Pleasant Stone Devotional Meditation: August 30

“… and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment” ~ John `12”3c

This is almost the last of our “purple stones” which speak to us of God’s intentions toward us in our human suffering. My [Eugenia Price, the author] own heart has become more willing as I have shared them with you. Willing to let Him be toward me only as He wants to be.

So often I have locked my heart, unwilling to see God’s movements of love toward me. Unwilling to act as though I really believe He is love. Unwilling to open my wounded heart to Him for healing. Unwilling, or unable quite to believe that He is always in motion toward me with ministering graces and healing in His hands.

At those times of rebellion in my heart toward God, there was no aroma of Christ in my life. He was there. But His aroma was shut away behind the wall of my refusal to accept His actions of love toward me. My “house was [not] filled with the odour of the ointment” of my Beloved Lord. I was not treating Him as though He were my Beloved. But He kept on treating me as though I were His. And then --- I broke. There was great weeping with it.

At first I wasted the tears, but then I remembered the woman with the alabaster box, and I began to wash His feet with them. Once that near, I could not help but kiss the dear feet. And then I had to break the box! I had to break at His feet. Because only then could I anoint Him with my “ointment … very precious.” Only then was my “house filled with the odour of the ointment.” Only then was the suffering sweet.

“… Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example … nevertheless … not I, but Christ liveth in me.”