Posts
Wednesday, May 30
I have an old shoe box. Packed away somewhere. Filled with
precious things. Love letters from my pre-wedding hubby. Old mementos. Probably
a pressed flower or two. And other things I don’t even remember. I haven’t seen
its contents in years.
Do you have a box like that? Is it filled with precious
keepsakes like secrets, baby shoes, love letters, awards?
We keep tokens like this because we value them, maybe not so
much for worldly value but for heartly
value.
We have all read or heard many times of the story of a box
(or jar) made of a highly esteemed stone, containing a prized ointment of great
monetary value.
Passover was near. Jesus was in Bethany, having dinner, and “there came unto Him a woman having an alabaster box of very
precious ointment, and poured it on His head as He sat at meat.” (Matt.
26:7 KJ21)
Such a touching and devoted gesture. An alabaster passion
box, full of an extremely valuable, perfumed oil of spikenard poured out on the
One she loved the most.
In regard to this, I wrote in a past post, Sweet Smell of Sacrifice http://bit.ly/f9B2kH ...
She lovingly poured it
upon Jesus’ head, and it likely trickled down His cheeks, seeped into His
beard, and gently dripped upon His shoulders, saturating His garment...
Don’t you know that
through the long hours of His agony in the garden, during His betrayal, in the
courtyard of His judgment before Caiaphas and Pilate, and until that garment
was removed, Jesus must have breathed in that sweet smell of sacrificial love
poured out upon Him, while this scripture likely echoed in His Spirit, “The
odor of your ointments is fragrant, your name is like perfume poured out.” (SOS
1:3 Amp)
As He probably did not
wash His hair, the fragrance clung to it. That sweet aroma must have wafted its
fragrance of love into His nostrils throughout His torment at the whipping post
and while hanging on the cross, more than likely thinking, “This is for all
those who will pour out their love on Me.”
But when she poured her fragrance of passion upon her
Beloved Lord, some of the disciples became indignant and asked, “Why was this
wasted?” (Matt. 26:8 NLV)
What would happen if we considered our heart as our
alabaster box?
What precious things fill your heart? Special memories of
love? Treasured moments with friends or loved ones? Encouraging words said to
you? Cherished times spent with the Lord?
Or maybe it is filled with bitter memories of anger, abuse,
addiction, or unforgiveness.
When you meet with your Beloved, to dine in His presence, to
sit at His feet and tell Him you love Him, what passion fragrance do you pour
out on Him?
Do you pour out the stench of whining, complaining, or
bitterness? As the disciples said, “What a waste!”
Or do you pour out that overflow of sweet-smelling love,
gratitude, and thanksgiving? Does your Beloved Lord receive it as He did the
loving gift of spikenard?
“Our lives are a
Christ-like fragrance rising up to God.”
(2 Cor. 2:15 NLT)
~Lord, may the contents of our alabaster hearts and lives be
poured out as a pleasing aroma in Your presence.
Hooking up with...
Imperfect Prose
Beautiful words for me to consider. Thank you for this lovely and convicting post!
Amen. May we be willing to give our precious things and with a generous heart. What a great reminder. Thanks.
What a lovely post, Lynn. I am in the middle of cleaning out my garage and the two closets at the back of it. Do I wish I had one nice box to hold my precious memorabilia? Yes, if only it would all fit into one box. Oh, Lord, let me learn to let go of everything but the most precious: You, my Bibles, pictures of my family--that's it. Thanks for listening to God, Lynn.
Simply beautiful.
I think I'm going to go look through my old shoe box full of precious memories and thank God for all His blessings.
@tcavey1
Thank you so much, Theresa, for visiting and commenting. I'm honored. Blessings to you!
Kath, how nice to have you visit. Thank you so much for your kind comment. Blessings to you!
Well, hallllooo, Pat! I haven't seen you in ages. Hope all is well at your house and the cleaning is going well! LOL You're right about saving things, or rather, getting rid of things. Thank you so much for taking time to read and comment. Bless you!
TC, thank you so much for your kind comment. I'm honored to have you visit. Bless you!
You are a sweet fragrance, Lynn.
And yes, I have a box or two like that filled with heartlies. :)
Beautifully written, Lynn. I desire to be an alabaster box for Jesus. When you hold alabaster up to the light, it is translucent. I want Jesus' light to shine through me, too--just like light shines through alabaster.
complaint is a poison. let us pour out something precious--and be filled anew by One who loves extravagantly.
lovely meditation.
This reminded me of a sermon I preached many years ago where to illustrate the point (through a monologue I had written to go along with the sermon) I spilled out my most favorite perfume-one that was no longer being made. What's in my alabaster box...nothing it, I, am spilled out daily for him. Thanks for the reminder!
Lovely post, Lynn and very thought provoking. Do I always give Him my best or do I sometimes whine and complain. Sadly, the latter is true.
Blessings,
Joan
Yes! I have a little box of keepsakes, and I've created one for each of my kids. And I realized from reading your post that I'm slowly filling their little hearts with special moments and memories! I pray that I can give them a heartfull before they leave my home!
I have an antique trunk filled with treasures of the heart ( I love that phrase, Lynn!) I am working on seeing, tasting and smelling the sweetness of the Lord rather than dwelling on the bitterness of life's trials.
Oh, Snady-girl, thank you! You are a sweetheart. I always appreciate your visits! Bless you!
Such a wonderful thought, Carol. I had forgotten about the translucency. Thank you for adding that. And you are a beautiful alabaster box of the Lord. Blessings!
Suzannah, you are so right. Complaining is a poison. Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. Blessings to you!
Daisymarie, that sounds like it was a wonderful sermon. I deeply appreciate your visiting and commenting. Bless you!
You are such a sweet blessing, Joan. Thanks for stopping by. Makes my heart happy. Bless you!
Such a beautiful thought, Alisa. Thank you so much for adding that. Lovely to leave behind such precious memories. Bless you!
Yay, for you, Ceci! I'm sure that trunk of yours is filled with wonderful things! I know your heart is! Bless you!
I loved this! I have hatboxes with letters, calendars, journals, etc. I'm a collector of things and like Mary, "I ponder a lot in my heart." I hope when my "alabaster box" is broken and spilled out before people that they can see the love of God radiating in and through me.
*Test: I signed in thru my Blogger acct. Let's see if you can reply. I don't think my other friends have been having a problem.
Love you Lynn <3
Hey, Gigi! I'm not having a problem here with your comments. Just on your site. Thanks so much, sweetie, for commenting on this. Love you!