Do You Love Me

A little girl was shopping with her mother and saw a string of ‘pearls’ for sale. They were cheap imitations of course, but the mother said to the girl, “you can have them if you earn the money by yourself.” So the girl went to work, doing extra chores at home, and doing little jobs for the neighbors. Eventually she had enough to buy those ‘pearls’. So she went back to the store and bought them. Oh how proud she was of those pearls. She showed them off to everyone who would look.

One day her daddy came home and, after telling her a bedtime story, asked her, “Do you love me?” The little girl was surprised! Of course she loved her daddy, and she told him so, too. So her daddy said, “Then give me those pearls.” Now the girl was even more surprised, so she said to her daddy, “Daddy, you can have my new doll that I got for my birthday, but not my pearls.” So the daddy said, “Never mind, it’s alright.” A few nights later the daddy asked her again, “Do you love me?” And the little girl said, “Daddy, you can have anything that I have, except my pearls.” So Daddy said to her again, “It’s ok.” A few nights later her daddy came into the room again to tuck his little girl in, and as he did, her hand touched him. He looked down and there was that string of pearls. “Here daddy” the little girl said, “You can have them.” Her daddy took them, and then took a little purple velvet box out of his pocket. He opened it and took out a chain of real pearls and gave them to his daughter. He had those real pearls all along but had just been waiting for his daughter to give up her imitation pearls. So it is with Jesus. We scrimp and save to buy some sort of earthly treasures. But Jesus says to us, “Give them all to me.” And if we do, then he will give us things that will really make us happy.
There is nothing too precious for us to give to Jesus. If we return to Him the talents of means He has entrusted to our keeping, He will give more into our hands. Every effort we make for Christ will be rewarded by Him; and every duty we perform in His name will minister to our own happiness. {The Faith I Live By (1958) p.245}

Nothing is too precious to give to Jesus. The little girl thought that the pearls were too precious to give to her father, and so she always offered something less valuable, something that meant less to her.

Shall we not consecrate ourselves to God without reserve? Christ, the King of glory, gave Himself a ransom for us. Can we withhold anything from Him? Shall we think our poor, unworthy selves too precious, our time or property too valuable, to give to Jesus? –No, no; the deepest homage of our hearts, the most skillful service of our hands, our talents of ability and of means, –all are but too poor an offering to bring to Him who was slain and has “redeemed us to God by his blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” {Sons and Daughters of God p236}

Shall ingratitude be cultivated, and made manifest by our niggardly practices in giving to the cause of God?–No, no! Let us surrender ourselves a living sacrifice, and give our all to Jesus. It is His; we are His purchased possession. Those who are recipients of His grace, who contemplate the cross of Calvary, will not question concerning the proportion to be given, but will feel that the richest offering is all too meager, all disproportionate to the great gift of the only-begotten Son of the infinite God. Through self-denial, the poorest will find ways of obtaining something to give back to God. {Counsels on Stewardship p.200}

Jesus gave his life for us. He died an agonizing death just so that we can enter the pearly gates. The least we can do is to surrender everything to him. We should not make reservations about giving some treasured item to Jesus. He gave the glory of heaven for us. He gave his position on the throne of God. He took a huge risk for our salvation. Let us also surrender ourselves to him. Unconditionally.

BEN DAMMASCH, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA