March 27th, 2021
Love Goes the Distance - Day 35 – Saturday, March 27th – Pastor Todd Crofford
Read Mark 14:1–11 and focus on 14:3-7 below
Remember to Pause | Read | Reflect | Listen |Pray | Journal |Practice | Encourage/Share |Fast
And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply.
But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. (NKJV)
Do you have a calculator's brain? As you shop, you can just tell about how much you’ve spent, and when you cash out, you are within a buck or two. When a waitress drops the bill at the table, and you see the total, you just can sense something wasn’t put on that bill properly. That sort of mind is a blessing and a curse. If, like me, you have that kind of brain, you know what I mean. People with calculator's brains are not better or worse than anyone else; it just is part of how we think. There were a few like that at dinner in this passage. It was a struggle for them to reconcile the math on what they had just seen, and they were comparing notes with each other in the form of complaining.
Sometimes following God requires us to quiet the keys of our calculator. Living in abandon to him might involve a sudden outpouring of our time or money that is not measured. The depth of this woman’s love for Jesus led to a gift that was neither reserved nor calculated. She could have used a measured portion of her perfume and accomplished similar results- but her heart was all in, and it just felt right to go all the way. Those gripers didn’t know that Jesus was 48 hours from going all in for them, giving his life in the most generous act in history. Sometimes our love for Jesus just has to be shared with a reckless abandon that goes beyond what would seem necessary, lurching forward to what is extravagant. He loved us that way, and sometimes we should throw the calculator away and excessively love him back.
Prayer Focus – Today, we will pray as we begin Holy Week at Real Life tomorrow that in all of our worship experiences, in-person or online, leading up to Resurrection Sunday, the Spirit of God has a powerful effect upon those who will be attending.
Read Mark 14:1–11 and focus on 14:3-7 below
Remember to Pause | Read | Reflect | Listen |Pray | Journal |Practice | Encourage/Share |Fast
And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply.
But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. (NKJV)
Do you have a calculator's brain? As you shop, you can just tell about how much you’ve spent, and when you cash out, you are within a buck or two. When a waitress drops the bill at the table, and you see the total, you just can sense something wasn’t put on that bill properly. That sort of mind is a blessing and a curse. If, like me, you have that kind of brain, you know what I mean. People with calculator's brains are not better or worse than anyone else; it just is part of how we think. There were a few like that at dinner in this passage. It was a struggle for them to reconcile the math on what they had just seen, and they were comparing notes with each other in the form of complaining.
Sometimes following God requires us to quiet the keys of our calculator. Living in abandon to him might involve a sudden outpouring of our time or money that is not measured. The depth of this woman’s love for Jesus led to a gift that was neither reserved nor calculated. She could have used a measured portion of her perfume and accomplished similar results- but her heart was all in, and it just felt right to go all the way. Those gripers didn’t know that Jesus was 48 hours from going all in for them, giving his life in the most generous act in history. Sometimes our love for Jesus just has to be shared with a reckless abandon that goes beyond what would seem necessary, lurching forward to what is extravagant. He loved us that way, and sometimes we should throw the calculator away and excessively love him back.
Prayer Focus – Today, we will pray as we begin Holy Week at Real Life tomorrow that in all of our worship experiences, in-person or online, leading up to Resurrection Sunday, the Spirit of God has a powerful effect upon those who will be attending.
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