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READ: Mark 14:1-9
LISTEN: Mark 14

“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.” Mark 14:6-7

Jesus visits the home of Simon the Leper, enjoying a meal with his disciples. While Jesus reclines at the table, a woman enters the home and pours an entire jar of very expensive perfume (worth a year’s wages) on Jesus’s head. This woman understood Jesus’s true mission and offered herself and her jar of perfume to Jesus. No gift was too extravagant for Jesus.

The same should be true for us. This woman’s extravagant gift reminds us that what Jesus wants from us is everything—particularly our lives. Jesus is the gracious and good Savior who has come to seek and save the lost by dying on the cross for our sins. In response, he desires for us to give him our lives in joyful and grateful worship. This is the call of discipleship. Will we choose to follow?

TODAY: It is worth contemplating: have you given Jesus your whole life? Is there an area you’ve held back that you think may be too valuable for Jesus? It is possible to be a follower of Jesus and have reservations about handing over specific areas of life to his rule and reign. What would unreserved devotion to Jesus look like in your life? Spend time today journaling about what you might be holding back from Jesus. Then, ask God for the grace and strength to offer your entire life to him in worship.