Broken

I'm sorry if I am being redundant with this posting, but it's just been with me since Sunday. I've got just a piece of my notes in the "Bible Thoughts" box to the right. Sunday at church, Kevin did a message on Mark 14:3-9 where a woman comes into a dinner that Jesus was attending. He reminded us that the world is full of broken people.

(3) While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
(4) Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? (5) It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly.
(6) "Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. (7) The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. (8) She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. (9) I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

Kevin made some great points from this that I just HAVE to share.

• SHE broke the jar. No one can force you to be broken to Jesus - it's an internal process. We can THINK we're not broken all we want, but we are ALL broken. Each of us. But to come to that - to come broken before Jesus is the internal and individual process. This requires us to get real.


• Brokenness offends and shocks others, but not Jesus. Some of those around rebuked her for wasting the perfume. But Jesus put value on the jar AFTER it was broken.


• "New" keeps brokenness away...new husband/wife, new friends, new job, new car, new house, etc. NOTE: everything that is broken was once new.


• She did what she could (vs. 8). Just like the widow giving her mite - her only finances, she did what she could with all that she had.


• Hemingway said "The world breaks everyone, and afterward some are strong at the broken places." Did you know that broken bones are stronger at the break after healing?

And Matt, the worship leader pointed out something from his own personal study that just amazed me. He was studying in Exodus where Moses asks to see God's glory (Exodus 33:19-23). The Lord puts Moses in a cleft in the rock to pass by. Well, a cleft in the rock is a broken place. Moses saw a glimpse of God's glory from the broken place.

I am broken, not just broke. I have been getting real with Jesus for a few years now. And at each new broken place, I grow stronger, but not hard. My strength is found in Jesus alone. And I still struggle in some areas. Am I willing to get real in those places too? Regardless of who's around? Am I willing to do what I can with all that He's given me? That requires a sold-out lifestyle of worship for the one-and-only Jesus Christ. Do I measure up? Nope - not even close. But I am getting closer every day I spend time with Him who made me. He made me - He alone can mend me.

Grace & Peace to you all!