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Empty-handed (translation of Празни Раце)


You probably already know that I believe the most important book on earth is the Bible. I have been reading it daily for more than twenty years; an interesting book can be read maybe up to three times, but how can the Bible be read so frequently without it becoming boring? I never tire of reading the Scriptures because they are the LIVING word of God. Not only is it food for the soul, but also one of the ways through which God speaks to His followers. Therefore when reading, God sometimes turns my attention to a verse or phrase and I think of it for a longer period. This happened to me recently when I was reading in the Old Testament in Exodus about the Law given to the Jews. At that time, the Jews had to celebrate seven feasts annually and in Exodus 23 we read about the instructions for three of the feasts. To this day the Jews celebrate these feasts without knowing that Jesus the Messiah fulfilled the Law and we received a New Covenant (see Hebrews 9). However, I read a sentence concerning the Feast of Unleavened Bread which stuck in my mind: No-one is to appear before me empty-handed! (Exodus 23:15).

 At the time of the feast, the Jews were literally not to appear before the Lord empty-handed. They were to bring offerings to the Lord (Leviticus 23:8). I began to contemplate how it could be possible for me to appear before the Lord empty-handed. Just to be clear about one thing, we cannot earn our salvation through 'offerings'. That would be a huge insult to God if we thought we could be saved through our good works. Salvation has been paid at great cost! The Lord Jesus did everything in His power to save us. He gave Himself as sacrifice for our sins on the cross and if we accept the salvation He offers us through faith, we have eternal life (see John 3:16, 36). There is no need to bring offerings to God because as Paul writes: God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:19). We cannot add anything to the finished work. Ephesians 2:8-9 says: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no-one can boast. If we have already accepted salvation through repentance and faith in the saving sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, we have a debt of gratitude before Him. We can never pay that debt! Thankfulness for His sacrifice and amazing love should motivate us to serve Him. We did not deserve His grace and mercy which have been poured out to us like an ocean!

 What can I bring in my hands so they are not empty before the Lord? I want to mention three points, although there certainly are more.

 1. Firstly, I have already mentioned GRATITUDE! We will worship the Lord with songs and rejoice in His word out of gratitude:

 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name. Hebrews 13:15

 When we go to church (assembly of believers) on Sundays, do we attend passively like theatre-goers or worship the Lord actively with our whole hearts? How much we worship depends on how much time we have spent with Him during the previous week.
2. Secondly, our hands should be full of GOOD WORKS, The Bible speaks of good works:

 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

 Paul writes to Titus: ...Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special people, zealous for good works. Titus 2:14

 We live in a country (ref to Macedonia, but also there is need everywhere) where there are people with many needs. God is reminding me now as I write to be zealous for good works. I am ashamed that I am not always zealous in this, but we need to see the needs of others and to serve them with humility and love. This can be through giving our time, attention, comfort, money, advice, prayers and many other things. As the Word says:

 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Hebrews 13:16

 3. Thirdly, our hands should be full with the offering of WITNESSING about the wonderful works of God and to tell Biblical truth to others. Will there be others in heaven because of our concern to explain the Gospel to them? We have salvation, peace, and a wonderful life with God. Do we want others to have this? Let's not forget:

 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise. Proverbs 11:30

 My prayer today is to never appear before the Lord empty-handed, but rather for my hands to be filled with the offerings He requests of us. When we appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, will we be empty-handed? Let us spend time considering this! Amen! 
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