This is the Truth Network. Encouraging prayer. God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything. On encouraging prayer, Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling Prayers for Prodigals and many other books on prayer, provides weekly biblical insight to help you learn to love to pray.
And now, here's James.
Well today on Encouraging Prayer, we're going to talk about how To do a beautiful thing. And if that sounds familiar, it's because you're thinking about a story in the Gospel of Matthew.
So, James, I'm excited. I need to know how to do a beautiful thing. That's right. Don't we all? This is tucked away in the 26th chapter of Matthew.
And of course, it's the story of Jesus having dinner at the Pharisee's house. And a woman comes and she takes this very expensive perfume and she anoints him with it. And You know, you can just there's a great painting about this by James Tissot. And um What you see is the people are looking on scandalized. And the woman is just humbly bowing at Jesus' feet, and she's just loving him.
And You know, when they start to criticize her, Jesus says, leave her alone. She's done a beautiful thing. to me. And when I see that, you know, I think, wow. You know, he also said whenever this story is told, Um wherever the gospel is told, you know, this this story is is going to be told.
And I think it this meant a lot to Jesus. And it makes me Mm. It it makes me want to do something Similar. You know, it makes me want to do a beautiful thing. I don't think that's overly sentimental.
Oh no, I I assure you That You know, in that relationship with Jesus, it's right on the, you know, that point of. He understands something here clearly that we don't.
So first you have to look at how tender she is. I mean, w what she does is is thoughtful, it's sweet, it it's Beautiful, but And You know, I think we have to look at our prayer lives and ask ourselves, Am I personal? With Jesus. Not just in terms of the things that I want, but am I tender? with him, thankful to him, sensitive to his spirit.
All of these things matter to him. And I think that's what's going on in her heart. And because God looks on the heart first, I think that's a good place to start. Oh yeah. It really is.
And she was. Um Right there. You know, that's sort of a secret place, you know, when you think about it from the Song of Solomon or the 91st Psalm. You know, he likes to inhabit that secret place with us, but that is a place of intimacy that is first and foremost, right? Right, right.
And secondly, I think you have to look at how sacrificial she is. Yeah, obviously it's an expensive perfume. And that's part of what the complaint is about. And it's interesting, this comes in the 26th chapter of Matthew. Because in the 25th chapter of Matthew, Jesus is talking about taking care of the least of these.
taking care of the poor. And then here, juxtaposed, you find this. And it shows you how important Worship is and giving ourselves to God in worship.
So when I think about sacrificial, I have to ask myself, You know, this is an expensive perfume and time is money. Yeah. Am I taking the time? You know, am I taking the time to just love Jesus with my prayers? I I think that's a question worth asking.
Yeah, absolutely it is. It is a matter of am I truly lingering Not from a standpoint of what I need, but Jesus, what do you need and how can I... you know, discover that. Yeah, it it's really challenging. I mean, if you break it down, because we're we're in such a rush all the time, and you know Saying, wait a minute.
stopping and and And just being with him, again, that matters so much. That brings us to the third thing, and that is. Look at how humble she is. She doesn't care what other people think. She's she's just going to do this for Jesus.
And you know, what others are saying about her, well, that that's Yeah, that's secondary. Sh she's just She's going to take that time. She she's going to make the sacrifice. She's going to to tenderly display her affection for him, And You know, I I think it's the the humility that is is so important. Am I in that place where I am recognizing everything in my life is a gift from him?
every single thing that I that I am grateful or ungrateful for Um comes from him. And and so Humbling myself to see that and recognize apart from him, I've got nothing. you know, can bring me into that place of of worshiping him more. Yeah, it's absolutely uh a gift and and a challenge at the same time. And I I I I love that idea of sacrificial humility, right?
That you bring out there and the challenge that there is, and it would appear that this would require prayer.
Well, I think it would. And you also mentioned before we went on the air, Jesus Christ means the anointed one. And that's what she's doing. She's anointing him before her burial.
So, as we're thinking about these things at this time of year, let's pray. Jesus, help us. Help us to love you. w with affection, with real tenderness. not just emotion, with sacrificial love.
Because you have loved us that way. and we want to love you back. Help us to do a beautiful thing. In your name. Amen.
Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray.
