I know you must have thought me very hard upon you on Friday morning: but what could I do? I see you, a young, fresh life, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, believing and owning what He has done for you, with grand possibilities of power in His cause, and I think endowed with special gifts of influence and attraction, one who might be, and do so much, for Jesus; and, yet, Jesus does not come first! And you know it might be otherwise and ought to be otherwise. You are “entangled” when you might be “free” in His “glorious liberty;” you are unsatisfied, yes, and dissatisfied, and you might be “abundantly satisfied.” He has dealt bountifully with you, and now what shall you render to Him? Has not the practical answer been: “Just as much as I can conveniently spare, after I have rendered all that society asks, and that self or personal enjoyment claims! Just as much as I can spare Him with risk of the least awkwardness, or remark, or self-denial? Of course, one must give up the bulk of one's time, and talents, and influence, and thoughts, and desires, and efforts, to other things; but He shall have just the chips and shavings, the odds and ends, of whatever I don't particularly want for myself or for anybody else!” Does it not, practically, amount to this? And shall it continue to do so? Oh, be “true-hearted, whole-hearted.” Be really His faithful soldier and servant. Throw overboard forever the divided allegiance, which is valueless. Be “only for Jesus,” and you will start out on a new life of blessedness, beyond anything you can imagine; and you will never, never, Never have a regret that you listened to, and obeyed, His own “Follow Me,” even if it involves (as it will) taking up a cross, for there is no true following exempt from it, only the very cross will be gilded with glory. Do not be surprised if I never say another word again about it. I feel that I have said my say to you, and that I can say no more. The Master will send me to others, but I think not again to you. I can now only leave you, with one more cry for blessing, at His feet. Oh that He would say to you, “Arise and shine!”
Frances Havergal wrote the following to another young adult:
Tomorrow your manhood begins. Whose shall it be? How much of it shall be for Him? Shall it be, still, “some for self, and some for Thee?” What if He had not made a whole offering? What if He had not given His whole self for you? Answer the question, face it tonight, “How much owest thou unto my Lord?” Think of that, and you will be glad that there is anything to give up for Him. And, as for “giving up,” there is not a true servant of Christ who does not know that the Master's words come true: “He shall receive an hundredfold now in this time.” I know it for myself. Can't you take your Lord's own word for it, and trustfully say, “Yea, let Him take alii” Can you deliberately say, “Well, Jesus shall have part; I'll see what I can spare for Him After my boating friends, and all the things that 'a man must do, you know,' have had their due share.” That is what it comes to. But you cannot serve two, much less several, masters. For, if you are serving self, and pleasure, and the world, even a little, you are serving Christ's enemy, and not serving Him really at all, because He accepts no divided service. It is very solemn; but won't you, on this solemn, great, dividing time of your life, look steadily at the reality of the case, and decide, once for all, whose your real service shall be? Oh, if it might but be that the great, joyful transaction might be done this very night, before the clock strikes twelve, so that not even one hour of your manhood should be “for another,” but only and all for Jesus! Oh, don't be afraid of taking the plunge; give yourself over into His hands, and then it will be His part to keep you, and you may trust Him for the keeping; you will not find Him fail you. Yield yourself unto God (Rom. vi. 13) altogether, body, soul, and spirit, all your powers and all your members. And then see if He won't use you! He always does! Dear, I wish I had an angel's tongue to persuade you to believe what blessedness you are on the edge of, if you would only give yourself “in full and glad surrender” to Jesus, and be “true-hearted, whole-hearted.” But I want you for my Master's sake, far more than for your own! I can't bear those who might be even officers, let alone recruits, in His army to be contented to stay at home as it were, and only fight their own little private battles for their own ends, and the cause of the Redeemer left to take its chance! Oh, if we might be able to say to-morrow the verses I have stuck on this letter! I am so happy whenever there is “another voice to tell it out;” won't you be “another.” I must not stay up writing, but I don’t think I shall soon sleep. God helping me, I will not let Him go unless He bless you.”
Once again, How much for Jesus?
Maria Havergal, Memorials of Frances Ridley Havergal, p. 191-193