YOUR ALABASTER BOX OF OINTMENT!

Sunday, February 13rd, 2011
Bible in A Year: Josh1-3


WHERE'S YOUR SPIKENARD: ALABASTER BOX OF OINTMENT?
WHEN THE TIME TO FAVOUR YOU IS RIPE GOD WILL GIVE YOU AN UNUSUAL OPPORTUNITY THAT WILL TAX YOUR FAITH AND CONFIRM YOUR REDINESS AND CAPACITY TO RECEIVE FROM GOD

Memory Verse: "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:" (Proverbs 6:6).


Read: Mark 14:3-9
3 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
4 And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?
5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
6 And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.
7 For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.
8 She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.
9 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.

One way of knowing that your time of favour has come is when God gives you unusual opportunities. For King Solomon, God gave him the unusual opportunity to ask for whatever he wanted in a dream. "In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee" (2 Chron 1:7). However, that opportunity did not just come on its own, it was provoked by Solomon's sacrifice of a thousand burnt offerings in one night. This simply tells us that there are things you can do to hasten or provoke your day of favour. Giving extraordinarily can trigger your favour. Unfortunately, many who are asking God for their day of favour are still holding back. Do you know that if Solomon had not given that landmark offering, he would not have accessed the wisdom that made him the wisest man on earth? Sometimes, God folds His hands and observes how far you can go for Him. He wants to see the extent of your love. He wants to see the level of risk you can take for Him. Have you given Him that landmark gift that provokes an open cheque? Looking at the life of Solomon, you would discover that the wealth that followed his gift cannot be compared to what he gave. He never became poor all his life. He rather became the wealthiest man of his time-comparable with the billionaires of our time. You cannot lose out when you give to God. Do not deny yourself of the opportunity of a lifetime!

In Mark 14:3-9, the Lord was taking a meal in Simon's house when a woman came in. Before then, she had thought of how to make a lasting, positive impression on the Lord. Then, she remembered her expensive box of ointment. 'Yes! The Lord deserves my best!' she said to herself, and took the box with her. God only knows how long she had kept that treasure. When she got to the Lord, she opened it and anointed Him. On realizing the value of that perfume, some people around became angry. To them, it was a waste of money anointing the Lord with such expensive oil. Unknown to her, she had keyed into prophetic declaration concerning the death and burial of the Lord. As a result, her name and deeds were etched in gold in the heavenly Hall of Fame. Thousands of years later, her gift is still speaking for her. When we get to Heaven, we will see her. Are you still hiding your box of spikenard?

THE FATHER’S BLESSING: “I pray for someone reading this message today, the Lord will grant you the unction and sensitive spirit that will allow you to know the day of your visitation for divine favour Every destiny killers in around you are destroyed in the mighty name of Jesus.” (Amen)

KEY POINT FOR TODAY
Give God your best.