Rich Towards God, pt.1

Major Bible characters are usually widely known for something spectacular about their life. Eve took the first bite. Cain murdered his brother. Samson was on Holy Ghost steroids. Jonah was the first to ride in a “submarine”. David took another man’s wife, killed her husband, and wrote beautiful psalms. Solomon asked for wisdom, had a massive amount of power, wealth, and women, only to call it all vanity at the end of his life. Peter briefly walked on water, denied the Lord three times, and led thousands to the Lord during his very first sermon. And, well, you get the idea.

Of special interest to anyone who earnestly seeks to hear God’s voice are those people who valued success with God over the success before men—those that sought only to be rich in Father’s eyes. These are those that seek to hear the very heartbeat of God as did John during the last supper.

This enewsletter issue begins a two-part series on a character study of a specific person in the New Testament. There is no biblical record that this person had great oratory skills, was a wonderful singer, had a charismatic personality, or had any other great gifting that today we would value and promote within the church. In fact, this person is rarely mentioned in today’s sermons. Yet, of all those that followed Jesus, this person was one of the richest. Rich towards God, that is. She had one of the most passionate and committed hearts in the whole Bible. And she found the key to hearing and receiving revelation.

Who She Was and Wasn’t

You may have heard that she was a prostitute. Don’t believe that vicious centuries-old rumor. There is no reliable source that gives credibility to that characterization.

Referred to as Mary Magdalene (Mary from Magdala), she was possessed with seven devils. When Jesus cast them out, He gave Mary something that went beyond the Old Testament precedents—there is no record, of all the great healings and miracles performed in OT times, in which a devil was cast out of anyone. She was touched by a new and miraculous power of God.

Matthew 12:43 says that when a devil (or devils) is cast out of a person that it will get others worse than itself and re-enter that person if God is not dwelling there. Mary did not leave her “house” unoccupied—she filled it with her Lord.

Mary was mentioned seven times as being with a group of other women. In six of those seven mentions, her name was listed first—even before Mary the mother of Jesus!

What She Did

Mary was part of a group of women that followed and ministered to Jesus and His disciples from their own property, belongings, and wealth (Luke 8:2–3). She exchanged her earthly wealth for eternal wealth where neither moth nor rust can corrupt. She was not a man-pleaser, nor a self-pleaser, but a God-pleaser. She understood that to be highly esteemed among men was an abomination in the sight of God (Luke 16:15).

Mary surrounded herself with godly women, which included: Jesus’ mother, Salome (the mother of James and John), and Joanna (the wife of Cuza, manager of Herod’s household). She wasn’t a loner. She didn’t hang out with a bunch of sinners or lukewarm believers.

Mary was an eyewitness to the healings, deliverances, miracles, teachings, and crucifixion of Jesus.

She was the first person at Jesus’ tomb the day He rose from the dead.

She was the first person to see the risen Christ.

She was the first person to believe in the risen Christ.

She was the first to tell others about the risen Christ.

Mary’s experience at the tomb with Jesus is profound and is recorded with great detail in John 20. The next issue of this enewsletter discusses the significance of the event and what we can learn from Mary’s heart and her actions.

It is my prayer for you that Father will continue to help you to hear His voice, and more and more frequently.

With God’s grace and in His peace,

Gary

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