Mar 14:3-9 And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they criticized her sharply. But Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her." (Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.)
It is good to be a good steward of what God allows us to have. But that does not mean we should never spend money or time or effort in expressing love, whether it is to our wife, husband, child, friend, or the Lord.
I don't know to what extent that woman understood who Jesus was when she broke the expensive flask of fragrant ointment and poured it on His head. How many people did she see Him heal? How many times had she seen Him deliver people from demons? How many times had she heard Him speak wondrous truth? How much had he healed and taught her?
The question should not be why didn't she sell the expensive ointment and give the money to the poor. The question should be why was she one of the few who sought to be extravagant in expressing love and appreciation to Jesus after all He'd done in their presence?
There would always be opportunities to help the poor. There would not always be the opportunity to show Jesus while He was here in the flesh the exceeding gratitude, appreciation, and love He deserves to be shown. There was coming a time when He would be crucified and die. And then, even though He rose again with a resurrection body that could never die again, He was only to remain here for 40 days before returning to heaven.
That woman did what she could to thank Jesus. Have we done all that we could to thank Him?
At this time we are unable to pour fragrant oil on the physical head of Jesus. But there are things we can do to express our love and thankfulness to Him. If we read the Bible we can learn the things that please Him. Doing those things is what we can do.
Let's learn what we can do to be a blessing to our Lord Jesus, and do them as much as we can.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Do You Believe Jesus Rose From the Dead
1Co 15:17-20 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. NIV
Do you believe that Christ literally rose from the dead? It's rather an important question.
To better understand the question, do you believe that He was really dead, and that He not only came alive again but that He came alive in a physical body that could never die again?
If Jesus didn't really die on the Cross then there has never been a sinless sacrifice and we are all still in our sins, and we are without hope.
If Jesus didn't die and come back to life then He was a liar when He again and again said that was what He was going to do. If Christ is liar then nobody should follow Him.
How could anybody believe that Jesus rose from the dead, never to die again?
Those who crucifed Jesus certainly didn't expect Him to come back to life. A spear thrust into his side made extra sure He was totally dead.
Even the disciples didn't expect Him to come back to life. They went into hiding lest they be next ones to be arrested and put to death.
But Jesus did not remain dead. He rose from the dead and when He came to His disciples He even made them touch Him, feel His scars, and even ate bread and fish with them to show how really alive He was.
Those who saw and spent time with the risen Christ were arrested, beaten, and even killed because they couldn't keep such good news to themselves. Peter, who vehemently denied being His follower after Jesus was taken to be tried, could not be kept quiet about Jesus. Peter knew that Jesus had died, rose again, and even forgiven him for denying Him.
If you do not yet believe that Jesus literally died and rose again, never to die again, I ask you to take time to read the New Testament. Don't just think it's a bunch of made up stories. Read it. Decide for yourself whether it is worth believing.
It would be far better for you do discover now who Jesus is than when He returns to judge everyone. If Jesus is who He says He is, then how you relate to Him will make all the difference in the world. for all eternity,.
Do you believe that Christ literally rose from the dead? It's rather an important question.
To better understand the question, do you believe that He was really dead, and that He not only came alive again but that He came alive in a physical body that could never die again?
If Jesus didn't really die on the Cross then there has never been a sinless sacrifice and we are all still in our sins, and we are without hope.
If Jesus didn't die and come back to life then He was a liar when He again and again said that was what He was going to do. If Christ is liar then nobody should follow Him.
How could anybody believe that Jesus rose from the dead, never to die again?
Those who crucifed Jesus certainly didn't expect Him to come back to life. A spear thrust into his side made extra sure He was totally dead.
Even the disciples didn't expect Him to come back to life. They went into hiding lest they be next ones to be arrested and put to death.
But Jesus did not remain dead. He rose from the dead and when He came to His disciples He even made them touch Him, feel His scars, and even ate bread and fish with them to show how really alive He was.
Those who saw and spent time with the risen Christ were arrested, beaten, and even killed because they couldn't keep such good news to themselves. Peter, who vehemently denied being His follower after Jesus was taken to be tried, could not be kept quiet about Jesus. Peter knew that Jesus had died, rose again, and even forgiven him for denying Him.
If you do not yet believe that Jesus literally died and rose again, never to die again, I ask you to take time to read the New Testament. Don't just think it's a bunch of made up stories. Read it. Decide for yourself whether it is worth believing.
It would be far better for you do discover now who Jesus is than when He returns to judge everyone. If Jesus is who He says He is, then how you relate to Him will make all the difference in the world. for all eternity,.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
And This I pray....
Php 1:9-11 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. NIV
What do you pray for? Good health for yourself and those you care about? Solutions to financial difficulties? Do you pray that you will one day get married, or if you are married, that your marriage will get better than it is at present?
I believe those are worthwhile things to pray about. But let's not omit praying for things that we find in the Bible. Those who were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write Scripture can certainly teach us some important things about prayer.
I like how this passage from Paul's letter to the Philippians shares with us the above portion of a prayer. Paul prayed for their love to grow more and more. And He's doesn't mean just to grow in feelings of love. He is praying that their love would increase in knowledge and discernment.
Loving anybody without knowledge and discernment can be messy. You can end up doing more harm than good to the relationship and even to the person if your attempts at expressing love are only what you think are appropriate when in fact they're not.
If we can grow in our understanding of what God wants us to know about loving Him and one another we will be less apt to offend Him. (How we treat one another is one way can either bless or offend God.)
God also wants us to be filled with the fruits of righteousness. Not the fruits of sinfulness, or selfishness, or foolishness. He wants to think righteous thoughts, speak righteous words, and live righteous lives.
God can help with these things if we'll ask Him. Asking Him to do what He very much wants to do in us and for us and through us should be part of our praying every day. Answering those prayers will be to His praise and glory.
What do you pray for? Good health for yourself and those you care about? Solutions to financial difficulties? Do you pray that you will one day get married, or if you are married, that your marriage will get better than it is at present?
I believe those are worthwhile things to pray about. But let's not omit praying for things that we find in the Bible. Those who were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write Scripture can certainly teach us some important things about prayer.
I like how this passage from Paul's letter to the Philippians shares with us the above portion of a prayer. Paul prayed for their love to grow more and more. And He's doesn't mean just to grow in feelings of love. He is praying that their love would increase in knowledge and discernment.
Loving anybody without knowledge and discernment can be messy. You can end up doing more harm than good to the relationship and even to the person if your attempts at expressing love are only what you think are appropriate when in fact they're not.
If we can grow in our understanding of what God wants us to know about loving Him and one another we will be less apt to offend Him. (How we treat one another is one way can either bless or offend God.)
God also wants us to be filled with the fruits of righteousness. Not the fruits of sinfulness, or selfishness, or foolishness. He wants to think righteous thoughts, speak righteous words, and live righteous lives.
God can help with these things if we'll ask Him. Asking Him to do what He very much wants to do in us and for us and through us should be part of our praying every day. Answering those prayers will be to His praise and glory.
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