Sunday, November 29, 2015

What can we give to God?

We really have nothing to offer God.
He is the originator, designer and maker of everything. Anything that we have jurisdiction over is already his, and already a gift from him to us.
He is not tempted by our possible riches or influence. He is not starved of relationship, such that he needs our friendship. He is not craving influence, fame or power, as he already is all powerful. He is perfectly complete in every sense. If he needed subjects, he could raise them out of stones. We ourselves are originally dust.
More serious is the fact that he hates sin. He judges sin, he destroys sin. And, unfortunately, we are amazing at sinning.

BUT

God chooses to love us. He made us, and loves us and has a plan for us, despite our total and deliberate rejection of him.

Not because he finds something about us ugly, yet interesting, nor because he can see our amazingly disappointing potential.

It's about Gods commitment.

He has committed himself to his creation.

And he can fix it. With blood, wrath and tears.

Nothing but the blood of Jesus can wash away every stain of guilt. It makes a total failure shine with purity. Even murderers, paedophiles, drug addicts, suburban pharisees and even churchgoers, as well as drunkards and thieves, adulterers and liars. Not to mention politicians and doctors.

If we belong to God, it's not because we've done something to earn it.

Not because we have dedicated our filthy lives to him.

But because he wants to own us. He desires it. He makes us hunger and then he feeds us. He makes us thirst for righteousness, then he opens our hearts and minds and lives to the cross.

We have nothing to offer him.

And after coming into life changing faith, and devoting our lives to serving Jesus, carrying our cross, and foregoing the way of the world, we have twice as little to offer him.

We really have nothing to offer God.