Appearing Empty

“Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD…and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:” (Deut. 16:16)

The Bible says that God commanded the Israelite men to appear before Him three times a year. And when they presented themselves, He expected something from them. He said, “they shall not appear before the LORD empty.” They were expected to give something to the LORD.

Sadly, most of our prayers are about asking God to give something to us, or do something for us. But when was the last time you prayed and said, “Lord, what can I give You? What do you want from me?”

There is no question that God has given us many wonderful gifts, including His gift of Jesus Christ. But the question is, what are we giving to Him?
I wonder how many will go to church, Sunday, with nothing to offer the Lord. They will show up, unprepared to give Him their worship, their time, or even their tithes. How many will go to church, expecting to RECEIVE something, with no thought about what they should GIVE the Lord? They will “appear before the Lord, empty.”

One day we will stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ to give account of our faithfulness or faithlessness. When you stand there, will you have crowns from a faithful life of service that you will be able to cast at Christ’s feet, or will you “appear before the LORD empty?”

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