's fault if they turn out to be self-centered? Is self-centeredness a
permanent condition?
We exist, how can we
help but be focused on who we are, we are and can be no other, or can we?
Can we be another?
Can we be something other than self? What does this mean…
Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I
live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the
flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for
me
What does it mean? I
live yet not I, but Christ lives in me-
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!
I live yet not
I. We are to live but NOT LIVE TO
OURSELVES, not live to that 'I'. The
'I' shouldn't live- in its place CHRIST should live.
The
above paragraph by Watchmen Nee states - 'Self-pity,
self-love, fear of suffering, withdrawal from the cross: these are some of the
manifestations of soul life, for its prime motivation is self-preservation. It
is exceedingly reluctant to endure any loss. This is precisely why the Lord
summons us to deny self and take up our cross so as to crush our natural life.
Every cross which passes before us beckons us to forsake ourselves. We should
not harbor any self-love but lay down our lives by the power of God'
Is our prime
motivation SELF PRESERVATION at all costs?
Are we reluctant to endure ANY LOSS?
Do we shun the crosses presented to us on our path to denying ourselves? Is SELF LOVE so strong in us that we find our
lives - confronting hardship after hardship one day from the next - the degree
in which we measure our having a 'good' life-
in NOT having to endure too much hardship- is this the measure of our
lives?! I've had a good life, I haven't
had too many hardships. Is this what we focus on?
Christ died in our
place, Christ should also LIVE in our place, in us! And if Christ is allowed to live in us
doesn't this mean our lives are not our own but the focus of our lives would be
what the focus of Christ's life was and is? OTHERS, not self. GOD the FATHER,
not self. Christ did NOTHING without the
Father, we should do nothing without the Father.
By the grace of GOD
we will be TAUGHT to take up our CROSSES and DENY SELF so that the soul-self
part of us is truly under the control of the SPIRIT which is CHRIST in Us! Our
hope, our glory!
PLEASE FATHER,
please help us!
All through the
sacrifice of Your ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD and SAVIOR NOW and
FOREVER!!!!!!!
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