God’s promise for Week 3:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor 12:9)
For those who want further Scripture reading each day here are a couple of suggestions:
-Read one Psalm a day and meditate on it.
-Read a chapter or part of a chapter out of Acts or Matthew or Hebrews each day, focusing on the idea of faith.
Day 18
“Humble yourself before the lord, and He will lift you up." (James 4:10)
As we let go of our pride, I think we will find that our “service" for God will no longer be done out of duty, but out of an extravagant love for the God who has saved us. I love the story of the woman who broke the bottle of expensive perfume and anointed Jesus with it. Other than this one act, we know nothing else about this woman, but because of her beautiful act of love for Jesus, “wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her" (Matt 26:13). The disciple’s reaction to her act of love was one of criticism. “When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. Why this waste?" they asked."This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor" (Matt 26:8-9). If I had to pick a character from this scene that would honestly fit me best, I’m afraid I would have been one of the indignant disciples. Criticism comes quite easily to me. So does the “I know best" attitude. This woman didn’t act because she had carefully thought about what would be appropriate; she acted out of a heart filled with love and gratitude. I sometimes speculate about why the woman did what she did. Was she one of the outcasts that Jesus had touched and healed while He walked on the earth? I think she probably was. Was she hurting and alone and broken when Jesus walked into her life and made her whole? I think she probably was. But you know what I like best about this woman? She didn’t care what anyone thought of her. She loved, and so she acted. That’s how I want to be. I want to want to love Jesus so extravagantly that I will do what He asks regardless of the cost and regardless of what people think of me. I want to love Him so much that the love will pour out to the people God puts in my life. Out of my heart that has experienced the love and mercy of God I want these lavish acts of love for others to overflow. Sometimes we can take so much pride in our acts of service, thinking how pleased God must be with us when we do them. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could do our Christian duties out of a humble heart of gratitude for what Jesus has done for us? We know that “without faith it is impossible to please God�?, now let us internalize the truth that “unless you humble yourselves like a child, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." The disciple’s logical and ever-practical minds told them that the perfume should have been sold and the money given to the poor. But the woman had experienced the lavish mercy of God and her heart was overflowing with it. So the argument over whether she was being wasteful or not fades away in light of this one fact: what this woman did pleased Jesus: “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me" (Matt 26:10).
Prayer:
Jesus, help me to serve out of a humble heart of gratitude for what you have done for me.
In faith:
Don’t forget to pray!
