What if the most powerful act of worship isn’t loud, visible, or celebrated…
but deeply personal, misunderstood, and costly?
There is a woman in Scripture whose offering still speaks today—not because it was required, but because it was completely surrendered.
In Luke 7 and Mark 14, we encounter a woman known not by title, but by her transformation.
She enters a room uninvited.
She carries an alabaster box—filled with expensive perfume.
And then, in a moment that would scandalize the room, she:
- Weeps at Jesus’ feet
- Wipes His feet with her hair
- Breaks the box and pours it out
It was extravagant.
It was vulnerable.
It was deeply personal.
And while others judged her, Jesus honored her.
“Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.” — Luke 7:47
What Made Her Offering Different? It wasn’t just the perfume. It was what it represented.
- It was costly — likely her most valuable possession
- It was personal — an intimate expression of love
- It was surrendered — once broken, it could not be taken back
She didn’t measure her worship. She didn’t hold anything back. She poured it all out. What others saw as waste, she understood as worship.
Why?
Because her revelation of Jesus was deeper. She knew who He was to her. And that revelation shaped her response. The question from Psalm 116 still stands. And the answer is not complicated—but it is costly.
We are called to give:
1. Something Costly: Not our leftovers. Not our excess. But something that means something.
2. Something Personal: Not borrowed devotion or copied expressions—but a genuine response from your own heart.
3. Something Surrendered: Not controlled, not calculated—but fully yielded to God.
Take a moment to reflect honestly:
- What have I been giving God that costs me nothing?
- What is my “alabaster box”?
- What is God asking me to lay down?
Because true worship requires a shift:
From convenience → to sacrifice
From routine → to revelation
From words → to surrender
David offered a sacrifice—and judgment was lifted.
The woman poured out her offering—and it became a memorial.
Heaven still responds to costly love.
So today, choose differently.
Not what is easy.
Not what is comfortable.
But what is worthy.
Let your heart echo this prayer:
“Lord, I refuse to offer You what costs me nothing.”
Shalom! Rev. Ron
Virtuous Living 