happy thanksgiving for the listeners and followers of daily insights. My sincere apologies for unexplained silence for the last two weeks. I have been unwell for the last few weeks. I took a break in my mind. I thought it's just gonna be a few days. Uh, but before I got better I got worse. But I thank God for his faithfulness to the whole audio. And because of that, we've missed several episodes those weeks. But today being thanksgiving, I said it is important. We talk about it. So this is a thanksgiving special edition. You know, if you look around and actually reflect on what you observe, you will realize that we have become so accustomed to comfort and conveniences that most people around the world would consider extra or demand.

You realize that what we call common Grace has become so common to earth that we feel so entitled to it. And so during this period of thanksgiving, I want us to do some self evaluation and reflect on those comforts, conveniences and Common grace is that we experienced almost every day and ask ourselves what was we attached to them see? It's very easy to get lost in the waves and the concerns of our daily lives. We forget the value and what what is within our reach. The truth is we live in a world where there is so much that calls for our attentions and things which must be attended to B eight obligations or acts of charity and we all have different motivations for what we do. But lately, I've been asking myself one question, what compels us to do the things we do, and I'm gonna post there and ask you this question today, what compels you to do the things you do?

So we leave. We love, we give for a reason and we celebrate, we give thanks when these endeavors succeed, because we had a reason for doing them. We feel grateful because the worth we attributed to those acts has been realized. We feel grateful because we know the value of those comforts, conveniences, and common grace is Today. I want us to read from John 12, that's 1-8, And says, and it says that six days before the passover jesus came to Bethany, we had rosario's lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in jesus honor. Mother sobbed, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. The mary took about a pint of pure nard an expensive perfume.

She poured it on jesus feet and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragments of the perfume. But one of his disciples, judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him objective. Why wasn't this perfume sold? And the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages. He did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, as the keeper of the money bag. He used to help himself to what was put into it. Leave her alone, Jesus replied. It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my barrel. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. Beautiful narration by john and he begins by giving us a time marker, reminding us that this supper was prepared a week before his crucifixion cation.

And so with the reality of his approaching death on his mind, Jesus attended the dinner which was probably prepared to celebrate the raising of Lazarus from the dead. I know maybe you are listening to this podcast as you're preparing your thanksgiving dinner in. It's a nice time to listen to this. He joined Lazarus household in showing gratitude For his restoration. You know I can imagine mother seven Jesus, the best of dishes. Really grateful and happy to serve the Lord and I believe that her sadness was really valued and I appreciate it. On the other hand, we have mary who decided to give jesus a rather remarkable gift. It was common practice to wash the feet of the guests, but not during the meal and suddenly not with oil or the whole year's wage and then wiping the feet with one's hair mary took the place of a lowly slave to attend the feet of the guest, an act of cuba humility and great devotion.

You know this was an extreme and yet humble expression of gratitude. She had to go to the extent of letting down her hair in public something a jewish woman would rarely do, but she did not stop to think about how the public would react. She did not consider the gratitude too costly a gift for the Lord. She did not consider it too sweet for him. Her whole heart went out to the Lord. She expressed her feelings in the best and the only way she knew how to and the bible says that the whole house was filled with the fragments of the of her oil. What she did left a lasting memory that years later when the disciples were writing the Gospel, they remembered the smell of that oil, but at the same dinner table judas who had no doubt which nest the restoration of Lazarus, a man who had witnessed the work of grace in mary's life objective to her display of love and devotion.

He thought this was too much love. Too much devotion. Too extreme for an expression of gratitude. It made absolutely no sense to him that Mary could go to such as next 10 to show how grateful she was for what the Lord has done for them. And so Judah's asked the question we often ask, when we see people losing themselves maybe in worship to the Lord, When you see people pouring out their hearts falling to the ground and humility to just falling down their faces in reflection of what God has done for them. We ask, isn't this a little too much? Can they do this in private? Doesn't the Lord hear us, even when we talk in private, must they shout like that? He projected his greed, His discontent and shame towards mary. And the bible says that judas didn't care for the poor scene that he even helped himself to what was put in the money back for their use.

He was uncomfortable that someone was expressing themselves in a way that he did a little too much. But we see jesus coming to mirror his defense. He did not criticize her for the extreme expression of love. He did not rebuke her for how she chose to express his gratitude. The Lord did not put a price on her love and devotion. Jesus tells judas leave her alone and this thanksgiving. Do not delay the act of love. Do not delay gratitude. Let her make the best of what is good, do not hinder the father effect of the miracle. It's just to say, let mary be. She had been preparing saving up for that moment and when the opportunity presented itself, mary did not hesitate to make the best of it.

Her opportunity to offer this affectionate attention and homage to the Lord. Her opportunity to express her feeling was here and she was not going to lose it for the irrecoverable past for her. It was now or never. And I pray that this becomes something we can aspire for that. We do not waste any chances to express our love and gratitude to the Lord. That despite what the world we think over a warship, despite what anyone else may think of, how we choose to express ourselves before the Lord. We will not let anything keep us from it. I will not take for granted. The common grace is the comfort the conveniences we have right now. That we will not let our love for God. Our recognition of his deeds. Our gratitude to the Lord. Yeah, we will not let it be in vain that we will let that love be the compelling power.

B the compelling power behind everything return. I pray that we will not shy away from expressing about humility and devotion to the Lord whenever the chance to do so present itself. Because no praise is too great for our God. No gift is too costly for him. No fragrance is too sweet for about God. And thinking about that skipping. Let us make gratitude apart of our interactions with other people so that we can build our relationship with them even as we build our relationship with God. Because as we are bound in generosity dank. If Miss will become a natural response to us. And again, as we celebrate thanksgiving, Let us not be critical of others. Well family the members. Yeah. And those close to us who tend to express their gratitude beyond our expectations like jesus said of mary, let them be.

I wish you and yours happy thanksgiving. This is Pastor lucy painter with your daily insight, thanksgiving, special Edition 2021. Mhm.