SERVICE FOR THE LORD

“And stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil” (Luke 7:38 NKJV).

While the Lord Jesus was eating at a Pharisee’s house, a woman who had been a great sinner, came to Him for forgiveness (Luke 7:48). She came weeping which meant that she came in true repentance of her sins. After coming to the Lord, she did four things which speak of service for the Lord: she washed His feet, wiped His feet, kissed His feet, and anointed His feet.

Washed His feet - “Wash His feet with her tears.” The Pharisee had failed to wash the Lord’s feet as was the honorable custom to do. But the woman washed them with her tears. It was humble service, but it honored the Lord.

Wiped His feet - “Wipe them with the hairs of her head.” In using her hair to wipe His feet, this woman sacrificed her glory to do the Lord honor. To appreciate this fact, we need to understand that a woman’s hair was her glory (1 Cori. 11:15). The appearance of a woman has much to do with her hair. The lesson here is that we must be willing to sacrifice our own glory in order to honor Him.

Kissed His feet – “She kissed His feet.” After washing the Lord’s feet, the woman kissed His feet. The kissing here reflects the love that the woman had for Lord Who had forgiven her sins. Love for the Lord motivated this woman’s service. Love for Lord should also be the great motivator of our service to Him.

Anointed His feet - “Anointed them with the fragrant oil.” The woman had a very expensive “alabaster flask of fragrant oil,” (Luke 7:37) with which she anointed the Lord’s feet. If we are going to serve the Lord honorably, it will often require much sacrifice. If we love the Lord, we will give much. Love is the great motivator of giving: “God so loved . . . that He gave” (John 3:16). Lack of love for the Lord is the reason some people are such poor givers at church.

(Adapted from Butler's Daily Bible Reading 2)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“No life can surpass that of a man who quietly continues to serve God in the place where providence has placed him!”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834 - 1892)

English Particular Baptist Preacher

Word Study

Explicitly

In 1 Tim. 4:1 we read, “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" (NASB).

“Explicitly” is the Greek word rhētōs (ῥητῶς = hray-toce'). It means in a manner precisely and clearly expressed. The idea of this word is that what is stated or has been stated is precisely, explicitly so. In Classical Greek rhētōs means clearly or explicitly. Here in 1 Tim. 4:1 is the only use of rhētōs in the New Testament. It is used here with reference to communication from the Holy Spirit concerning the apostasy and heresy that was to descend upon the Church. And although the manner of that communication is not indicated, its clarity is clearly expressed.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified” (Matt. 28:5 KJV).

Did You Know…

God told the Israelites that a newly married man should spend the first year of his marriage making his new wife happy (Deut. 24:5).

Bible Quiz

According to the Book of Matthew, where was the last place Satan took the Lord Jesus in order to tempt Him?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: During the time of the Lord Jesus, what would the Jews do before eating? Perform a ceremonial washing (Mark 7:3).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“THE RIGHTEOUS”

"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1 NKJV).

1. Meaning – THE RIGHTEOUS speaks of the Lord Jesus as the One who is truly righteous in Himself, and who possesses the means of rendering others righteous.

2. Insights – In contrast to us as sinners, our defender the Lord Jesus Christ is “the Righteous One” (cf. Acts 3:14; 7:52). This means that we have the best possible Helper because He is truly righteous. In His human nature, the Lord Jesus is our brother (Heb. 2:11), is acquainted with our frailties (Heb. 4:15), saves us (Heb. 7:25), and is our intercessor. He is also God’s Messiah, the Christ, who has fulfilled the demands of the law for us and therefore has been given the title Righteous One. This righteous One who fulfilled the law (Rom 10:4) and was the perfect sacrifice for sins, is the perfect Advocate for sinners.

Did You Know – Christian History

Edward Joseph Flanagan was born July 13, 1886, in Leabeg, Ireland. He was an Irish-born priest, and founder of Boys Town.

Flanagan and his family arrived in the United States in 1904. He attended Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He then entered St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie, New York and in 1908, was ordained a priest and assigned to the Diocese of Omaha. Flanagan was a committed Catholic priest who expressed his faith openly.

Flanagan became a social reformer and a true visionary for changing how America cared for its children and families. He believed that children had the right to be valued, to have the basic necessities of life and to be protected. He sought to close reformatories and other juvenile facilities where children were abused and literally held as prisoners. The courts had assigned three homeless orphans to Flanagan’s care. Having concluded that looking after juveniles was a full-time job, Flanagan asked permission of Archbishop Jeremiah Harty to open a home. Harty gave him permission but warned him that he would be on his own financially. The parish just couldn’t afford any more for poor relief.

Full of faith, Flanagan found an old house in Omaha, Nebraska which would shelter them for the winter. He borrowed $90 from an unnamed friend to pay the first month’s rent for December 1917. On December 12, 1917, he opened the first house in the work that became known as Boys Town. That same day, the court placed two juvenile delinquents in his care. Someone donated a barrel of sauerkraut. That was Christmas dinner for the boys. Flanagan’s Boys Home accepted all boys, regardless of their race, creed or cultural background. He offered every child a new start in life - even boys who were in prison for serious crimes. He soon moved them from the old house in Omaha to acres outside town called Overlook Farm. In 1936 the community was renamed Boys Town and incorporated as a village. Welfare agencies and juvenile court judges recommended kids to Boys Town, which was supported entirely by voluntary contributions. Boys Town is still going and now accepts girls. It has established satellite homes in Florida, California, and Texas and is a consultant to other homes in 10 states. Flanagan died in 1948.

A Little Humor

A woman invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to her six-year-old daughter and said, “Would you like to say the blessing?” “I wouldn’t know what to say,” the little girl replied. “Just say what you hear Mommy say,’ the mother said. The little girl bowed her head and said: “Dear Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Be careful not to presume upon God’s grace: behold, now is the day of salvation!”