June 12, 2009 "Ruin to Restoration"
Triumphant Victorious Reminders
Inspired by the Holy Spirit
By: Teresa Criswell
"A woman came up to Him with an alabaster flask of very precious perfume and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. And when the disciples saw it they were indignant saying, 'For what purpose is all this waste? For this perfume might have been sold for a large sum and the money given to the poor.' But Jesus, fully aware of this said to them, 'Why do you bother the woman? She has done a noble (praiseworthy and beautiful) thing to Me. For you always have the poor among you but you will not always have Me. In pouring this perfume on my body she has done something to prepare Me for My burial. Truly I tell you, where this good news (the Gospel), is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will be told also, in memory of her.'"
~ Matthew 26:7-13 ~ Amplified Version
"I must see Jesus!" "What shall I wear?" "What could I bring to Him to show Him my love for Him?" Her face blushed as she realized what she was premeditating.
Suddenly, she saw something through her peripheral vision. She turned to find an alabaster box and with excitement her eyes twinkled with a provoking thought, "I can offer to Him what is inside the alabaster box."
Her thoughts became a battlefield of doubt and reasoning as the conversation in her mind took place,
"No, the box filled with perfume is too expensive, that will be a waste."
"No! But wait, He is worth more to me that even this alabaster box filled with fine perfume."
"What if His disciples turn me away and don't allow me to see Him?"
"They have been known to embarass people by trying to 'shoo' them away. With my dark past, this will be a perfect opportunity for them to shame me."
"I don't care, I must see Him and I must do this, He must know my love for Him."
As I imagine this scene of the woman with the alabaster box. This unforgettable woman who came to Jesus, washing Him with the fine perfume from the broken alabaster box, it is a glimpse of her own life of brokenness revealing her hopes of restoration and dreams of being made whole again.
No matter what her dark past consisted of, she knew that He would restore her. She assuredly knew His compassion, love and mercy that He had shown all the times before upon the thousands of people that He encountered would take place upon her life.
I imagine that as she pre-meditated this meeting with Him that her fears of many things would try to stop her from meeting her Destiny Maker; Jesus Christ. Soon after this encounter with this woman, Jesus would face His destiny to do His Father's will which was to die for the sins of the world; past, present and future so that Father God would have His family restored back to Him.
I imagine that at that moment as He was getting ready to face death, hell and the grave; this woman unknowingly as her heart was filled with love for Him was preparing for His death and burial.
I love how just as she was preparing for this; in turn He would put to death and bury her shame and new life would resurrect upon hers.
Please know that the Lover of your soul is waiting for you to come to Him. He doesn't want you to wait until you have it all figured out, or until you straighten your life...no matter how together or unraveled your life is, you and I will never figure it all out.
Jesus is the lifter of our head. He is! You are not the lifter of your own head and no one else, but Him. Don't try to fix the brokenness with outside sources, when He wants to fix the inside problem like only He can; for He is the Source of all resources.
Allow Him to put to death and bury your shame, failures and condemnation and watch Him resurrect you into beauty, significance and loving conviction.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit
By: Teresa Criswell
"A woman came up to Him with an alabaster flask of very precious perfume and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. And when the disciples saw it they were indignant saying, 'For what purpose is all this waste? For this perfume might have been sold for a large sum and the money given to the poor.' But Jesus, fully aware of this said to them, 'Why do you bother the woman? She has done a noble (praiseworthy and beautiful) thing to Me. For you always have the poor among you but you will not always have Me. In pouring this perfume on my body she has done something to prepare Me for My burial. Truly I tell you, where this good news (the Gospel), is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will be told also, in memory of her.'"
~ Matthew 26:7-13 ~ Amplified Version
"I must see Jesus!" "What shall I wear?" "What could I bring to Him to show Him my love for Him?" Her face blushed as she realized what she was premeditating.
Suddenly, she saw something through her peripheral vision. She turned to find an alabaster box and with excitement her eyes twinkled with a provoking thought, "I can offer to Him what is inside the alabaster box."
Her thoughts became a battlefield of doubt and reasoning as the conversation in her mind took place,
"No, the box filled with perfume is too expensive, that will be a waste."
"No! But wait, He is worth more to me that even this alabaster box filled with fine perfume."
"What if His disciples turn me away and don't allow me to see Him?"
"They have been known to embarass people by trying to 'shoo' them away. With my dark past, this will be a perfect opportunity for them to shame me."
"I don't care, I must see Him and I must do this, He must know my love for Him."
As I imagine this scene of the woman with the alabaster box. This unforgettable woman who came to Jesus, washing Him with the fine perfume from the broken alabaster box, it is a glimpse of her own life of brokenness revealing her hopes of restoration and dreams of being made whole again.
No matter what her dark past consisted of, she knew that He would restore her. She assuredly knew His compassion, love and mercy that He had shown all the times before upon the thousands of people that He encountered would take place upon her life.
I imagine that as she pre-meditated this meeting with Him that her fears of many things would try to stop her from meeting her Destiny Maker; Jesus Christ. Soon after this encounter with this woman, Jesus would face His destiny to do His Father's will which was to die for the sins of the world; past, present and future so that Father God would have His family restored back to Him.
I imagine that at that moment as He was getting ready to face death, hell and the grave; this woman unknowingly as her heart was filled with love for Him was preparing for His death and burial.
I love how just as she was preparing for this; in turn He would put to death and bury her shame and new life would resurrect upon hers.
Please know that the Lover of your soul is waiting for you to come to Him. He doesn't want you to wait until you have it all figured out, or until you straighten your life...no matter how together or unraveled your life is, you and I will never figure it all out.
Jesus is the lifter of our head. He is! You are not the lifter of your own head and no one else, but Him. Don't try to fix the brokenness with outside sources, when He wants to fix the inside problem like only He can; for He is the Source of all resources.
Allow Him to put to death and bury your shame, failures and condemnation and watch Him resurrect you into beauty, significance and loving conviction.
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