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| << September22, 2007 - Tabitha Lives for God |
November17, 2007 - Widow's Mite - She gave less than a penny! >> |
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I Can only Imagine, Mary at Bethany by Pam Kumpe Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, the very house where Lazarus lived. You know the guy Jesus had raised from the dead. At this house a dinner is being held in honor of Jesus. Martha served, while Lazarus reclined at the table with Jesus. I suppose this is where the first recliner was invented – at the house of Lazarus. While the guys are reclining, Mary (remember, she is Martha’s sister) – she took an expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. Oh, the sweet smell of the perfume filled the house. But not everyone thought this was a good thing. One of the disciples, Judas, the one who was going to betray Jesus objected. "Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor instead? It was worth a year’s wages,” Judas complained. Have you ever given up an entire year of your salary to show devotion to Jesus, to show you love him? Well, Mary did and she will be remembered for her actions forever. So back to Judas, the complainer; the swindler. He thought Mary had wasted the perfume. He figured the money form the perfume could have helped the poor, but not really, he didn’t care about the poor. This guy’s a thief after all. He was the keeper of the money bag and he helped himself to the money at every chance. Here’s the same guy who was about to betray Jesus. When Jesus heard Judas, he rebuked him, "Leave her alone. It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me." Can you imagine sitting at a party with Jesus and then, one of the women comes into the room with perfume, a bottle so expensive it would take a year in wages to buy another bottle? Well, that’s what Mary did, she poured out the fragrance – and it was only days before Jesus was going to be crucified. Mary is the sister who sat at Jesus’ feet to hear him teach while Martha busied herself with work. She’s also the sister of Lazarus, the man whom Jesus raised from the dead. Lazarus is one of Jesus’ best friends and Mary is among this group of friends and she loves Jesus too. Her actions make me question what steps I take to show my love for Christ. Do I sit at his feet? Do I run to him for healing or deliverance? Do I give him the best I have to offer? If I give Jesus the best – even if others question my choices, Jesus will say, "Leave her alone. She gave her best to me." I love the words from the song, "I Can only Imagine" with its words that say, "I can only imagine, what it would be like, when I walk, by your side, I can only imagine, what my eyes would see, when you face, is before me, I can only imagine." This is the best part, "Surrounded by your glory, what will my heart feel, will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of you be still, will I stand in your presence, to my knees will I fall, will I sing Hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all, I can only imagine." Wow, I can only imagine the scene at Lazarus’ house that day. A woman giving all she had to her Savior. If you are looking for the chance to draw closer to God, spend time at his feet, surround yourself with his glory – and imagine his eyes looking into yours. I can only imagine how that would feel – oh, the sweet smell perfume will touch our hearts when we spend time with Jesus. It’s as close as your next step. Pour yourself into his presence – it will take your breath away. I can only imagine! --------------------------- Your play and pray friend, Pam Kumpe Oct 16, 2007 www.pamkumpe.blogspot.com |
| << September22, 2007 - Tabitha Lives for God |
November17, 2007 - Widow's Mite - She gave less than a penny! >> |
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