Los Angeles daily herald., 1875-02-14
The Alabaster Box.
BY THE REV. j. K. MILLER.

mary nad received richest blessings
at the hand of her Lord. Her heart
overflowed with love for Him, and
nothing in all the world was too dear
or too costly to bestow upon Him. So
she brought an alabaster box of very
precious ointment, broke the box and
poured the ointment on His head. She
brought him the best gift she had.
Thus should we bring our best things
to Christ. He gave us the best He had
for us. He gave His life. His heart
was broken and His precious blood was
poured out upon our sin-stained earth.
From His throne of glory He still Law
ishes the best gifts of His love upon
us. He does not give us the lbs
from His table and the worn-out gar
ments from His wardrobe. He seeks
all Heaven through for its richest, best
and most beautiful things to bestow
upon us. Nothing in all His kingdom
is too good or too costly to give us.
We owe to Him the best of every-
thing.
We should give him the best of our
affections. Bring all the gems and
jewels of your love and put them in
His crown. Bring all the sweetness
OF your love and pour it upon His
head and feet. Gather all the choicest
affections of your heart into one pre-
cious alabaster box of perfume, and
break it and pour it out before him.
We ought to bring to Him the best
of our lives. Too many give Him only
the wasted remains. They spend the
vigOr of their youth, the strength of
their manhood, the best of their life's
energies, in the world, in business, in
they are old, when this life is burned
down to the socket, when there is only
a weary, wasted body, worn-out
brain, q cold, frozen heart, they seek
to bring this poor, worthless offering
to Christ. They give the best to the
world, and bring only the faded leaves
and dead ashes to their Redeemer. 1t
is not such an offering that He de-
serves. We ought to consecrate our
childhood to him; to spend our youth
in His service; to lay our manhood
and womanhood OF His altar; to give
Him the arm when it is strongest, the
foot when it is swiftest, the brain
when it is clearest, the heart when it
is the warmest, the tongue when it is
most eloquent.
We ought to give to Him our best
services. There are too many profess
ingChristians who have time for every
thing but the Lords work. They have
time for business and for pleasure, but
not for the service of Christ. Long ago
an apostle wrote: "To me, to live, is
Christ" Above all things else he was
Christian--a Christ's man.. 1t was
love for Christ that filled and thrilled
his whole life, that set his whole being
on fire, and ruled all the passions of
his soul.
But are not the great mass of follow
ers of Christ to-day first merchants, or
politicians, or mechanics, and then,
far down in the scale of their lives,
Christians put the question to you,
dear reader What are you first Z?
What is the one thing of your life
which enkindles your warmest
thoughts, which impels your best en-
deavOrs, which weaves itself into all
your plans and schemes, which pos
sesses your mind in the pauses of bus
mess and toll, which mingles its
threads in all the fancies of your
dreams, which gives shape to all your
efforts and which absorbs your best
energies and noblest services? ? Is it
love for Christ, or is it love for some
thing else? Is it Christ first ?
We should bring our best gifts to
Him. Forget not that He has given
and is ever giving us the best things
in His universe. He gave his best
blood to ransom us. He brings us the
finest gold from heavens mountains.
He gathers us the sweetest flowers
that bloom in heavens gardens. He
plucks for us the rarest fruits that
hang on heavens trees. He fills our
cups with wine pressed from the rich
est of heavens purple clusters. He
brings US the finest bread from his
Fathers table. He puts on our souls
| the loveliest garments that heavens
looms can fashion.
Yet, is it not true that we keep oul
| best things for ourselves and give him
what we shall miss the least ? When
our cup runs over, we give him the
drops that fall from the brim. Wher
we have eaten and are full, we SWEEP
up the crumbs for him. We sip the
honey and the sweetness out of oul
mowers, ana give him the wlthered
faded leaves. When times are hare
and it becomes necessary to econo
mise, we begin our retrenchment a
the Lords end of our income. Let u:
bring him the best. Let us take ou
dearest things and lay them on hi
altar; let us bring no more blemishet
offerings. Nothing is too good o
too costly to be bestowed on such ,
Savior. hfHE
Then nothing given to him i
wasted. Every lowly service, ever.
self-denial, every beautiful deed of love
is an alabastAr box of ointment broke
to annoint the head and feet of you
Lord. He will gather up the perfum
and keep it sweet and sacred foreve
for a memorial of you.