I did something stupid. While cutting the lawn, I put my hand near the lawnmower blade to clear away stuck grass while it was still running! The blade hit my index finger, and I instinctively withdrew it. For a split second, I dreaded looking at my finger fearing that it might not be there! But thankfully, it was. It was turning purple and numb, but it was still there. [Long story short, the finger is OK… phew!]

Then, I started thinking – what is the value of my finger? How much would I pay to keep it there? Or if someone wanted to buy my index finger for whatever reason, how much would I demand from him? ($10,000? $100,000? $1M?)

But what if it’s not just my finger? What if it were my whole body? How much would I pay to keep my whole body?

Jesus saved that body. It was going to decay and die, only to be resurrected in hell. But Jesus came and gave His body so that my body may be redeemed! I owe my whole body to Christ. My life! So, what would be too precious for me to give to Jesus?

That is exactly the line of thought Mary, the sister of Lazarus, had about Jesus. She poured very expensive perfume ($30,000!) on Jesus’ feet soon after Lazarus was raised from the dead (John 12). That wasn’t out of obligation. That wasn’t out of guilty feelings. That was out of knowing that she owes her brother’s life and her life to Jesus.

When we serve Jesus by serving the church, we should serve with that mindset: We owe our whole life to Jesus.

PH