In fact, we find in Mark 14 where Mary has come before Jesus and broken an alabaster box of ointment and poured it over the Lord’s head as a sign of worship and adoration. In doing so, many were filled with indignation within themselves and questioned why this spikenard was allowed to be wasted. They began to murmur against her asking why it wasn’t sold to feed the poor. The Lord’s response was: “Let her alone ... she hath wrought a good work on me ...”

   Then in verse 8, He makes a statement that we would like to consider. He says: “She hath done what she could.” I would like to consider that statement with the thought in mind of just being willing to do what we can do, especially in the service of the Lord.

   There are at least three things that can be beneficial to us as we glean from this statement.

   First, Notice the Rendered Services. Here is a woman who takes a precious ointment, or in other words, expensive ointment, breaks it open and pours it upon the head of the Lord Jesus Christ. This tells us that she took the best she had and was willing to use it for His purpose. She did not look for something that she would not use, nor something of little value. No, she looked for her best so she could do what she could to show her appreciation and affection unto Him. This is a valuable lesson for us as well. We need to consider what we render unto Him. Have we really done what we can, or are we doing what we want? Are we willing to go above and beyond or are we settling for “good enough”?

   In John’s account of this same story, we are told the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. She was willing to let everyone know what the Lord meant to her in the way she rendered her praise unto Him. Can we say we are unashamedly willing to do what we can by the way we render our services unto Him?

   Secondly, Notice the Reached Standards. “She hath done what she could.” The Lord was giving honor unto her for what she had considered and performed that day. There was thoroughness in her service. Without a doubt, there were several things she could not do but she didn’t let that stop her. She didn’t allow those things to be a hindrance; rather she considered her ability and capacity and was thorough in what was within her reach.

   You see, the Lord doesn’t expect things from us that we cannot do. He just expects us to be diligent in what we can do. There was also thoughtfulness in her service. She did what she could because she was thoughtful about what He had done for her. We, too, should do what we can because of all He has done for us. He gave His life so that we can have life more abundantly. This should cause us to be thoughtful and do what we can for Him.

   Thirdly, Notice the Rewarded Servant. Her path to doing what she could was not easy. She faced a lot of criticism along the way. They said there was much better things that could have been done with the spikenard, and she had wasted the ointment. Although her path was not one of pleasure, she was still determined to fulfill her desire. Due to this, her payoff was exciting. The Lord was aware of her desire and determination. He not only noticed her efforts, but He also made it known to others. He told them to leave her alone because she did what she could do. Because of her efforts, she was rewarded.

   Oh, that we would be like Mary and do what we can. May we not try to take the easy road nor try to do beyond our abilities but may we do what we can do and leave the rest up to the Lord.