Jesus: A Most Precious Commodity

“The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.”  - Jack London

It seems that everyone is concerned about waste of one kind or another. There's waste of resources; such as land and water, waste of space, waste of food, and waste of money; just to mention a few.

However, the biggest and worst waste just may be that of time. As an example, a 2014 survey found that the average American spends more that 5 hours watching t.v. daily. What's worse is that people 65+ watch seven hours or more!

Our days here on earth are numbered (Job 15:5). Each of us has been alloted a certain amount time for life here (Psalm 39:5). Of course, only God knows how many days of life we have, but if you did, would you friviously squander your precious days away?

Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3-9 give us a biblical lesson in waste. Here, all the disciples joined Judas in scolding Mary for wasting expensive perfume on Jesus when it could have been sold and the money given to the poor.

I can only imagine poor Mary just standing there in tears after being lambasted by the group for what they perceived as a blatant, and deliberate waste of an expensive perfume. But something wonderful happens. Jesus himself steps in and defends Mary (Matthew 26:13),

While the disciples could only see her act as a waste of good, marketable perfume; Jesus looked at it from a completely different perspective. He saw the action of Mary as an example of what we all should do, or be doing; that we should come to Him and waste ourselves on Him.

Wasting ourselves on Christ is not the "waste" that we are familiar with. It's true that perfume, in that ancient culture, was indeed a precious commodity, and one not to be wasted. But isn't Jesus even more costly than any perfume could ever be?

The significance of the simple act of Mary pouring it on Him was huge. And it didn't go unnoticed by Jesus. If you get nothing else out of this, it should serve to demonstrate to each one of us the true estimate of His worth.

Spending time getting to know Jesus, praying to Him, reading Scripture, and serving Him is never a waste. His death on the cross was not a waste. He gave it all for you and I because we are so precious to Him.

Jesus is worth devoting all you are and everything you have to Him. We might waste our lives on a lot of things, but letting Him into your heart is never a waste. Why not turn off the television for a bit and give it a try?

Scripture: Ephesians 5:16-17; Colossians 3:23; Ecclesiastes 3:1; Psalm 90:12; James 4:14  

Prayer: Dear Lord, I pray to use my days to serve You to my fullest; and that I will not waste one minute, or hour on things that serve no fruitful purpose at all. Amen

Have a blessed weekend!

Kylee