"A Beautiful Thing!"

 

 

While he (Jesus) was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.  

Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

Mark 14:3-9 NIV

Did you know that today on Amazon you can buy an Alabaster Jar containing Pure Nard Oil? The woman mentioned in Mark 14 and her expensive perfume are still remembered today, even as Jesus said they would be.

In today's dollars the perfume would probably be worth more than $20,000!

The critics said the woman wasted the expensive perfume by pouring it on the head of Jesus. But Jesus saw it differently. Jesus said she did "A Beautiful Thing."

And so I would ask you this: Have you ever "wasted" something of value to honor and bless Jesus? Have you done something for Jesus that He might consider to be "A Beautiful Thing?"

I know a doctor who began his career as a medical missionary and brought the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a third world country along with his healing arts! There were some who said he was wasting his life as a doctor. He could have made enough money in the U.S. to support a number of missionaries around the world. Was it a waste or rather "A Beautiful Thing" he did for Jesus?

When a mother chooses to give up a career so she can love, teach and train her children in the ways of the Lord, is she wasting her life for Jesus? I think Jesus would call her decision and life "A Beautiful Thing!"

Wasting your life for Jesus is a step beyond obedience! It is the spiritual equivalent of going "above and beyond the call to duty!" Wasting your life for Jesus is almost never practical. 

Look today for something you can do for Jesus that He will say is "A Beautiful Thing!"

"Lord Jesus, give me the heart to desire to waste my life for You! May You look at me and see "A Beautiful Thing!" Praise Your Holy Name now and forever. Amen."

 

 

 

 

For Such a Time as This

 

 

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

Esther 4:14-16 NIV

Queen Esther's willingness to put her own life at risk to save her fellow Jews was the hallmark of her story. Her guardian Mordecai told her if she chose not to speak up, God would find another way to save the Jews from death.

It is not uncommon for someone, chosen by God for a specific task, to step aside and refuse the job! That was the response of Moses when God called him to lead the people out of Egypt. Of course, Moses finally accepted the challenge when Aaron showed up to be his spokesman.

Do you believe that God has a plan for this day with your name on it? It may be a word of encouragment for a downtrodden follower of Jesus. It may be a word of warning to a Christian tempted to take a step on the road away from Jesus.

The plans of God for His children are like a massive tapestry. It is colorful and confusing on one side, but beautiful beyond anyone's imagination on the other.

God has a thread for you to insert in that picture today. Say yes to His plan for this day. One day in Heaven you will see how your decision to be obedient today added a beautiful color to the work of God through the ages!

"Lord Jesus thank You for calling me to be even a small brush as You paint the world with Your love. Help me to know like Your servant Esther that You created me for such a time as this. Praise Your Holy Name, now and forever. Amen!" 

 

 

 

Far Beyond Your Imagination

 

 

"You surely know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own. God paid a great price for you. So, use your body to honor God."

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 CEV

When Adam and Eve ate the Forbidden Fruit, they sold themselves to Satan! Since then, every man and woman born on this earth has confirmed the deal and joined the First Couple in Sin. There was no way for humans to redeem themselves from this impossible situation. 

But from the very moment Sin arrived on earth God had a plan. His plan was Jesus! Jesus came to earth and unlike every other human being, Jesus never sinned! In utter contempt and rage Satan worked to destroy Jesus and so he hung Him on a Cross. Before that the Devil tried to tempt Jesus to sin, just as he had done with Adam and Eve, but Jesus would not. Jesus died on the Cross, but on the third day He burst forth from the grave, never to die again. 

Jesus bought you with His own Blood! No greater price was ever paid for anything. When a soldier gives his life in war, he is honored for having paid the "Ultimate Price." 

When you give your heart and life to Jesus Christ, you become His willing slave! He already paid the price that justified you and gave Him the right to be your Lord. Now it is time for you to give Jesus everything you are and everything you have and be obedient to His every wish. When you do that, the deal is done and all you must wait for is the day when Jesus comes to collect His Bride and take her with Him to His home in Heaven!

It is the most glorious and exciting future imaginable.  

"Lord Jesus, before I was born, as I waited while I was formed in my mother's womb, I had no idea how wonderful this life on earth could be. In the same way Jesus, I cannot even imagine how great will be my life with You in Heaven. Every day brings me 24 hours closer to the moment when You come with the angels to take me home! Even as You were busy doing Your Father's business here on earth, may I spend this day, directed by Your Holy Spirit about what to do, what to say and where to go. May Your Holy Name Jesus, be Praised Now and Forever, Amen!"

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

The King's Heart and Mine

We make our own plans, but the Lord decides where we will go.  Proverbs 16:9

It is hard to understand how human beings have "free will" and yet the Lord is in charge of everything that happens. Your free will and the Sovereignty of God are both declared truths in the Bible. In our human minds they seem to be in opposition to each other, but to God they both make perfect sense. 

Pharoah, in Egypt was a good example of someone who was not a follower of God, or even a believer at any level, and yet God "hardened his heart" more than once. The decisions Pharaoh made about whether or not to let the Israelites leave Egypt were his own, but God was in charge. You have the freedom to make decisions in your life, but God is free to move on your heart and soften it or harden it as He chooses! And frankly, you are almost never aware of what He is doing.

 

You can be certain that God is working on the heart of every world leader so that God's Sovereign Will comes to fulfillment. He will harden their hearts or soften them depending on His own plan. 

Proverbs 21:1 says "The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes."

 

Your heart as well is in the hand of the Lord. Willingly submit your heart to His Will and trust Him today.  

"Lord Jesus, hold my heart in Your hand and move my life in the direction that pleases You. Praise Your Holy Name now and forever. Amen."

 

 

Spiritual Selfie

Obey God’s message! Don’t fool yourselves by just listening to it. If you hear the message and don’t obey it, you are like people who stare at themselves in a mirror and forget what they look like as soon as they leave. But you must never stop looking at the perfect law that sets you free. God will bless you in everything you do, if you listen and obey, and don’t just hear and forget.

James 1:22-25

When you listen to the Word of God, you are looking at yourself in God’s mirror. When have you taken a “selfie” with your cell phone camera and not seen an imperfection that needs attention?

When a mother or a father says, in a stern voice, “Did you hear me?” The child is jolted into the realization that what comes next will not be pleasant if he or she does not obey the will of their parents.

Exposing yourself to the Word of God is like looking in God’s mirror of the soul. God will let you see what you need to do to align yourself more perfectly with His Will!

Remember, “God will bless you in everything you do, if you listen and obey, and don’t just hear and forget.”

So today, take a Spiritual Selfie by reading the Bible to see yourself in the eyes of God. Then, obey what the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart. The Bible says when you do that, you will be set free!

“Lord Jesus, thank You for loving us enough to let us see ourselves in Your Word. Help me today to obey everything I see in it. Praise Your Holy Name, now and forever. Amen.”