John 12:3, "Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume."
Hebrews 13:16, "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."
Short, long, curl, weave... No, these aren't football drills - we're talking hair extensions! You can have fuller, more beautiful hair or you can "lock in" to luxurious longer locks. No wonder it's a billion-dollar industry! Let's take a sneak peek at a day in the life of the pioneer of hair extension.
She lived long before it became a billion-dollar industry; however, her extension was priceless! In today's reading, we see that Mary locked in to Jesus' desire to have a relationship with us and she worshipped Him by anointing His feet with oil. When she extended her hair to wipe His feet, she was demonstrating love and sacrifice – a beautiful metaphor for how we, too, must extend ourselves to Jesus.
Are you "locked" in to your relationship with Christ? Because He fully extended Himself to us by dying on the cross for our sins. Therefore, we should extend ourselves and worship Him by sharing stories of what He's done in our lives, serving in the church, and being selfless with our time and resources - not only when it's easy or convenient, but extravagantly and sacrificially! And here's the bonus: When we extend ourselves, God uses us to reach others - because the lost are worth the cost!
To have a thriving relationship with Jesus, sit at His feet, lock into His desires, and fully extend yourself for His purposes. Doing this may not be a billion-dollar industry, but the blessing it brings and the future hope of heaven is priceless!
Do you extend yourself to God and others? Are you sharing, sowing, serving, and selflessly giving of yourself in the local church? If not, how can you further extend yourself?
Thank You, God, for extending Your Son, Jesus, to us. I want to be locked in to You! Help me take the necessary steps to reach the goals and plans You have for me! In Jesus' name, Amen.