Post written by Jeannine Hambrick
This past week I started a Bible study, The Frazzled
Female: Finding Peace in the Midst of
Daily Life by Cindi Wood. Each week
the author encourages the participants to take a mini-retreat over the weekend,
in which they take the time to draw closer to God through some additional
reading or activity. As we read the
first chapter based on the familiar story of Mary and Martha found in Luke 10:
38-42 in which Jesus visits Mary and Martha in their home, we saw a Martha who
was was “worried and upset” about everything being perfect and a Mary who was
content to sit at the Lord's feet listening to the Savior. It is easy for me to
identify with Martha when I am hurrying around picking things up and getting
ready for guests. Sadly, once in a while I can get myself so worked up that I
don't really enjoy my quests when they arrive. Does anyone hear me?
This week as
I was doing my mini-retreat, I was reading John:1 when the Lord really spoke to
me. Verse 5 says, “The light (Jesus)
shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it,” and verses
11-13 states “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive
him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave
the right to become children of God.” Of course, I know these passages are
talking about when Jesus first began his ministry here on earth. He came to his own, the Jews, who failed to
recognize him as the Messiah. As I read, though, Jesus seemed to be saying to
me, “I still come to my own.”
Jesus still comes to us, his present-day
followers because the Holy God of the Universe loves us and desires
relationship with us; however, we must put aside our busyness, personal
agendas, and preoccupation with things—even with good things—in order to
receive him. We must take time out of
our sometimes hectic lives and be deliberate about being open to God. We must
sit at his feet and listen to what he has to say to us.
We say we want a close relationship with
Jesus, but too many times he “comes” to visit us, but our ears are deaf to him
because we are listening to the beat of another drummer and our eyes are blind
to him because they are on other things.
If we are not careful, we will miss him.
How can we expect to hear a word from the Lord if we do not regularly
pull ourselves away from the demands of the world so that we can hear that
still, small voice? Jesus is always
knocking at our door. Will he find
anyone at home?
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