“For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. 6. And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? She has done a good work on me. 7. For you have the poor with you always, and whensoever you will you may do them good: but me you have not always. 8. She has done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to be buried. 9. Verily I say unto you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the whole world, this also shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.”
While Jesus was in the home of Simon the Leper in Bethany, a woman came and anointed Him with an expensive ointment. Jesus’ disciples thought that this was too extravagant, for she could have sold that ointment for a year’s wages and given it to the poor. Our text is Jesus’ answer to them. I want to share with you what I saw in this elaborate gift. It was an act of love for Jesus. In his account of this incident, John called the woman Mary, sister of Lazarus. She knew Jesus well, and knew His purpose on a level deeper than possibly even His disciples. The elaborate gift was an extravagant declaration of her love for Jesus. It was an act of sacrifice for Jesus. I mentioned above that the ointment would be worth a year’s wages. I don’t know the amount in dollars, but it was extravagant and was costly for Mary and her family. Do we sacrifice in our giving for Jesus? More importantly, do we give of ourselves extravagantly for Him? Do we love Jesus enough to sacrifice time, talent and money for Him and for His work around the world? These are good questions and demand an answer. It was an act of worship and devotion to Jesus. In Luke 10:38-42, Mary sat at Jesus feet when He visited their home while Martha hurried with preparations for Jesus’ meal. In verses 41-42, Jesus told Martha: “Martha, Martha, you are careful and troubled about many things: 42. But one thing is needful: and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” This anointing was a continuation of Mary’s devotion and worship for Jesus. We need to spend some time in worship and devotion for Jesus in private and public worship. What is written above is what I saw in Mary’s elaborate gift. I hope that it has been valuable for you in your commitment to Jesus. Bro. Joe
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“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint, anise and cumin, and omitted the weightier matters of the law: judgment, mercy and faith; these ought you to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24. You blind guides, which strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.” (Matthew 23:23-24)
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8) Jesus took the chief Jewish leaders of that day to task for not having the right priorities. The scribes and Pharisees were long on religion and short on human decency. Jesus pointed out that they were careful to tithe their crop of herbs, but leaving out the “weightier matter of the law.” Actually Jesus was not criticizing their tithe. In fact, he said that they should have done that. The point is that this was easy obedience compared to what they did not do. They were scrupulous in religious practice, but scrimpy in heart. And there is plenty here for us to learn! They fell short in “judgment.” This is also translated as “justice.” The prophet, Micah, had given as a requirement of the Lord that they “do justly.” They did not treat the less fortunate, and less religious with fairness. This means that we should be just and fair in our dealings with people. They fell short in “mercy.” The scribes and Pharisees were meticulous in their religious practices, but fell short in the matter of compassion and kindness.One of the requirements that Micah made was “to love mercy.” In Matthew 9:35, it was said of Jesus that, “When He saw the crowds He had compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” As the religious leaders of these “fainting” people, the scribes and Pharisees should have been moved with compassion as Jesus had been. We are to look at our lost world with eyes of mercy and compassion. We should never consider ourselves so good that we cannot treat people with kindness and respect. This would certainly not minimize our stand against sin. In fact, it would maximize our stand. They fell short on “faith.” This is also translated as “faithfulness.” They forgot what Micah wrote about, “walking humbly with your God.” The idea is that they were more faithful to their image, and their righteousness than they were to the Lord. In other words, their faith was in themselves in not in the Lord. Religiosity will engage us more in “navel gazing” than in humbly serving the Lord in witness and ministry. We need to watch these things in our own lives. What are your real priorities? Bro. Joe “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
What is in the world is not real profit. What do I mean? What I mean is that real profit is that which lasts forever.” There is nothing in this world that is of the world that will last forever. Therefore, ultimately what is only that which is eternal will last and can be counted as profit. “What shall it profit a man (woman), if he (she) forfeits his (her) soul?” Think about it: What do you own that is worth your soul? The Bible does not tell us not to own anything, but it does teach us that we should not let what we own, own us. I think that this is basically what the context of this verse teaches. If we are not careful, we can give our hearts, our souls, to the world, to our work, to politics, to sports, ad infinitum, and in the end we will be in the tank in the profit and loss column. I have read that there was no man, or woman, whose last words before departing this life were: “I wish I had spent more time at the office.” When a person denies Christ, he or she denies his or her soul. If you deny Christ you are telling Him that His crucifixion and resurrection mean nothing to you, and that they have no meaning for your life. The question was asked: “What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” The question demands an answer. What is there in this world that is worth a man’s soul? Again, what do you own that you would give in exchange for your soul? In Matthew 10:28, Jesus said, “And fear not them which kill the body, but not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.” This is a declaration of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself! God loves us enough that “He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him that he should not perish.” Jesus is the answer to what real profit means, or can mean, to you. If you will come to Jesus, He will save you “warts and all.” If you have done this rejoice in the fact of your salvation. Salvation by faith in Christ is what constitutes real profit. Bro. Joe “Rejoice evermore. 17. Pray without ceasing. 18. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
The text printed above suggested three reasons that we have for being thankful. First, it says “rejoice evermore.” This can also be translated as “always be joyful.” The root word translated “rejoice” or “joyful” is the same Greek word that can also be translated as “grace” or “favor.” I think that you will agree that this is a wonderful word. I know that we do not always feel joyful. We are lambasted with negativity all of the time, and if we aren’t careful we can be depressed and joyless. In spite of all of the negative things that we hear, or read about, we can claim the joy that Jesus gave us when we were saved. The joy that we have is not a feeling. It is a gift – so claim it and do not give in to joylessness and depression. Second, it says “pray without ceasing.” We can be thankful that we have the opportunity of prayer at all times. By telling us to “pray without ceasing” Paul did not mean that we are to closet ourselves away from the world and pray. He meant that we are to live in attitude of prayer. It is of great joy to me that I know that I can talk to God through Christ at any time. I can think a prayer, for God knows what is on my mind. Perhaps unceasing prayer can keep us out of trouble. It not only reminds us that we can pray any time that we want, but that God is always aware of our prayers. Be thankful that, in His grace, God is always available to us. We just need to make ourselves available to Him. Through constant prayer, perhaps, we will be more available to God. Give thanks for the opportunity of unceasing prayer. Third, it says that we are to “give thanks in everything.” This can always be translated “give thanks in all circumstances.” We will not always feel thankful for all of the circumstances of life, but when we live in constant joy and when we have the opportunity of unceasing prayer, we can be thankful in everything. We should aim to be thankful people – period. Paul gives a good reason for us to be thankful people: “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” God wants us to be thankful people. We just need to get our hearts right with God and people, and we will be thankful people. If you are a Christian, you have every reason to be thankful. All I have written here is available to you. Be thankful!!! Bro. Joe “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk (live) in Him: 7. Rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding (overflowing) therein with thanksgiving.”
I want to share with you what this text teaches that should cause us to overflow with thanksgiving. First, we should be thankful that we have “received Christ Jesus the Lord.” In whatever way we encountered Jesus, we took the opportunity to receive Him into our lives. This means we have a personal relationship with Him. We are thankful that He is always near us and that He answers us when we pray. If you have received Christ Jesus as your Lord give thanks. If you have not received Him, take the opportunity to do it now. Ask Jesus to forgive you for your sins, and ask Him to come into your life – and be thankful. Second, Jesus has called us to a new life. After we received Jesus, we began to “walk in Him.” (“Walk” in the KJV refers to our lifestyles.) Paul expressed it this way in Romans 6:4: “Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead, even so we should walk in newness of life.” Paul described this new life in Galatians 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” In Jesus we have a victorious and joyful life. We just need to realize the life that Jesus has given us, and when we realize it, we will overflow with thanksgiving. . Third, because we received Christ, and received the new life that He gave us, we are “rooted and built up in faith.” Paul reminded us of this in Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God.” Pay attention to the words “rooted and built up in Him.” As the plant is securely planted in the soil, we are planted in Christ. This is no “fly by night” salvation. Jesus gave us grand reassurance in John 10:27-28: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” * Surely, all of this will cause us to overflow with thanksgiving. Rejoice! Do it! Bro. Joe *Notice that man is italicized. This means that it is added and is not part of the translation from the Greek text. It can read: “neither can anyone (or anything) pluck them out of my hand.” (Analytical Greek Lexicon)This means that there is nothing that can pluck us out of God's hand. "And (David) appointed certain of Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, and to record, and to thank and praise the Lord God Israel. 5. Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemariamoth, and Jehiel, and Matithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obededom: and Jeiel with psalteries and with harps; but Asaph made a sound with cymbals.”
What is there in this text for us that is worth a few minutes of our time? What I saw here was that David appointed these men to do daily and continually what we should do. These musicians were sent to the tent where the Ark of the Covenant was housed to serve God. They were sent “to minister (serve) before that Ark of the Lord.” They were to use their musical gifts and talents to serve the Lord on a daily basis, just as God has given us gifts to serve Him daily. Jesus saved us and gifted us to serve Him in conjunction with our gifts. What does it mean they were to “record”? A study of the word translated “record” here can also mean to make “petition,” interestingly, however it can also be translated to "celebrate.” If there is one thing that the world needs from us today is to use our gifts to celebrate the Lord as a witness to the world. “Celebration” can many things. It can mean to really celebrate in our worship services. But, more importantly, it can also mean to live joyfully for Jesus before people in our daily lives. We should have attitudes of celebration. They were also to “thank…the Lord God of Israel.” We have also been called to use our Spiritual gifts in a spirit of thanksgiving. In order for us to do this we need to have thankful hearts. I remind myself of this often. Really and truly, when I count the blessings in my life, I have to be thankful. I remind myself of this when I get in a funk – come on you know what I mean – and have a difficult time praying. The old song is true: “Count your many blessings name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done." They were “to….praise the Lord God Israel.” I don’t know how these musicians sounded, or how their music praised the Lord, but I can imagine Asaph clanging those cymbals in a joyful praise of the God that he served. We don’t have cymbals to clang, at least that I know of, you might have cymbals in your church, but we do have hearts full of love and thanksgiving for the Savior who gave His life for our salvation. I hope that this message of thanksgiving has been a blessing to you and has prepared you for this special time of Thanksgiving. Bro. Joe “Come before (the Lord’s) presence with thanksgiving…”
How can we come into the presence of the Lord without being thankful? After all, the only reason that we have access to Him is because He allows it by grace. We have an understanding of being in the Lord’s presence that the psalmist did not have. The psalmist lived before the “veil of the temple was torn in two.” Because of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, we have in His presence at all times. Not only should we “come before His presence with thanksgiving;” we should live in His presence with thanksgiving. There are at least three areas of our lives that we should approach the Lord in thanksgiving: when we worship, when we work and when we witness. We should approach the Lord in thankful worship on a daily basis. Sunday worship will not suffice. Every Christian should set aside a time for Bible reading and prayer each day. It is safe to say that every great Christian, throughout Christian history, has disciplined himself, or herself, to have devotions every day. How else can we express our thankfulness to Him for all that He has done in our lives? If you do not have a devotional time in your daily routine, you need to start one now. Also, we should be aware of God’s presence every moment of every day and be thankful that He is with us. We should also approach the Lord in thankful worship, in corporate worship with our church. Sunday should be a day of worship and praise with our fellow Christians. Again, all great Christians took time for this. If we are truly thankful, why would we have to begged or manipulated into publicly worshipping God? Public worship identifies us with the people of God, and indentifies us with all of the great people of God – past and present. We should go about our work in our chosen professions in a spirit of thanksgiving. Work was ordained in the Garden of Eden. Even before they sinned, Adam and Eve were told to tend the Garden. Work was not punishment; it was a privilege. Work did not become burdensome until sin entered the picture. The original words for work and worship are almost indistinguishable. We are not to just be thankful on out knees, but we are to be thankful as we go about our daily work. After all, we work in God’s presence each day. We should do Christian work, church work and otherwise in a spirit of thanksgiving. We should not begrudge the time that we spend in serving the Lord. We should be thankful for this work because the Lord allows us to work for Him. We are not doing God any favors. He favors us by letting us serve Him. Remember this as you go about your work for Him in your church and community – and be thankful. Every Christian is a witness for Jesus. We should not be afraid of this. We should be thankful. Again, witnessing is not our burden, it is our privilege. Witnessing should be a natural overflow of thanksgiving for what Jesus has done for us. How can we be aware that we live in His presence daily and not yearn to witness for Him in some way. The first witness that we have is our lives. If we live thankfully before Him each day, people will see our lives and, perhaps, want what we have. You have probably heard the hymn: “Living for Jesus, a life that is true, living for Jesus in all that I do. Living for Jesus as life that is free, this is the pathway of blessing for me…” All of the above gives us good reason for us to “come before (God’s) presence with thanksgiving.” This would be a good time of year to consider this for your own life. Bro. Joe “But the Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 27. Peace I leave with you, My peace give I unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled: neither let it be afraid.”
The Greek word “paracletos” literally means “come along side of.” It is translated here as “comforter,” and can also be translated as “helper” or “counselor.” However, you translate the word, it was good news to Jesus’ disciples and it is good news to us. Jesus gave His disciples, and us, what I will call a snapshot picture of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. These are not all of the works of the Holy Spirit, but the three that are given here are necessary in our Christian service. Jesus promised “and He shall teach you all things…” This means that the Holy Spirit will teach us what we need to know. Here are three examples of some of the “all things” that He will teach us: (1) He teaches us through scripture. When we read scripture, the Holy Spirit clarifies the meaning for us. (2) He teaches us through His guidance in our minds and hearts as we seek to follow His leadership. (3) He teaches us through each other. This is why we have “church.” This is why we do not need to avoid Christian fellowship. Jesus promised “and (He will) bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” What were some pertinent things that Jesus taught His disciples but we need to be reminded of today? He taught them to love each other. In John 13:15, He taught them: “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you love each other.” In John 13:3-15, Jesus washed His disciple’s feet. After He had washed their feet He told them: “If I then your Lord and master, have washed your feet you also ought to wash one another’s feet, For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:14-15) This was not a course on foot washing; rather, it was a reminder that they were called to serve. Jesus promised: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” The peace that we get from the world is temporary; the peace that Jesus gives us is eternal – because it is His peace. According to Philippians 4:7, it is the “peace that passes all understanding.” The peace of Jesus is the peace that will keep our hearts from being troubled and will keep us from being afraid. All of these promises are promises for us. The Spirit wants to teach us, remind us, and to give us the peace of Christ. Claim these precious promises for yourself!!! Bro. Joe “Let love be without dissimulation (sincere, real). Abhor what is evil; cleave to what is good. 10. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another.”
As I read this text this morning, I thought, “the Bible really gives us some good advice if we will really heed it." The text printed above is a case in point. When we became Christians, we entered into fellowship with our fellow Christians. We need to make the best use of that fellowship, not just to enjoy one another’s company, but to serve as witnesses to the world. Let me share what I mean via this text. We need to really love each other. The word that the KJV translates as “dissimulation” literally means to sincerely love each other, or as I wrote above: Really love each other! Verse 10 clarified to me what this loving fellowship would entail. “Kindly affectioned” means that we are to be devoted to each other as brothers and sisters. In verse 9 we are told to “agapay” each other, that is to love as Christ loved us. In verse 10 we are told to “philos” each other, that is to love as brothers and sisters. We are in the family of God together; therefore, we need to sincerely love each other as brothers and sisters. We are not “blood kin” but we are linked by the blood of Christ. Let’s find it in our hearts to sincerely love each other. We are to really hate evil. “Abhor that which is evil” is not really difficult to understand. We know right from wrong, and we need to discern the difference. In relation to our fellowship, it can mean that we are to hate what might divide us and bring a rift in the fellowship, or give a poor witness to the world. This is not a call to be Pharisaic and self-righteous. It is a call to live godly lives. None of us will be perfect, but we surely need to be aware of our own personal morality, and of the life that we are presenting to the world. We are to really hold on to what is good. “Cleave (cling) to what is good” is emphatic. Of course this refers to living a morally good life, but it also means to cling to doing what is good. We need to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit when He leads us into opportunities to do what is good. There might be a shut-in person that you know you need to visit. There might be someone who is hungry who needs your help. Indeed, we should celebrate opportunities to do good for other people. The world needs Christians who are eager to do what is good for someone else. Call me silly, but to me that looks a lot like Christ. These verses give us a good example of what it means to live in close Christian fellowship. Bro. Joe “Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children; 2. And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering of sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.”
I listened to the hymn “Love Lifted Me” as I was riding my stationery bike this morning, and as I listened I “felt a blog coming on.” Here it is: Love lifted me to a greater love and appreciation for the Lord. It just always amazes me that the all-mighty, all-present, all-knowing God loves me. In the midst of the vast universe, He looks beyond the galaxies and loves me. He loves me in Jesus, as our text tells us, in spite of my sins and short comings. Think about this with me: Isn’t this a marvelous truth that we can grasp and live with each day? God loves me and cares for me in every little or big thing in my life. This miraculous love reaches out to me in such a personal way that I can talk to Him at any time, any place about anything and everything. My prayer as I write this is that as you read it, you will let this love lift you!!! Hey, read the text….it’s for you!!! Love lifted me to stop thinking about myself all of the time. If I really let God love me, and if I let this love fill and literally infuse my life, it will lift me beyond myself. This does not mean that I do not have personal concerns. I am dealing with a health problem at this time, this is in God’s hand and I pray that His will be done. I pray for my children and grand children. I pray for my brothers and their families. I pray for Mary’s family. I pray for the myriad Beauchamps and Coopers who touch my life. I frequently pray for all of these. I pray for all of my former pastorates and for the Tucker Association. The love of God lifts me beyond these to our troubled world, especially our troubled nation. I take these things to the Lord and He helps me to look beyond them and to even love my enemies. (Isn’t that what Jesus told us to do?) Good lands, there is so much more that I could write on this subject. I don’t want to leave out that love lifts me to love and appreciate the Christian fellowship that I have had in so many churches, and all that those people have meant to my life. Well, my self-allotted space is filled. One more thing: Let love lift you today! Do it! Bro. Joe |
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