MANIFOLD MORE

MANIFOLD MORE

I am sure you will have manifold more for the self-surrender and sacrifice entailed on you, and so cheerfully accepted by you. It is the sure way to obtain marked favour from the Lord. May He lead each of us into continued self-sacrifice that we may enjoy His “manifold more”. To win you must lose. When health is feeble and one is required to think of oneself the habit of self-sacrifice is often overlooked, and the tendency is to drop into self-care, and self-indulgence, and then there is no progress. One who made a great surrender at the first, and gained greatly on account of it, has since remained almost stationary in divine stature because surrender had not continued. The manifold more is the reward of the surrender, and in proportion to it; whatever a man may think, he does not get the manifold more except as he surrenders. Do you not think I should like to see you with an increased manifold more? Before now when you surrendered you did receive it! I was rejoiced to see you so well and happy in the Lord, lending yourself with true self-sacrifice to the service of His people. Any one can do big things, but it is only the full heart that can think of the smallest things — the hairs of one’s head!

I think what we all reed is a greater taste or longing for heaven. I do not believe that any one seeks heaven until he knows the joys of it; and he cannot on earth know the joys of heaven except as he enjoys company with the Lord. There he tastes of it, and thus he is led to know the power which wrought in Christ, as Stephen being full of the Holy Ghost looked up. I believe that if we were more attached to the Lord, we should long to be with Him where He, is. We often look for Him to help us in our circumstances down here; that is quite right if we do not stop there; but having learned His help down here, we should seek Him in His own place — ^[p. 227] dwell in heart with Him there. Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus. Did you ever go that wonderful road?