Questions for Discussion/Reflection:
-Describe a time you expressed love and concern for others and were misunderstood. How did it make you feel? Did you pull back or press in closer?
-Consider the differences between Mary's and Judas's love for Christ:
MARY... JUDAS...
* Had a heart of gratitude * Had a heart of greed
* Came with abandon * Came with an agenda
* Heard what Jesus said & responded * Heard but did not understand
* Held nothing back * Gave up nothing
-Which aspects of Mary's love comes easiest for you? Which aspect is the most difficult for you?
Going Deeper:
-After reading JOHN 12:1-11 (CLICK HERE TO READ ONLINE) what was Judas's response to Mary's extravagant love? What did John say was the motivation behind his response?
-After reading MATTHEW 16:21-23 (CLICK HERE TO READ ONLINE) What was Peter's response to Jesus' explanation that he must die? What did Jesus say was the motivation behind his response?
- Mary loved extravagantly because she had experienced firsthand the extravagant love of God. Read 1 JOHN 3:1 (CLICK HERE TO READ ONLINE) and ROMANS 8:31-39 (CLICK HERE TO READ ONLINE).
*I challenge you to write a love letter to God, expressing your gratitude for his lavish love and extravagant grace.
Here are a few things that I loved in this chapter and I hope you are as inspired by them as I have been!
PAGE #: 164 "Our strength can be our undoing. And Judas's strength was his ambition, his focus, and his commitment to getting ahead. It was also, of course, his greatest weakness. It caused Judas to care more about the political situation and his own bank account that the condition of his heart."
PAGE #: 165 "How sad that it is possible to know God but never truly experience God."
*This right here makes me so sad for those people out there that aren't allowing themselves the beautiful enjoyment of experiencing God in all His glory. To know is not to experience. We must be open, willing and sincere. We must come in true commitment and abandonment for God.
PAGE #: 166 "If we find ourselves becoming critical of other people we should stop examining them, and start examining ourselves.
*This is something I think that we as Christians can sometimes be the worst at. Quick to judge others, "outsiders" and followers of Christ alike, we judge, we become too critical when we ourselves have work yet to be done and improvements yet to be developed and lots to learn in this lifetime still. God is the only one with the authority to judge so we shouldn't think we have that right.
PAGE : 167 *The last paragraph of the page before "Lavish Love"
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