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Begin by reading Luke 7:36-50, John 12:1-8

I want you to imagine for a moment that you were at the party you just read about. You’re there eating, talking with some friends, and out of the corner of your eye you see a woman (someone with less than a stellar reputation) bathing Jesus with her hair. The aroma of the perfume quickly permeates the room. You detect the scent immediately. It is expensive, and she is pouring it out like water.

Now stop for just a moment. What are your initial reactions? Are you shocked? Are you horrified? I’m going to be honest with you; my first thought is “what in the world is going on? How is a Rabbi allowing this sinful woman to express herself to him like this in public?”

I think if we were all honest with ourselves, we would admit at least some level of discomfort with this story. We may be like Simon in Luke’s account and feel distaste at how this sinful woman was all over Jesus, or we may be like Judas in John’s account and feel like this act was a waste of money. Why might we feel that way?

Here’s why. Because we’re humans, and we are sinful. Have you ever seen someone express themselves dramatically in worship, and you began judging their actions? Maybe you thought, “that’s so annoying that they do that. It’s so distracting to others.” Have you ever seen someone poor give something away that you felt they couldn’t afford and thought of them unwise? This is because we’re still carnal creatures. It’s hard for us to accept another’s devotion to our same Heavenly Father if it’s not done the same way we like to do it. That’s just the way it is. Like the disciples stopping the children from coming to Jesus, we want to be God’s gatekeepers and determine what should and what shouldn’t get through. While there are indeed boundaries set for us in Scripture, we have to recognize that there’s a real temptation to deny others the opportunity to express their devotion to God. It’s no wonder why churches split over the most basic elements like music and expressions of worship. Even after 2000 years, we are still struggling with the same feelings that corrupted Simon and Judas.

The lesson for us is not merely accepting how and what others offer to the Lord, the lesson is to be the one offering to the Lord. Simon the Pharisee ignored Jesus during the entire party. Judas said his concern was for the poor, but Judas. the treasurer for Jesus’ ministry, was swindling money. They were missing the boat, and they lashed out like Cain did to Abel. Their sacrifice was fraudulent, and so they became jealous. We need not worry what others are doing if we are the ones offering to the Lord. When our eyes are focused on our Rabbi and are hands are busy anointing His feet, then we have no time to worry about how others are serving. We must be the Marys and find our place at Jesus’ feet.

The world and those with worldly minds will judge. They will stand before God’s altar and mock. They may tell you that you are doing a nice thing then talk about you behind your back. Don’t let that deter you. Stand before God and pour yourself out before Him. Listen to His voice and ask, “What is it Lord that you want of me?” and of that thing, do not hold back. He will ask you to give a hard sacrifice. It will cost you. It will hurt. But you will find yourself at the feet of Jesus, bowing before Him, cradled by His love and protection, anointing Him with the very thing He asked of you. He will affirm you, just as He affirmed Mary, and He will give you a crown that will last forever.

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Begin by reading 2 Samuel 24:18-25.

I don’t know about you, but fasting is one of the most difficult disciplines for me. I can remember back in college when a group of my friends fasted solid food for 40 days. It was unbelievable. Some go about fasting in less dramatic ways, such as giving up meat or another particular food or fasting certain meals. So, what makes fasting so difficult? Well, it’s the idea of giving up something that we enjoy.

In Romans 12:1, Paul writes, “Therefore brothers and sisters, in light of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices.” The keyword in this verse is sacrifice. No, Paul is not telling us to kill ourselves; that’s why he emphasizes living sacrifices. But the word sacrifice gives us keen insight into what it means to live a life of worship and devotion.

In Old Testament times, God called His people to make sacrifices on various occasions. When someone came to the Temple, they either brought their animal or bought one there. The idea here is that everyone has to make their own personal sacrifice and give their own offering. Think about it like this: you wouldn’t say to yourself, “well, Joe put a couple of bucks in the offering plate today, so therefore, I don’t have to give today.” No, the sacrifice was personal, and it was every one’s responsibility to bring that gift to the Lord.

David understood this, and in 2 Samuel 24, we read about God commanding David to go to Araunah’s threshing floor and build an altar. When King David asks Araunah to buy his threshing floor, Araunah offers to give the floor and other items to David for free. That sounds reasonable. After all, if the president personally came asking for a tree in your backyard, a tomato from your garden, or something that you were selling at your yard sale, you might feel a little weird about telling him to show you the money. But David insisted on paying. Why? Because he said, “I will not sacrifice something to God that costs me nothing.”

When it doesn’t cost us anything, it ceases to be a sacrifice. It must cost us something. It’s like fasting. When fasting, we give up a pleasure. It would be pointless to say, “I’m going to fast meat,” if you’re already a vegetarian. There must be something we’re giving up in order for it to be sacrifice.

Well what are we sacrificing then? It might be food. It might be money. It might be our time. But the bottom line is that it has to be us totally. Our mentality should be, “the purpose of my life is to be a sacrifice to God.” When we say it that way, there is no cost too great and no gift too small. Meditate on that thought today. Tell God to help you have the mentality that you are a sacrifice totally devoted to Him, and ask Him to show you what it is He would like you to do.

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Missed a day? You can find previous devotionals here.