Psalms 20:3

Remember all thy offerings.

Holy offerings

“What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits towards me?” There are people who will say that we can give nothing to God, who giveth all. These are the selfish folk, who really mean, even if they do not say so, “Get all you can from God, God wants no return.” Now, the Bible says just the opposite. The Bible says “Present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God. The people who talk about “the finished Work of Christ,” and who say that He has done all, and that therefore there is nothing for us to do, forget that there are two parts in the scheme of salvation. Jesus has indeed done His part, but He bids us do certain things also. We have nothing to pay. But would it not be base ingratitude if someone had been good and kind to you in trouble, and you had not tried to make some return, however small? Well then, “how much owest thou unto my Lord?” Do you remember what the Lord Jesus paid for us? Have we nothing to pay or to give to Him? You will answer that you have nothing good enough to give to Him. But you have; you can give Him what He asks for, your heart, your love. How, then, can we show our love to God, what offerings can we present to Him? In a word, one of the holiest offerings we can present to God is worship. And to do this should be our chief motive for attending church. How various and how unworthy--some of them--are the motives which govern us in this. The common notion about church going springs from mere selfishness. The question is, how can I best honour Him who has done all for me? Above all, we offer an holy offering of praise in the highest act of worship, in the celebration of the blessed sacrament. In the service of the Holy Communion we take part with the saints and angels in heaven in worshipping God. Is there, then, nothing to pay? Oh, yes! a life of devotion, a life of thanksgiving; there is everything to pay, even the best we have. “I will pay my vows now in the presence of all His people,” says holy David; and yet there are some who tell us “there is nothing to pay.” Thus far we have seen that we can show our love to God by giving Him the offering of a holy worship. Again, we can make an offering to God by giving alms to His Church. God gives us all we have, our money, and our means of making money; and we are bound to dedicate, to consecrate a part of what we have to Him. Again, this false teaching goes on to tell us that there is nothing to do, and nothing to tear. You know that it is written, “without holiness no man can see the Lord.” Now, do you think that you have nothing to do? Do you find it very easy to lead good lives; to keep yourselves pure, and gentle, and patient, and forgiving? Do you find nothing to do in resisting temptation, in keeping under your temper, in checking bad thoughts? But, as said a saint of old, “God, who made us without ourselves, will not save us without ourselves.” Jesus has done His part, but He nowhere tells you that you have nothing to do. Often when people say, “I belong to Jesus, I am safe,” they are simply deceiving themselves. Some of the most atrocious criminals have talked in this way. “By their fruits ye shall know them.” If you do really love the Lord Jesus you will try to obey Him: There is yet another offering which we can give to God, the sacrifice of self. Every act of self-denial, every pleasure abandoned for the sake of others, will be accepted by Him who gave up all for us. (H. J. Wilmot Buxton, M. A.)