John 12:1-11 Jesus
came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had
raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but
Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary
took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus,
and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance
of the oil.
But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot,
Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant
oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This
he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief,
and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. But Jesus
said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My
burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have
always.” Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came,
not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He
had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to
death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and
believed in Jesus.
Last Sunday, Pastor Kyle
continued in our sermon series through the gospel of John. He asked if it is
possible to honor the Lord Jesus today in a way that is extravagant. Mary of
Bethany’s expensive perfume was worth approximately a year’s wages in that day.
Generosity is a virtue and a reflection of the individual’s heart in honoring
the Lord. This extravagant act by Mary demonstrated two different postures of
the heart. (1) the Mary posture, who lovingly sat at the feet of Jesus and
listened, and (2) the Judas posture, who had greedy self-interests.
Pastor Kyle gave us two
lessons in giving God our best from Mary of Bethany. (1) Giving God our best
starts when we make a point to sit at Jesus feet, listen to what He says, and
honor Him by doing it. Read your Bible (the Word of God) and pray. We all have
the privilege of giving back a portion (in our tithes and offerings) of what
God has first given us. Offerings to Christ’s church and the work of Christ in
our community and world are above and beyond the ten percent tithe by praying
and discerning believing disciples of Jesus Christ. The most powerful form of
giving is when God puts it on your heart to give. Giving is truly not about
“from us”, and really about “for us”.
There is also the spiritual
gift of giving. In Romans 12:4-8,
the Apostle Paul explains that “For as
we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same
function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually
members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that
is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let
us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us
use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who
exhorts, in exhortation; he who
gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows
mercy, with cheerfulness.”
Let's continue Pastor Kyle's message on "Giving our Best" in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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