RECOVER YOUR SELF -WORTH

Rev Michael Benson Ajayi
KJVMark 14:3..6 "And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head."  ..."And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.”

           The word ‘good’  in this text is the Greek word  ‘kalos’ and it means ‘beautiful’, valuable or virtuous (for appearance or use, and thus distinguished)’ .  This verse of scripture demonstrates the importance of aesthetics in the presentation of the message of the kingdom. The English dictionary defines beautiful as “possessing qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind:”  Beauty is attractive that is why Satan uses this attribute of creation in propagating rebellion against God's law. Beauty is a quality of Godliness that has been corrupted to the detriment of humanity like in the pornographic industry .

            The scriptures admonishes us to worship God in the beauty of his holiness. Heaven is God’s holy abode and  the epitome of beauty. Holiness is a beautiful experience to be celebrated in Christ. The woman in Mark14:3-6 had worked all her life to make herself look beautiful in the eyes of the world but had no peace.
      The scriptures say all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom3:23). The word ‘glory’ is a Greek word ‘doxa’ which means ‘praiseworthiness’. Sin creates a sense of the lack of self-worth .It is spiritual and cannot be hidden by cosmetics.True beauty is a thing of the heart (1Peter3:3-5)you cannot heal or conceal  a broken heart through therapy.Jesus is the only one that can heal a broken heart.Therefore , haven witnessed the resurrection of her brother Lazarus from death,Mary became convinced Jesus could definitely heal a broken heart.

            She had invested all her wages in the pursuit of love and self-esteem but it only resulted in emotional abuse , dishonour and sexual exploitation . The more she craved to be loved by the world , the emptier she became until she met Jesus. God's grace gave her unlimited access to Jesus' presence against the prevailing religious tradition which relegated women of easy virtue to the background.  Luke 7:39  NIV says “When the Pharisee ….saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is — that she is a sinner." Jesus Christ instantaneously gave this woman a sense of worth greater than what she had been pursuing all her life and in response to his love ,she gave him her most prized possession .Women do not only want to be seen as objects of pleasure but deserving honour and love.  

        True worship should evoke  giving our best to the service of God like this woman did as commanded in Mark 12:30 AMP” And you shall love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your life) and out of and with all your mind (with your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength. This is the first and principal commandment.  [Deut 6:4,5.] . The fragrance of that very expensive perfume announced Jesus’ presence wherever He went and made Him more appealing. 

         People get offended when we worship God this way. Judas, one of Jesus disciples, was quick to register his indignation by openly criticizing this woman’s act of benevolence claiming it was more beneficial for the perfume to have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor but never mentioned how he ( Judas) gave out his most valuable possession to the poor as an example for others to follow. Persons who easily get upset when preachers of the gospel are showered with precious gifts , do not really care about the poor. Benevolence is a common camouflage used by sinners to appear righteous, but God is not deceived . We should not  be deterred by such display of self righteousness by critics  rather focus on the benefits of worship with our substance. That woman experienced deliverance from all that had weighed her down the very moment Jesus said “leave her alone” . Your contributions to missionary work gives you access to peace , joy and honour . 

Prayer : Heavenly Father forgive me of my sins against you I believe Jesus Christ died and was raised again for my salvation I receive him as lord and saviour and receive the Holy Ghost and power for  restoration of my lost glory in Jesus name.  
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