Part 1 of 4:

If you have served God for any length of time, than you have probably already realized that we actually give very little back in this relationship with God for which He gave His very life… Compared to all that He gives us, what we as mere mortals have to offer back seems so often to be nothing more than a token.

Like the old faithful cat that brings his master a mouse and sets it on the front porch for him to receive with gladness. This is the cat’s best offering and his proudest moment; yet to his master, it is a disgusting, dirty critter that simply must be taken away. However, to preserve the moment, the master might mumble some unintelligible ‘thank you’ and, picking up the mouse by the tail with rubber gloves and trash bag, whisks it away and quickly disposes of it. The cat, meanwhile, thinks he has greatly pleased the master with his offering and struts away with perhaps a bloated self-worth. Sometimes we think we bring so much ‘to the table’ of God. When the scripture says we need to come to Him as children, broken, humble and contrite.

The legend is told of a desert wanderer who found a crystal spring of unsurpassed freshness. The water was so pure he decided to bring some to his king. Barely satisfying his own thirst, he filled a leather bottle with the clear liquid and carried it many days beneath the desert sun before he reached the palace. When he finally laid his offering at the feet of his sovereign, the water had become stale and rank due to the old container in which it had been stored. But the king would not let his faithful subject even imagine that it was unfit for use. He tasted it with expressions of gratitude and delight, and sent away the loyal heart filled with gladness. After he had gone, others sampled it and expressed their surprise that the king had even pretended to enjoy it. “Ah!” said he, “it was not the water he tasted, but the love that prompted the offering.” Many times our service is marked by multiplied imperfections, but the Master looks at our motives and says “It is good.”

In the same way, Jesus Christ receives the offerings of our hearts, not because of the innate quality of the deed, but because of the love that inspired it. One of the most precious ways that we can express a heartfelt love for the savior is to be willing to spend some time ‘at the well’; to sit at the feet of Jesus and allow his character to become ours. As we prepare our lives to effectively respond to the great commission to ‘preach the gospel to all nations’, it is even more essential that we become who we need to be in Christ. Some crucial transformations of an individuals life have taken place at the feet of Jesus Christ; maturity, repentance, healing, understanding and ability. Many of these transformations are recorded in the Word of God for all eternity to see.

BLESSING IS FOUND AT THE FEET OF JESUS

The Bible tells us in Matthew, chapter 5, that Jesus climbed a mountain away from the multitude and there His disciples came to Him. He sat down, they at His feet and He began to teach them. Christ begins His sermon with blessing…

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3 — for Jesus came into the world to bless us…

“To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.” Acts 3:26

He came not only to purchase blessings for us with His life, but to pour out and pronounce blessings on us. As New Testament Christians we are called to inherit blessing. However, only those that listened as He pronounced blessing to them in the most oft repeated sermon ever preached, the ‘Sermon on the Mount” — only those that were with Him and sat at His feet that day understood the qualifications and personal character needed to truly bring them happiness…

Next, Part 2: HEALING IS FOUND AT THE FEET OF JESUS