Which indeed is less than all seeds; but when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and lodge in the branches thereof. Matthew 13.32.
How the church has lost her original quality of depending on God. Like the mustard seed she has become a tree having an enormous outward form, yet she is so lacking in reality.
Let us therefore maintain the appropriate "smallness." Do not admire the greatness of men. In honor prefer one another; in suffering, outdo one another. Let us have the will to suffer. Let our pocket be poor if necessary, if only our spirit may be rich. The secret of victory lies in standing on the ground which the Lord has given us. When Saul esteemed himself as small, God used him. But when he became self-important, God sought for another person—David. The person whom the Lord seeks is a small vessel, not a big one.