And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat (a meal), there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake (opened) the box, and poured it on his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence (300 denarius > £10,000), and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come beforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. [Mar 14:3-9]
This woman so profoundly understood the depth of the message Jesus taught that He made her famous. Her sheer appreciation of all that Jesus meant to her broke her. She gave all her wealth and heart to Him and became herself a sweet smelling sacrifice well-pleasing to God.
But ... I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. [Php 4:18]
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? [Mar 8:34-36]
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. [Rom 8:13]
Taking up our cross means to renounce living for ourselves and worldly self indulgent pleasures and to live to please Him. The commitment to do this is also referred to as making Jesus Christ your Lord.
God has made the way for us to be changed by Him so simple that many find it too humbling to do. After receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit He simply bids us to keep yielding (presenting) ourselves to Him in humble honest prayer.
… reckon yourself to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body that you should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. [Rom 6:11-14]
I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. [Rom 12:1-2]
As we admit, renounce and turn away from our sins, and then yield ourselves to God, He will wash away all our fears and give us His strength to live in a way that pleases Him through His indwelling Holy Spirit. It is beyond us to achieve this in our own strength. The result is personal satisfaction on a level you never thought possible.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. [2Ti 1:7]
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