Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. John 12:3 NKJV

Several years ago, while studying the Gospel of John, I began to pray for God to teach me to love Him as Mary did.  Something about her total selflessness touched me.   Mary loved Jesus so much that she thought nothing of using her most valued possession to anoint Jesus.  Spikenard was highly expensive.  She did not consider the cost except to know that Jesus deserved the best.

She also humiliated herself when she took her hair down and she began to wipe His feet with it.  Jewish women did not take their hair down in front of men.  She showed Jesus her love with no thought to herself.

How can I give something to God unless it cost me something?

Isn’t that what it means to sacrifice?

Mary did not get her calculator out and see if it fit into her budget.  She did not care what anyone thought of her letting her hair down and using it to wipe His feet.  All she cared about was showing Jesus her love.

I need to start praying again for that type of love – a love that abandons self and freely gives – not just money but time too.  Sometimes time is a more precious commodity than money.  We need time alone with Jesus.  

How can we say we love Him if we don’t spend time talking with Him?

We need to linger in His love letter to us – His Holy Word.  We need to express that love publicly as well as privately, without regard to what others will think.  Imagine what it would look like if we all abandoned ourselves and worshipped Jesus with the love that Mary did!

Do we love Jesus the same way that Mary did?  Do we just have a hard time expressing our love as we should?  Could it be that we don’t feel His presence as Mary did?

Whatever the problem is, God will enable us to love like Mary when we don’t allow ourselves to get in the way.

Dear heavenly Father, I do want to show You my love with total abandonment just like Mary.  Help me to stop clinging so tightly to whatever is holding me back because I do love You.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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