Something To Think About

Something To Think About:

With Summer in full swing many of us have taken some time off from work, taken family vacations, spent more time doing outdoor activities, had many moments of fun and relaxation with family and friends, and have enjoyed the awesome summer weather conditions that have prevailed recently. Yet come fall, the stress level for some of us will begin to rise as we will get back into our busy routines of getting our kids back to school and juggling their sports activities, Heavier work related schedules, and believe it or not, we will begin preparing for the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays. And those people who serve at their Churches will be stepping up their level of volunteering as well due to higher church attendance and the need for more folks to plug in to help meet the needs of the Churches ministry teams. The Question is, come Fall, how can we sustain such busy lives and still experience peace and rest? What can we do to help us get our focus in the right place?

Here are some lessons we can learn from this passage in the Bible:

Luke 10:38-42 NIV :

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"   "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things,

but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

What we can learn From Mary & Martha:

1. We need to get our priorities in order.

• We need to put God first in our lives 

 

Seek God for wisdom and sustenance 

 Matthew 6:33  

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well"

Psalm 119:2 NIV  
Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.

Spend time with God – in Prayer

Mark 1:35 NIV   

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Luke 11:9 NIV  
"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Live a God centered life - die to self

Matthew 16:24-26 NIV

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.  What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

2. We should not worry about things that are out of our control. We should be more concerned about our relationship with God, which is something we can control. We need to trust His wisdom over our own limited view of how things really are.

Matthew 6:25

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

Matthew 6:34

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Mark 12:30
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength

1 Corinthians 10:31
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Romans 8:28 (New International Version)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (New International Version)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. 

3. We should not get caught up in “worldly things” which distract us from spending

    time with God.  

• If we don’t spend time with God how will we know what He wants us to do. We may get caught up in our own vision for our lives and ignore God’s will if we get too distracted.

Ephesians 5:15-17 NIV

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,  making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

Romans 12:2 NIV  
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

4. Most of all, we need to take time to sit at the feet of Jesus.

• There are benefits to loving God and spending time with Him. Living apart from God is not beneficial.

John 6:35 NIV  

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

John 7:37-38 NIV

"If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

John 14:23 NIV

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

John 15:5 NIV

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Believers should remember that they have received wonderful spiritual blessings from God.  

Spiritual Blessings believers have received from God:

• We have peace with God:  Because we are  no longer enemies of God, our peace with God is permanent and cannot be undone.  Jesus paid the price for our sin and we have received forgiveness.

• We have access to God:  Because of Jesus’ work on the Cross we are reconciled back to God. We are adopted into God’s family.

• We have real hope now and in the future: for our salvation and glorification.                                                                      (Our present and future condition)

Salvation (Present): deliverance from bondage to sin and condemnation.

Glorified (Future):    When our salvation is complete the state of our bodies will change into heavenly, imperishable, spiritual bodies. No longer will suffer from the sin nature we were originally physically born into.

• We can rejoice in our suffering:  Suffering has a purpose, is constructive and develops Christ like character in us. We understand that God has a plan of salvation   and we have the privilege of participating in it.

• We have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit:  Our deposit and guarantee that we are saved. It is God’s seal of ownership of us.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (New International Version)

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 

As followers of Jesus we have been given some great spiritual blessings, and we must
remember that they have been given to us, we did not earn them. What we must do is 
appropriate them. We can choose how we are going to live in this world. Living with these 
blessings in mind will help us live the abundant life, where we can walk each day in faith 
and confidence that we can trust God with our lives. Appropriating these blessings will 
add a level of joy to our lives that nothing in this world can match.

So this Summer let’s not forget to spend time with Jesus so we can be prepared for the busy Fall. Let’s take Mary’s example and “sit at His feet” - focus on the author and perfector of our faith. Let’s also listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Let’s remain in prayer. Let’s read and study our Bibles.  Let’s seek wise counsel and Christian fellowship. If we do, we can maintain our Godly perspective even when the world is attempting to distracts us; we can battle the enemies attempt to bring us down; we can be at peace when life takes its unplanned twists and turns; we can stand firm in our faith; we can minister to others and represent Christ in an honorable way. As followers of Jesus our only hope is in Him. Let’s not forget the greatest gift of all.

·         The Greatest Gift : Jesus

This verse below is what is so amazing about God’s love and God’s grace:  

Romans 5:8 NIV

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, 

Christ died for us.

Remember -  spend time “at the feet of Jesus”.

Just Sayin………………..Dave