Every Heartbeat for Your Glory

Alabaster Jar

By Gateway Worship

This alabaster jar
Is all I have of worth
I break it at Your feet Lord
It's less than You deserve
You're far more beautiful
More precious than the oil
The sum of my desires
And the fullness of my joy

Like You spilled Your blood
I spilled my heart
As an offering to my King

Here I am take me
As an offering
Here I am giving
Every heartbeat for Your glory
Take me, take me

This time that I have left
Is all I have of worth
I lay it at Your feet Lord
It's less than You deserve
And though I've lived astray
And though my days are few
You gave Your life for me
So I will live my life for You

Like you spilled your blood
I spilled my heart
As an offering to my King

Here I am take me
As an offering
Here I am giving
Every heartbeat for your glory 
Take me 


We began singing Alabaster Jar three years ago during our Sunday Worship.  The Alabaster Jar comes from the story of a woman who poured a very expensive jar of perfume on Jesus shortly before his death.  It was an act of worship only Jesus understood.  Witnesses considered the woman unworthy and foolish; Jesus received her humble sacrifice.


The song reflects the desire of my heart.  My journey with God began shortly after I returned to Church.  I simply made myself available to God, "use me Lord."  I knew my sin, I knew my worth, but I offered it anyway.  To my surprise he took me up on my offer.  I serve today because I learned freedom through surrender.  The road is not easy, but it is the only road worth traveling.


In today's Contemporary Christian world "Alabaster Jar" doesn't make the rotation very often anymore.  However, we sang it last Sunday.  I sang the first verse and most of the chorus with zeal, "hear I am, take me!"  


Then I hit hurdle I had overlooked in the past, "every heartbeat, for your glory".  Whoa hold on, back the Jesus Van up, every heartbeat?  That is a major claim; am I truly living every heartbeat for God?  Should I be making this claim before examining my heart?


Anybody else ever fall into the trap of dividing your time from God's time?  It looks something like, "I just spent hours praying, now time for some me time."  or "I spend my day helping others, tonight is going to be about what I want."  Sound selfish?  Yep, it sounds selfish to me too.  It is certainly not true to the lyrics.  Maybe I should sing, "Here I am take me as an offering, here I am giving, a few heartbeats for your glory, as long I get mine".


Are you offering God your best or your leftovers?  Was that the difference between Cain's offering and Able's?  Was it the difference between the woman who gave two coins and the other who gave much more?  Was it why Jesus was so pleased with the woman with the alabaster jar?  


What would giving every heartbeat for God look like?  Perhaps it is not even humanly possible; yet God calls us to strive towards it.  From the outside a life dedicated to God looks difficult.  In Philippians, Paul speaks of the suffering he has endured and yet the letter is filled with the words "joy" and "rejoice"; an upbeat letter about misery?  


Paul's faith and reliance in God grew as he faced hardship.  Satan threw his best at Paul, but he remained focused on his mission.  Satan's words, "Paul, you deserve a break, you've done enough, let someone else bear this burden for awhile", fell on deaf ears.  Our pursuit of God does not keep us out of harms way, (it often draws us into the thick of the battle) but the more we live for God, the less vulnerable we become to Satan's traps.       

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 ³⁶ When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ 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.

 ³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
 ⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
   “Tell me, teacher,” he said.
   ⁴¹ “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
 ⁴³ Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
   “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
 ⁴⁴ Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
 ⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
 ⁴⁹ The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
 ⁵⁰ Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:36-50, New International Version, ©2011)

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² Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
   Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. ³ In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. ⁴ And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, ⁵ but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
 ⁶ Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? ⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
 ⁸ Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. (Genesis 4:2-8, New International Version, ©2011)

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 ⁴¹ Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴² But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
 ⁴³ Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. (Mark 12:41-43, New International Version, ©2011)

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¹⁹ for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. ²⁰ I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ²² If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³ I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ²⁴ but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.  ²⁷ Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel ²⁸ without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. ²⁹ For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, ³⁰ since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. (Philippians 1:19-230, New International Version, ©2011)