Mary of Bethany
While studying admirable women in the Bible, one in particular stands out to me- Mary of Bethany. She was the sister of Lazarus, whom Jesus Christ raised from the dead. She was dear to Christ as she loved being in His presence, often sitting at His feet while He spoke. One evening, Jesus had dinner with Mary, Mary’s sister Martha, Lazarus, and Simon. Mary took out an expensive oil and begin anointing Jesus’s feet with it and wiping them with her hair (John 12:3). When she did this, many people had negative things to say about her because she was a “sinner”. Judas (Jesus’ disciple who later betrayed him) complained that she wasted such an expensive oil while it’s value was enough to feed the poor. (John 12:5) Jesus kindly told him that she was doing the right thing, cherishing her time with Him as she knew that her time with Him was short. The ointment she used to anoint His feet was so expensive that she could have sold it and become rich. It was probably the most expensive thing she owned yet she chose to pour it on the feet on Jesus. What a way to worship the Lord!
Mary sitting at the feet of the Lord, anointing and washing His feet, displayed her reverence for Him. She honored Him. She chose to spend all her time at His feet. Although people had negative things to say about her, it did not stop her worship. She cared more about what the Lord thought about her than what people had to say about her. If only more of us could adopt this mindset. If only we’d spend time at the feet of Jesus like Mary did. If only we’d lift our hands higher, raise our voices louder, part our lips wider despite the negative things people have to say. Nobody knows what you’ve been through more than you know. Nobody knows how hard it was to come out of your past better than you do. Nobody knows the cost of your praise, except you.
Jesus had given the complainers this parable: “There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?” (Luke 7:42) Which one of the debtors do you believe was more grateful? I’m sure that the debtor who owed more was more grateful as it cost the creditor so much more to pardon him. That is what Jesus wanted the complainers to understand. Yes, everyone in town probably knew about Mary’s past. But she was now a new creation in the eyes of the Lord. And for that she was grateful.Grateful for His forgiveness, His mercy, His grace, His Love. So she worshipped, not caring who was looking or listening, or who was complaining about her being there. She had a praise on the inside that she couldn’t keep to herself. And nobody was going to stop her.
Love, Mizz K ♥
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And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt……”
Numbers 14:11New Living Translation (NLT)
11 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?
The above scripture is the first verse I read in the Bible that made me really FEEL for God. Up until then I had never felt any emotion for Him. I knew that I am supposed to love God but I thought maybe praying to Him, reading His Word, and obeying His Word was loving Him. While loving Him does encompass all of those things, I realized that that’s not the only way to love God; I could actually FEEL love for Him. I got so emotional and cried when I read this verse… once I realized I was feeling an actual emotion for God, I went from crying to smiling to amazement because I never thought I could feel for Him. I had read the preceding chapters– Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus; so by this time I felt like I had gotten to know the Lord. In getting to know Him, I realized that when He said, “Let Us make man in Our own image” (Genesis 1:26), He was not only talking about physical image like I had always thought He meant (male, female, body, etc.); He was also talking about in His image as we are beings with feelings just like Him. The same way we feel happy, sad, hurt, angry, and any other emotion is the same way God feels. Yes, He FEELS. He even says in His Word that He is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14). And the Word also says that at one point, He was so angry with man that He REGRETTED creating us! (Genesis 6:6)
During the time of this verse, God had been using Moses to deliver His people, the Israelites, out of slavery in Egypt. He used Moses in a special way… He used Moses to perform miracles in front of the people so that they would believe in Him, trust Him, and give Him glory. These people had witnessed God’s miracles with their own eyes time after time and it still was never enough. It seemed nothing could make them happy. God delivered them from the hands of the Egyptians… He performed miracles….. he provided them with food and drink on their long journey into the Land that He promised they would inherit. But still they complained and they also sinned against God. So in this verse, the Lord is asking Moses how long are they going to keep trying me?? Why won’t they just listen?? When I read this, I felt sadness from the Lord. Knowing Him (I can say that now because I do), I am sure that He was angry but I felt more hurt coming from Him than anything. I thought about how He had done so much for His people yet they could not turn from their sinful ways; nor would they stop complaining.
Reminds me of us today…. God has worked in our lives in different ways to prove Himself to us (not that He has anything to prove); but I believe He proves Himself for us to continue to trust in Him and also so that we know it is HIM. He has proven Himself to be faithful…. forgiving…. loving…. miraculous…. redeeming… freeing (feel free to add to this)
And even then, we still wonder…. we still doubt… we still question…
We still turn away from Him when things are going wrong
But, I wonder what would happen if we decide….. to just trust that He knows what He’s doing?
Love, Mizz K ♥
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Love, Mizz K ♥ 