Leading up to today’s passage in Mark 14:1-9, the priests and scribes continued their scheme to arrest Jesus but they didn’t see the present as a good time since it was Passover. Millions of people who liked Jesus were gathering in Jerusalem for the feast and if they tried to arrest Jesus during this time, the people might riot against them.

It was two days before the feast and Jesus was staying at the home of Simon. A woman broke a jar of very expensive perfume and poured it on the head of Jesus. Some rebuked her because they thought it was a waste of money because the perfume could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money could have gone to the poor.

Jesus defends the woman and explains that her extravagance was justified just like the poor woman who gave all she had to the temple treasury recorded in Mark 12.  She had her priorities right and believed that Jesus was the Messiah. She showed leadership by pointing out who Jesus was and that He would die on the cross.

The perfume was expensive but Jesus pointed out that the perfume was preparing His body for burial. The woman was giving as a servant and showing her gratitude to Jesus for what He was going to accomplish. In the same way, our top priority should be to strive to give God our best … the best part of our day!

To take in the instructions from His Word and set out to apply this Word in all we do so that future generations will be inspired by our actions. Our time may be valuable and what we give may be extravagant but this is a part of our worship as we show our gratitude for what God has blessed us with.

This day with You Lord, we worry about our jobs, our decisions, and many other things in life but all that really matters is doing our best for Your glory. Let us take today’s example of the woman who poured perfume on Jesus’ head to guide us toward our top priority and may this inspire our plans to give our best. We plan out our day and move forward now trusting that every step we take will be fulfilling the purpose You have for our life. Amen.