Does the Lord need the things you :offer? Does He require articles of comfort or luxury? No, it is you who need them! Does He live upon the food you place before Him? Remember, it is the person who goes beyond the externals, that wins the victory. The Lord is not pleased with externals; He searches for the feelings, the internal urges. I do not want the flowers and fruits and the miscellaneous packets that you bring in your hands when you come to Me.
Come with your hands empty, saying "What can I give You which has not come from You Yourself? When You gave me this heart, it was clean and pure; now, after preparing in that vessel the food for life so far lived, I am offering it to You, as clean and as pure as when You gave it to me, after removing all traces of the vasanas or smells of the things cooked in it." Say that, and offer that heart. (SSS Vol.2, p. 64)