Posted on by thornstocrowns

In the presence of Jesus: Martha’s lesson

We all have that moment when we think the presence of Jesus is the least important thing in our lives. There is too much to prepare for; life is busy, so the moment all this is going on, we easily put aside being in the presence of Jesus. I get it because I have many times gotten so busy with other things while Jesus just wanted me to be in his presence. I have missed opportunities to be with Jesus because I was distracted and frustrated by the preparations. I know I am not the only one, so to you, that was been distracted and frustrated with the preparations, it may be time to be in the presence of Jesus.

Just likE MARTHA

I have been watching the show The Chosen, and if you have not yet, I highly recommend it. I watched the episode that told the story of Martha and Mary and loved how well it showed the difference between the two women. Growing up in the church, going as far back as Sunday school, we know we were taught this story and the lesson we could learn from it. We were taught as children that being in the presence of Jesus was of the utmost importance. The teaching and lesson remain, except we grow and may have a lot more responsibility, distractions, and frustrations, so the presence of Jesus sometimes becomes less important. Just like Martha, we toil away in our kitchens (life) alone and forget the importance of Jesus’s presence.

For those of you who may not know Martha, let me introduce her to you and an important lesson we can learn from her. This particular story in Luke 10:38-42 gives us a glimpse into Martha’s life. She welcomes people into her home and from all the effort she puts into it, seems like second nature. Martha is receiving a special guest, and preparations are ongoing to ensure the special guest receives the very best. This is great! This special guest is Jesus! He deserves the very best. So she toils away in the kitchen to make sure there is a well-prepared meal ready for Jesus. While she toils away in the kitchen, her sister Mary decides to stay at the feet of Jesus and listen to him. She chooses to be in the presence of Jesus. To Martha this is not fair, her sister could be helping her prepare, but instead, she stays in the presence of Jesus? Is that even fair? Because I am like Martha sometimes, I totally understand her feelings at the moment. In the lens of Martha, what she is doing is of utmost importance, her sister should also treat it the same way. Her sister’s decision to be with Jesus frustrates her and eventually upsets her to the point she brings it up to Jesus. What Martha fails to realize at this moment is Jesus, the son of God is in her presence. Her preparations for Jesus were not wrong, and I am sure she was sincere in her desire to serve Jesus. However, this did not matter to Jesus, what mattered was Martha joining her sister Mary to partake in his presence. Being in Jesus’s presence still matters to him for us as well. If we could only step away from our kitchens and decide to join him.

Preparations vs presence

After reading Luke 10: 38-42, it is quite easy to tell if you have been more of a Martha or a Mary. Have you been more concerned about the preparations that you have entirely ignored the presence of Jesus? Or have you put all your preparations on hold just so that you can lean into the presence of Jesus? Let us compare preparation and presence, both are not bad things to to by the way, but each has its timing and if well balanced, could work incredibly well. With preparation from our example of Martha, preparations were distracting, frustrating, and brought unawareness of what matters in the moment. For Mary who chose the presence of Jesus, she experienced joy, revelation through his teaching, and closeness with God. Given a choice, I would decide like Mary did and hope you would too. An opportunity to be in the presence of Jesus surpasses all the preparations. I know that the decision is easier said than done especially for nature Marthas who are typically overtaken by the preparations. To us all I say, let us not miss any opportunity to be in the presence of Jesus because we are distracted. Martha nearly missed a physical moment in Jesus’s presence, let us not do the same by missing his presence in the spirit. Our spirit lets us know when we have put preparations above presence, and so we are pushed towards his presence. With the push of the spirit to be in the presence of Jesus, we desire his word, to pray, to obey, and to draw closer to him. Remember this is of utmost importance above the preparation. There are many amazing things you can receive just by being in the presence of Jesus. Jesus says to you;

I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. -John 15:5 AMP-

It is time to take your rightful place. It is time to trade thorns for crowns!

Much love,

Xholiwe

Posted on by thornstocrowns

Studying the word: The crucial need for it in the Christian walk

I was just a few weeks into my walk with the Lord when I realized I did not have my personal Bible. Just like every new Christian, I was eager to get the word in my heart and start on my journey with the Lord. I remember praying and asking the Lord that I wanted to study his word and could use my own personal Bible. It was not before long this wonderful couple came to my workplace and gave me a spanking new study Bible. I still remember the feeling of joy and realizing that God wanted me to start immediately. My own personal Bible, mint, blue, and white, and that irresistible new Bible smell. I thanked this amazing couple for such a perfect gift and an answer to my prayers. I couldn’t wait to get home so I could start using my Bible. I rushed home to check my new study Bible out and in the moment it felt like the words were lifting off the page and they were so tangible, I immediately started on the “read the Bible in a year plan” that was part of my study Bible. This Bible was filled with highlights, you would tell it was a Bible that was constantly being used. I was finding new truths, and I was excited about expanding my knowledge in my new walk.

Unfortunately, I started to get too caught up in my own life issues, work, and school (I was a college student then) so like many of us, my perfect gift, and answered prayer was shelved with the many other books unread for some time. If I was studying the Bible then, I moved from that to a quick read and glance if possible. I was not studying the word anymore, and it was quite evident in the many things I didn’t fully understand. I know we can fall into this because life does get busy and sometimes the Bible is the last thing on our minds. But please hear me out, we need the word in us and can no longer make it the least of our priorities. Studying the word is crucial to understanding why we are walking with God and staying sustained in our walk with him.

reading versus Studying the word

I will try to use some of my college experience to help us see the difference between reading and studying. In some of my structured classes, I would be given reading assignments weekly throughout the semester and those were great supplements to prepare me to know the context of the subject matter. Eventually, there would be a final exam, and this required me to study the material so I could prove that understood the material. So think context equals reading and study equals understanding. It might be hard to differentiate the two because both reading and studying the word of the Lord are good for the Christian walk. Think of the time you read a wonderful Bible story and connected with the characters, great right? it was a nice read and similar to a novel there was no further need for you to dig deep. Then think of the time you read the same Bible story and sought a deeper meaning to it, you may have even cross-checked with other verses and even read a commentary or two. This time you went beyond just knowing the characters and connecting, you were seeking a deeper understanding of the whole story. When you read the Bible, you can get some context, which is great! However, when you study the Bible you are studying to understand in depth the meaning of it all.

Why is STUDYING THE WORD IMPORTANT

What has been the setback for many of us Christians is having the context, but lacking the depth of the meaning. Studying the word helps us expand our knowledge beyond the context. When we move beyond the context and start to look at the word in a more introspective and meditative way, not only do we gain a better understanding of it, but it helps us better understand ourselves. It is a living word after all! (read Hebrews 4:12). I think of the Bible when we study and examine it, it also examines us. When we study the Bible in-depth, we begin to deepen our relationship with God. With deeper studying, God is not just a character in the book we just read and feel connected to, but he becomes more real to us. I was once a Bible illiterate, and that got me into trouble because all I had was context, so it was quite easy for me to believe something else aside from the actual word. Hence studying the word will safeguard you from falsehood the world does a great job at showing us. The depth of your study shields you and guides you through your Christian walk. It all comes down to seeing God in all of it, the redemptive plan for all of us, and our part in this plan.

How can you study the Word?

The word must be studied with much to consider, remember this is not just for context. You are seeking a deeper meaning here not just a feel-good story. You would want to consider the times, the situation, the reasons, the people, the purpose, and eventually the meaning. This will take you some time to pull all this as you study versus when you read, so make the time for it all. Other things you can do are;

  • Be intentional about your study time, you would have to make time in your schedule for devotional time. (don’t shelve your Bible and let it collect dust)
  • Study different subjects or books of the Bible (for example if you want to study faith; read verses related to faith and use those to help you better understand what God means by faith in depth)
  • Study with others – it will surprise you what you may have missed when someone else shares their study with you. You can do this in a Bible study setting or even a Sunday school class.
  • Supplement your study time with commentaries. These should be biblically sound commentaries. Not every commentary you find on Google is biblically sound. Look out for those.
  • Pray! Yes, pray. Ask God to give you a deeper meaning of his word as you study so you can understand it.
  • Don’t keep this word to yourself! if you understand something from your deep study, share it with the world, it will surprise you how many people it can touch.

sHOW YOURSELF APPROVED BY God

After you study and understand, you want to be approved by God. Remember how I mentioned earlier that through studying and examining the word it also examines us? Once there is an introspective of yourself in alignment with the Word, you would want to take what you have studied and apply that to your walk with Christ. So that when God sees you, he sees the practical word in you. From the pages to living it out in your walk daily, to seeking more of his word for your continued spiritual growth.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15

It is time for you to take your rightful place, it is time to trade thorns for crowns!

Much love,

Xholiwe