[your name here]

The Word for today:
Matthew 26:1-16

mark this:  Matthew 26:6-7 --
And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.

and this:   Matthew 26:14-15 --
Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?" And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.


When you read the Bible, take it personally.

The Bible doesn't use terms like 'identity' and 'self-esteem,' but that doesn't mean scripture has nothing to say about such things.  In fact, the Bible's teaching on these issues is deeper and more profound than any of our current thinking--because the Bible is about a person whose life establishes our worth.

On page one of your Bible, you will see an unforgettable picture of the Holy Spirit, brooding over the formless and empty earth:
The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep. The Spirit of God was hovering, brooding over the face of the waters. (1)

So, what's he brooding about? He's counting the cost:
Could a lone soldier storm the penitentiary and rescue the fettered Bride? --Yes, but at the price of his life.
Is the Bride worth the price that must be paid? --Yes.

Did your self-esteem just ratchet up a couple of clicks? 

When you were lost, he went out looking for you:
The Son of Man came to seek and save [your name here]…to give His life a ransom for [your name here]. When the reader takes the Bible this personally, questions of personal identity and personal worth are answered (2); (3).

With a wink and a nod--and with that trademark understated, ironic humor of his-- Jesus told told them they were worth more than many sparrows (4).

Mary of Bethany would have understood the irony--the women seemed to get it before the guys, and Mary before them all. So without hesitating, she broke an alabaster jar of spikenard ointment, which constituted her life's savings, and poured it over his head, because it was nothing compared to the price he was about to pay for her (5).

The world valued Jesus at 30 silver coins (6), but Mary knew that the truly priceless vessel--containing all of God and everything that he has--was the man before her, soon to be broken and poured out for [your name here].

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(1) Genesis 1:2/AMP; (2) Luke 19:10; (3) Matthew 20:28; (4) Luke 12:7; (5) see Mark 14:3-9 and John 11:2; (6) Matthew 26:14-15