Skip to main content

A Good Phrase for a Good Year

                Just days away from his crucifixion, Jesus was sharing a meal with some friends in a little village outside of Jerusalem.  While he was eating, a woman came in, broke open a very expensive jar of perfume and poured it on Jesus’ head.  Immediately, those gathered began complaining about this woman’s actions and how this perfume could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money could have been given to the poor (Mark 14:5).
                As they continued to grumble, Jesus turned to them and said, “Why are you bothering her?  She has done a beautiful thing to me…. She did what she could!” (verses 6-8).
                I love the line, “She did what she could”. 
This woman did not fix every problem.  She did not stop the hate that the religious leaders felt toward Jesus.  She did not take away the pain that Mary had to endure as she watched her son being crucified.  She did not take away the disciple’s fear.  She did not convert the entire village to belief in Christ.  She did, however, do something kind, and Jesus praised her for it.  She did what she could.
                I wonder what would happen if I approached the new year with that same attitude.  Instead of looking for excuses and reasons to remain uninvolved in what is happening around me, what if I did what I could to support and encourage others?   What if I forgot about me and put you first?  What if I took some action, however big or small it may be, and trusted that God could use it?
                I do not know exactly what would happen, but I do know this:  2019 would be a good year, because I would be invested in making things better. 
                Unlike other New Year’s resolutions, this one is not about being better, working harder or doing more.  It is simply about changing our attitudes and seeing what we can give rather than what we can get.   
Forget about doing something big and splashy.  Forget about whether you will be noticed or not.  Forget about the cost.  Just do the good that you can do.  Something good will come of it and God will be praised.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: A Path Worth Following

  Jehoram was a terrible king.  He reigned in Judah around the year 850 B.C. and he did not care about God or his people.  His first act as king was to assassinate his six brothers so that no one could challenge his authority.  He was brutal and selfish.   Therefore, when the Bible sums up his life, it says, “Jehoram… passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David” (2 Chronicles 21:20).  Did you catch that?  “To no one’s regret!”  What a terrible phrase for your tombstone. On the other hand, consider a lady named Tabitha.  She lived in the city of Joppa in the first century A.D. and we are told, “… she was always doing good and helping the poor” (Acts 9:36).  She became sick and died.  This caused the community so much grief that they called Peter, who was in the nearby town of Lydda, to come and help them.  When Peter arrived, a crowd gathered, bringing all the robes and other clothing that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: Twenty-three Descriptions of God (Psalm 145)

  Let’s play a quick game.  Take 10 seconds and list 5 or 6 words to describe God.  Got your words?  Good!   Here comes the game part.  I will list twenty-three ways that David describes God in Psalm 145, and we will see how many of his words match yours.   David says that God is, the king, great, majestic, wonderful, powerful, awesome, abundant in goodness, righteous, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love, good to all, glorious, mighty, trustworthy, faithful, supporting, generous, providing, near, saving and watching.     How did you do? This is not a useless exercise.  The words we use to describe God not only indicate something about how we see him, but they also influence how we interact with him.  For example, if I know that God is “Gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (verse 8), I will not fear him, and I will not assume that he is against me.  When I remember that...
Post a Comment
Read more