Now that we can somehow consider how great and awesome God is in comparison to our tiny little lives, think of what kind of power is available to those that serve Him and surrender their lives to be used by Him. If we could only ignore our own weaknesses and focus more upon God's strength, maybe we could start turning our little worlds upside down for Jesus! Yesterday Pastor Rick was sharing about the supper at Simon the leper's house, where Mary of Bethany anointed Jesus with a very expensive ointment, in preparation for His burial. Of all of those who were following Jesus, even of the twelve disciples, Mary seemed to be the only one that actually listened to what Jesus said; she understood that He would be going through that which He spoke, to be crucified, buried in a tomb, and then rise again on the third day. He must have said it at least a half dozen times, but no one seemed to be able to connect the dots or consider what it was He was talking about. Mary got it; she understood it, and she did all that she could to show her appreciation for the sacrifice He was about to give. Oddly enough, Judas Iscariot turns out to be the son of Simon, which is something I never noticed before. This makes things seem abundantly clear, that Judas speaking out against the waste of such expensive ointment, was because he was embolden by being in his own house. To make matters worse, Jesus called him out on his hypocrisy, knowing full well he didn't really care about the poor, but was only concerned about the money. It was this dinner that would be the turning point for Judas; the point where he would go the chief priests and offer to betray Jesus, for pennies compared to the amount Mary spent for that ointment. This is a pretty good lesson in humility. Mary humbled herself before the Lord, giving as much as she could, and putting herself at the feet of Jesus. While Judas, being more concerned about money than anything else, lifted himself up above the Lord, making it his duty to portray Him. A good question Rick asked, saying, "Why did Jesus put Judas in charge of the money?" There are only two ways that we can go: we can either humble ourselves before the Lord, or we can refuse to. I guess it all depends on what is your master...
"This is what the LORD says: "Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that? Could you build me such a resting place? My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are mine. I, the LORD, have spoken! "I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word."" (Isaiah 66:1-2) NLT
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