Lift Him Up

Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. - Luke 7:44

I was one of those people who was up early to watch the Royal Wedding. I got teased about it by some who said they didn't understand all the pomp and circumstance, but in a society in which jeans and a nice top are considered "dressed up," I think we need extraordinary celebrations to really put in perspective what's important in life. This all made me think about Jesus and how we also try to make Him into a more casual figure as well. We've become very relaxed about how we attend church, how we pray and how loosely we interpret and follow the gospel. We've become very relaxed about sin, toning down the seriousness of our offenses and writing them off as just human nature. Although Jesus came down from Heaven, lowering Himself to be one of us, we can never, even for a second, forget that He is God. He lowered Himself so we can raise ourselves up to reach the Heavens. All Jesus did was not for us to remain lowly, but for our human nature to be exalted and made like His.

In this passage in the gospel, a woman bathed Jesus' feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. The pharisees didn't do anything like that for Jesus. I'm sure they all thought of themselves on the same level as Jesus. This sinful woman was the only one who lifted Him up and treated Him like the King He is. Some things are worth making a "big deal" about. When we give special importance to things, we express how much they mean to us, and Jesus' place in our lives should be exalted and celebrated.

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, give me love and attention for the things and people worth celebrating. Most of all, show me how to value Your redeeming work in our lives. In Your Name we pray, amen.


Lumineux: Letting God's Light Shine
www.lettinggodslightshine.com