See what came of offering willingly to the Lord--they "rejoiced," and everything they did, even eating and drinking, was "with great gladness." Never is any one so happy as those who offer their own selves willingly to the Lord. He gives them a thousandfold return for the worthless little self and weak little members which they have offered to Him. He gives them peace, and gladness, and blessing, beyond what they ever expected to have.
But this was not all; it was not only the people who had such a glad day, but "David the king also rejoiced with great joy." Those who loved their 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. And then, even if it is only a matter of a French verb or a Latin noun, you will find it a help to recollect, "Faithful over a few things!"