“Better to ask twice than to lose your way.”
DANISH PROVERB

“Soon afterwards, He began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sickness: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.”
LUKE 8:1-3 NASB

Why would the ministry of Jesus need support from His followers? He was the creator of the universe, and could command money to be found in the mouths of fish. He could feed thousands with just a few loaves of bread. He could raise the dead, calm the seas, and cause darkness to come upon the earth in the middle of the day. The supporting of His ministry must have been a small matter compared to all these other events, so why did He let these women support Him? For me the answer can be found in what we call in AA, service work. Being on the fringe of something doesn’t bring the security, rewards, and satisfaction of being totally involved and centered in a ministry. I would rather suspect that these women who contributed their support to the ministry did not lack for anything, their well must have stayed full as they dipped and gave, as it was necessary. After all they were giving to Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides all to all. What a pleasure it must have been for them to offer their support and have it received. There is really no way to pay back physically or materially the healing that takes place spiritually, when we allow Jesus to remove from us our burdens. Mary Magdalene stayed with Jesus right up to the very end of His earthly life and was one of the first to visit the empty tomb. Also Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene after His resurrection. She was a devoted follower who had been set free from demonic bondage. This morning as I study these Scripture verses I have made a discovery about Mary Magdalene. I have heard it said that she was a prostitute. The truth is that there is no scripture to back that up. Mary Magdalene is mentioned in all four of the Gospels, and only in the Gospels, and not once is she referred to as a prostitute. At times I wonder how some of these ideas about the Bible get started. What I do know is that when God’s Grace bows down and loves us regardless of what we’ve done or said, we fall in love with love, and want to be part of the sharing of that great love. Today I choose not to be on the fringe, but within the ministry of love, because God has done for me what I could not do for myself……..JRE

“All God’s glory and beauty come from within, and there He delights to dwell. His visits there are frequent, His conversations sweet, His comforts refreshing, His peace passing all understanding.”
THOMAS A KEMPIS