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We don’t know her name only her love. When Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster flask of costly fragrant oil and poured it on His head.  Set free from torment and now living with new hope, she came to pay her debt the best she could. But some disciples including Judas asked why the fragrant oil was “wasted?” GK Apoleia” Literally “ruined to perdition.” 

300 denarii was close to a year’s wage. That is extravagant worship. You can’t accurately ladle out worship, so she poured it out.  Worship is wasteful; it is always excessive, even over the top. You can only pour it out unmeasured. Extravagant worship always exposes the hard, pragmatic, selfish or merely natural mindset

Judas also asked why her passion and devotion were not used to help the poor. But worship is not about being helpful or alleviating need. Meeting a need is a good thing to do at any time but it is not worship.  Worship is given to the One who has no need - we worship because it is we who have the need to worship.

Tellingly, when Jesus was describing Judas later, as the “son of perdition”, he used the exact same word "wasted", meaning “ruined to perdition.”  When a man calls wasted a thing that God esteems, God who wishes to esteem every man's life, may call it wasted.

Friends, the extravagance of our worship and how we rejoice in extravagant worship by others, is a good indicator of our heart and our future.

 Worship is the gyroscope of the soul. Worship is a sign of right order in the universe. When men and women worship God they begin to find out what they are born for and the benefits that God plans for them. Worship is all about God, but it benefits us. 

Worship lifts a man out of obscurity. Of course, God knows every person and loves them, but people don’t really appear on His “radar” until they begin to worship Him. Worship will lift a man to his place in history.  Gideon worshipped God and discovered he was a mighty man of valor. Moses was unknown till he bowed at the flaming shrub and Isaiah was just the son of a rich man until he saw the Lord high and lifted up. When people worship, they become what they were intended to be.

Worshipping Jesus is the only way to get the best from our life and our day. When Jesus was visiting His friends in Bethany, Martha was busy in the kitchen but Mary sat at His feet.  When Martha later complained to Jesus that Mary wasn’t helping her, Jesus said that Mary had chosen the best part. On an average day, there are tasks to complete and people to relate to, but they can never become the best they could be, till we have done the best part of the whole day, which is to worship Him.  Without the best part of the day in place, all other parts are ill-placed and unaligned. We may have a wrong perspective, or life’s priorities may become distorted like Martha’s. She believed that love was best shown by industry, not intimacy even in inactivity.

Being “unproductive” is not a virtue in the world or even in the kingdom of God but imperative in the very presence of Jesus. Our importance and what we can do for Him, is zero compared with what He can do for us as we worship.

Friend, to become the person, the father or friend, we were intended to be, and even to have the day God intended, choose to be a worshipper.

Gideon’s men quietly picked their way in the darkness around the Midianites’ camp. At the signal, they broke their clay vessels, revealing their flaming torches. The Midianites felt outnumbered by the great army that they thought had come upon them. It's amazing what God can do with people who have the lamp in their vessels and are willing to obey and break it in the battle. (Judges 7:19).  The Word of God is the lamp (Psalm 119:105).  And that lamp can be hidden inside our hearts (the vessel).  David said he hid God’s Word in his heart so he might not sin against God. If there is no Word stored in our heart, there will be no victory in the field.  It is the Sword that works, not garlic. How many of us still memorise scripture?   The Bible has to be more to us than an App on our phone next to Instagram and Facebook.

When Paul and Silas, vessels for God, were broken by imprisonment, they sang. Their faith-filled songs sounded so good, God turned up and every prisoner's bands were loosed - not just the Apostles. When a woman broke her alabaster vessel to worship Jesus, the room was filled with the fragrance of devotion.

Friend, today, we may find someone who is sick, or who needs our prayer of faith, or we have the opportunity to share the good news with them. Breaking our vessel is taking the risk to step out and to do it. Whenever we allow the Word of God and our devotion to shine out of our lives, there will be a breakthrough. In our lives and theirs!

Blind Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was passing by. He reached out and received his sight. He left behind his mat, his garment and his begging. Others in the Bible had their lives changed, too, because they received something from Jesus. The adulterous woman couldn't believe what happened. She was brought before Jesus to receive judgment, but she received mercy instead. (John 8) Zacchaeus received value, and Peter received forgiveness.

Jesus is not trying to take something from us, He is always trying to give something to us. What do we have, and what will we ever have that we do not receive?  We have nothing valuable that never came from Him.

We need to be good receivers. It is the hungry, the thirsty, and the needy that receive from Him. The only thing that hinders us from receiving is not knowing our need, not knowing He is close by, or not asking. Everyone who received knew there was no life in temple programs or rote prayers, but only in a Person. When we receive from Jesus, we receive Life.  God is so good that it always brings Him more joy to give to you than to receive from you. Blind Bart received sight and followed Jesus in the way. The more we see of Jesus, the closer we will want to follow. Not as beggars but as sons.

Friend, when you receive from Jesus, your words, your position and your garments change. If you are ready to follow Him, call out to Him, "who is coming your way" and receive.

Yesterday, marchers for Palestine filled the streets, and cries of genocide filled the media. Today, both sides rejoice, the rubble remains, and we think, “Did Israel need Gaza that badly and why?

Believers’ views can swing between either denouncing or deifying the modern state of Israel.  Of course, the land and people of Israel are deeply significant but we shouldn’t confuse covenants of promise with nationalism. God’s covenant with Abraham was never tribal or nationalistic—it was global: “Through you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). This promise can only find its fulfilment in Christ, Abraham’s true seed (Galatians 3:16). The idea that Christians must support every political action or territorial claim of Israel to avoid divine curses is not rooted in Scripture, but in commentary—especially the Schofield Reference Bible which interpreted Genesis 12:3 as a geopolitical mandate, equating the establishment of God’s covenant with political Zionism. The promise of blessing was to Abraham personally, not to every decision of a future nation-state. The promise of everlasting possession of land was to Abraham and his seed, which ultimately is Christ.  National land promises were conditional on faith and obedience. Israel was exiled to Babylon for disobedience, and in the New Testament, after the believing Jews became the church, the gospel went to the Gentiles. Eventually, under duress, the Jewish people were dispersed throughout the world.

Of course, nations have the right to defend themselves, but the New Testament never commands believers to support every expansionist war or every political decision made by Israel, America or other nations.

Does God love the Jewish people? Absolutely. He still weeps over Jerusalem. But their inheritance is now found in Jesus, not geography. We pray for peace for Jerusalem, salvation for Jews, for an end to all wars and that world leaders can maintain peace. To me, 2-state, 1-state, or 3-state is not an issue. If God meant for Jewish faithful to live in the land forever, forever begins when Jesus returns. Then all God’s redeemed, Jews and gentiles (Palestinians, Kiwis and others), will inherit not only the land of Israel, but the whole earth too.

This week, I caught up with my great friend David McCracken. I went away so grateful for his friendship because none of us has ever got to where we are by ourselves.  Every person in our lives builds something into our souls. Some bring strength and some bring sorrow, but real friends always affect your faith for good. Their influence draws you closer to God.  Proverbs says to pick your friends thoughtfully “lest you learn his ways” (Pro 22:24-25).  In other words, we become like those we hang out with.

 Jonathan and David weren’t natural kin, yet Jonathan “loved David as his own soul” (1 Sam 18:3). He stripped off his royal robe, gave David his armour, and willingly promoted his rival—because he recognised David’s value to God.

A real friend isn’t a competitor or a critic—they’re a champion for your calling. They rejoice at your promotions, feel your pain and guard your heart against pride. They stay closer than a brother, bearing your burdens, celebrating your wins, and protecting your reputation.

Friend, have you got someone who fans your faith, stirs your passion for Jesus, and helps you navigate life’s battles? They are like a Jonathan. Thank God for them: they are your treasure, and ask God to help you grow into that kind of friend for someone else. Why not write or phone to affirm their gifting?

If they are like a David to you, who you want to serve: declare their destiny, offer your prayer and practical help and commit to standing with them through every battle.

In 2016, we were running late and trying to get to the airport in Portugal. On the motorway, the GPS was slow to refresh and appeared to say to turn right. We did and ended up on one of the longest bridges in the world. We couldn't turn around for 20 kilometres! There are moments in life when it feels like you’ve taken a wrong turn and ended up on a bridge you never wanted to cross. Maybe it’s a financial burden, a health crisis, a broken relationship, or a spiritual dry spell. We didn’t plan it, but here we are.

David returned to Ziklag to find everything gone—his city burned, his family taken, and his men ready to stone him. David had every reason to collapse under the weight of grief, fear, and exhaustion. But in that moment, when no one stood with him, David did something powerful: “But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.” 1 Samuel 30:6. He didn’t have answers. He didn’t have support. But he had a history with God. Kings need to know how to stand alone. It was only a short time after that, that he was crowned King.

Encouraging yourself in God doesn’t mean pretending everything’s fine. It means remembering who He is, what He’s done, and what He’s promised. It means choosing to believe that God who blessed your going out is still with you in your coming in—even over a bridge you hate.

Friend, your bridge isn’t forever and God isn’t finished yet. So look up and go ahead. Encourage yourself that God is still good, still present, and still in control. Because crowns come to those who are faithful in trials. And by the way, we just made it to the check-in, and they opened the bag drop again, just for our bags!

Abraham looked up and scanned the heavens. As a million stars twinkled, he thought, “How can it be?”. Childless Abraham was given a promise—his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. But then came the test: offer up Isaac, and incredibly, he did. “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac…” Hebrews 11:17.  God didn’t explain or reassure. He watched. Because sometimes silence is not absence—it’s examination. The teacher doesn’t speak during the test.

Usually, the promise from God comes via a process and a test. We love the idea of increase, but we often resist the path that leads there. Yet there is no glory without a story, or a crown without a cross. Tests are not meant to hurt us—they’re designed to reveal us. They expose what we believe, what we fear, and what we’re willing to surrender. And if God seems silent in the test, it is not rejection—it’s refinement. It is not because He’s distant, but because He’s developing something deeper in us. We want to skip the process, but the process is what makes us like Jesus.  Our Father who loved, called and tested Abraham is developing us too.

Friend, don’t stumble in the silence. And when the Father speaks, you’ll find that you’ve grown closer and stronger and more ready for the promise than you ever imagined. Keep walking. Keep trusting and keep surrendering, and you will find that He has a resurrection of the promise and a supernatural provision for you.

The lamp glowed in the dark, and in the distance, Paul could hear sounds of shouting somewhere in the soldiers’ barracks, but then Paul heard the voice of God. “…You must also bear witness at Rome” Acts 23:11l” Paul had a word from God, and he was soon confined on a Roman ship sailing for Italy. He wasn’t free to move. He wasn’t in control. And yet, he was still in purpose. The prison ship wasn’t a detour. It was the vehicle to his destiny. The journey would include a violent storm, a shipwreck, and even a snake bite. But none of it meant the promise had failed. God often gives us the destination but not the details. He tells us where we’re going, but not what we’ll face on the way.

Like Paul, we may find ourselves in seasons of confinement or surrounded by difficulty, unsure of how the promise will unfold. But confinement doesn’t cancel your calling as a child of God. Storms don’t sink destiny. And silence doesn’t mean God has left. Sometimes the very thing we want to escape is the thing God is using to shape us. The prison ship teaches us that God is not just the God of the promise—He’s the God of the process.

Friend, Our Father is present in the storm and sovereign in the silence. What appears to be a setback may be the setup for your next success.   Trust the One who called you, because if He started it, He will finish it.