This little light of mine...

"The wick exists only to be consumed. So long as it saves itself there will be no illumination... We will never be, like John the Baptist, burning and shining lights if we are not prepared to be consumed in the process. There must inevitably be exhaustion in self-outpouring, but have the compensating assurance that 'though our outward man perish, our inward man is renewed day by day.'

Power for light-bearing is not inherent in the wick; it has no illuminating power. By itself it will emit only acrid smoke and black smudge. It is only the medium between oil and flame. It cannot conserve its own supply, but it is constantly dependent. It is always on the verge of bankruptcy. Withdraw it from the oil and the light becomes darkness."

J.Oswald Sanders, "Spiritual Maturity", pp.184-185