Do What You Can

Note from today’s Bible reading: Mark 14

Just a few days before He would be crucified, Jesus was at the home of Simon in Bethany when a woman came and anointed Jesus with a very expensive perfume (Mark 14:3). Some of the ones who saw this criticized the woman for wasting the perfume (Mark 14:4-5).

However, Jesus defended her: “She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her” (Mark 14:8-9).

Jesus was speaking with the ones who would be commissioned later to take the gospel into all the world (Mark 16:15). As we read the New Testament, we tend to focus a lot on the ones who were publicly preaching and teaching. Yet not everyone can do this, and Jesus made it clear that other works are important and praiseworthy – just like the “good deed” (Mark 14:6) of this woman who had “done what she could” for Jesus.

So do what you can. Everyone has different talents, opportunities, responsibilities, resources, and situations in which they find themselves. Rather than compare ourselves to others, let us simply strive to do whatever good we can do.