"Everything Comes From YOU, LORD, And We Have Given YOU, Only What Comes From YOUR Hand!"

What can mortal man give to his GOD? 

(Archibald Brown, "What shall I give Him?" 1870)

"What shall I render to the LORD, 
for all HIS benefits towards me?"
(Psalms 116:12)
"What shall I render to the LORD?" 

Here is a question far easier asked, 

than answered. I confess that in 

studying this subject, when I asked 

my soul this question, and then tried 

faithfully to answer it, I found myself 

completely bewildered. I found I had 

all the desire in the world to render 

something. But what?

Think for a moment of the possessions 

of GOD. What can mortal man 

give to his GOD? How can 

the treasury of the Creator--

be enriched by the gifts of the creature? 

The thought of our GOD'S infinite 

wealth, makes the question of our text 

appear next door to an impertinence. 

Listen but to HIS own words, 

"I have no need of a bull from your stall 
or of goats from your pens, for every 
animal of the forest is MINE, and the cattle 
on  a thousand hills. I know every bird in 
the mountains, and the creatures 
of the field are Mine! If I were hungry 
I would not tell you, for the world is MINE, 
and all that is in it!" Psalm 50:9-12

The golden veins of the everlasting hills 

are HIS, and the hidden treasures of 

the vast deep belong to HIM. Lift up 

your eyes on high some starry night, 

and behold the bespangled skies--

every glittering speck you see is 

a rolling world, and every world 

is the result of HIS handiwork. 

The heavens are but HIS jewel-case!

Now say believer, what you will lay 

at the feet of HIM who can place HIS 

hand upon Heaven, Earth, and Hell, 

and say, "ALL is MINE!"

But apart from the possessions of our 

GOD, there is another insuperable 

difficulty to answering the question, 

and that is our own poverty. 

It is total poverty talking making a gift 

to infinite wealth. Ransack your memory, 

run over your accounts, find out what 

you possess. What is the sum total? 

Nothing! Nothing!! Nothing!!! 

We are miserable bankrupts, not 

worth a jot. The very bread we eat 

is the bread of divine charity--

and the breath we draw is lent to us. 

It is utter emptiness, talking of giving 

to the perfection of fullness. 

It is the beggar rendering to the benefactor! 

If we were able to give HIM anything--

it would be but rendering to HIM what 

is already HIS own. What do we have, 

that we have not first received from GOD? 

"Everything comes from YOU, and 
we have given YOU only what comes 
from YOUR hand!" 1 Chronicles 29:14

The heart's gratitude is all the saint 

can give in return for divine mercies 

that are fresh with every hour, and as 

numerous as the seconds in the day.

But if thanksgiving is good, remember 

thanks-living is better; therefore let 

your whole life join in the harmony! 

Live for HIM who died for you! 

The highest praise that mortal saint 

can give, is the praise that vents 

itself in the exclamation, 

"For me, to live is CHRIST!"
(Philippians 1:21)

Give HIM your love. Nothing testifies 

to gratitude so much. Indeed, where 

love is lacking, no true praise can exist. 

Do not be afraid of loving HIM too much. 

Do not fear being thought a fanatic, or 

considered an enthusiast. If you could 

love HIM to a flaming passion--

you would not love HIM half enough. 

Give HIM your love--

HE asks for it, and will pardon 

its weakness.

   ~  ~  ~  ~

GraceGems has just published Archibald Brown's "What shall I give Him?" 

If you do not have an evening church service tonight--

you might want to read the whole of this superb 8 page sermon.