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.

This is of course a famous incident, but there are several things to think about here. Many people focus on the fact that Judas objected to this being done, because he wanted access to the money the nard would have brought, (verses 4-6) but that is focusing on negatives, which we are all too prone to do. It is far more edifying to focus on the fact that this probably represented Mary’s life savings, but her love for Jesus and her gratitude for His raising her brother from the dead made her more than willing to give it all. It is also worth noting that the whole house was filled with the aroma of the nard. Such love and devotion can’t really be hidden! When we are totally sold out for Jesus, everyone around us knows it. That connects with the third point, which is that in wiping His feet with her hair, in itself a rather self-abasing action, she was getting the aroma on herself as well, and probably carried the scent for quite a few days afterward. When we give ourselves totally to Christ it improves us more than we can realize. In this particular case I don’t think Mary was thinking about applying the nard to her hair as such, but rather of wiping Jesus’ feet. If she had just wanted to smell nice, applying a little at a time to strategic places on her body would have done the trick, as is usually done with perfumes of all sorts. Her own aroma was simply a byproduct of her devotion to Jesus, as it is for us.

I don’t know to what degree I’ve sacrificed for Jesus; He is the judge of that. I do know that there have been times when I have resented the sacrifices called for by the path the Lord had me on, and I’m not proud of that. Yesterday I got started on an autobiography/memoir. I don’t want that to be something to make people think well of me, but rather of my Lord who has been so gracious to me. Physical elements aside, I want my “aroma” to draw people to Him, knowing that He loves them and He is more than worth giving everything they have and are to Him. This past Sunday we sang, “All that I have, all that I am, all I will ever be, cannot repay this love-debt I owe; I surrender to Thee.” Since the first part of that song is undeniably true, I want the last part to be fully true as well.

Father, thank You for all that You have done in me over the years, and that You’re still working in me. Help me be the agent that You desire in every way and on every level, so that Your will may be done in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!