Category: Holy Bible

Breaking The Alabaster Box

SherryAnn6 Comments

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Luke 7:37-48 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

38And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.  (The ointment that she used was roughly a year’s wages and in today’s world it could probably cost around 10,000)

39Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

44And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.

45Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.

46My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

Matthew 26:6,7,12-13

6Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,

7There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.

12For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.

13Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

As we look at these two passages of scripture we see a woman who has an alabaster box with ointment (that could have been roughly around 12 oz of ointment)

When we look at Matthew 26:7 we see where it was poured on his head. In Luke, we see she stood behind him weeping and began to wash his feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair and kissed his feet and anointed them with ointment.

Could it be possible that this was the same woman in Matthew and Luke? I think so. In Matthew, she poured it on his head, and I believe she was broken and began to weep and cry so much that she wiped his feet with her hair and kissed his feet and anointed them with ointment.

When she did this people got upset with her. The people became so upset because the ointment was not a cheap ointment and she also broke a custom law she let her hair down to wipe his feet. Plus they could tell that the ointment was expensive because of the aroma that filled the room. She went beyond the extraordinary and broke the box to use the ointment.

So many people are called upon to do something, but because of their unbroken state God won’t use them until they are willing to become broken and step out of their comfort zone and go beyond the extraordinary.

We need to go beyond the extraordinary and break the box. When we go beyond the unusual, we will see things happen. People will get upset with us when we do the extraordinary and break the box and pour the oil out but we must remain sensitive to the voice of God in our lives and not let the distractions of life get in the way of what God wants to do when we step out and break the box and do the extraordinary.

Breaking the box is very humbling, and it helps to stay sensitive to God and helps us to stay close to the Lord.

Once the box is broken, and the ointment is being poured out we will see a move of God in our lives and God will then begin changing us and use us for his Kingdom. Our ointment to God is also giving ourselves to him. Our Praise & Worship to him is the aroma that fills the room, and he created us to Praise and Worship him.

Living for God is beautiful, Precious, extraordinary. He gives us Peace, Joy, Rest for our souls.

I want to share a quote with you from Joy Haney’s book “Breaking the Alabaster Box.”

“Mary could not break the box until first she herself was broken. Because of her intense broken heart she did things that in normal situations she would not have done. It was the breaking in her that changed her way of thinking and her way of doing things. She did something that she had never done before. It shocked those who were in the room with her. There were murmurings and accusations against her; it was a moment in history. No one knew how to deal with this astonishing occasion. Even Jesus sensed the impact of the moment so much that He said,” Wherever this gospel is preached in the world, the story of this woman’s breaking will be told as a memorial to her.”

She went beyond the ordinary. She forged ahead into new territories all because her heart was broken and because of her intense love and reverence for Jesus. Her breaking caused her to do something unusual; it broke all traditions. (Joy Haney-Breaking the Alabaster Box)

How Precious is your ointment? Are you going to leave the ointment in the Alabaster box sitting on a shelf because the box looks nice and the ointment in the box because it is so expensive or are you going to break the box and pour everything out on him and let him use you in the way he wants too. Before God can do, something extraordinary something must be broken.

I want my Alabaster box to be broken which is my life so that God can use me in the way he wants to. I want to be a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service.

Sherry Hensley Blogger (2)

Sherry Hensley is a Pro-Life Speaker in Maryland-Conceived in Rape, saved from an illegal abortion. She is married to a wonderful man who is a minister. She enjoys inspiring others and sharing her faith.

 

God Is No Respecter Of Persons

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God has no Favorites

Acts 10:34 (KJV) Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

Looking up the word Respecter on Dictionary.com they gave the definition of what no respecter of persons means. The meaning is a person whose attitude and behaviour is uninfluenced by consideration of another’s rank, power, wealth, etc

To God, there is no one who is greater than the other. He has though given each of us different talents, different testimonies and so on. We all have come from different walks of life.

When I got my non-Id information regarding my adoption. When I read that I was born out of wedlock I felt my heart go to the pit of my stomach, I felt sick, and I felt like it was unfair.

The reasoning for that is because I grew up in a home where we were taught that you wait until your married. It also never entered my mind that I was born out of wedlock until I read the records. I had this thinking that the reason I was placed for adoption was because two people just could not take care of me. Also, a lot of my friends were born from a marriage relationship.

Not that long ago I remember overhearing a conversation, and someone said they believed that God would not use someone who was born out of wedlock as greatly then someone who was born into a family with two parents.

When I heard that I was not happy, and I kept my opinion to myself. I had thought about what they said. What they said is wrong. God is no respecter of persons. He does not look at those born out of wedlock any different than those born into a marriage relationship.

God will use whoever is willing to be used by him. No one is greater than another in the Kingdom of God.

Sherry Hensley Blogger (2)

Sherry Hensley is a Pro-Life Speaker in Maryland-Conceived in Rape, saved from an illegal abortion. She is also a blogger for Save the 1. She is married to a wonderful man who is a Minister. She enjoys being an inspiration to others and sharing her faith.

 

The Holy Spirit

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Holy Ghost

 

Yesterday my husband and I left for church early and went to walmart and someone approached my husband and asked if he was a minister. My husband said yes and told the person where he goes to church. The person asked my husband if you must have the Holy Ghost to be saved. Lets look at what Acts Chapter 2 says 1-42

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?

8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,

10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:

21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:

27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.

30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

As we seen the 120 received the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38 Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost and said that we must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Verse 39 says for the promise is unto you and to your children and to as many as the Lord shall call.  Jesus Christ had to ascend back to Heaven for the Comforter to come. The comforter is the Holy Ghost. They received the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues. I was raised in an Apostolic Pentecostal church and when someone receives the Holy Ghost they are not speaking in a language that they know. They are speaking in a language that only God can understand. Receiving the Holy Ghost is God’s spirit living within us. When we receive the Holy Ghost it’s as if God is putting his stamp on us and when he comes back for his bride he will know who is his because he put his stamp on us.