LITTLE THINGS BY Charles Robert Morrison

1. Self-Denial.
The hardest blow must be struck first of all. The foundation must be laid
on the firmest rock. No noble soul gets, without giving. As hard as
denial of self may be, it is always easier to let go than to hold on, in the
beginnings of the test, before a grip is fastened upon the soul by the
world and the flesh and the devil, as all will testify who have tried both.
This is an act within our power, this subordination of self. We cannot take
from another, without his consent, anything that would enrich us, so
easily as to give to him from our own store that which he needs. The
principle of self-sacrifice keeps us in touch with helpless humanity,
without self-impoverishment. Even Christ pleased not Himself, chose
not to withhold for Himself, when that giving and self-denial lifted us,
exalted us, to a plane somewhere along the level of the highest
possibilities with Himself.
"In honor preferring one another." It is not the gift in itself, whether of
time or service or of material possessions, anything that pleases and
relieves the discomfort or provides for the necessities of the needy--
that most aids and brings the best blessings to the giver. These, in a
sense, do bring satisfaction to the soul, and make true the saying of our
Lord, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." But self-denial is
absolutely essential to largeness of soul-growth, because of the
disposition it begets within the self denier of yearning sympathy and
helpful interest concerning the helpless and hopeless ones in the world
around him. The disposition to make others happy is always fruitful and
reactive. It counteracts the fatal tendency, so common among men of
conquest, of overreaching, of withholding more than is right, which
tends to poverty. Soul-strength, soul-richness, soul-sweetness, and a
multitude of excellencies, come to keep company with the heart that
dwells within self-denial.
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