March 23, 2012

Mark 14:9- "Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

This verse came from the episode where an unnamed woman went to Christ during a Passover meal and anointed Him with expensive perfume.  Many there complained the perfume could have been sold and the proceeds used for a more "worthy" purpose.  Christ tells the crowd that what the woman did was a "beautiful thing" and that there would always be time to help the poor.  In fact, Jesus promised that the woman's act would be remembered "wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world".

While this story could be debated from many angles, Blackaby uses it to highlight the fact that the woman's expression of her love and devotion to Christ has affected people throughout the ages.  Blackaby writes that the woman, "did nothing spectacular; she performed no miracles; she preached no sermons."  Yet her act of "selfless loyalty" became part of the Holy Writ.

I am glad Blackaby was able to find contemporary application of this New Testament story.  "God can take your faithfulness and begin a spiritual legacy, making it a blessing to others for generations to come.  You will never know until eternity all who received a blessing because of your righteous life.  That is why it is to important that you daily express your love and devotion to Jesus."  (p. 145)

As so many times happens, God is right on time with His personal message to me.  This morning before I rolled out of the sack, I was going over my to-do list for today.  I prayed that God would use my life today to further His kingdom.  Then I started thinking about how my secular career offered little chance for ministry.  I thought, "Well, at least on Sundays I teach an ESL class and attend Sunday School."  How to make a lasting impact for Christ on a day-to-day basis was the lingering, unsettled question that accompanied me downstairs to my Bible and blog.

Within a few minutes, I had the answer to my question thanks to Mark and the unnamed woman with the perfume.  If every thing I say and each interaction I have during my waking hours are designed to glorify God, then I will have a daily ministry.  Maybe I won't preach a sermon or lead someone in the believer's prayer, but my actions, reactions and speech can touch untold numbers for Christ.