United As One Holy Priesthood In Christ

Psalm 133:1-3 KJV

Indignant And Arrogant

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 there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?

For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.

And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.

For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.

She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.

Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. 

                                                                               (Mark 14:3-10 KJV)

Indignant and I'd say a bit arrogant were some of the disciples. Why should this woman waste money on such an extravagant gift for Jesus?

Was Judas, the disciple in charge of their money, upset to see such waste? Or, was he upset because he thought Jesus was making excuses for this mere woman who was being so forward? Maybe, he felt offended because Jesus reminded them that they could help the poor whenever they wished. Maybe Judas felt that Jesus was hinting that they themselves, including Judas, could do much more to help the poor.

Apparently Judas' feelings were hurt. He was one of the indignant. So indignant that he wanted to get even with Jesus so he betrayed him and handed him over to be tried.

Judas isn't the only one. Humankind has a habit of striking back when things don't go exactly their way. Humankind also has a habit of pointing fingers at others and blaming these others for the poor in the world. They could help so much more if they were only willing! But, here Jesus reminds us "For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good."

Do good to one another. Help those in need. It is not just the government's job to do that. It is ours. It is up to each of us as individuals and as members of the Body of Christ to help those in need. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Dead Flies

As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,    so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
                                                    (Eccl 10:1 NIV)

Yes, the odor of dead flies can really mask the odor of any perfume. Just ask any person who lives where they come out in swarms in the heat of the summer sun and they will confirm it. I lived in one home, years ago, that actually had to be vacuumed as you made your way into the house on the warmest of days as dead and dying flies covered the floors. Believe me! The odor of dead flies can really overpower the smell of perfume of the finest of roses.

So, too, a mistake here or there, whether purposely or not, can really mess up one's day if not their whole life. It is best to try to think things through. It doesn't hurt to listen to the options in order to help you decide if your choice is the "little folly" or "wisdom and honor." Choose wisely, your future, your life, may well depend up on it.

May God help you to choose His wisdom over the world's folly.

God's Peace - Pr. J