At Jesus’ Feet

At Jesus’ Feet

by | Dec 2, 2021 | Bible Study, Christian Living

Where is the best place we can be? At the feet of Jesus – our God and Savior, the one who willingly died to pay the penalty for our sins. At Jesus’ feet, we’re in a position of surrender. In that posture, there is humility. Choosing to sit at Jesus’ feet acknowledges His position as Lord over our lives.

In the Bible, we see that Mary understood the value of being at the feet of Jesus. We are told about three times when she was at His feet.

 

Sitting at Jesus’ Feet

The first time, Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet, hearing His word (Luke 10:39). Mary was listening to Jesus. She was paying attention to Him and to what He was saying.

But her sister, Martha, was “distracted with much serving” (Luke 10:40 (NKJV)). The word distracted in this verse means that Martha was “over-occupied” or drawn away.

Could you imagine if Jesus came over to your house for dinner? How much time would you spend planning the meal, shopping for the best ingredients you could find, and making sure your house was spotless? Wouldn’t you want everything to be perfect? Then after Jesus arrived, how much time would you spend making sure that the food was cooked to perfection and beautifully plated? You would want to ensure that Jesus had everything He wanted.

Don’t misunderstand, serving is good. The problem was not Martha’s desire to serve. It was Martha’s failure to focus on what was important in that moment. She was so occupied with what she was doing that she wasn’t paying attention to Jesus.

Jesus was there; Jesus was teaching them. But Martha wasn’t listening. Martha didn’t hear. In fact, Martha was so distracted that she was complaining to Jesus. She approached Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me” (Luke 10:40 (NKJV)).

Instead of telling Mary to help her sister, Jesus acknowledged that Mary was in the best place – at His feet, hearing His word. Jesus told her,

Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:41-42 (NKJV))

There is a time for service. Yet, we must remember that there is also a time to sit at Jesus’ feet, hearing His word. We need to spend time in the Bible, reading God’s word. As we learn about the things He wants us to know, our relationship with Jesus will grow deeper.

 

Falling at Jesus’ Feet

The second time we see Mary at Jesus’ feet, her brother Lazarus had died. When Jesus came, she fell at Jesus’ feet weeping (John 11:32-33). Mary took all her sorrow and pain to Jesus. She was honest with Him about what she was thinking. She told Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:32 NKJV)).

When we’re going through a heartbreaking situation, we too should fall at Jesus’ feet. We should bring all our pain and sorrow to Him. You can be honest with Jesus about what you’re thinking and how you’re feeling.

Jesus invited us to do so. He said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 (NKJV)). It is God who “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3 (NKJV)). That includes your broken heart.

When we bring all our pain to Jesus, we are admitting that He is the One who can help us. By bringing our sorrow to Him, He can comfort us and begin the healing process.

 

Worshipping at Jesus’ Feet

The third time we are told about Mary at Jesus’ feet, it is only a few days before His crucifixion. While Jesus was having dinner, (John 12:2) Mary came to Him with her most valuable possession – an “alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard” (Mark 14:3 (NKJV)).

The perfume was worth about 300 denarii (Mark 14:5; John 12:5). A denarius was a coin used at that time. Commentators suggest that 300 denarii was the equivalent of a year’s wages. The flask of oil was likely Mary’s dowry – what she would have presented to her husband at the time of her marriage.

Mary broke the flask and poured it on Jesus’ head and anointed His feet (Mark 14:3; John 12:3). Then she wiped His feet with her hair (John 12:3).

Mary came to Jesus with her future. She gave it all to Him and worshipped Him. She didn’t hold anything back. “[T]he house was filled with the fragrance of the oil” (John 12:3 (NKJV)). The fragrance of Mary’s worship and devotion filled the room.

When the disciples were “indignant” and “criticized her sharply” for wasting the oil because it could have been sold and the money given to the poor, Jesus rebuked them (Mark 14:4-6 (NKJV)). He said,

Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” (Mark 14:6-9 (NKJV))

We too should bring all that we have to Jesus and worship at His feet. As our Lord, everything we are and everything we have belongs to Him. Don’t worry about those who may be indignant or criticize you for your worship of Jesus. As you worship and pray, the aroma of your devotion will fill your house. Our prayers are like “golden bowls full of incense” (Revelation 5:8).

So let’s be like Mary –

  • sitting at Jesus’ feet, hearing His word;
  • falling at Jesus’ feet in our distress; and
  • bringing all that we have and giving it to Jesus as we worship at His feet.
Don’t Be Anxious. . . Meditate on Truth

Don’t Be Anxious. . . Meditate on Truth

by | May 1, 2021 | Christian Living, Life, Thoughts

This past year has been difficult for everyone. COVID-19 has impacted all of our lives in varying ways. Some have lost family members or friends. Others have lost jobs or their businesses. Although not everyone has lost loved ones or their livelihood, we have all been impacted in some way.

It seems the world changed overnight. If you had told me a few years ago that there would be a time when I’d be working from home for over a year and would be required to wear a mask every time I went to the grocery store or to church, I would have thought you were crazy.

Along with the difficulties, people have experienced feelings of anxiety, depression, hopelessness, sadness, isolation, and loneliness. What should we do with these feelings? The Bible gives us the answer. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us,

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (NKJV)

Talk to God about how you are feeling, about the things that have been happening in your life. Tell Him what you need and how you feel. Nothing will surprise Him. He already knows all your thoughts (Psalm 139:2). Telling God about your feelings isn’t for God’s benefit, it’s for your benefit. God wants us to come to Him with everything that we’re thinking about because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).

When you come to God, thank Him for what He has already done in your life. Spend time in fellowship with Him. In exchange, God has promised to give you a peace that surpasses all understanding. It’s not natural to feel a sense of peace during times of difficulty. It’s a supernatural peace that can only come from trusting God.

After you have prayed through the verses in Philippians 4:6-7, don’t stop there. Look at the next verse,

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)).

You see, trying not to think about something doesn’t work. When you tell yourself, “I will not think about it,” inevitably you do think about whatever “it” is. Instead, we need to replace those thoughts by meditating on the things that God tells us to focus on.

Biblical meditation is different from the meditation that is practiced in yoga or other disciplines, in which you seek to empty your mind. The Greek word for meditate in Philippians means to reason or think on. The New Living Translation tells us to “[f]ix your thoughts on.” The idea is to ruminate or chew on those things. For example, you can take a Bible verse, memorize it, and then think about it word by word. Ask yourself about the verse’s context – where is it in the Bible, what are the verses around it, what does the verse mean? Think about what the verse tells you about God. Ask yourself how the verse applies to your life.

We can choose what we think about. If I want to think about an elephant, suddenly I have a picture of an elephant in my mind. I can picture what it looks like. If I meditate on that elephant, I can see its color, its shape, and the lines in its hide. Maybe the elephant starts to eat something by picking it up with its trunk. You get the idea. You can decide to do that with anything.

But as we saw, the Bible gives us a list of things we should think about. The first thing that we are told to meditate on in Philippians 4:8 is “whatever things are true.” There is a difference between what is true and what is false. Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines the word “true” as something that is “in accordance with the actual state of affairs,” and truth means “reality” or “the quality or state of being accurate.” Conversely, things are false if they are not true.

Absolute truth is something that is true and does not change no matter what your circumstances are. Some people deny that there can be absolute truth. Instead, they believe that truth is relative. Relativism is a belief that truth is based on a person’s own experiences, that truth changes from person to person.

But the Bible teaches us that there is absolute truth. We know that Jesus is truth (John 14:6). Meditate on the things that Jesus has done for you. Jesus died for your sins on the cross so your sins could be forgiven. If you decide to follow Jesus, your sins will be forgiven, and you will have eternal life (John 3:16).

We also know that God’s Word, the Bible, is true. The Bible tells us that God “made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, and [He] preserve[s] them all” (Nehemiah 9:6 (NKJV)). God is the Creator. Meditate on that. When you see a beautiful sunset, remember that it was made by God. The majestic mountains – God. The vast oceans – also made by God.

Thinking about even one aspect of God’s creation is amazing. God created flowers. He didn’t make just one flower in a single color. No, He created many, many types of flowers in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. Flowers come in just about every conceivable color that you could imagine. They are various shades of purple, pink, red, yellow, white, and orange. There are lilies, tulips, roses, bougainvillea, chrysanthemums, hydrangeas, dahlias, carnations, peonies, daffodils, irises, sunflowers, buttercups, orchids, marigolds, petunias, daisies, and many more. And did you know that an artichoke is actually a flower? And capers are pickled flower buds. Even more astonishing is that a fig is technically not a fruit but an inverted flower. It is truly awesome when you think about it. God is awesome!

If something pops into your mind while you’re thinking about the things that God told you to meditate on, take that thought captive. The Bible instructs us to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 (NKJV)). Don’t allow yourself to continue to think about that thought. It will derail you and you will start to think about your problems and feel anxious again. Instead of letting that thought take your mind off the things of God, recognize that it’s there, capture it, and ask God to take it out of your mind. Ask God to help you keep your mind focused on Him. He will help you if you ask. Train your mind to meditate on the things God has told you to think about. When you do, you will experience the peace that God has promised.