Matthew 26:10 “When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.”
Good Work or Waste?
Will you waste this day, or will you invest it? Nearly two thousand years ago, a woman named Mary broke open an expensive box of ointment and anointed the Lord Jesus. You would think this act would have been widely accepted and applauded, especially by the Lord’s own disciples. On the contrary, the disciples “had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?” The closest people to Jesus’ earthly ministry were the very people who looked down on Mary’s investment.
Sometimes when you give for the Lord and to other people, you will not be appreciated by everyone, even those who are serving the Lord. Some of the best people you know may not understand the choices you make for the Lord. They may characterize what you do as a “waste,” but you need not be understood by everyone. You can never please everyone!
Two things, and two things alone, matter when it comes to whether you are wasting or investing: the Lord’s appraisal and approval. What Judas called a “waste,” Jesus called a “good work.” The Lord’s estimation of Mary’s investment was that it was good. And the Lord’s estimation of Mary was that she had done what she could do. (Mark 14:8)
What people see and call a waste, the Lord understands and calls good. People see what you do; God understands why you do it. Both sides are important, but one is more important. Do you have the Lord’s appraisal and approval for what you are doing today? That is all that matters! Be most concerned with what the Lord understands and knows, not what people think and see.