king, and recollected how much sorrow he had gone through, and how many
battles he had fought for them, must have been glad indeed to see Him
rejoicing because they had offered willingly. And I think our King, _your_
King Jesus, rejoices over us when He has made us able (ver. 14) to offer
ourselves willingly to Him. Is not this best of all? Jesus, who suffered
for us, and who fought the great battle of our salvation for us, He, our
own beloved King, "will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His
love; He will joy over thee with singing."

"In full and glad surrender I give myself to Thee,
Thine utterly, and only, and evermore to be!
O Son of God, who lovest me, I will be Thine alone;
And all I have, and all I am, shall henceforth be Thine own."

7. Seventh Day.

Faithfulness.

"Faithful over a few things."--Matt. xxv. 21, 23.

The servant who had only two talents to trade with, but traded faithfully
with them, had just the same glorious words spoken to him as the servant
who had five talents: "Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast
been faithful over a few things ... enter thou into the joy of thy lord."
Think what it would be to hear the Lord Jesus saying that to you, really
to you! Oh how sweet! how blessed! how you would listen to that gracious
voice saying those wonderfully gracious words to _you_!

But could He say them to you? Are you "faithful over a few things"? He
has given every one, even the youngest, a few things to be faithful over,
and so He has to you. Your "few things" may be very few, and very small
things, but He expects you to be faithful over them.

What is being faithful over them? It means doing the very best you can
with them; doing as much for Jesus as you can with your money, even if you
have very little; doing as much for Him as you can with your time; doing
whatever duties He gives you as well as ever you can,--your lessons, your
work, the little things that you are bidden or asked to do every day, the
little things that you have promised or undertaken to do for others. It
means doing all these just the same whether others see you or know about
it or not.

You sigh over all this; you recollect many things in which you have not
been quite faithful; you know you do not deserve for Him to call you "good
and faithful servant." But come at once to your gracious Lord, and ask Him
to forgive all the unfaithfulness, and to make you faithful to-day.