September 7, 2024 Devo

How do you want to be known? Have you ever thought about that? That idea hit me when I read our passage today. This incident that the author refers to here hasn’t happened yet. The story occurs in the next chapter. But as he writes about Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, it had made enough of an impression for him to mention it here. Maybe he was using it as a point of reference to distinguish her from the other “Marys” that are mentioned in the Gospels. That would make sense. But I wonder if maybe the touching way that Mary lavished her love on Jesus made such an impression that whenever he thought of her, he thought of that beautiful act of worship. You have to admit, it’s a pretty cool way to be remembered!
That’s what led me to think about how we will be remembered—particularly when it comes to our walk with God. Will we have lived our lives for Christ in such a way that it leaves the kind of impression that Mary did? Will someone mention how we prayed with such a powerful sense of God’s presence and power? Will we be known as someone who lived a life of incredible generosity and sacrifice for God? One day when someone is talking about us, will they recall how we were always reading, studying, or quoting the Word of God? Will we be remembered as someone whose faith was passionate, vibrant, and contagious? What will people say about US and OUR relationship with Jesus? Will there be anything remarkable about our walk with Him at all?
Please hear my heart. I’m not saying we should be overly demonstrative or flamboyant to draw attention to ourselves. Not at all. But reading this reference about Mary made me wonder if there’s anything about my life that communicates to others how much I love my Savior. Mary poured out her love on Jesus in such an open and unashamed way that the people around her never forgot it. May we all be remembered that way. That’s God’s Word for you today.