John 12:1-11 | What's the lesson for me today?
This image of Mary before Jesus, pouring out the best of what she has before Him and humbling herself to the extent that she has is a favorite of mine. I commonly consider this image when I am coming before the Lord. See what it is she has just experienced. Her brother died. Had Jesus been there, she knew her brother would live. Then something astounding happened. When Jesus got there, her brother rose and lived. Jesus brought Lazarus up from the grave. Fast forward to the point we are at now, Mary is pouring out this oil on Jesus' feet and wiping his feet with her hair in praise and thanksgiving. This is not an image of someone coming out of desperation and need of Jesus for anything. This is coming out of a place of pure adoration.
It is no secret that our society has a really hard time with praise and thanksgiving. We are built largely upon ungratefulness. I found that many believers sincerely struggle with what praise is supposed to look like. The only vocabulary we have surrounding thankfulness is "Thank you". We don't know how to receive from people. We don't know how to appreciate the goodness that is given us. Most of us doubt the goodness God has poured out. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that some of you reading this even struggle with the idea that the Lord wants you to thank Him for what He has done because you feel like there is still more that needs to be done. You feel like you can thank Him when everything is entirely completed. As a result, you lack thankfulness in your life.
What point do we sit before Jesus like Mary does here? When do we pour out the best of our thanksgiving regardless of what people say around us? When do we humble ourselves before Him recognizing that we hardly even understand the depth of His power toward us who believe? Mary got it. She laid herself out before Jesus in thanksgiving and gave the best of what she had. My lesson for me today is that I need to take upon a similar posture of worship and praise before the Lord.
What lesson are you taking away today?
It is no secret that our society has a really hard time with praise and thanksgiving. We are built largely upon ungratefulness. I found that many believers sincerely struggle with what praise is supposed to look like. The only vocabulary we have surrounding thankfulness is "Thank you". We don't know how to receive from people. We don't know how to appreciate the goodness that is given us. Most of us doubt the goodness God has poured out. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that some of you reading this even struggle with the idea that the Lord wants you to thank Him for what He has done because you feel like there is still more that needs to be done. You feel like you can thank Him when everything is entirely completed. As a result, you lack thankfulness in your life.
What point do we sit before Jesus like Mary does here? When do we pour out the best of our thanksgiving regardless of what people say around us? When do we humble ourselves before Him recognizing that we hardly even understand the depth of His power toward us who believe? Mary got it. She laid herself out before Jesus in thanksgiving and gave the best of what she had. My lesson for me today is that I need to take upon a similar posture of worship and praise before the Lord.
What lesson are you taking away today?
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2026
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John 14:22-31 | What's the lesson for me today?John 14:22-31 | What am I going to do about it?John 14:22-31 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 15:1-11John 15:1-11 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 15:1-11 | What's the connection?John 15:1-11 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 15:1-11 | What's the lesson for me today?John 15:1-11 | What am I going to do about it?John 15:1-11 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 15:12-27John 15:12-27 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 15:12-27 | What's the connection?John 15:12-27 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 15:12-27 | What's the lesson for me today?John 15:12-27 | What am I going to do about it?John 15:12-27 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 16:1-15John 16:1-15 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 16:1-15 | What's the connection?John 16:1-15 | What’s a lesson for the original audience?John 16:1-15 | What's the lesson for me today?John 16:1-15 | What am I going to do about it?John 16:1-15 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 16:16-33John 16:16-33 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 16:16-33 | What's the connection?John 16:16-33 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 16:16-33 | What's the lesson for me today?John 16:16-33 | What am I going to do about it?John 16:16-33 | Prayer Prompts
February
Passage of the Week: John 17John 17 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 17 | What's the connection?John 17 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 17 | What's the lesson for me today?John 17 | What am I going to do about it?John 17 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 18:1-11John 18:1-11 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 18:1-11 | What's the connection?John 18:1-11 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 18:1-11 | What's the lesson for me today?John 18:1-11 | What am I going to do about it?John 18:1-11 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 18:12-40John 18:12-40 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 18:12-40 | What's the connection?John 18:12-40 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 18:12-40 | What's the lesson for me today?John 18:12-40 | What am I going to do about it?John 18:12-40 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 19John 19 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 19 | What's the connection?John 19 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 19 | What's the lesson for me today?John 19 | What am I going to do about it?John 19 | Prayer Prompts
March
Passage of the Week: John 20John 20 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 20 | What's the connection?John 20 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 20 | What's the lesson for me today?John 20 | What am I going to do about it?John 20 | Prayer PromptsJohn 21 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 21John 21 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 21 | What's the connection?John 21 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 21 | What's the lesson for me today?John 21 | What am I going to do about it?Passage of the Week: Hebrews 1:1-4Hebrews 1:1-4 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What's the connection?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What is a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What am I going to do about it?Hebrews 1:1-4 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: Hebrews 1:5-14Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's the connection?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What am I going to do about it?Hebrews 1:5-14 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: Hebrews 2:1-4Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's the connection?
April
Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 2:1-4 | What am I going to do about it?Hebrews 2:1-4 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: Hebrews 2:5-9Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's the connection?Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's a lesson for the original audience?
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