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What Gift is Acceptable to the Lord?
Andrea Lende • January 24, 2021
Mark 14:4 and 6
What Can I Give that is Acceptable?
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/What-Can-I-Give-that-is-Acceptable-epdg72
Mark 14:4 and 6
“But there were some who were moved with indignation and said to themselves, To what purpose was the ointment (perfume) thus wasted?”
“But Jesus said, Let her alone; why are you troubling her? She has done a good and beautiful thing to Me [praiseworthy and noble].”
Mary had just poured a perfumed ointment over Jesus before His death to ready Him for His burial.
The men who watched her complained.
They complained because it was a very expensive ointment.
It cost as much as the wages a man could have earned in a year.
They saw this as a waste of money.
They thought they could have cared for so many more poor people with the money it would have brought if they sold it.
Let’s assume their intentions were pure.
Let’s assume all the money would have actually gone to take care of the poor.
Jesus’ response was still no.
He told them to leave her alone.
He told them she was doing a very beautiful thing for Him.
She was doing what she could.
Just as Jesus counted the widow’s coins as more than all the other offerings, He knew the value of Mary’s gift.
He knew this was what Mary could do.
This was the best and most beautiful thing that Mary could do.
Though there were many men against it, Jesus counted her gift as beautiful and perfect in His sight.
She was doing a most blessed thing for Jesus.
She was preparing Him for His death and burial which proceeded the most wonderful of all things – His resurrection.
We are all given the gifts we have from God above.
Our Maker has bestowed upon us all very unique talents and gifts.
We give back according to what He has given us.
And He counts it as perfect.
In other’s eyes our gifts to the Lord may seem ridiculous or miniscule or out of the ordinary.
However, we give to the Lord what He puts on our hearts to give to Him.
Let us not worry about the opinions of others.
Let us not give according to someone else’s abilities or standards.
Let us give to the Lord as He whispers to give to Him in our hearts.
He will count it as beautiful and wonderful.
Today I choose to give to the Lord as He has given me the ability to give knowing He will count it as perfect in His sight.
May you find your gifts to the Lord will be received in all their beauty and grace unto Him.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for Your Word that continues to teach me of Your love. Thank You for every ounce of Wisdom You impart into my spirit. May You never stop teaching me. Thank You for Jesus’ life His life here on earth teaches us how to better live ours. Lord You bless each of Your children with gifts and talents specific to each one of us. May we give back to You accordingly. Accept our gifts and offerings as we are able to give and count them as perfect in Your sight. Thank You, Father, for Your gracious Spirit. Thank You for blessing what we have so it is enough for us and more than enough to offer back to You. Help us give to You from a pure heart. May we hear Your gentle whispers of love and grace. Thank You for all You are and all you do. Help us bless one another, Father. Thank You for hearing our prayer.
Answer: I receive the offerings you give and bless them, so they are perfect in My sight.
Response: Thank You, most gracious Lord and God.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.