PART FOUR
“She hath done what she could:. . .” ~ first published in Dr. Milam's book, "Beside Still Waters"
A teacher said to her students, bring something to class and we’ll determine what it illustrates. One little boy brought a salt shaker so the teacher said that illustrates that we’re the salt of the earth. Another student brought a candle, and the teacher said, that means we’re the light of the world. Then one little girl brought a Banty egg. The teacher said, I don’t know for sure what that illustrates, I don’t know of a bible verse that explains that. The little girl answered, “She’s done what she could.” That’s all God expects, do what you’re capable of doing. You’re not as polished as somebody else, you don’t have the vocabulary that another has; but you can do something. And you ought to do what you can for the Lord because you love him! And you ought to do what you can to the limit, for the Lord. Go ahead and go the extra mile. Give your best and do what you can! Don’t come short of your best. To do less than your best is a sin! If you’re an “A” student and you make “B’s”, you’re sinning. But if you are a “B” student, God never expects you to make “A’s”. You can do better, I can do better. But we can’t do better than what God expects. (Faith) God doesn’t want us to just make it through. He wants our best; now doesn’t He deserve it? Every time I preach, I give it all I’ve got- every time you teach a class, or sing or come to worship, give it all you’ve got, and because that’s all God expects.
Put everything into it, so God can say of you, he did what he could. Then let everyone else do what they can do, and thank God for it. 1) The meaning of Christian Service is doing all you can for the Glory of God. 2) The measure of service is doing what you can for the Glory of God. Is the “Good” that you do “Better” and then does you’re “Better” become your “Best”? 3) The motive of Christian Service:--- What motivates you? What motivated Mary of Bethany to do what she could? Let’s go back to verse one. There was a feast: a bunch of people were there, and since the story is about the Lord; He, of course was there, and probably Martha, and maybe even Lazarus also. When Mary preformed this great act of sacrificial service, some of the people murmured. Somebody said, why was this waste done before us? This could have been sold for 300 pence and given to the poor. (But Jesus said,) leave her along, she’s done what she could! She’s come to anoint my body for what’s going to happen in the next few days; I’ll be buried! (Poured it on His head, and it went over His body.)
Let’s get the full picture now: They’re all eating and sitting across the table from Mary and Lazarus, and she allows her mind to go back and see how sick her brother had been, not too long ago; but there he sits, eating and enjoying the fellowship. She remembered back in John chapter eleven when he first took sick. They sent for Jesus, but He didn’t come to minister to her brother on his sick bed, So her brother died, they had the funeral; they wrapped him in grave clothes and buried him, rolled a stone over the door and walked away from the grave yard, weeping and mourning, and faint in their hearts. Like any of us would have done, and he’d been dead four days before the Lord got there, and she’s remembering this. Then she remembers Jesus coming and asking, “Where did you lay him?” Mary said, “We put him in that tomb right over there;” Jesus then said, “Roll the stone away.” Mary said, I but Jesus responded with, “I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live and shall never die, therefore, roll the stone away.” She, no doubt, remembers their nervousness as they rolled the stone back. She’s reliving this scene as she sits there looking at Lazarus, as he smiles and laughs, and she remembers the experience in a grave yard, and she hears Jesus cry “Lazarus, come forth,” and she saw something moving, coming out of that tomb. It was her brother wrapped in grave clothes, looking like a mummy. Maybe he was trying to say something behind those wrappings. I’d say her eyes got real big and began to well up with joyous tears. Then Jesus said, “loose him and let him go!” I would think that Mary said, “Martha let’s un-wind the grave clothes and see our brother.” I can see them taking the wraps from off his head and un-wound them down past his eyes, and instead of sunken hollow eyes, they saw bright sparkling eyes smiling out at them. Instead of sunken hollow cheeks they were rosy-red, and when they un-wrapped down past his mouth, he said, “Hallelujah!” You may ask, how do you know he did that? I ask you, how do you know that he didn’t? What would you have done if you had been in Lazarus’s shoes, being dead four days? You’d have come out of there shouting, because the Lord had brought you back. You and I would have come out of those grave clothes saying, I’m hungry let’s get some pinto beans, fried potatoes, corn bread and a big juicy Vidalia onion, and celebrate what the Lord has done. We’d of said, get me unwrapped; I want to hug Jesus and my family.
There she looks across the table, seeing Lazarus a picture of health, but she also remembers how sick he was, that he died and Jesus brought him from the grave. She also looks across the table and sees Jesus, and her heart begins to well up, she’s getting ready to have a fit. She’s looking at Jesus and begins to think about it all. She’s saying to herself, Jesus is so wonderful, he’s done so much for us. Then she says, no sacrifice is too great for the master of the living and the dead. Instead of listening to any one coaxing her or worrying about criticism, she reached down and got a little box of ointment worth 300 pence. A pence was a whole day’s wage that represented her whole life savings. She took it without being asked, she took all she had and poured it on Jesus, and anointed his body before he died.
Everybody ought to have one funeral service while you’re alive to see what people are going to say about you. Because they cuss you while you’re alive, and say good things after you’re dead.
I think Mary looked over at Jesus, and not slowly or calmly walked over to him; but with excitement and quickly went to him with the ointment, saying I can do something to show what I have in my heart. I can see her maybe knocking over the iced tea and bumping into some one, and maybe knocking over a chair, saying, “excuse me, but I must get to him quickly!” I can hear old sister flap-jaw and brother mossy-back, and doctor feel-good say, “well look at her, how silly she is. She must have lost her mind,” I know there was always something wrong with her; making a spectacle out of herself. Both she and Martha; they’re old maids, never did get married, just plain weird people. But she paid no attention to what others said or thought, she made a bee-line toward Jesus.
She broke the box of ointment- all she had. She did it because she loved Him! When you do all you can, I mean you go the limit; and you do your best; while some will praise the effort, there will always be some that will murmur, because you didn’t do it the way that they thought you should. Some will call you a big shot; but a big shot is just a little shot that keeps shooting. Who’s he trying to impress? Some will always say. Some people would give a tranquilizer a nervous breakdown- who’s he trying to impress? They murmur and murmur; until they get so busy with it they never get anything done for God. You may put your whole heart into service for God; but someone will murmur and try to make you feel bad. They’ll try to get you to doubt that It’s for God you’re doing it. Simply because of envy, jealousy, or just plain mean.
When this church has nobody saved and baptized, no one ever complains; but just let somebody start doing something, the crowd picks up people get stirred and then people start getting changed. Many begin to get excited about what God is doing and before too long, the murmurers will come along and it’s most always those that are never faithful to tithe or attend the services; never come to revival services. These always sound off the loudest, because they are never going to do anything, and they’ll try to make sure that nobody does. Get out of the way and let somebody do something!
Nobody will question the number of professions until you start having several, and then don’t you know; they’ll say, I wonder how many got really saved? I wonder what’s the difference in being saved, and “Really” being saved? That’s like going to a funeral and saying, is he dead or is he “Really” dead. Is she “Pregnant” or is she “Really” pregnant? In both cases, you either are or you ain’t! You’d think other preachers would love me when I began to see great things happen for God; but some of them, and most of them as a matter of a fact, began to say I wasn’t doing it right. But I was doing what I could! You see as long as somebody’s kicking you in the rear, you’ve still got the lead. Glory to God, let’em kick, let’em belly-ache, and let’em murmur. I’ve made up my mind, and you should make up your mind right now, I’m going to do all I can to the glory and honor of Christ!
Now! What motivated her to make her sacrifice to the Lord?- her love for him! Because she realized he first loved her! When we consider what Jesus has done for us, it ought to make us to do all that we can for him. Are you willing to pour yourself into service for him, for what he first did for us? ( PS. 22:1-14) ----“I am but a worm, and no man; a reproach of men and despised”--- (verse 6) And then in, verse 14 He said;-----“I’m poured our like water---- my heart is like wax: it is melted”---- God expects the best that you have, it may not be “The best” but It’s “Your” best. Then if it’s your best, it’ll be God blest.
In an orchestra, a little flute doesn’t seem to matter too much, but to the orchestra leader he can hear every note. No any one person or many people might not pay much attention to the lowly flute; but to make the sound that the leader wants to produce, it’s as important as any of the other instruments, Play on little flute, don’t quit! Stand up tall and blow that flute to the best of your ability, and be in your place-faithfully.
You may be the only one changing diapers in the nursery on Sunday morning; but do it to Gods glory. You may think nobody knows about it or pays any attention to it, some won’t even appreciate it; but the Great Master sees it, and knows all about it. Every time you put soothing cream and shake that baby powder on that little bottom and throw that stinky diaper in the pail- God sees it! Every time you work on the van; every time you mow the grass; every time you clean the bathrooms; every time you cook a meal for the less fortunate; every time you clean the kitchen; every visit you make; every prayer you pray; every dollar you give; every trip you make to pick someone up; every effort you make to get the youth in the church; God sees it!
It’s not about what we want to do, it’s about what we ought to do for his Glory, and honor! And if you stop doing it God will be the first to know it. (Keep doing your best).
4) The Memorial of Christian Service: - Jesus said, where ever you go, preaching the gospel you tell what Mary has done, as a memorial! Do you realize that the great sermon that Peter preached at Pentecost, Jesus didn’t say, let this be a memorial, but he did say it here of Mary of Bethany. God didn’t say, the visions that John saw on the Isle of Patmos, let it be a memorial. But God did say, everywhere you go to spread the word of God, you tell them about Mary. As a memorial to what she has done. God simply wants people to hear about what he does in our hearts. By the way, God makes a record of it. “If you’ve done it unto the least of these. . .” You may never get all or even any of the credit due here, but there’s a day coming when you’ll not be disappointed. You’ll be rewarded at the Judgment seat of Christ.
Do what you can, in order to bring honor and glory to the Lord. DO your best; don’t worry about who else is doing or not doing anything. I pray right now, that you’ll begin to find things to do for the Lord; it will make a difference in your life, and those you contact. If you do it solely for him, it won’t matter what anyone else says or does.
-END-
Tom & Linda Milam
Missionaries to America
Phil. 2:16
Image borrowed from:
https://vivaenplenitud.wordpress.com/2014/06/09/devocion-a-dios/
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