Becky Austin

God’s Promises: Mary of Bethany

11:30 AM




Mary had something valuable in her possession. She had a vial of expensive perfume worth about one year’s wages. This perfume was something one would typically save for a special person and a special occasion. 


And Mary brought that vial to Jesus and broke it....meaning she fully committed to using it. She lavished it’s contents upon the Savior. She used her own hair( her personal glory) to humbly serve Him as she wiped the perfume upon His body. And the Bible says the aroma filled the room.


Why did she do this? I believe it was because Mary actually comprehended many of the teachings of Jesus about his coming death. The Bible tells us she would sit at his feet to learn from Him. She also witnessed the miracle of Jesus raising her brother from the dead. She connected that her value, her significance, her very life was all about Him and she was grateful. She willingly, whole heartedly, and unreservedly wanted to honor Jesus because she valued Him more than anything the world had to offer. 


I think about that broken vial of perfume and I think about how God uses broken things, especially our hearts. Only the love of Christ can truly break our hearts and penetrate through the selfishness, the fears, the uncertainties, the sinful desires, the focus on this world and on our own fierce fight for self preservation. Our broken vessels release the fragrance of Christ...our willingness to sacrifice, our cheerful giving of our resources, our wholehearted willingness to serve Him.


Mary believed the promises of God and surrendered what she had for his glory. She trusted the words and teachings of Jesus. God promises to use our selfless dedication and service...to use our broken vessels ...to use the aroma of our offerings to enrich our lives and the lives of others.


“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:2‬ ‭


“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭2:14-15‬ ‭


Do you feel broken? Well, take heart, for God uses broken things...


“God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever- Vance Howard


Whatever difficult experience you are going through is opportunity to learn from God and depend on him. I’m sure Mary learned much from the death of her brother and his resurrection. One thing she learned is how much he cared about her sorrow:

“Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.” John‬ ‭11:32-33‬ ‭

And we know that Jesus wept too. But as Jesus pointed out to her, the difficult circumstance was ultimately for God’s glory. Jesus doesn’t leave us broken. Our brokenness serves great purposes even though we may not fully comprehend it all in this life. But he promises to comfort us and restore us. 


“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭147:3‬ ‭


My hope is that you will trust God and wholeheartedly commit your resources to Him. May your life be a fragrant and pleasing witness of His love to all you meet.


2 Corinthians1-3

A Lingering Fragrance, A Message of Love! (2 Cor 1-3)

2:51 AM


Life is not easy. In fact, life can consist of onset after the onset of trials, hardships, heartaches and frustration. I think that is one reason why the letters of Paul speak to me at such a deep level. Paul was a man who knew hardship, persecution, and yes....even despair.  But, Paul is one of the most inspirational writers of the Bible because he encourages us in the midst of the difficult circumstances, to trust in and rely on God. 
“For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. (1:8-9)

Paul was a master of words, divinely inspired by God. His poetic imagery helps us realize that there is a purpose for all aspects of our lives...the happy, triumphant events and the difficult, painful trials. He always emphasizes that through Christ, God is able to utilize us for His divine purposes of influencing the world around us. God wants us to leave a lingering fragrance of the love of Christ wherever we go. “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life...” (2:14-16)

Paul goes on to describe how God communicates through us to a lost world. Not everyone picks up a Bible to read the Words of God. Not everyone turns the radio to a Christian station. Not everyone attends Church or a bible study. But, God may choose to bring the message of his love and salvation to others through us. We become his message bearers. 
“And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (3:3)
Because we trust in Christ, He provides the confidence we need to represent Him and relay to others that they can move from death to life.
“Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (3:4-6)

This world is cloaked in darkness and sin. God wants to reveal Himself and open the eyes of all people to the need for His salvation. As His children, He wants to transform us to be more and more like Christ.  He wants to increase our spiritual understanding and have a personal, every deepening relationship with us.
“But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”(3:16-18)

Yes, life is difficult and full of trials but God is faithful and utilizes all facets of our surrendered lives for His glory and His purposes. He wants us to impact the world around us as He empowers us to persevere, endure, trust, and extend His love to others.