What Can We Offer
We can offer God our hearts that strive to be more like Him, even if we cannot give Him holy lives or pure souls.
Mary Wilder Tileston preaches about the profound love of God demonstrated through Jesus laying down His life for us, emphasizing the enduring nature of this love that surpasses all sin and wrong. She highlights the compassion, forgiveness, and justice of God, urging believers to strive to be more like Christ, to draw nearer to Him, and to continually battle against sin in their lives as a response to His sacrificial love.
Text
Hereby know we love, because He laid down His life for us.
1 JOHN 3:16 (R. V.)
LOVE which outlives
All sin and wrong, Compassion which forgives
To the uttermost, and Justice whose clear eyes
Through lapse and failure look to the intent,
And judge our frailty by the life we meant.
JOHN G. WHITTIER
IN return for the love which brought the Son of Man down from heaven, in return for the love which led Him to die for us on the cross, we cannot give Him holy lives, for we are not holy; we cannot give Him pure souls, for our souls are not pure; but this one thing we can give, and this is what He asks, hearts that shall never cease from this day forward, till we reach the grave, to strive to be more like Him; to come nearer to Him; to root out from within us the sin that keeps us from Him. To such a battle I call you in His name. And even if at the last day you shall not be able to show any other service, yet be sure that when thousands of His saints go forth to meet Him, and to show His triumph, He will turn to embrace with arms of tenderness the poor penitent who has nothing to offer but a life spent in one never-ceasing struggle with himself, an unwearied battle with the faults that had taken possession of his soul.
FREDERICK TEMPLE
Sermon Outline
- The Value of Love
- Love outlives sin and wrong
- Compassion forgives to the uttermost
- Justice judges our intent
Key Quotes
“He laid down His life for us.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“He will turn to embrace with arms of tenderness the poor penitent who has nothing to offer but a life spent in one never-ceasing struggle with himself,” — Mary Wilder Tileston
Application Points
- We should strive to be more like God in our daily lives.
- We should come closer to God by rooting out sin and striving for holiness.
- Even in our imperfection, God welcomes us with love and tenderness.