'Gaining spiritual life is conditional on suffering loss.'

'Soul life is worldly; hence it is attached to the things of the world. Only after one is actually willing to offer his soul life to death will he be fit to follow the “Sermon on the Mount” without flinching. Though in that “sermon” we do not find the Lord Jesus mentioning the work of the cross, we nonetheless know for certain that unless one experiences identification with Christ in death—not merely having died to sin but having died to the self life as well—he attempts in vain to keep our Lord’s teachings enunciated on the Mount. He may appear to be following these instructions, but his heart is not one with his appearance.

Only a Christian who has yielded his soul life can spontaneously and unpretentiously give away his cloak when he has been sued for his coat.

He whose self life has been sacrificed to death is cut loose from the things of the world. Gaining spiritual life is conditional on suffering loss.

We cannot measure our lives in terms of “gain”; they must be measured in terms of “loss.”

Our real capacity lies not in how much we retain but in how much has been poured out.

Those who can afford to lose the most are those who have the most to give.

The power of love is attested by love’s sacrifice.

If our hearts are not separated from love of the world, our soul life has yet to go through the cross. “And you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property” (Heb. 10.34).

(Heb 10:34  For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. )

The believers referred to in this passage did not simply endure but even joyfully accepted the plundering of their goods. This is the work of the cross.

The attitude of saints towards their possessions most assuredly signifies whether they continue to preserve their self life or whether they have consigned it to death.

If we desire to tread a pure spiritual path we must allow God to so operate in us that our hearts can be severed from everything pertaining to the world and be totally released from the intent of Lot’s wife. This is the prerequisite for experiencing perfect life in Christ. We can despise all the things in the world only after the Holy Spirit has shown the reality of heaven and its perfect life. '

The Spiritual Man- Watchman Nee

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Read the above a few times and by the GRACE of our God we will discuss it more fully tomorrow.

All in HIS amazing LOVE! Please, Lord, open our hearts to only YOUR TRUTH and NO OTHER'S. Work in us, live in us, love us, save us from ourselves!

In the name of Jesus Christ our LORD, our SAVIOR now and forever! AMEN!