OUR BEST FOR CHRIST

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 17, 1901

OUR BEST FOR CHRIST.

Westminster Teacher.

MARY had received richest blessings at the hand of her Lord. Her heart overflowed with love for Him, and nothing in all the world was too dear or too costly to bestow upon Him. So she brought an alabaster box of very precious ointment, broke the box, and poured the ointment on His head. She brought the best gift she had. So we ought all to bring our best things to Christ. He gave the best He had for us. He gave His life; His heart was broken, and His precious blood was poured out for us. From His throne of glory He lavishes now the best gifts of His love upon us.

We owe to Him, therefore, the best of everything we have. We should give Him the best of our affections. He ought to have the warmest place in our hearts. Bring all the gems and jewels of your love and put them in the crown of Jesus. Gather all the choicest of your heart into one precious alabaster box of perfume, and bring it out before Him. Bring the best offerings of your heart’s love.

We ought to bring to Christ the best of our lives. Too many give Him only the wasted remains. They spend the vigor of their youth, the strength of their manhood, the best of their life’s energies, in the world, in business, in selfishness, in sin; and then, when they are old, when their heart’s blood is wasted, when their candle of life is burned down to the socket, when their limbs are stiffened with age, when their eye is dim, their voice broken, and their energies are all exhausted, when there is only a weary, wasted body, a worn-out brain, a cold, frozen heart, and a lost soul, then they seek to bring this poor, worthless offering to Christ. They wait till all the beauty has faded, till all the honey is sipped from the flowers, till all the music is gone out of the harp, and its strings are jangled and broken. They give the best to the world, and bring only the faded leaves and dead ashes to Christ. Surely it is not such an offering that Jesus deserves. We ought to consecrate our manhood and womanhood on His altar. Give Him the arm when it is strongest, the brain when it is clearest, the heart when it is warmest, the tongue when it is most eloquent. We ought to give to Him our best services. There are too many professing Christians who have time for everything but the work of the Lord. They have time for business, for conversation, for pleasure, for all kinds of societies, but no time for doing the work of the Lord. But remembering the years Christ spent for us, how full they were of toils, of tears, of self-denials, of sacrifices, do we not owe Him the best service of our lives? Should it not be in His cause that we do our best work, put forth our best energies, expend our best powers, and attain our sublimest achievements? Long ages ago an apostle wrote, “To me to live is Christ.” It was love for Christ that filled and thrilled his whole heart, that set his whole being on fire, and that ruled all the passions of his soul. The first thing of his life was to be a Christian, a Christ’s man.

But how is it now with the great mass of the followers of Christ? Are they not first merchants, or soldiers, statesmen, or politicians, or mechanics, and then, far down in the scale of their lives, Christians? It is a fair question to put to each professing Christian, What are you first? What is the one thing of your life which enkindles your warmest thoughts, which inspires your loftiest enthusiasm, which impels your best endeavors, which weaves itself into all your plans and schemes, which possesses your mind in the pauses of business and toil, which mingles its threads in all the fancies of your dreams, which gives shape to all your efforts, which underlies everything you do, and which absorbs your best energies and your noblest services? Is it the glory of God, or is it your business, your worldly ambition? Bring Christ no more the mere waste and fragmentary services of your lives. Make not your Christian life any longer a secondary thing. Bring not to the altar of your Redeemer any more a cold, dead, heartless service. Put Christ first. Do your best work, sing your sweetest song, speak your tenderest word, perform your holiest ministry for Him.

We should bring our best gifts to Jesus. In the olden days no offering would be accepted at the altar which had in it any spot or blemish. Men were taught that they must bring their very best things to God. What kind of gifts do we bring to our dear Lord? Are they the rarest and choicest that our hearts can find? Or do we put Him off with things that are of but trifling value to us? Is it not true too often that we keep our best for ourselves, and give Him the things that we shall miss the least from our own stores? When our cups run over, we give Him the drops that fall from the brim. When we have eaten and are full, we sweep up the crumbs for Him. We sip the honey and sweetness out of our flowers, and give Him the withered, faded leaves. We keep the bright dollars, and give Him the pennies. When times are hard, we find it necessary to economize; we begin our retrenchment at the Lord’s end of our income. We keep the weeks, and give Him the minutes. Let us bring our dearest things and lay them on His altar; nothing is too good or too costly to be bestowed on such a Saviour.