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Knowing God is a lifelong process. It takes time to know God intimately and learn to trust Him in various situations.

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For me, I found that all 3 characters had one thing in common.

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For me, I found that all 3 characters had one thing in common.

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They did not seek the presents of God, but instead sought the presence of God.

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Who was your favourite of the 3 characters and why? What can you learn from him/her?

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Who was your favourite of the 3 characters and why? What can you learn from him/her?

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In all 3 occasions, Mary was sitting at Jesus's feet, listening to Him. Her posture was one of humility.

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In all 3 occasions, Mary was sitting at Jesus's feet, listening to Him. Her posture was one of humility.

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Luke 10 - Mary was learning
John 11 - Mary was grieving
John 12 - Mary was loving

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Mary gave all that she had to honour God. Like Paul, she understood that the perfume she had was garbage in comparison to Jesus's presence.

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Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

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John 11:32-33 - The Death and Resurrection of Lazarus

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John 11:32-33 - The Death and Resurrection of Lazarus

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32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.

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Are we like Martha sometimes, working hard to impress God, but forgetting that God is more than enough for us?

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Martha was so consumed with what she had to do that she seemed to forget who she was doing it for. But Mary recognized the significance of the moment and realised that it was not determined by what was served, but by who was there.

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Luke 10:38-42 - Jesus at the home of Mary and Martha

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Luke 10:38-42 - Jesus at the home of Mary and Martha

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38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

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3 separate occasions where Mary showed her complete devotion to Jesus.

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3 separate occasions where Mary showed her complete devotion to Jesus.

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No one, apart from Jesus himself, played a bigger role in shaping the history of Christianity than Paul.

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No one, apart from Jesus himself, played a bigger role in shaping the history of Christianity than Paul.

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Nearly 30 years after his conversion, after Paul had been greatly used by God and had founded numerous churches, he wrote that he was still seeking to know Christ more, and that compared to knowing Christ, all his accomplishments were like garbage!

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Moses spent forty years thinking he was somebody; forty years learning he was nobody; and forty years discovering what God can do with a nobody.

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"7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."

Paul wrote all these when he was suffering in prison!

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Paul was shocked to find out that the One who spoke
to him was the Lord Jesus, whose followers he had been persecuting. Once corrected, Paul had a complete change in conviction and purpose. His zeal was redirected to serve God and his people.

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3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

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"But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison."

Previously, Saul was someone who zealously persecuted Christians.

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What can you sacrifice for God?

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From Moses, we see the importance of obedience and sacrifice if we are to know God intimately.

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One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.

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Moses's whole mission was to bring the Hebrews into the Promised Land, yet he was ready to give it up in exchange for God's presence! That's passion for God!

Moses understood that without God's presence, anything he did would be futile.

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14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.

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"He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel."

While God made known his miracles and deeds to the Israelites, he revealed who He was to Moses.

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2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

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1st Person: Moses
2nd Person: Paul
3rd Person: Mary

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Activity: Get your favourite birthday gift or gift that you have received before. Show it to us!

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Activity: Get your favourite birthday gift or gift that you have received before. Show it to us!

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1. What is this gift?
2. Why is it your favourite?