Dino and Nanette are dear Navajo friends of ours and now they're Mr. and Mrs.! How we wanted to be at that wedding because these are two very special friends, two very special Native American Christian leaders. We couldn't be, but our son, who lives near where the wedding was in New Mexico, called that afternoon and described the wedding to us, as well as any man can describe a wedding. I choked up when I heard about their wedding vows. Dino made his vows to Nanette on bended knee. Nanette made her vows to Dino and then handed him a beautiful Navajo blanket. But this was not just any blanket. It had belonged to her father who died several years ago and it represented a relationship and memories that she treasures. This blanket was Nanette's father's love gift to her. And in this moment of commitment now, she was handing her new husband this most precious treasure from her most precious person. In a sense, she was handing him her heart.
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Handing Over Your Heart."
In a tangible, deeply moving way, a young bride was saying with that gift, "I totally trust you, my husband. I'm giving you my heart and my life." She understood the deepest meaning of commitment. And commitment is the key to life's most important relationship, your personal relationship with the Man who died for you, Jesus Christ.
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Luke 7:37. "When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them." Like that Navajo bride, this woman understood commitment of a heart to Jesus. She brought what may have been the most valuable possession she had and lavished it on Jesus. She worshipped Him with abandonment, not caring what anyone thought. She was pouring out more than expensive perfume, just like that bride was handing over more than a blanket This lady was pouring out her life to Jesus.
Later, when the religious leader Jesus was dining with objected that this was really out of line, Jesus said, "You did not put oil even on my head, but she has poured perfume on My feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven - for she has loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.' Then Jesus said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven.'" Jesus seems to be saying, "This lady just came to me with all her heart - because she knows her need. You don't know your need and you come to Me with all your head."
It could well be that total commitment is "the" issue between you and Jesus right now, the kind that releases to Him the things that matter most to you. And right now you are clutching whatever is your "blanket," maybe your security blanket. It's a relationship that really matters to you, a dream you insist on hanging onto, or maybe a possession or a position, a business, a ministry, something from your past. And you're at a crossroads now, you cannot go any deeper, any further in Christ until you release that precious treasure to Him.
And the nagging, unspoken question really is, "Can I trust Jesus with this?" Marty struggled with that question at a youth conference where I spoke some years ago. He told me he just couldn't give everything to Jesus because he couldn't surrender basketball, the most important thing in his life. Put your own treasure in there. But at the end of the week, he said, "Ron, I've surrendered everything to Jesus, even basketball." I said, "Why?" He told me about his walk on the beach the night before where he finally settled the deciding issue. He said, "Anyone who loved me enough to die for me would never do me wrong."
That's the bottom line, isn't it? Jesus can be trusted with your precious treasure. Let this be the day you cross over into a whole new relationship with Him, the day you put the treasure you've clutched in your hands into His hands. "Jesus - here. I trust You and I'm handing You my heart."