Bring your best gift
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. John 12:3
It was a day of celebration for Martha, Mary and Lazarus. They had just come through a great trial into their victory. It was appropriate that they should throw a party. It was also appropriate that they invited Jesus who seemed to be the guest of honor. Martha was cooking and serving for all the guests, Lazarus sat at the table with Jesus. At that point of Jesus’ ministry, Lazarus was probably His biggest supporter. After all, Jesus had done a great miracle when He called Lazarus out of the grave and their family couldn’t be more grateful!
Then there was Mary, the younger sister. Her part of the festivities was to lavish Jesus with her best gift. She brought a whole pound of very expensive oil and poured it out on Jesus’ feet. It is interesting to me that she wiped His feet with her hair. I can imagine that when she finished, the smell of the spikenard was as strong on her as it was Jesus. There was no doubt who had so generously anointed Him. This was a gift of sacrifice, and even though we cannot fully understand this today, it was probably something that she had been saving for a very long time for a special occasion. This type of precious and aromatic oil was often brought to the temple to bring to God as an incense offering. It was a sweet-smelling savor. It was also often used to prepare a body for burial which made it all the more special at this time for Jesus. Mary didn’t know that within a few short days He would be giving up His life for the world and surely still carrying the scent of the offering with Him.
For sure, Martha, Mary and Lazarus had so much to be thankful for and the joy that they were experiencing over Lazarus being brought back to life was beyond any treasure they could give in return, but the did make sure to at least make the effort to express their gratitude.
We have a great miracle to celebrate every day and it is also fitting that we try to express our love for Him each day. When we received salvation in the blood of Jesus, we were raised up out of that spiritual grave of being dead in our sin. He took our place and paid the price so that we could be alive. It is not required that we bring Him a costly gift each day, nor could we ever repay the debt that we owe for His payment. However, we should at least tell Him thank you and bring our best gift to Him every chance we get. He is worthy of all our love, all our thanksgiving and all our life.
Today I want to encourage you to pour out your most costly and best gift on the feet of Jesus. Offer up a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving and lavish Him with your whole heart! When you go into His house to worship, bring your best gift. Whether it is serving, singing or giving, do it all to the glory of God. If you have never received the gift of salvation, do it today. Jesus will come into your life, raise you up out of the grave of sin and lead you in the perfect path of righteousness. Pray this pray from your heart and your life will be change from this day forward:
God in heaven, I know I’m a sinner and I need a Savior. I want to turn away from my sinful life to the life You have planned for me. Please forgive my sins, cleanse me from my past, and make me new today. I know Your Son, Jesus died for me. I believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead. At this very moment, I accept, confess, and proclaim Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior . . . to be Lord of my life from this day forward. I now have a right relationship with God my Father through this salvation in the blood of Jesus. I thank You for giving me Your Holy Spirit to guide me and to empower me to accomplish the things You have planned for my life in Jesus’ name, Amen
Today’s scripture reading: John 12:1-3
1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.
2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.
3 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.
The Daily Dose 