Empty Hands and an Open Heart

Empty Hands and an Open Heart

I read a devotional this morning the began like this:
                  "Come to Me with empty hands and an open heart..."
This was Jesus speaking to the reader.  Really, Jesus gives and gives and gives without expecting anything in return.  That's the "empty hands" part of this phrase.  He wants me (and you) to come to Him - bare, naked, just me - no gifts, no tokens of appreciation, no pomp and circumstance, just plain old simple me.  The next part is even more important - I am to come with an open heart.  Prepared to listen, willing to hear and obey, ready for something.  Which leads me to the second half of the sentence.

It said, "ready to receive abundant blessings."  So the whole sentence was:
"Come to Me with empty hands and an open heart, ready to receive abundant blessings."  (Young, Jesus Calling,  page 122)

I believe Jesus wants to bless us - abundantly.  He is our shepherd and a shepherd takes care of his sheep - day and night - always.  The shepherd doesn't just care for the sheep, no he practically lives with them.  After he has brought all his sheep into the pen, he carefully closes the gate and then he plops his body down and positions himself at that gate to keep wolves and other predators away from his sheep.  How much more will our good shepherd care for us by providing abundant blessing.

I am scheduled to be at a fundraising event tomorrow, a Mother's Day Boutique.  I spent all day today putting together baskets to sell and making signs, etc. to get ready for tomorrow's event.  So when I read that first line of the devotional it struck a chord.   I had to wonder, what is in store for me tomorrow?  Am I going to have abundant blessings?  And if so, what kind?

I have found, that blessings come in all sorts of ways.  For example, at an event I had at my home this past week, I had no sales, no follow ups to do, no future parties booked, plus, because of the circumstances surrounding the event, in some ways I was sort of taken advantage of.  On the surface, this did not look like a blessed event.  However, about half an hour after everyone left, one of my guests, a friend,  called to tell me that a few things I said that night about hearing God's call opened up a conversation between she and the person that she brought.   My friend had opportunity to share  God and how to hear Him and how to pray and listen.  THAT was the blessing that night.  I had asked God to bless our time at this event.  I came to Him with empty hands and an open heart ready to receive. He didn't bless it the way I thought He might, but His way was so much better!!! 

"Come to Me with empty hands and an open heart, ready to receive abundant blessings."  We never can be sure how He will bless but we can be sure that He will.  And those blessings will be abundant!!!

"I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill.  I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing."  Ezekiel 34:26