the love of the crucified Jesus; must I plead
with you Christians, and say, Look at Jesus, the Son of God, your Redeemer,
and ask you to make Him overseer over all? Give Him charge of your temper,
your heart's affections, your thoughts, your whole being, and He will prove
Himself worthy of it. Joseph had been for a time just a common slave, and
with the other slaves had served Pharaoh. Alas! many a Christian has used
Christ for his own advancement and comfort, just as he uses everything in
the world. He uses father and mother, minister, money, and all else the
world will give, to comfort and make him happy; there is danger of his
using Christ Jesus in the same way. But oh, brethren, this is not right.
You are His house, and He has a right to dwell therein. Will you not come
and surrender all, and say, "Lord Jesus, I have made Thee overseer over
all?"

But now, secondly, the measure of that surrender. We read in the 4th verse:
"All that he had he put into his hands." Then in verse 5: "And it came to
pass from the time that he made him overseer over all that he had"--there
you have it the second time--"the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house, and
the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had"--there the third time.
Then in verse 6: "And he left all that he had"--there you have the words
the fourth time--"in Joseph's hand, and he knew not all he had, save the
bread which he did eat." What do I see here? That Potiphar actually gave
everything into Joseph's hands. He made him master over his slaves. All the
money was put into Joseph's hands, for we read that Potiphar had care of
nothing. When dinner was brought upon the table, he ate of it, and that
was all he knew of what was going on in his house. Is not this entire
surrender?--he gives up everything into the hands of Joseph. Ah, beloved
Christians, I want you to ask yourselves: "Have I done that?" You have
offered more than one consecration prayer, and you have more than once
said: "Jesus, all I have I give to Thee." You have said it, and meant it;
but very probably you did not realize fully what it meant.

With the word surrender there seems always to be a larger and more
comprehensive meaning. We do not succeed in carrying out our intentions,
and afterward we take back one thing and another until we have lost sight
of our original intention. Beloved Christians, let Christ Jesus have all.
Let Him have your whole heart, with its affections; He Himself loves, with
more