She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.
Mark 14:8
Mark 14:8
In this passage, a woman broke an alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over the head of Jesus. Some criticized her for wasting what could have been sold to provide money for ministry. But Jesus knew that she was honoring him. His words are precious to me as well- She did what she could.
Have you ever been sure that God was calling you to do something, but when you do it, the result is not really what you expected? Disappointment often accompanies our unmet expectations of how people will react to our obedience to God. Maybe you planned an activity at the church and only a handful of people showed up or you spent time listening to a friend and gave them advice only to see them make a poor decision. The temptation is to give up and not follow God's call anymore.
This verse really struck me when I read it in my devotions this week. The woman in this passage acted in obedience to God's call. She gave the best she had to offer. She "did what she could". In my devotional, Devotions for Ministry Wives, Dorothy Kelley Patterson says that, "I must simply be willing to do what I can with what I have while I can where I can- and then leave the results to God." God sees the big picture and He has a plan. We are only called to obey. Our controlling nature wants to be in charge of the outcome. We want to be the one who sets the standard for what is judged to be successful. These things should be left to God.
My pride needed this lesson this week. God only calls me to obey, "do what I can" (the best I have to give) and leave the rest up to Him. If I really stop to think about this, it is kind of a relief. Letting God be God takes the pressure off of me.
My wise husband tried to tell me all of this in his own way last week, but I had to struggle through and figure it out on my own. Luckily God knows that it often takes hearing things in a few different ways before they finally sink into my thick brain! (Like the mole in the whack-a-mole game at Chuck E. Cheese who gets hit on the head over and over again!)
I'm glad God is patient with me. I do usually get what He is trying to teach me, it just sometimes takes a lot of processing.
I have so much to learn!
Have you ever been sure that God was calling you to do something, but when you do it, the result is not really what you expected? Disappointment often accompanies our unmet expectations of how people will react to our obedience to God. Maybe you planned an activity at the church and only a handful of people showed up or you spent time listening to a friend and gave them advice only to see them make a poor decision. The temptation is to give up and not follow God's call anymore.
This verse really struck me when I read it in my devotions this week. The woman in this passage acted in obedience to God's call. She gave the best she had to offer. She "did what she could". In my devotional, Devotions for Ministry Wives, Dorothy Kelley Patterson says that, "I must simply be willing to do what I can with what I have while I can where I can- and then leave the results to God." God sees the big picture and He has a plan. We are only called to obey. Our controlling nature wants to be in charge of the outcome. We want to be the one who sets the standard for what is judged to be successful. These things should be left to God.
My pride needed this lesson this week. God only calls me to obey, "do what I can" (the best I have to give) and leave the rest up to Him. If I really stop to think about this, it is kind of a relief. Letting God be God takes the pressure off of me.
My wise husband tried to tell me all of this in his own way last week, but I had to struggle through and figure it out on my own. Luckily God knows that it often takes hearing things in a few different ways before they finally sink into my thick brain! (Like the mole in the whack-a-mole game at Chuck E. Cheese who gets hit on the head over and over again!)
I'm glad God is patient with me. I do usually get what He is trying to teach me, it just sometimes takes a lot of processing.
I have so much to learn!
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