Bruce Collins, Evangelist

The personal website of Bruce Collins

She Hath done what She Could

 

Mark 14:8 She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.

 

Great expectations

Most of us have dreams and expectations when we are younger.  Sometimes we want to do things that we simply cannot do.  In some cases it is because of lack of money and in some cases we simply don’t know how to do what we want to do.   When we realize that we are not able to do the big things that we wanted to do, we sometimes forget to do the littler things that we can do. 

 

Mary of Bethany did what she could  

Oh that each of us would follow her example.  What can we do if we love the Lord? 

We can:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
(16) Rejoice always, (Count your blessings)
(17) pray without ceasing, (Don’t give up on God)
(18) in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (Quit complaining)
(19) Do not quench the Spirit. (Don’t tell God how to do His business, let God tell you)
(20) Do not despise prophecies. (Don’t pick and choose what you want to believe)
(21) Test all things; hold fast what is good. (Don’t be hasty in making judgments)
(22) Abstain from every form of evil. (Don’t assume that just because everyone does it, you should do it)

 

These are some things that we who say we love the Lord, can and should do.  While we are waiting for the Lord to allow us to be popular, accepted and successful (things He has never promised), we can and should do what we can.  And actually, what we can do might be more valuable than what we wanted to do but cannot do.

 

Mary’s act of devotion was planned.  She had obtained fragrant anointing oil worth about a year’s wages.  If a penny was a day’s work, she had obtained oil worth 300 day’s work.  And then she went and wasted it.  She poured it on the Lord.  All the disciples criticized her but Judas seemed to have the biggest problem with what she did. However, the Lord didn’t criticize her.  He commended her.  But Judas was a thief and had just been deprived of a large sum of cash that he could have skimmed for himself.  Mary’s act of devotion seemed to be the thing that finally tipped him over and caused him to sell the Lord for 30 pieces of silver.

 

So while what she did might seem insignificant to us, it really was a sacrificial act of devotion.  It was something she could do.  And she did it.  She apparently believed the Lord when He spoke of his coming crucifixion and planned ahead for it

 

What Can We Do?

Are we giving every man an answer with regard to the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15)?  Have we gotten baptized (immersed) to show our public identification with the Lord?  Do we remember the Lord “often” to show our devotion? Do we allow the Lord to be the head in our churches or are we telling Him how to run His church?  Are we growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord?  Do people want to know why we are rejoicing and praying and submitting to the word of God?  Do they wonder why there are certain activities we avoid and certain people that we do not call our friends even when we are trying to help them? 

 

We should not let what we can’t do discourage us from doing what we can do.  It just might lead to many people being in heaven.  Mary’s devotion is a part of the Gospel and wherever it is preached, what she did is remembered.  She did what she could and it turned out to be a great work of devotion.  There is no doubt that many people have heard that Christ died for their sins because Mary did what she could and anointed the Lord for His burial.

 

Bruce Collins

 

Meditation for the week of  February 12, 2017

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