Solomon Asks for Wisdom


Daily Bible Reading – 1 Kings 3; 2 Chronicles 1; Psalm 78; 2 Thessalonians 2

Today’s Key Passage – 1 Kings 3:4-15

 

Most of us, at one time or another, have played the little game of “3 wishes” with ourselves or with others.  The game goes something like this – you have been given three wishes, and you can ask for anything you want.  What would your wishes be?  The answers to this question are typically humorous and pretty informative.  In fact, if you ever want to really understand what drives another person, ask him or her this question.  In today’s key passage, we see a real-life example of this game in Scripture.  Solomon was the new king and one night in a dream, God appeared to him and said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” (Vs. 5)  Now we all have moments of greatness in our lives.  These are moments when we do the right thing, say the right thing, or think the right thing.  In my opinion, Solomon’s greatest moment comes in the next few lines of Scripture.  In response to God, we read in verses 7-9, “Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.”  When given the chance to ask God for anything, Solomon chose to ask for wisdom.  The next line of Scripture is beautiful in its simplicity as we read, “The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.” (Vs. 10)

My question today for each of us might be a convicting one.  If you were in the same position as Solomon, what would you say?  If God appeared to you today and told you to ask for whatever you want, what would you ask for Him to give you?  I ask that you spend some time today prayerfully considering this question, because while it may seem like an easy one, the answer will directly reflect where your heart is in relation with God’s will.  When considering this question, remember that no matter what we say our answer would be, God knows our heart and He knows what we would truly ask from Him.  He knows what is in our deepest prayers and He knows what drives us and motivates us.  Would your answer be pleasing to Him?  If not, the good news is that God has the power to change our hearts.  He has the power to help our will line up with His perfect will.  In fact, that is what our walk with God is really all about – growing and maturing in our faith as we become more like Christ.  My prayer today is that you would prayerfully consider your request, that your request would be pleasing to God, and that He will give you the desire of your heart.  Just as God granted Solomon’s request for wisdom, He will grant your request as well when it lines up with His perfect will.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

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Paul’s Prayer for Us


Daily Bible Reading – 1 Kings 2; 1 Chronicles 29; Psalm 95; 2 Thessalonians 1

Today’s Key Passage – 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12

 

I really like reading Paul’s writings in the New Testament.  One of the things I especially like is that more often than not Paul prayed for the various churches to which he was writing.  In verses 11 and 12 in today’s key passage, Paul wrote, “With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Paul was praying for three main things for his brothers and sisters in Christ in Thessalonica, and I believe that if he were talking to us today he would pray for the same three things for each of us.

First, Paul prayed that God’s power might strengthen us.  God’s power is evident in the wonders of His creation, and it is evident repeatedly in the Bible.  God displayed His power in the parting of the Red Sea, in the healing of the blind, and in paying the ultimate price for our sins through His Son Jesus Christ.  That power that is so miraculously on display throughout the Living Word is also available to each one of us today.  It is available to us when we are facing trials.  It is available to us in overcoming our fears and worries.  It is available to us in everything we do as long as we seek it.  Paul is praying that the awe-inspiring power of God would give each of us strength.

Secondly, Paul prayed that God’s purpose would be fulfilled in us.  While the strength of God is wonderful in helping us overcome trials or temptations, that same strength is also available to help us fulfill God’s purposes in the world.  Each and every one of us has a distinct purpose in this life.  Whether you know it or not, whether you believe it or not, you were put on this earth for a reason.  God has a purpose for you.  Maybe you have not found it yet.  Maybe you are still searching for it.  It does not matter how old you are.  It does not matter what sinful things you have done in the past.  It does not matter what position you are in right now.  God has a purpose for you, and Paul’s prayer is that His purpose will be fulfilled in you.

Finally, Paul prayed that God would be glorified through us.  One of God’s purposes for each of our lives is that He will be glorified through us and in us.  He wants our lives to be a living reflection of His glory.  To truly glorify God in our lives, we must live our lives like Jesus Christ himself.  In everything we do, we are to live a Christ-like life, and we are to let His light shine through us for everyone else to see.

When you put it all together, you can see the full picture of what Paul is really praying for each of us.  Paul is praying that God’s power will strengthen each one of us, and by that power, we will be able to fulfill God’s purpose in our lives, with one of those purposes being the glorification of God through us.  It is a beautiful prayer for the Thessalonians, and it is a beautiful prayer for each one of us.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

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Seeking God’s Protection


Daily Bible Reading – 1 Kings 1; 1 Chronicles 28; Psalm 91; 1 Thessalonians 5

Today’s Key Passage – 1 Kings 1:42-53

 

Near the end of King David’s life, it was clear that the time had come to anoint a new king.  One of David’s sons, Adonijah, stepped forward and decided that he would be king, so he gathered support and made preparations.  When the prophet Nathan heard about this, he immediately went to Bathsheba, David’s wife, and together they went to inform David.  David was not happy about Adonijah’s rebellion, because God already declared that David’s son Solomon would be the next king of Israel.  David quickly took steps to have Solomon anointed king before Adonijah could begin his reign.  Meanwhile, Adonijah and all of his guests were having a party in celebration of his kingdom.  When they heard the news that David had anointed Solomon king, the party quickly ended and the crowd dispersed.  In verse 50, we read, “But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns of the altar.”  Adonijah knew that his evil scheme was over, and his first reaction was to run to the altar of God.  He was in effect seeking God’s protection.  Solomon initially allowed Adonijah to live despite his rebellion, but he was later executed when he attempted to claim the throne a second time.

Adonijah had the right idea in seeking God’s protection.  The problem was his timing.  When we do wrong and things go badly, most of us will turn to God for protection.  This is not a bad thing because God is always there to catch us when we fall and forgive us, but it is certainly not the best way to go about things.  If Adonijah had sought God’s guidance and protection before he started his rebellion, he could have saved himself a lot of heartache.  In fact, he could have saved his own life.  Repeatedly we read stories in the Bible about people doing wrong and then turning to God when things get bad.  The simple fact is that when we act without first seeking God’s guidance, things will almost invariably go badly.  We can wait for that to happen to turn to God for protection, but why would we want to put ourselves through that?  I believe there are two main reasons why we do this.  We act without seeking God either because our pride convinces us that we can accomplish what we want on our own without God’s help, or because, like Adonijah, deep down we know what we are trying to accomplish is wrong.  Either way, the result will be the same.  Without God’s guidance and protection, we will ultimately fail.  Do not let pride convince you to move without talking it over with God.  Do not let temptation convince you to go against what you know is right.  Seek God’s protection and guidance first in all things, and have faith that God will point you in the right direction.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

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Becoming an Expert Witness for Christ


Daily Bible Reading – 1 Chronicles 25-27; 1 Thessalonians 4

Today’s Key Passage – 1 Thessalonians 4:7-12

 

In a court of law, an expert witness is one who others in their field recognize as an expert. According to the law, this expert is able to appear before the court and is able to justify his or her professional opinion under cross-examination.  People do not become expert witnesses overnight.  It requires years of hard work to gain the respect of others in their field before they will be recognized as expert witnesses.  Every person on this earth who claims to be a Christian is a witness for Jesus.  Some are good witnesses, and some are bad witnesses.  In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul provides them with some tips on how to strengthen their witness.  In essence, Paul is teaching the Thessalonians to become expert witnesses for Christ.

Becoming an expert witness for Christ is a lifelong process.  It begins with understanding that Christianity is not something you practice for an hour or two every Sunday.  Living the Christian life is something that we do every second of every day.  We should be constantly reminded that, “God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” (Vs. 7)  In addition, God teaches us to love each other.  The love referred to in our key passage in verse 9 is the Greek word “phileo” which refers to brotherly love.  We show this love to others as we recognize we are all part of the same family of God.  It is the love that comes from knowing that we all have the same Heavenly Father.  Paul commends the Thessalonians on their love, stating that they love all of their brothers in Christ throughout Macedonia, and then Paul urges them, “to do so more and more.”  (Vs. 10)  To become an expert witness for Christ, we should strive each day to love others more.  Love is the cornerstone of an effective witness.

Paul continues by giving the Thessalonians three more pieces of advice to become expert witnesses.  He tells them, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands”. (Vs. 11)  Some of the Thessalonians were a little lazy and were relying on others for handouts, so Paul told them to live a quiet life and to work hard, which is still good advice for us today.  It is also good advice to “mind our own business” in the sense that we should not participate in gossip or become a busybody.

Paul gave all of these tips to the Thessalonians so that their, “daily life may win the respect of outsiders”. (Vs. 12)  To truly be an expert witness for Christ, those we are trying to reach have to respect us.  When we follow Paul’s advice to the Thessalonians, we can start to gain that respect and can be more effective in reaching the lost.  When we follow his advice, we can become expert witnesses.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

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Casting Vision to our Children


Daily Bible Reading – 1 Chronicles 22-24; 1 Thessalonians 3

Today’s Key Passage – 1 Chronicles 22:5-19

 

In the final few books of 1 Chronicles, we read all about the preparations David made for the building of the temple.  David originally wanted to build the temple himself, but God stopped him.  God had a different plan in mind and wanted David’s son Solomon to build the temple of the Lord.  Before his death, however, David began making the preparations necessary for the job.  He gathered the funds and supplies that would be needed, found the right craftsmen, planned the administration, and took steps to arrange the worship services.  The most important preparation he made, however, was not in laying out the construction or the division of duties.  His most important contribution to the job was the vision for the temple he cast with his son Solomon.  In today’s key verse, David calls his son to him and tells him all about the vision for his life.  In verses 7-10 we read, “David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God. But this word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’”  Imagine how memorable this conversation must have been for Solomon, as his father took the time to cast vision to him about God.

One of the most important things we can do as parents is casting vision to our kids about God.  Most of us likely do not have as specific a vision for our children as David did, but we certainly all have a vision to share with them.  It is a vision of loving God with all of their hearts, souls, and minds.  It is a vision of loving their neighbors as themselves.  It is a vision of serving an all-powerful and loving God every day of their lives.  As much as we would like to, we cannot guarantee our children’s salvation.  Each of them must make their own personal choice to accept Jesus Christ as the Lord of their lives.  As parents, though, how we live and what we teach our children can play a HUGE role in how they develop.  The time we spend with them now casting vision, the prayers we pray with them and for them, and the way they see us interacting with others can all help a child grow into a Godly adult.  As we discussed a couple of days ago, we are all called to make disciples.  As parents, that job begins at home.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

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God Disciplines with Mercy


Daily Bible Reading – 2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21; Psalm 30; 1 Thessalonians 2

Today’s Key Passage – 1 Chronicles 21:1-19

 

Once when I was about eight years old or so I was particularly bad and my parents grounded me for two weeks.  During this time, I was not allowed to go outside and play, which in my mind was just about the worst punishment imaginable.  Sometime during this two-week period, my family and I went to my grandmother’s house on a Sunday afternoon to visit her, my aunt and uncle, and my cousins.  I can still remember standing inside my grandmother’s house starting out the window watching my brother and my cousins playing outside.  I was devastated.  All I wanted in the world was to go outside and play, but I knew that I was grounded and I knew better than to ask to go outside.  At some point, though, my father came to me and told me to go outside and play.  I was given a temporary reprieve from my well-deserved punishment for one simple reason – even while being disciplined, my parents still showed mercy.  In today’s key passage, we see that our Father in Heaven does the exact same thing.

David decided to take a census of all of the fighting men in Israel.  Normally, this might not have been a problem, but David wanted the men counted so that he could feel pride in the strength of his army.  Following all of the success he and his men had in war, David was beginning to trust his own military strength more than he trusted God.  Because of David’s sin, God spoke to Gad, David’s seer, and told him to offer David a choice of three different punishments.  David could choose between three years of famine, three months of war, or three days of plague in the land.  Before we continue, let me just point out that this alone was merciful of God.  He did not have to give David a choice about his correction, but He did because of His mercy.  David chose the three days of plague, because it was the one option that was a direct punishment from God.  He told Gad, “Let me fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.” (Vs. 13)  Once David had chosen his punishment, God sent a plague that killed 70, 000 men.  In verse 15 we read, “And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, ‘Enough! Withdraw your hand.’”  Even though David sinned against God and deserved to be disciplined, God had mercy on him and the people of Israel.

When we act in sinful ways and we do not repent and turn from that sin, sometimes God has to discipline us.  He does this not to punish us but to correct us and to help us see the error of our ways and return to Him.  If He did not, He would not be a loving and concerned Father.  Just as we discipline our own children for their welfare, so does our heavenly Father lovingly correct His children for their benefit.  One thing that is certain, though, is that even when He has to discipline us, He will still show us mercy.  This perfect mercy of God is just one of the many characteristics that make our God so awesome.  The next time you receive a gentle correction from God, remember his amazing mercy, and praise Him for it.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

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Chosen by God


Daily Bible Reading – 2 Samuel 21-23; 1 Thessalonians 1

Today’s Key Passage – 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10

 

There are a few concepts in Biblical Christianity that can be difficult if not impossible for human beings to fully understand.  There are three concepts that immediately come to mind.  The first is the Trinity.  It is difficult for us to fully comprehend God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit completely one and also completely separate.  Another example is the concept of eternal life in Heaven.  Think for a second about what it will be like to live for eternity.  If you think about it long enough, you will find that your mind will be running in circles because eternity is an idea that our human minds simply cannot fully understand.  The final example that immediately comes to mind is the doctrine of election.  In today’s key passage, Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica, “For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you” (Vs. 4).   He is telling the Thessalonians that they were chosen by God.  Simply stated, the doctrine of election holds that before the creation of the world, God predestined certain people to be His chosen people.  In Ephesians 1:3-6 we read, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”  It can be difficult for many of us to simultaneously understand the concept of God choosing us and our human responsibility of choosing to follow Him.  It is almost impossible for us to understand how these two seemingly opposite things can both be true at the same time.  Like the other examples above, our minds simply cannot fully understand all of the ways of God.

Now before we get too deep into a discussion of the five points of Calvinism, my point today is to simply ask you to think about one thing.  If you are reading this and have been saved by God’s grace, then you are one of His chosen people.  Before you even existed, God chose you to be one of His children.  He chose you to be saved.  He chose you to live for eternity with Him in Heaven.  How does that make you feel?  When we truly begin to embrace this idea of election, we cannot help but to be simply awestruck by God’s grace.  We cannot help but to feel completely blessed.  We cannot help but to feel totally loved.  We cannot help but to want to obey Him and serve Him.  Think about God’s election of you today, and thank Him for choosing you as one of His children.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

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Jesus Gives the Great Commission


Daily Bible Reading – 2 Samuel 19,20; Psalm 55; Matthew 28

Today’s Key Passage – Matthew 28:16-20

 

Following Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, he spent time with His disciples here on earth.  Right before He left this world and returned to the right hand of the Father, He left the disciples with a parting command.  Most followers of Christ have heard of the Great Commission, and most of them can even paraphrase the verse if not quote it verbatim.  Interestingly, though, for some Christians there seems to be some confusion as to what Jesus really commanded us to do.  In verses 19 and 20 of today’s key passage, Jesus said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”  It sounds fairly straightforward, but there is a slight problem.  Many times, as followers of Christ it can become easy for us to start focusing on the wrong word.  We tend to focus on “Go”.  We spend our time “going”, trying to do things for Christ.  We try to “go” to show our love for Him.  We think that “go” is the verb in Jesus’ sentence, but in the sentence, “Go and make disciples of all nations”; the word “go” is not the verb.  This is not the action Jesus is calling us to do.  The verb in the sentence is “make”.  The action Jesus is calling each and every follower of Christ to do is to make disciples.

What does it mean to make a disciple?  Does it mean leading people to Jesus?  Absolutely.  But it also means a lot more than that.  When Jesus first called the twelve disciples, He did not simply introduce Himself to them and then walk away leaving them to fend for themselves.  He did not tell them everything about Himself and then release them out into the world on their own.  What Jesus did was He walked with them.  He met with them regularly.  He answered their questions.  He taught them more about God.  He showed them the path they should follow, and then He took them down that path Himself.  This is how He made them disciples.  When we read the Great Commission, and we begin to focus on the real goal of making disciples, what better example do we have to follow than the example set forth by our Lord?  Introducing a lost soul to Jesus Christ is great.  Answering his or her questions about Christ is wonderful.  Leading them to salvation is awesome.  But to truly make a disciple, we have to keep going – we have to walk with that person.

There are three more quick points I would like to share about today’s key passage.  First, keep in mind that this is the Great Commission, not the Great Suggestion.  Making disciples is not optional.  This is a command to every one of us who call Jesus our Lord and Savior.  Secondly, Jesus told us to make disciples of “all” nations.  We are not to pick and choose who gets to hear about Jesus or who gets to come to Him.  The homeless man or the ex-prostitute who walks into the church should be greeted with joy and thanksgiving and we should do everything we can to make them disciples.  Finally, Jesus commanded that we teach others to “obey everything I have commanded”.  Just as we are not to pick and choose who can come to Christ, we cannot pick and choose which parts of Jesus message we should be teaching others to follow.  Many times, it can be easy to preach a “health and wealth” message, and leave out the parts about carrying our cross daily or dealing with persecution.  Teach others everything Jesus commanded, not just the things we think they will want to hear.

My prayer today is that each one of you reading this will take some time out of your busy day to stop and think about the Great Commission.  How are you doing with it?  Are you focusing on the right words?  Are you making disciples?

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

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Pilate Washes His Hands of Jesus


Daily Bible Reading – 2 Samuel 18; Psalm 56; Matthew 27

Today’s Key Passage – Matthew 27:11-26

 

In 1818, Ignaz Phillip Semmelweis was born into a world of dying women.  The finest hospitals in the world lost one out of six young mothers to the scourge of “childbed fever.”  A doctor’s daily routine began in the dissecting room where he performed autopsies.  From there, he made his way to the hospital to examine expectant mothers without ever pausing to wash his hands.  Dr. Semmelweis was the first man in history to associate such examinations with the resultant infection and death of the new mothers.  His own practice was to wash with a chlorine solution, and after eleven years and the delivery of 8,537 babies, he lost only 184 mothers–about one in fifty.  Though none of his colleagues believed him at the time, we know today about the importance of washing our hands.  In today’s key passage however, we see a different kind of hand washing.  The religious leaders were calling for Jesus execution, and Pilate was feeling the pressure.  He knew what he should do.  His own conscience told him that Jesus was not guilty of anything, and his wife confirmed his suspicions, but Pilate knew that if he released Jesus he would have a possible revolt on his hands that could cost him his job.  Since he could not come up with a solution that would make everyone happy, he decided to make no decision at all.  We read in verse 24, “When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said. ‘“It is your responsibility!’”  Pilate wanted to simply walk away from the decision and not take responsibility for the outcome, but in the end, he still allowed Jesus to be crucified.  In the end, he was still guilty.

There are many times when we can all feel tempted to simply “wash our hands” of a situation.  When we see people who do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, we may be tempted to not deal with the question of who He is.  When we see temptations in our lives that may lead us to sin, it is often too difficult to cut those temptations out of our lives completely.  When we see other believers sinning, it is often easier to stay quiet instead of correcting them in love.  When we see someone in need, it is often easier to walk by him instead of stopping to help.  I could fill this page and probably a couple more simply listing out examples of when we might be tempted to “wash our hands” of a situation instead of dealing with it, but the point is that in each of these examples there is one common truth – washing our hands does not make us innocent.  Walking away and choosing not to deal with a problem does not solve it, and in the eyes of God, we will still be found guilty.  When you are tempted to wash your hands of a situation, instead ask God for His guidance.  Allow Him to lead you to the right answer.  Allow Him to lead you down the right path.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

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Mary Anoints Jesus with Perfume


Daily Bible Reading – 2 Samuel 17; Psalm 71; Matthew 26

Today’s Key Passage – Matthew 26:6-13

 

In today’s key passage, we find the story of Mary of Bethany.  Mary actually has three different stories in the New Testament.  The first story is found in Luke 10:38-42 when Jesus visits her home.  While her sister Martha spends her time running around trying to serve Jesus, Mary sits at Jesus’ feet and listens to every word He has to say.  We see Mary again in John 11:1-44 when her brother Lazarus dies and Jesus resurrects him.  Her final story is found today in our passage, which is also located in Mark 14:3-9 and John 12:1-11.  Jesus is only days away from His crucifixion, and he stops at the home of Simon the Leper in Bethany.  While in this home, Mary came to Jesus with a very expensive jar of perfume and poured it over his head as He was reclining at a table.  In John’s account of this story, she also poured the perfume on Jesus’ feet and washed them with her hair.  (Please note that this is not the same event found in Luke 7:36-50 in which a sinful woman anoints Jesus’ feet.  This is a separate, although fairly similar event, and should not be confused with Mary’s story found in today’s passage.)  The disciples were not happy about Mary pouring this perfume on Jesus, as it was very expensive.  In fact, the disciples point out that the perfume could have been sold for a year’s wages and the money could have been given to the poor.  Jesus, however, was pleased with Mary’s gesture, and said, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”(Vss 10-13)

I think we can learn a lot from Mary’s story.  Mary knew that there was a time and a place to worship Jesus, regardless of the cost.  She did not seem to care that the perfume was costly.  She did not seem to care that the disciples would criticize her sacrifice.  The only thing she cared about was spending time worshiping Jesus, and she worshiped Him in the best way she knew.  Like Mary, it is important that we take the time to stop everything and worship Jesus.  We should spend our time with Him in prayer, and we should spend our time reading God’s Word.  For many of us, this might prove to be costly.  To really spend time with Jesus on a daily basis, we might have to get up early or stay up late.  We might have to spend our lunch break with Him instead of going out to lunch with the group from the office.  We might have to skip watching our favorite television show to make time to spend with Jesus.  There might be many things we need to sacrifice to make a time to worship Him, but all of these sacrifices are well worth it.  Though the disciples seemed to disagree at first, Jesus confirmed that Mary had her priorities straight.  When it comes to worshiping Jesus and spending time with Him, it is important that we have our priorities straight as well.  Do not allow anything to keep you from spending time worshiping Him daily.  As we spend more time with Jesus, we will continue to grow and mature in our faith, and we will find that we are better able to serve Him in all that we do.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

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May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.

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