Hello. Welcome to Reflective Hour with Tammy Toney-Butler. I'm your host today. But again, we all know who the host of this show truly is, and that's Christ. May you see Him today. His words penetrate. Heal. May you not see me but His loving grace, His mercy, and His compassion for the lost and suffering.
Those who need to find their Shepherd need to find their way to wholeness, restoration, healing, peace, tranquility, and hope.
Feel that peace that surpasses all understanding, that only comes from the one true vine, the Vine of Christ, that threefold cord, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
May you drink from the well of Living Water that never runs dry. May you call upon it as many times as you need. Wash yourself clean of the sins of the past. Repent and turn.
That's what today's Reflective Hour is about. It's about a woman many did not see who had a perfume bottle of faith.
Who so many judged and labeled, didn't find her worthy, didn't even have a seat at the table. Was not invited in? How many of us felt that way? I certainly have.
How many of us have felt that way?
Let's dive in today to what Father has for you.
May you understand the journey that I have been on, as I've sinned and been washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb, and sit before you today, His humble servant, to deliver His truth, His message, His hope, His healing, as He set me free. You can be set free, too. Walk in the light and say no to the darkness.
Let's begin.
You are My beloved sheep. You may cry today, but I will use your tears to reap a bountiful harvest later. Look how I used the tears of a prostitute to anoint My Son's feet, even used her hair as a cloth. I used someone, a mere sinner, unworthy in the eyes of the Pharisees, the religious leaders. Someone not worthy, an uninvited guest, to demonstrate My love for My sheep, My son's love for My sheep. My mercy and compassion.
When we look at Luke 7: 36-50, the King James Version, and we dive into that, we see a woman, a sinner. And I believe today that the version that spoke to me that I'm going to read from was the Tree of Life Version.
Now, I want you to also look at the New International Version as well because each version has its own way of speaking to us, to our heart.
There are many different versions. I'm going to read Luke 7:36-50. The Tree of Life Version is titled " An Unwelcome Woman Finds Favor. "
The title of this episode of Reflective Hour is A Perfume Bottle of Faith.
Let's begin.
36: Now one of the Pharisees was asking Yeshua if He would eat with him. Upon entering the Pharisee’s home, He reclined at the table.
37: And behold, a woman in the town who was a sinner, when she discovered that Yeshua was reclining at the Pharisee’s home, brought an alabaster jar of perfume.
38: As she stood behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to drench His feet with tears and kept wiping them with her head of hair. Then she was kissing His feet and anointing them with perfume.
39: Now when the Pharisee who invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this were a prophet, He would know what sort of woman is touching Him—that she’s a sinner.”
40: And answering, Yeshua said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
And he said, “Say it, Teacher!”
41: “A moneylender had two debtors. One owed him five hundred denarii,but the other fifty.
42: When neither could repay him, he canceled both debts. So which of them will love him more?”
43: Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” “You have judged correctly,” Yeshua said.
44: Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered into your house, and you didn’t give Me water for My feet. But she has drenched My feet with tears and wiped them with her hair.
45: You didn’t greet Me with a kiss; but from the time she entered, she has not stopped kissing My feet.
46: You didn’t anoint My head with oil, but she has anointed My feet with perfume.
47: For this reason I tell you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven—for she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.
48: He then said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.”
49: But those who were reclining at table with Him began to say to one another, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”
50: Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in shalom.”
How many of you have shed drenching tears? Like this woman.
How many of you have been forgiven much and loved much?
How many of you still have so much to be forgiven for?
I was a sinner, and He forgave me of so many things. And many times, I had such a drenching of the sheets with tears. There are days I still do. I cry for so many things. But now I find peace with my Creator. God the Father. God the Son. Christ who died.
Jesus is waiting for you to submit, surrender, and reach out for healing as this woman did. She could not utter the words to get healed on her own. So she did what her heart knew to do—out of her heart flowed such love and compassion for Jesus. She had the compassion and love of Christ. Jesus is examining our hearts.
He is looking for that purity of heart and action, selfless service to Him, total surrender, and humility.
Are you ready to have your heart examined or exposed by Christ?
Would you wash your neighbor's feet, your coworker?
Would you submit yourself to Jesus? As this woman did, or are you like the stingy, judgmental, religious leader who was filled with spiritual pride and did not welcome Jesus into his home as an equal?
This woman sharing the heart of Christ through faith knew what Jesus needed and was worthy of: the Father's love. We all are worthy of that love, either to give it to others or receive it. The choice is ours. He is waiting; freedom is on the other side of that surrendered, repentant heart.
Let it be filled with peace, joy, and love.
Just breathe in the Holy Spirit.
A perfume bottle of faith is all you need, like this prostitute, labeled by man, gave all she had to show her love for Jesus. The woman was an uninvited guest with no seat at the table. Unwelcome, as many feel they are unwelcome in churches today. They're too dirty, too full of shame and guilt, murk and mire, too poor to attend, rejected by society's church, society itself, even their parents or others, rejected by those they tried to lavish love onto.
This prostitute took a chance, surrendered to Jesus, and laid it at the foot of the Cross with washing and anointing. And the washing and anointing of His feet foreshadowed His death on the Cross for us. And as we look up to Him, we can still see those feet hanging, the blood dripping, and His love for us.
See, He forgave me of much. The weight of the trauma, all of it, he lifted it off. I was dead before He came into my life, and He gave me hope and a purpose. And that's why when I read this, the scriptures come alive to me because I lived them.
A suffering servant full of compassion and mercy for His sheep, all were welcome at His table, not rejected as this religious leader rejected and judged this woman.
Jesus met her need, met her where she was, and her repentant heart and act of faith set her free. He forgave her sins, and He is waiting to forgive yours.
Overflowing love is the natural response to forgiveness. And the appropriate consequence of faith. And that's from the NIV version.
Only those who realize the depth of their sin can appreciate the complete forgiveness of God.
Jesus rescues the wicked, all sinners, if you call out to Him.
Psalm 108 speaks of the assurance of victory in God's strength. With God's help. We can do more than we think; we can overcome.
With God's help, we can claim victory over adverse circumstances, and the chains of the past can be broken. We can move past living in survival mode to thriving.
As we see in the woman who anointed Christ's feet with her tears, God can use your distress as an opportunity to show His mighty power and love for His sheep and bring clarity where there once was confusion.
Genuine wisdom, as we see in James 3:13-18 comes from heaven, and I'm going to read the King James Version, James 3:13-18:
13: Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
14: But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15: This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16: For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
17: But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
18: And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
The New International Version. Entitled,
Two Kinds of Wisdom
13: Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
14: But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.
15: Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
16: For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
17: But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
18: Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
And then lastly, James 3:13-18, the Tree of Life Version.
Gentle Wisdom from Above
13: Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct let him show his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.
14: But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not boast and lie against the truth.
15: This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
16: For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil practice.
17: But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, not hypocritical.
18: And the fruit of righteousness is sown in shalom by those who make shalom.
And Shalom is peace.
True wisdom can be measured by the depth of a person's character, just as you can identify a tree by the type of fruit that it produces (NIV).
What type of fruit is your tree producing? Wisdom leads to peaceable actions, to goodness, to kindness.
Are you tempted to escalate the conflict? Pass on that gossip? Or fan the fire of discord.
Are you judgmental like the Pharisee? Or are you welcome and forgiving like Jesus?
Bitter envy, pride, and selfish ambition are inspired by the devil. It is easy for us to be drawn into wrong desires by the pressures of society and sometimes even well-meaning Christians or religious leaders like the Pharisees (NIV, Life Application Study Bible).
As the leader, he was to set the example and teach others the right path. Instead, his pride and ego led him.
As leaders, are we sowing seeds of hate or seeds of peace? Are we coming to the Holy Spirit for Kingdom knowledge and guidance, or are we speaking out of flesh? Seeking God's truth, not the world, through prayer, gives us access to God's wisdom.
There is no need to compare ourselves to others. We are all equal, created for a unique, individual purpose for the good of the collective whole of believers.
Are we full of greed? Are we full of selfless sacrifice? With that perfume, bottle of faith.
This woman had such faith that she was restored. Made a new, transformed being full of Christ.
Christ forgave her of her sins.
Come to me, all those who are weary, and I will give you rest.
We wrestle against our flesh and sinful desires because we are flesh; we are constantly in a tug-of-war between darkness and light, good and evil, every day.
What will you choose? Who will you let label you? Will you realize your worth?
Powerful people and religious leaders labeled this woman. But Jesus loved her. She was able to reach out and touch Him for healing. You're able to reach out and touch Him for healing. His righteous right hand is waiting and His perfect love. He is the True Vine, and we are the branches. Tether into Him.
Tether into the truth. Seek healing at the foot of the Cross. This woman did. She sought healing at the foot of the Cross before Jesus even went to the Cross to save us.
He laid down His life so we could be set free.
Don't carry the shame, the guilt, the fear, the regret, the self-loathing, the addictions, the weight of trauma. He died so you could be set free and regain who you were always supposed to be before the predator, the control, the trafficker, Satan himself, came to your door.
Choose life, choose healing, stretch out your hand, because if you don't, they win. Every moment you live in that lie, that lie, their truth, not God's truth. They win.
Choose the truth. Break free as I did. Start living. Be restored and renewed.
Lay it at the Cross; He is waiting. Stretch out your hand.
And that is today's Reflective Hour with Tammy Toney-Butler,
Soak in Him. Soak in His truth and peace. Reflect.
