What does it look like to Love God wholeheartedly?

I’m Dr. Chuck and here’s today’s spoonful of courage:

What does sacrificial love and devotion to God look like?

We get a glimpse of this in John chapter twelve. Less than a week before Jesus’ crucifixion, Mary of Bethany, in an act of selfless devotion, pours out an expensive perfume on Jesus. Then she rubs his feet with her hair. This extravagant display of love—of course—causes quite a stir—especially among the disciples.

Judas speaks out. “Shouldn’t this expensive nard be sold and used to help the poor?”

Jesus rebukes the disciple. “The poor you’ll always have with you,” he says.

So, what’s the point? What does this have go do with extravagant love—poured out over the Savior?

In contrast to Judas who was motivated by selfishness, Mary had a different passion. A different priority. Mary understood the value—the worth—of Jesus. And she expressed her selfless devotion by giving all that she had to Jesus. Now that’s sacrificial devotion.

And what did Mary sacrifice:

The obvious thing is the financial cost. The nard was worth about thirty-thousand dollars—enough wages to provide a year’s salary for a day laborer. Mary didn’t say, “Well, God, here’s my ten percent. And I’ll keep the rest.”

Giving this gift cost Mary in her pocketbook.

But it more than that. It cost Mary, her reputation. Only women of ill-repute would let down their hair in public. It was considered a disgrace to do so. But Mary didn’t seem to be concerned about what others thought about her—especially when she was sitting at the feet of “the resurrection and the life.” What anyone else thought about her act of devotion paled in comparison to what Jesus thought.

In doing such an unselfish act of worship, Mary had to face opposition. Yep, the naysayers. The ones who criticized her methods and her motives. 

If you reflect on what Mary had experienced you’ll understand why she worshipped at the feet of the Master. Think about it. In the previous chapter, Mary sees her brother—dead in the grave four days—rise from the dead and walk out of the grave—at Jesus’ command. She gets a glimpse of who Jesus is—His power and authority. And yet, she also experiences his love. Mary sees Jesus weeping over Lazarus. She observes the grief, empathy, and brokenness Jesus expresses in their loss.

John emphasizes in his eleventh chapter how Jesus loved Mary, and Martha, and Lazarus. 

Wow—Jesus. All loving and all powerful. Now that’s a reason to bow, and worship, and give our greatest gives to honor God.

Here’s a question to ponder: In what ways have you experienced the love of God? In your life? In your circumstances? In what ways has Jesus showed up in your troubles and revealed his strength?

Maybe we should adopt the posture that Mary did. Let’s slow down, sit at the Master’s feet, and stay awhile. Perhaps this kind of posture would give us the insight that Mary had.

The disciples, who seemed to be clueless, missed the bigger picture. Loving Jesus involved more than fulfilling a task. Expressing devotion to God involved more than helping those in need. Jesus—above all was worthy of worship.

So, back to our original question. How do express love and devotion to God? First, let’s follow Mary’s example. Let’s sit at the feet of the Master and worship. That’s how we honor God. And out of that devotion flows everything else.

I’m Dr. Chuck, the best guy to see on the worst day of your life. If you were encouraged by this video, subscribe and share.