Wasteful Offering, the Sweet Aroma to God

As long as he had the assurance that his ministry was the outflow of life,

he was satisfied.

This quote comes from a biography of Watchman Nee, a great fruitful man of God from China who was persecuted for his faith in Jesus early in the 20th century. As he matured in God, all he cared about was that the life of Jesus flow out of him. As a young man, he was mentored by an elderly lady who helped him understand that it's not religious activity that produces this life but wasting ourselves in ministering to Jesus that gives life to others.

In the final chapter of Nee's classic book, "The Normal Christian Life", he tells of how he was offended at first with what seemed to be wasted time by this woman: "(I thought that this woman and others like her) are apparently not doing enough. They could do so much more, if they could secure an entry somewhere and enjoy a greater acceptance and prominence in certain circles...(this sister) is the one by whom I have been helped most. She was used of the Lord in a very real way during those years when I was associated with her...(at the time) the one concern in my heart was this: 'She is not used!' Constantly I said to myself, 'Why does she not get out and take some meetings, go somewhere, do something? It is a waste for her to be living in that small village with nothing happening!' Sometimes I almost shouted at her, 'No one knows the Lord as you do. You know the Book in a living way. Do you not see the need around? Why don't you do something? It is a waste of time...energy...money ...everything, just sitting here and doing nothing!'"

Nee goes on to talk about Mary's extravagant and "wasteful" offering to Jesus and how our highest priority must be to minister to Him before ministering to others. This prioritizing of our life will cause problems within the church because there are so many needs to be met that we Christians feel this is a waste of time and energy to wait on the Lord and seek that He be satisfied before others are satisfied.

However, as we give ourselves to this priority, the fragrance of this "wasteful" offering is on us; it's the very fragrance of the One Who poured out the ultimate wasteful offering on the cross. Hanging around Him a lot makes us smell like Him, and it's that "smell" that either attracts or repels people. The apostle Paul says in II Corinthians 2 that this aroma of Jesus on us is sweet to those who are hungry ('being saved') but a stench to those who are rejecting Him. We make no impact one way or the other without this fragrance of Jesus' life on us.

All of our attempts to win people (whether believers or not) are futile if hunger for Jesus hasn't been awakened. His fragrant life causes hunger to awaken.

I want to "smell" more and more like Him; when people are around me, I want them to catch a whiff of Jesus' life. Like Watchman Nee, I don't want to be satisfied with anything less than Jesus' life emanating from me. Time and energy "wasted" in simple unadulterated adoration of Him is the way we get soaked in His fragrance. Each generation and culture and personality will express this differently; but however it looks, it will turn out looking "wasteful" to others, even to others in the church.

Lord, You are worthy of wasteful offerings; You long for extravagant love offerings. Help us know how to cooperate with You in this as we step into a new year when the demands of life and ministry press in even more fiercely than ever. I ask You, Holy Spirit, for a holy tenacity and determination to make ministering to God my priority and the priority of Your bride worldwide as You prepare us for the most difficult days that Your people have ever faced or ever will face in human history. Help us measure the way You measure; help us value what You value for the sake of the Lamb! Thank You that You will do this for us, in His name...