This is a meditation from the Russian book, “Day by Day”. Lewis connection follows:
"Scripture: “Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh” (Matt: 2, 11)
"Meditation:
"The Magi were not satisfied with merely worshipping the Infant Jesus and outwardly expressing their feelings, but brought their gifts to His feet. And we also must bring Him our gifts, the pledge of our love, placing it at His feet, and not being satisfied with only chants and kneeling in prayer. There is a great admixture of feigned sensitivity in the human worship of God. People are prepared to sing songs of praise to the Creator, but stop at the thought of offering their afflicted heart – the offering which is the only one pleasing to God. They ask God to send workers to His vineyard (see Matt: 20-21), but do not respond themselves to His call.
“And the Magi not only brought gifts, but expensive and precious ones, the very best they had. And we also should bring to God that which we value the most – the pure gold of our love, the incense of our best feelings and the precious myrrh of our best intentions. Too often we give God only the poor remains of our spiritual treasures, the things which we could not use in our selfish lives, the things that we don’t need – that is what we offer to God, from Whom we have received everything. No, let us give to His service the best part of our being, that which is most precious and elevated.”
This brings to mind what Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity:
“Christ says, ‘Give Me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t want to drill the tooth, or crown it or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think are innocent as well as the ones you think wicked – the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours."
Dimitry
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever.” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8)