"Wasted?"

"There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?"  Matthew 26:7,8

"WASTE?!"  I am the one who finds myself getting indignant when I read that the disciples thought it was a waste for her to pour this ointment-- no matter how costly-- on Jesus.  How could they have thought that it was wasted on Him?  Perhaps there were many reasons why they drew this conclusion.  One reason I thought of was-- they didn't understand who He really was.

This story took place at the end of Jesus' ministry on earth.  That meant they had been with Him for approximately three years.  And even after spending those years-- day in and day out-- with Him they still didn't realize who He was.  When He rebuked the winds and waves on the sea, they were in awe and wondered who He was that the winds and waves obey Him.  I think they were still unconvinced of who He was when they accused the woman of "wasting" the ointment on Jesus. 

I believe this is why many today won't surrender their lives to Jesus-- they aren't convinced that He is who He is.  If you believe that He is God, that He is the One who created you to begin with, that He loves you so much that He died for you, that He loves you with an everlasting love, that He is the giver of life, that He can give you hope and a future, that He will be with you always and never leave you, that He is able to keep you, that He is the All-powerful, All-knowing, All-present God, then you can have assurance that placing your life in His hands is not a waste of your life.

Whatever you give to Jesus-- yourself, your possessions, your talents, your abilities, your family, your relationships,  etc.-- isn't being wasted.  You are giving it to God.  And God knows how to keep what is committed/given to Him.  And He knows how to give it back much better than you gave it to Him to begin with.  

Have a great day.  You are never wasting what you give to Jesus.