Loving God | The Presidential Prayer Team

I love you, O Lord, my strength. – Psalm 18:1

Don’t just tell me you love me—show me! That was the plea of Eliza in the Broadway play My Fair Lady. She is being courted by a man named Freddy who writes her love letters every day, but Eliza needs more. “Words! Words! I’m so sick of words!” she exclaims in exasperation.

Jesus said the most important thing in life is to love the Lord your God (Matthew 22:3). How do you do that? One way, Jesus said, is to keep His commandments (John 14:15). He later reiterates, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word” (John 14:23).

One of the greatest examples of love for the Lord is seen in Mary of Bethany (the same woman from the story of Mary and Martha). As Matthew, Mark, and Luke document it, she boldly approaches Jesus who was reclining at a table, and in her hands was an alabaster flask filled with expensive perfume. In her great love for Jesus, she poured the perfume onto His head. In John’s account, she pours the perfume on His feet then wipes His feet with her hair. Although others present ridiculed her for doing so, Jesus knew what was soon to happen to Him, and said that the anointing was preparing Him in advance for His death and burial. Take a moment to imagine the scent of that expensive perfume lingering in His hair and beard as He was beaten, tortured, and nailed to the cross. He was loved by Mary. She poured out herself in her love for Him that day. She gave Him her very best.

Let that alabaster flask represent your life today. Open yourself in surrender before the holy and loving God. Offer the very best of yourself in worship today. Even though others in today’s culture may not understand, you should be about giving Jesus your all, holding nothing back. Pray for believers in Congress to look first to serving God, letting Him direct them in how to serve the nation.

Today’s Verse: Psalm 18:1

I love you, O Lord, my strength.

All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Recommended for further reading: Matthew 26:6-13

⁶Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, ⁷a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. ⁸And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? ⁹For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” ¹⁰But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. ¹²In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. ¹³Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”