What's In Your Alabaster Box?
November 2013
“Give me all of you!!! I don’t want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work. I want YOU!!! ALL OF YOU!! I have not come to torment or frustrate the natural man or woman, but to KILL IT! No half measures will do. I don’t want to only prune a branch here and a branch there; rather I want the whole tree out! Hand it over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them ALL over to me, give yourself to me and I will make of you a new self—in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will, shall become your will. My heart, shall become your heart.” C.S. Lewis
"Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity." 1 Timothy 4:12 NLT
Matthew 26:7-13 and Mark 14:3 has been in my spirit for months. So let's dig in. In the days Jesus was on earth, when a young woman reached the age of availability for marriage, her family would purchase an alabaster box for her and fill it with precious ointment. The size of the box and the value of the ointment would parallel her family’s wealth. This alabaster box would be part of her dowry. When a young man came to ask for her hand in marriage, she would respond by taking the alabaster box and breaking it at his feet. This gesture of anointing his feet showed him honor.
The woman with the alabaster box is seen in the Word many different times. When I was a little girl, Cece Winan's song "Alabaster Box," was always on repeat, but when I got to college I bought Shana Wilson's Cd and heard "Alabaster Box," written by Julie Meyer and it has been on repeat ever since.
The lyrics and video are below.
"Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity." 1 Timothy 4:12 NLT
Matthew 26:7-13 and Mark 14:3 has been in my spirit for months. So let's dig in. In the days Jesus was on earth, when a young woman reached the age of availability for marriage, her family would purchase an alabaster box for her and fill it with precious ointment. The size of the box and the value of the ointment would parallel her family’s wealth. This alabaster box would be part of her dowry. When a young man came to ask for her hand in marriage, she would respond by taking the alabaster box and breaking it at his feet. This gesture of anointing his feet showed him honor.
The woman with the alabaster box is seen in the Word many different times. When I was a little girl, Cece Winan's song "Alabaster Box," was always on repeat, but when I got to college I bought Shana Wilson's Cd and heard "Alabaster Box," written by Julie Meyer and it has been on repeat ever since.
The lyrics and video are below.
|
All I am is all I have
And all, all I have to give, and I give it all to You It’s my fragrant oil, it’s my costly perfume I’ll take my alabaster box and I, I break it open Let the fragrance arise, la la la la, la la la la Let the fragrance arise, la la la la, la la la la So take every song, every spoken word All of my dance, all of my rhyme, I give it all to You So I pour out all my worship over You And I sing my song of worship straight to You And I pour out all my worship, and I pour out all my worship So I pour out all my worship over You, la la la la, la la la la I break it open, and I pour it out, and I pour it out over You |
A couple of months ago I was led to these scriptures and as I said before it has stayed in my spirit ever since. Every time I hear this song two questions arise in my spirit:
1. What is in your alabaster box?
2. Have you broke it at Jesus' feet/given it all to Him?
In Matthew 26:7 we meet "a woman."
"A woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table."
Notice she has no name, no "status", no reputation, no posse.....nothing...but an alabaster box. Unlike what this alabaster box was typically used for, there was no mention of a man.....but she had Jesus. This woman came and poured the ointment that was supposed to be for a future husband onto Jesus' head. Friend, what's in your alabaster box? I have so many dreams and desires, some of which I have never shared with anyone. Just like this woman, I have placed all that I am and all that I have into my alabaster box. Every dream, every desire, EVERYTHING.....is in this special box of mine. As believers, our alabaster box is not directly proportional to our natural family's wealth, but it is to our spiritual family's wealth. We are children of the most high God. We are King's kids. We are royalty. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. 1 John 4:17 says, "As He is, so are we in this world." Another translation says that we are like Jesus. The Word also tells us that we are worth more than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29-31). This alabaster box and the oil within it, has a worth that no man can estimate! It's NOT CHEAP!
Verse 8-9 reminds me so much of when I first got saved at the age of 13 and also when I went off to college.
"When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked.This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
When I gave my life over to the Lord I was determined to live for Him. My standard has been, is, and will always be the Word of God. I made a decision that I would do what the Word says, whether I felt like it or not. I never wanted to be a hypocrite. I was either going to be saved, in this world and not of it....or I was not going to be. No, I'm not superhuman.....lol.....I am supernatural though (Check out The Superwoman vs. The Supernatural Woman). Sure, I have emotions and feelings, but if you are born again, you know that as you mature in the Lord you learn not to allow your feelings and emotions to lead you, you learn to be led by the Holy Spirit instead!
Many people thought that I was too extreme. They thought that I was "wasting" my youth. "It don't take all that," was a statement that many people made to me. There were times I felt discouraged. There were times I wanted to give up. BUT I would always remember one of my favorite verses which says, " Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity" (1 Timothy 4:12). This woman was determined to not just worship with her mouth, but also with her life.
"Worship is born in our hearts, not on our lips. It's a life-style, not only a segment of a church service."
It isn't just singing loud, it's living loud for our great God!
She didn't care what everyone thought about her sacrifice. She didn't care who was or wasn't willing to give there all to Jesus. All she cared about was worshiping, loving, and serving Jesus. It wasn't about a list of dos and dont's. It wasn't about being seen or applauded by people. It was about a relationship. A relationship that said, "God, I give you all of my heart. I give you full custody, not just weekend visits. I am nothing without you. I give all that I am to You. I surrender." Because of her decision to live a poured out life, God was not only glorified, but we see that what she did would inspire many for years to come.
"Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."
I don't know who this is for, but it's time that you surrender your all to Jesus. "How do you know if you have broken your alabaster box at the feet of Jesus? Such a decision will be reflected in reckless abandonment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
reckless /ré-kləs/ adj: marked by lack of proper caution: utterly unconcerned about the consequences of some action.
abandon /ə-bán-dən/ n: to give (oneself) over unrestrainedly.
reckless abandon /ré-kləs ə-bán-dən/: to give oneself unrestrainedly to the cause of Jesus and the promotion of His kingdom without concern for danger and the consequences of that action.
Because of your reckless abandonment to Christ, your attitude will reflect Mary’s response to the angel when she, as a single woman, was given a difficult assignment. Mary said, “I belong to the Lord, body and soul...be it unto me according to Your Word…” (Lk. 1:38) [Jakie Kendall]. Take your alabaster box, with your desires and dreams, and entrust them to Jesus. When He is your Lord, you can joyfully walk in the path of life that He has for you, knowing that you will reach your expected end.
Today, always remember that If you have chosen the set-apart path of a person who fears the Lord, your life is not your own. The spirit of the living God lives on the inside of you! You have a call upon your life; you have a job to do, and so do I. He has called us to tell everyone that we come into contact with about Jesus. No, not just in what we say, but in how we live. You will find that once you break your alabaster box at Jesus' feet and give your all to Him the fragrance that will arise will be as 2 Corinthians 2:15 says and that is, "Christ-like fragrance." That fragrance will smell just like Jesus. It will be saturated with His love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, self control, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and goodness; because after all, as He is so are we in this world.
Be encouraged and give your all to Jesus! He is worthy!
1. What is in your alabaster box?
2. Have you broke it at Jesus' feet/given it all to Him?
In Matthew 26:7 we meet "a woman."
"A woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table."
Notice she has no name, no "status", no reputation, no posse.....nothing...but an alabaster box. Unlike what this alabaster box was typically used for, there was no mention of a man.....but she had Jesus. This woman came and poured the ointment that was supposed to be for a future husband onto Jesus' head. Friend, what's in your alabaster box? I have so many dreams and desires, some of which I have never shared with anyone. Just like this woman, I have placed all that I am and all that I have into my alabaster box. Every dream, every desire, EVERYTHING.....is in this special box of mine. As believers, our alabaster box is not directly proportional to our natural family's wealth, but it is to our spiritual family's wealth. We are children of the most high God. We are King's kids. We are royalty. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. 1 John 4:17 says, "As He is, so are we in this world." Another translation says that we are like Jesus. The Word also tells us that we are worth more than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29-31). This alabaster box and the oil within it, has a worth that no man can estimate! It's NOT CHEAP!
Verse 8-9 reminds me so much of when I first got saved at the age of 13 and also when I went off to college.
"When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked.This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
When I gave my life over to the Lord I was determined to live for Him. My standard has been, is, and will always be the Word of God. I made a decision that I would do what the Word says, whether I felt like it or not. I never wanted to be a hypocrite. I was either going to be saved, in this world and not of it....or I was not going to be. No, I'm not superhuman.....lol.....I am supernatural though (Check out The Superwoman vs. The Supernatural Woman). Sure, I have emotions and feelings, but if you are born again, you know that as you mature in the Lord you learn not to allow your feelings and emotions to lead you, you learn to be led by the Holy Spirit instead!
Many people thought that I was too extreme. They thought that I was "wasting" my youth. "It don't take all that," was a statement that many people made to me. There were times I felt discouraged. There were times I wanted to give up. BUT I would always remember one of my favorite verses which says, " Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity" (1 Timothy 4:12). This woman was determined to not just worship with her mouth, but also with her life.
"Worship is born in our hearts, not on our lips. It's a life-style, not only a segment of a church service."
It isn't just singing loud, it's living loud for our great God!
She didn't care what everyone thought about her sacrifice. She didn't care who was or wasn't willing to give there all to Jesus. All she cared about was worshiping, loving, and serving Jesus. It wasn't about a list of dos and dont's. It wasn't about being seen or applauded by people. It was about a relationship. A relationship that said, "God, I give you all of my heart. I give you full custody, not just weekend visits. I am nothing without you. I give all that I am to You. I surrender." Because of her decision to live a poured out life, God was not only glorified, but we see that what she did would inspire many for years to come.
"Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."
I don't know who this is for, but it's time that you surrender your all to Jesus. "How do you know if you have broken your alabaster box at the feet of Jesus? Such a decision will be reflected in reckless abandonment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
reckless /ré-kləs/ adj: marked by lack of proper caution: utterly unconcerned about the consequences of some action.
abandon /ə-bán-dən/ n: to give (oneself) over unrestrainedly.
reckless abandon /ré-kləs ə-bán-dən/: to give oneself unrestrainedly to the cause of Jesus and the promotion of His kingdom without concern for danger and the consequences of that action.
Because of your reckless abandonment to Christ, your attitude will reflect Mary’s response to the angel when she, as a single woman, was given a difficult assignment. Mary said, “I belong to the Lord, body and soul...be it unto me according to Your Word…” (Lk. 1:38) [Jakie Kendall]. Take your alabaster box, with your desires and dreams, and entrust them to Jesus. When He is your Lord, you can joyfully walk in the path of life that He has for you, knowing that you will reach your expected end.
Today, always remember that If you have chosen the set-apart path of a person who fears the Lord, your life is not your own. The spirit of the living God lives on the inside of you! You have a call upon your life; you have a job to do, and so do I. He has called us to tell everyone that we come into contact with about Jesus. No, not just in what we say, but in how we live. You will find that once you break your alabaster box at Jesus' feet and give your all to Him the fragrance that will arise will be as 2 Corinthians 2:15 says and that is, "Christ-like fragrance." That fragrance will smell just like Jesus. It will be saturated with His love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, self control, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and goodness; because after all, as He is so are we in this world.
Be encouraged and give your all to Jesus! He is worthy!