The Joy of the Lord

My heart is full, my body has been strengthened and I have been refreshed in the Lord.

The joy of the Lord IS my strength!

My "Time Out" was truly graced by God's goodness.

~

As women, it is so easy for our plates to become full.

We can get so busy that we forget to just sit,

rest and enjoy the presence of God in our lives.

During my time of rest I followed the example of Mary,

and I allowed my heart to be humble 

and teachable as I positioned myself at the feet of Jesus.

I longed to worship Him with a sensitive heart, 

rather than the business of being occupied for Him,
even, while laid up with knee surgery. :)
As women, don't you find that when we are to be still,
we have a hard time doing it?

~~~~~

God, in His beautiful and gracious way of teaching,

taught me in a deeper way how to appreciate Mary.

Having always been more of a Martha,

I longed to just sit and worship without feeling something needed my attention.

Both Mary and Martha are beautiful in their own way,

but, there has to be a balance.

I believe we can learn much from both ladies correctly.

In (Luke 10:38-42)

Martha received the Lord into her house.

She was preparing Him a meal that was entirely commendable,

but Mary left her and sat at Jesus' feet leaving Martha agitated and troubled.

Martha ( the worker) felt neglected by Mary (the worshiper)

and she complained and felt Mary nor the Lord cared.

"O woe is me" as we would say these days.

Like Martha, we can be so consumed with doing what we think we should

that we miss what God desires of us.

If there is anything more important than serving Jesus,

it is simply being in His presence.

~~~~~

The Lord pointed out that the one thing that was needful

was to give first place to communion with Himself,

by sitting at His feet and hearing His Word.

(Luke 10:41)

"And Jesus answered and said unto her,

Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things".

We too, can so easily become troubled over many things.

Martha was to learn that worship comes before service.

She had been distracted by her much serving

and became self-centered rather than Christ-centered.

Her words indicate that her service,

which in the first place was motivated by love for Christ,

had by this time become overwhelmed by feelings of being

left to cope and that no one cared.

~~~~~

How many times do we hear other ladies who sound just like Martha?

I am guilty of that myself.

Jesus, speaking here hits the center of the heart,

"Mary has chosen the good part,

which will not be taken from her".

OUCH!

Dear ladies, worship needs to come before service in our lives,

and when it does, real, fruitful ministry (no matter what it is) will follow.

~

Martha's faith was strengthened when it was revealed to her

that the One in her presence was

"The resurrection, and the life",

and at that point her faith radiates out in such splendour

that it causes her to confess,

"Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God". (John 11:27)

After Lazarus was raised from the dead,

they made the Lord a supper:

noticeably, on this occasion Martha served without

complaining, just content that her Lord was there. (John 12:1-3)

So we see Martha...Beautiful in her own way,

yet the Lord had a lesson for her

that I believe can be a lesson we as well can learn from.

~

*Then we have the heart of Mary*

* Mary sat at the feet of Jesus to hear His word.

While Martha was busy ~ Mary took the lowly place at Jesus' feet,

and the Lord provided her with Spiritual food.

How important it is to sit at Jesus' feet and learn of Him.

Ladies, we need quiet communion and contemplation

for our Spiritual well-being,

yet, it is many times difficult for us to put into

practice with our busy lives.

Remember the words of Jesus,

"Mary hath chosen that good part".

~

* Mary fell at the feet of Jesus*

When her brother Lazarus had died she sat at her house,

but was quick to respond when she heard that,

"The Master is come and calleth for thee". (John 11:28)

Mary fell at Jesus' feet when she saw Him,

and poured out her heart and wept.

Our compassionate Savior saw her weeping and was moved in Spirit.

What a Savior!
Jesus is the same compassionate Savior for us today.

*Mary came to Jesus' feet and poured out her worship*
Her devotion to Christ, moved her to take a pound
of very costly spikenard oil and anoint His feet.
She demonstrated that absolutely nothing
was too precious for her to give to her Lord.
Such devotion!
Jesus not only desires to have first place in the affections of His people,
He deserves it!
~
Here is a quote from Isaac Watts;
"Divine love demands my soul, my life, my all".
This quote makes me think of (Mark 12:30)
"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,
and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment".
~
*Mary wiped Jesus' feet with her hair*
What a beautiful picture!
Mary was generous ~ she took the most honored part of her body (her hair)
and used it to clean the lowliest and dirtiest part of Jesus' body (His feet).
Mary's own brother had died, but instead of using
her costly oil for his burial, she had been saving it,
"For the day of Jesus' burial". (John 12:7)
~
What a picture of worship and sacrificial devotion!
Mary lavished her most precious possession on her Savior,
showing her complete submission and love for Him.
~
The affection and commitment of Mary,
should challenge us in our lives and in our walk with the Lord.
Mary's example shows us that the secret of a deeper Spiritual life
 is to be found in sitting at the feet of Jesus.
~
Sitting at the feet of Jesus
 Sitting at the feet of Jesus, O what words I hear Him say.
Happy place so near, so precious, and, when weary, find sweet rest.
Sitting at the feet of Jesus, I would look upon the past.
for His love has been so gracious, it has won my heart at last.
(First stanza to this beautiful song) 
Source Unknown
~
  Our precious Heavenly Father.
What a beautiful lesson in sacrificial devotion
we see in the life of Mary.
May our hearts be humble before you O Lord,
allowing You to teach us, to mold us
and to make us more like Thee.
Thank you for your Word,
 and the characters through out Your Word, that  we can learn from.
May You be glorified in our lives.
Amen.
~
~Be Lovely~
Debbie

I must give honor where honor is due!
Thank you to my dear daughter, Stephanie,
for helping me with my photo's.
I have the vision, but she has the gift that graces her camera.