Start in the Right Position

John 12:2 - 8 

"So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.

Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”

He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

Mark 14:9
And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

A lot of times we as believers really get stuck in ruts.  We go about with our busyness as usual.  We do our chores and tasks and rush through most everything that we do.  This is especially true with our culture here in the United States.  We are so focused on being productive, that we've really lost sight of what it means to evaluate the produce, or fruit, of our lives.

We may even say a few quick prayers, read a few scriptures in the Bible, or read a short "devotional", but we then head on our way to accomplish our tasks for the day like a soldier on a mission.  However, when we step back and look at our lives, is it really going anywhere?  Is our walk with the Lord the same, or not much different, than it was a few weeks, months, or even years ago?

If you hesitate at this, then it's very likely that there is a problem.  A problem that calls for immediate attention.

In John 12, we can read the story of Mary anointing the feet of Jesus with a very expensive perfume valued at about one year of the average income at that time.  This was a gift that required a very deep personal sacrifice.  Make no mistake about this sacrifice; there was no regret or remorse for having given a gift of such value.  If there had been remorse on Mary's part, Jesus would not have said that this very story would be told as a "memorial of her".

Only true worship can grab the attention of our Savior like that.

At that day and age, tables were not arranged like we are accustomed to.  They didn't have chairs where everyone sat upright looking directly at one another.  Rather, tables were low to the ground with matt-like cushions laying around a U-shaped arrangement of tables as shown here.

The men at the table would actually by laying on their sides.  So when you envision Mary anointing Jesus' feet, there was no elevation of Jesus' feet.  There was not a stool to set his feet on so it could be easier to perform the task of anointing his feet.  NO!  She virtually had to be on her face to the ground as an absolute act of surrender, symbol of public submission and humility, and a total reckless act of love for Jesus.

What could move a person to abandon themselves like this?  How can someone be so careless about their dignity, especially among influential people around them?  How can someone risk their reputation, all for the sake of showing such passionate love?

I'll tell you how.

Jesus' love is so deep, so vast, so wide that no mind can grasp the magnitude of His love.  Mary had a glimpse.  A glimpse so powerful that she not only gave this precious gift to Jesus, but she also did it at the cost of her pride.  How dare a woman at that time uncover her hair before a group of men! But Mary didn't value her pride over Jesus!

She had found something more valuable than her pride.

Oh, how encouraged I am to release myself to the worship of our Savior when I read this account of what Mary did.  She betrayed the cultural norms, was extravagant in her worship, and stepped out in such love and faith that the Son of the Living God prophesied of this story being told in her honor for thousands of years to come!

The Bible says that "The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume."  There was no doubt at all what was done.  They could all smell it.  The atmosphere of that home was radically changed, not by the presence of Jesus, but by an act of love given, and an act of love received!

Just think, Mary could smell this perfume on her for days to come.  Every time air would move through her hair, the sweet smell of extravagant worship would pour though her nose.  She would relive that moment.  The moment where the Savior would stand up for her and honor her, making a memorial for generations to come!  Everywhere she went, people could smell the "worship" she had given!

Look back over the course of the scriptures and see what happens when a person falls at the feet of Jesus and worships Him.  The sick are healed, the blind see, and the captives are set free!

I'm telling you that there is power in worship!  There is power in His presence, because He is love and He responds to our acts of love for Him, no matter how faulty our love may be; He still engages and connects with us on the deepest levels.

 We must stop and ask ourselves, "When I spend time with the Lord, does His presence carry with me the rest of the day just like it carried with Mary?"  Is my life a life of worship where people can "smell" the sweet fragrance of worship on my life?

No matter how you answer these questions, I encourage you today to make a change.  Turn your heart towards the Lord like never before.  DARE to break out of the routine and DARE to step into reckless worship!

Watch the relationships you've been praying for begin to mend; healing come to your body; receive answers to impossible situations; have clarity of your purpose and calling come; and watch as breakthroughs run to you and overcome impossible odds!

As you read this, Jesus is standing there by you.  His arms are open wide calling you into a deeper walk with Him.

What will you do?  Will you invite Him into your life deeper than before, or will you continue with routine?  Will your time with Him extend beyond your pre-programed method of being spiritual and godly?  Will you dare to give up your reputation for a love that will last through eternity?

Get ready.  Your new life of worship is about to launch you into the depths.  Don't fear…that's where Jesus walks on water.