Would you like to see what we have written on a subject? Use the search below.

[If you purchase anything on this site, I may make a commission. Disclosure Policy]

Only The Best Will Do For Jesus

A woman in that town that lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. Luke 7:37-38, NIV

Two similar stories describe a woman anointing Jesus with perfume. Although the gospels were not written as a biography and therefore not always in chronological order, we know there were two separate incidents because they happened in different places. Luke is the only one who records this specific incident.

From the other story, we know an alabaster jar of perfume was worth over a year’s wages. This woman had either gotten wealthy from her sinful lifestyle, or else it had been an expensive gift from a rich admirer. Either way, it represented the best she had to offer. It was her treasure.

Sitemap - Free Water Of The Word Newsletter - Statement Of Faith - Donate
Follow us on social media for daily Scripture comments and more at MeWe, Facebook or YouTube.

She did not bring this gift to Jesus as a bribe to gain His acceptance or forgiveness. Genuinely broken in heart - poor in spirit - at the pain her sinful lifestyle had caused God, she humbly came. She wanted to change, and she was willing to give everything to Jesus. There was no holding back. She knew only the best would do.

When we come to Jesus, we must remember that we are coming before the King of kings, the Creator and Ruler of the universe. Our sinful lifestyle - no matter how it has been expressed in practice - has brought Him incredible pain and been offensive in His sight. He does not accept half-hearted repentance. He does not accept people who want a religious ‘experience’ to give them comfort and then go on doing their own thing. This is to be total commitment, unconditional surrender, no compromise, no holding back. This woman knew that. She laid her heart and her most priceless treasure, symbolizing all she had, at His feet. This was not an emotional experience and then a return to normal.

When we talk about giving our best to Jesus, we often think about money and tithing. Money is certainly important. If God doesn’t have our wallet, does He really have us? However, the same is true in other things as well.

Time For Jesus

How does ‘only the best will do’ measure up when we consider our most precious, non-replaceable possession: time? Do we give God our best time? Or do we give Him only the leftovers after we have done all the ‘important’ things? Every person’s ‘best’ time might be different. Some people are morning people, some are night people, and we have to juggle work, family and other things. But this is a challenging question all of us, including me, must face. Are we giving God our best time? Are we even giving Him any time regularly? How you answer is between you and God. Time can be an alabaster jar of perfume. Do you break it on His feet or pour it on yourself?

Praise For Jesus

What about praise? Jesus is worthy of all praise and worship. Since only our best will do, are we giving Him our best praise? We often think of this in the context of a Sunday service, but praise should be continual. Sometimes, if we're honest, we give our best praise to our favourite sports team or movie star. How does your praise of Jesus compare with your praise of other things or people you admire? Is Jesus getting your highest and best praise?

Working For Jesus

One other aspect of ‘only the best will do’ I wanted to mention. Work. I don’t mean our religious work life, teaching Sunday School, working around the church, or ministering in the community. I mean our work life: running a cash register, pumping gas, serving clients, or whatever you and I do to make a living. The Bible often teaches that we should work for our human employers as if we were working for the Lord. Let’s face it, that can be hard! Our human employers are often not Christ-like and may even deliberately make things difficult. Still, when we give our best to Jesus, are we giving our best to our employers? Do we arrive on time? Do we take long breaks? Do we do our best work, or only enough to stay out of trouble? Are we cheerful or pouty?

Christianity is very practical, which is why many people try to hide behind a religious front. It didn’t work for the Pharisees, and it won’t work for us. I know we become discouraged, have low energy at times, and lose focus, but let us bring our alabaster jar of perfume to Jesus.

Glenn Davis is a Christian author and Bible teacher whose work draws on more than 40 years of study, writing, and teaching in local churches. He has written 700+ articles, created five Bible courses, published three books, and shared 300+ Bible videos on YouTube. Readers can find his books on Amazon, follow his teaching on YouTube or visit Glenn Davis Books. Away from the keyboard, he enjoys time with family, reading, walking, and board or card games.

Follow us on social media for daily Scripture comments and more at MeWe, Facebook or YouTube.
Sitemap - Newsletter - Statement Of Faith - Donate

Please note: We no longer have the commenting feature [maybe again in the future]. Joshua Institute students who have questions or comments on their courses can use the contact button and mention the course name and lesson number in the email. Thank you. Glenn