One of the things that we are seeing in these times of refreshing is a renewed passion for worship and praise to Jesus. I am so thrilled to see so many liberated by the Spirit of God. They are holding nothing back, giving Him all the praise and honor due His name. In Luke 7, we read about a woman who came to Jesus while he was sitting eating with some of the Pharisees. She came in and anointed His feet with costly oil, tears flowed from her eyes so much as to literally wash His feet. She kissed his feet, wiping His feet with her hair. Then Simon, the Pharisee that invited Him over for dinning, began to speak to himself about this woman, saying in his heart, “This Man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.” This woman loved Jesus and owed her life to Him and she was showing Him her love and devotion. But Simon had no revelation of who it was who was sitting at his dinner table. Jesus began to talk to Simon dealing with that which was in his heart, showing him that he didn’t washed his feet,(even though in every house there was a basin of water) but she washed His feet with her tears, and wiped them off with her hair. He didn’t kiss Him, but she had not ceased to kiss His feet since the time He came in. He didn’t anoint His head with oil, yet this woman had anointed His feet with oil. As we look at Jesus’ response to the extravagant love of this woman, He saw that it came from a heart that loved much because she was forgiven much. Jesus at no point stopped this woman from this public demonstration of her love to Him for He knew that it came from a heart that recognized the mercy, forgiveness and grace of God in her life. This woman had extravagant love for Jesus.

The word extravagant means, lavish, wasteful, excessive, unrestrained. Extravagant Love for Jesus is the kind of love that has no boundaries, it is beyond the natural. It is the place where you can’t show Him enough, you just keep pouring it on because loving Him has consumed your soul. In Mark 12 we are told to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, strength which is the first commandment. Our relationship with God is an eternal love affair that completely governs everything we say and do! Why should we desire to extravagantly love the Lord? We should because He first loved us and gave Himself for us. Look at the awesome price that he paid for our lives on the cross. Look at the great, extravagant love He showed and continues to show us. Think about His mercy and grace and how He daily watches over our soul. We are told in the Psalms “forget not all his benefits”, His love is unconditional, and He will never leave us nor forsake us. Those who truly have a revelation of Jesus Christ and His love for them will begin to love Him extravagantly. You will be like this woman, while others are sitting, judging, you will be worshipping at His feet. You will be dancing like David did “with all of your might”and you will hold nothing back because He held nothing back from you.

As you look through the scripture and you find those who did something for God, they expressed their love and dedication to Jesus not only privately but publicly. Jesus told us to go into our room and shut the door. I believe every one of us need that private time alone where it is just you and the Lord. We are also called to let our lights shine before men. We keep hearing the world encourage those who have alternative lifestyles to come out of the closet, but I believe that the church needs to come out of the closet and proclaim the greatness and the goodness of our God to a lost a dying world. We must be willing to show our extravagant love and dedication to Him for all to see. We are in the last of the last days and I know that God is raising up a people who will unreservedly give themselves to Him. God is demonstrating His power in our midst and confirming His word with signs following. I believe that we haven’t seen anything yet. The river is rising, step out, shake off those heavy bands and experience the refreshing of the Spirit of God. This is a new day and God is doing a new thing. Just as this woman expressed her love for all to see, let us learn by her example. Let us praise the Lord with all our heart and hold nothing back. Let us have extravagant love for Jesus.