The system of the world values that which is stored up, locked away and protected. Whether it is gold, precious stones, or collectibles kept in their original packaging, their assigned value increases the more that these items are kept out of common circulation. In this system, value decreases once the precious item is spent, altered, or becomes commonly accessible. In this system, preservation becomes key.
Then, Jesus comes along. Jesus comes to, not only flip tables, but to flip our expectations, our mindsets, and our systems. Wherever He walked this earth, Jesus brought the message of the Kingdom, but it is a kingdom that is not seen or made with hands. In fact, Jesus states that the kingdom is within, and it is only when we are born again in our spirit man that we can operate in this kingdom. Once the Lord of the universe becomes the Lord of our lives, the world system in which we find ourselves loses all power to hold us any longer.
It is through a renewing of the mind and a putting away of old wine skins that the principles of God’s unseen kingdom become the ones by which we can now live. It is a kingdom in which the least is the greatest, the last becomes first, and the tenth of our increase opens the windows of heaven. In this kingdom, the Holy Spirit is given without measure (John 3:34). The rivers of living water that He brings flow without limit.
The very nature of God’s kingdom comes from the picture of His throne in Revelation 22:1 “…a pure river, of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” God, Himself, is the beginning and source of all that is good and all that is life. As such, there is no measure to His supply, just as there are no limiting boundaries to His love according to Ephesians 3:18-19.
In contrast, it is to the world system that Judas Iscariot belonged, even while he served as Jesus’ disciple. We are told that he was in the habit of skimming from the coffers. This is not shocking because the world system enslaves through debt, lack and scarcity. It is no wonder, then, that Judas decried the use of the spikenard perfume that Mary poured on the head of Jesus (Mark 14:5). Judas denounced the squandering of a valuable item in a manner that made no logical sense in his world system. In his mind, value would have been served by selling the perfume and giving the money to the poor.
Judas’ suggestion highlights the motivation of the world system: preservation. Selling the bottle of perfume would have kept the contents locked up, which would then pass along an assigned value. He also demonstrated the constraints of a world system that solves problems (in this case the poor) with the limited resources of man. We see this calculating several times in scriptures: Moses tried to calculate how much meat was needed to feed the Israelites (Numbers 11:21-22); the disciples assigned the cost of feeding the five thousand (Mark 6:37). Man’s calculations do not make room for the supernatural and are limited only to natural understanding.
The meagre restraints of the world system cannot condone the pouring of treasures on the King of an unseen kingdom. This is, however, where the exchange of the natural imposes a supernatural return. When Mary broke the alabaster box and poured out the perfume, her extravagant act of worship was not only a prophetic act but was highly valued by Jesus. In His response, Jesus indicated how value is assigned in His kingdom: in the pouring out.
Jesus, Himself, was on the eve of the greatest pouring out that all of history would ever see – the spilling of His holy blood that would forever settle the transaction of redemption, buying back all of humanity. While Jesus walked on this earth with holy blood coursing through His veins, redemption had not yet been made. While He did ministry and healed the sick, cast out demons and raised the dead, His task had not yet been accomplished. The value of Jesus’ blood was in its pouring out at the cross, through which He took our sins and answered for the charges against us.
When David longed for water from the well in Bethlehem, his three mighty men risked their lives and broke enemy lines to bring him some of this water (1 Chronicles 11:18). David was so moved by what it had cost his men to bring him this water that he could not drink it. The value of the water had now become the value of the men’s lives. David poured the water out as an offering before the Lord, for no greater sacrifice could have been given at the time.
We overcome the world system by living by kingdom principles. The world tells us to serve our own needs: to hoard and keep, to gather and build, to store and heap up. But our value is in being spent. Whatever we have received, we are to freely give (Matthew 10:8), whether it be revelation, resources, wisdom, or time, the knowledge of Christ, the strategies of prayer, or even forgiveness. Those around us are in need of what is in us. The value of the kingdom is in its pouring out, not in its storing up. Paul tells Timothy that he is “poured out as a drink offering.” (2 Timothy 4:6). Being poured out had cost Paul everything, but it was without regret because he had poured into an eternal kingdom. Even today, we benefit from Paul’s poured out life.
It is time to cut loose from the world system that hinders the supernatural abundance of God’s resources in our lives. We are positioned to escape the corruption of this world (2 Peter 1:4) which frees us to pour out and give freely. Many have stored-up anointings, giftings and abilities that need to be poured out. It is time to give from the springs of living waters that flow freely from within and watch the tidal wave of healing and restoration that it brings. The Body of Christ is about to become the most valuable treasure on earth. Let us pour out our treasures and be spent for Jesus.
By Nicola Ramitt
09-02-2022
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