The Oil of Sacrifice

I was listening to one of my favorite pastor's today and caught a great lesson. I love this so I just had to pass it on.

We know that when we get saved, we give our life to God. He bought it with His sacrifice, so He wants all of it. We know that, but it's not that easy to do. We tend to hold back in areas that we really don't want to let go of, even when we know fully well that we shouldn't. We understand that God has nothing but good intended for us, but we still can't seem to let go all the way.

Why is that? What are we afraid of losing? Because that's what it's all about. We think we'll lose something. If we let go of that area, we'll lose something we think is valuable. If we do let go, God will do something remarkable with it and then we see how it all works out. We just don't look at it like that in the beginning.

Remember the story of Mary coming to Jesus with a jar of scented oil that she poured over him? She had to overcome two big hurdles to do that. First, the disciples yelled at her for wasting money that could have gone to feed the poor. Secondly, it was VERY expensive, a year's wages. Could she really afford to do that?

Jesus didn't mind the sacrifice. He accepted it lovingly. He must have walked out of that house smelling like a million bucks, literally. But what about Mary? She wiped his feet with her hair. She walked away smelling like a million bucks too. She poured herself out to him and was blessed by the very act.

We have to stop thinking about what we'll lose if we give God everything. It's negative thinking. If we think sacrificially, God can't help Himself from blessing back. It's just His nature and He loves to do it. Pouring yourself out only makes more room for Him to pour Himself in.