Her gift brought on the criticism of men and the praise of her Savior. She didn’t speak any words, but her extravagant gift, poured on the head of Jesus was an act of utmost worship that has preached countless messages. Because Jesus Himself said that this act of worship serves as “One Woman’s Memorial” and it shows us today exactly what Jesus desires from each and every one of us… everything.

When it comes to good works, this guy had everything going for him. And he fully expected to get Jesus’ stamp of approval.

But this passage shows us that with God, it’s never just about our good works. He wants our heart.

And what was true for the rich young ruler then is true for us today. Our God has a standard, and He’ll never lower it. It’s up to us to decide… do we come to Him on His terms, or do we walk away like the man in Mark 10, headed toward “A Tragic Ending”?

All too often churches today can focus on the “doing” rather than the “being”, but here’s the thing: our God is much more concerned with what we are as a church family than what we do.

When Jesus came to earth, each and every day He lived out His life as a model for us. And He made it very clear when He showed that there’s only one way to greatness in God’s economy… follow His example and learn to be a servant.

The tomb is empty! And it’s important we understand why this is a big deal… the biggest deal!

Easter Sunday is the Sunday of all Sundays… because on this morning all those years ago, the angel spoke the message at the tomb where the stone had been rolled away: “Jesus Is Alive… Just as He Said!”

When we answer the question of how Jesus died, one common reply is “they crucified Him.” They… the religious leaders, the political leaders, His enemies. But while that answer is true, the fact is it goes so much deeper than that. And when we go deeper the answer gets personal. When we say “‘They’ Crucified Him”, we need to stop and remind ourselves of who is included in that word “they”.

When it comes to accomplishing His plan, God wants His children to understand something… it has to be all about Him. He wants to involve us in the process, but make no mistake, He wants all the glory. So if we want to be used by God, and God wants the glory, the question we need to ask ourselves is, “Am I Willing?”

There are many believers who desperately need a second touch. Yes, they’re saved, on their way to Heaven, but that’s it.

The potential to be more for Jesus is there, but they’re not tapping into it. They’re content to do things God’s way on Sunday and then live the way they want to Monday–Saturday.

God wants so much more for us, but we are never going to be able to get there on our own. We’ve got to get real with ourselves, honestly admit we’re not living up to our God-given potential, and then ask our God for “Another Touch”.

A Christian who has a Bible that is only opened on Sundays at church and then put on a shelf for the rest of the week is simply put… powerless.

Hands down, the time we spend with our God each day in His Word and in prayer is the most important time of our day.

God doesn’t just want our Sundays. He WANTS time with us… and we NEED time with Him “Seven Days a Week”.

Jesus Himself was tempted, but He didn’t go up against Satan on His own. He was armed with Scripture and completely submitted to His Father.

As believers, we need to be aware that temptation WILL happen to us… every single day. But it’s not enough to just be aware, we have to “Be Aware… and Prepared”.