«Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.
Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God» (2 Corinthians 2:14, 15, NLT).
Imperial Majesty, by Clive Christian, is one of the most expensive perfumes in the world. Its fragrance is 100% pure perfume oil. It comes in a Baccarat crystal bottle, with a gold collar and a five carat diamond nestled in it. A bottle of this limited edition (there are only ten bottles in the world), costs about 215,000 US dollars. It is an extravagant luxury! If Mary from the Bible were alive today, this is probably the fragrance she would have bought to anoint Jesus. The Bible says she took a twelve-ounce jar of pure nard perfume, which cost the equivalent to a year’s salary, and poured it on Jesus’s feet. Then, «the house was filled with the fragrance» (John 12:3, NLT).
The dinner in Bethany was a celebration in Jesus’s honor for having resurrected Lazarus (see John 12:1, 2). Mary felt such gratitude that she could no longer contain it. Her heart had more perfume than the alabaster bottle! She had been in the presence of Love incarnate for so long that His scent had imbued her. This extravagant act of worship was a natural response of a heart that was overflowing.
Notice the order of events: 1) Mary spends time in Jesus’s presence and the perfume of Love «sticks» to her; 2) Mary’s heart is overwhelmed and she anoints Jesus’s feet with a costly perfume; 3) the whole house is filled with perfume. And not only that house! Mary’s nard perfume still perfumes the pages of every Bible; its fragrance continues to embellish the Gospel story to this day.
If we abide in Jesus, our lives will give forth a perfume that will permeate every action, every word. . . the whole house! No matter how many Judases criticize us and how many enemies complain, nobody will be able to deny or stop the impact of that fragrance.
Dear Lord, I want to abide in You so that my heart can overflow with Your love.
May the sweetness of Your presence and the fragrance of Your love fill the whole house.
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Take From: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2022
«NO FEARS»
BY: VANEZA PISSUTO
Collaborators: Alexandra Pérez & Angelica Cuate.
