Break Yourself!

In Jesus Calling Sarah Young writes as if Jesus Himself was speaking, “Do not wear yourself out with analyzing and planning. Instead, let thankfulness and trust be your guides through this day; they will keep you close to Me.”

I often feel very needy. It’s interesting because God provides for my every need. I don’t lack a thing in Christ. What I need the most in my life is an attitude of praise. It will keep me close to my Savior.

After the reading the devotional I went to the Bible to pick up where I left off in my devotional routine only to find a passage that gave possibly the greatest example ever of the grateful response I want to give God for all He’s done.

Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head. Mark 14:3

The commentary in my Andrews University Study Bible says the bottle was worth a years wages. Many believe Mary Magdalene (the woman above) was a prostitute. I’m not sure there’s evidence from scripture but I do know that Jesus cast seven demons out of her (Luke 8:2). When I look at passages and think logically about what a possessed person could do, I think prostitution or other evil ways of making money could be part of the deal.

I don’t know how she got all that money, but it made me think of a video from http://www.iamsecond.com/ that I’ve watched repeatedly about Annie Lobert who became a prostitute to gain money and power. Check it out:



“Break yourself!,” or die. Those were the options the pimp gave her. I found the contrast between Jesus and the pimp startling. The pimp demands obedience with threats while the Savior simply sets us free with no strings attached. And if we go back to the pimp (satan), Jesus would deliver us again and again and again if we survive all that.

The pimp takes everything, Jesus gives everything, even His very life. Annie Lobert left the pimp almost dead. Jesus delivered her and she gave Him her life. Now she travels about sharing the love of her Savior. Mary Magdalene broke herself, broke the bottle of earnings from her past life in a beautiful act of gratitude to the one who set her free and gave her everything. Jesus was touched by her love and He is touched by the willing sacrifices we make for Him as we show that NOTHING compares to our worship of Him.

There will be quite “logical” thoughts playing in our heads and coming from the minds of acquaintances scolding us for our extravagance. Don’t answer the pimps calls. He wants to lure you back in and use you again. I pray that we will receive sacrificial and selfless love of Jesus and that we will gladly break ourselves for Him regardless of the cost. He is everything we need and want. Praise Him!