Day 3. Beautiful Surrender

Day 3 — Beautiful Surrender

Writer: Noah // Divergent Church Canberra

Scripture:

“She has done a beautiful thing to me.’” Matthew 26:10 (NIV)

Theme: True worship flows from grace, not approval.

Prayer Focus: Offering Jesus worship that is free, costly, and wholehearted.

Reflection

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is anointed by a woman who breaks open a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. What appears excessive to others is named by Jesus as beautiful. In this moment, we are given a profound picture of worship shaped by surrender.

First, this woman’s worship flows from an understanding of grace. Augustine once wrote in Confessions, “My weight is my love. Wherever I am carried, my love is carrying me.” We are always moved by what we love most. To the degree we understand the gospel, and to the degree we grasp Christ’s love, sacrifice, and passion for us, is the degree we will respond in worship and adoration. This invites a searching question: am I living out of grace, or have I slipped into a performance mindset in my faith?

Second, her worship is offered without concern for approval or disapproval. Reflecting on this passage, Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Her first and last thoughts were for the Lord Jesus Himself. Seek to do something for Jesus, which will be above all, a secret sacrifice of pure love to Jesus. Do special and secretive work towards your Lord. Between you and your Lord let there be secret tokens of love.” Worship, at its truest, is not shaped by the opinions of others but by devotion to Christ alone.

Third, her worship is costly. King David once declared, “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24, NIV). Yet even the greatest cost we offer pales in comparison to the cross and God’s extravagant love already poured out for us. C. S. Lewis captures this well: “If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.” Passionate worship, even when costly, becomes a natural response when we truly see what God has done on our behalf.

Some of the most beautiful expressions of worship I have witnessed have come through radical generosity, particularly in South Asian contexts where believers give despite great personal lack. Likewise, those who love Jesus faithfully even when there is risk or cost to themselves reveal a depth of worship that is precious to God. Often, the most valuable worship carries a price.

Today, consider how your worship might be shaped by grace, freed from the need for approval, and marked by willing surrender, even when it costs.

Prayer:Jesus, You gave Yourself fully for us before we ever thought of giving anything to You.Free our hearts from the need for approval or reward, and from the fear of others’ disapproval.Teach us to worship not to be seen, but because You are worthy.Father, rekindle our first love for Jesus, and stir passion and zeal in us through Your Spirit.May our surrendered lives point others to Your beauty.Amen.

Personal Reflection

1.     In what ways might my worship be shaped by habit or performance rather than a fresh awareness of God’s grace?

2.     Where do I feel pressure to restrain my devotion to Jesus because of others’ opinions or expectations?

3.     Is there an area of my life where God may be inviting me to offer worship that is more costly, trusting that He is worthy of it all?