"The heck with what people might think!"

Jesus was in Bethany. He was at the table in the home of a man named Simon, who had a skin disease. A woman came with a special sealed jar of very expensive perfume. It was made out of pure nard. She broke the jar open and poured the perfume on Jesus' head. Some of the people there became angry. They said to one another, "Why waste this perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's pay. The money could have been given to poor people." So they found fault with the woman. "Leave her alone," Jesus said. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. You will always have poor people with you. You can help them any time you want to. But you will not always have me. (Mark 14:3-7)

How dedicated are we really to serving God . . . every day. What are we willing to do, to sacrifice, to commit to, to change, to leave? World class athletes do not become excellent over night. Top doctors and scientists do not achieve excellence by giving up a weekend or an evening or two. When is the last time we even thought about goin absolutley crazy for the sake of God's Kingdom and said "the heck with what people might think"! The woman in the verses above did not care about the cost of her perfume. She did not care about what it could bring on the open market. She chose to invest all she had in Jesus . . . now there's some wise economical for this day! Money, friends, family, time . . . all are very valuable and cherished commodities. But at what price . . . .? A life dedicated to God's work rarely pays off here on earth. Family does not often understand . . . in fact they question our dedication. Our retirement plan does not always line up with the leading economic advice from financial experts. Employment opportunities are not so lucrative or abundant for Scripture scholars, bible teachers, or others fully educated, licensed, or degreed in God's academics! The pay rarely compares to the smart jobs. I have often said that money is simply a tool for ministry. A needed tool , but simply a tool. There are more important tools in tool box however! There must first be a desire and dedication to serve! There is a cost to consider! "The heck with what people might think" . . . as for me and my house, well you know the rest! (Joshua 24:15) Off to work . . . .