Welcome to our Wednesday devotional. I want to reference a passage of scripture. It's in Mark the 14th chapter, and this is where Jesus is anointed by a woman at Bethany. He's actually over the house of Simon the leper, and it is presumed that this person actually got healed by Jesus. And in this passage of scripture, Jesus is at a table eating. A woman comes up to him with an alabaster jar of perfume. That's a very expensive portion of perfume. And she takes it and anoints his head with oil. And here's what happened. I'll read this starting in verse four. Some of those at the table were indignant. Why waste such expensive perfume, they asked. It could have been sold for a year's wages and the money given to the poor. So they scolded her sharply. But here's what Jesus did. He said, leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing? You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to, but you will not always have me. She has done what she could, the scripture says, and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. I tell you the truth, whenever the good news is preached throughout the world, this woman's deed will be remembered and discussed.

And here's what I want you to think about. She was over the house, or Jesus was over the house of a person that had been healed by him. And the people at the table rebuked her sharply. And here this woman came with an expensive jar of perfume. And they scolded her, criticizing her extravagant worship to Jesus. Is it possible that the person who had leprosy had lost sight and gratefulness towards God? Because they scolded her for her extravagant worship? But this newcomer came in, this woman came in with this alabaster jar of perfume, and she gave an expensive offering to Jesus. Here's the application for us. What is Jesus worth to you? Are you willing to give extravagant worship to the God who loves you, who saved your soul? Or have we, like Simon the leper, actually forgotten the grace and the goodness of God? Have we ceased to be grateful for what he's done? This Easter, I want you to focus on the goodness of Jesus. Revisit what he's done for you and how he's transformed your life. And continue to be grateful and understand that Jesus is worth it. Don't give him a cheap offering. Give him all that you are this Easter season.

Let's pray.

Father, I thank you. I thank you for this day. I pray that today, we wouldn't give a portion of ourselves to you. We wouldn't give cheap worship to you. But instead, we would be extravagant, giving all of who we are to you. And we give you praise for this beautiful day.

In Jesus' name, amen.