As I sit here leaving a women's
conference trying to narrow down all the thoughts in my head, I am reminded of
something the Lord has been teaching me over the past few weeks. Something that
has been so fundamental, yet life changing for me, and I hope will do the same
for you: The idea of making the presence of the Lord a priority. Every woman who desires to be
used by the Lord, whether they find themselves in ministry or not, must daily
cultivate a life in the Spirit. It may be a simple thought, but I have found
that in order to live like Jesus, we have to spend time with Him.
We read a story in the Bible that
talks about this in Luke 10:41-42:
Martha and Mary were hosting
Jesus and his disciples for a meal. If you've ever hosted a party at your
house, you, like me, know the stress that can stem from that. And as any type A
personality, as I imagine Martha to be, she was probably stressed out that day
too. Simply wanting some help from her sister she whines to Jesus, "Make
Mary help me!" A simple and honest complaint that we all might have. But
what she didn't realize was while she was so focused on serving and doing, she
was missing out on the reason she invited Jesus into her home... To enjoy is company.
I love Jesus' response. Concerned with Martha's complaint, He takes the time to
teach her (and me) an invaluable lesson:
That one thing is Jesus and sitting at His
feet. Here Jesus is reminding Martha,
and now us, to be like Mary in this situation and make Him our priority. Not to
neglect our responsibilities, but rather to make them secondary to Him.
Ministry, kids, relationships, to-do lists, they can all wait; what is needed
is Christ. If he is the main thing we
love better, serve better, preach better, live better. When we are living our
lives full of the Spirit, our lives are pleasing to him.
In my personal experience, when I
try to do these things out of order, I end up with a bigger mess than I started
with. Currently, I'm working at a local church in Alabama where I am leading
the young adult ministry. I've never really been one to love being the center
of attention, but I'm learning to embrace this season. It's not been easy, but
it is one of the most rewarding opportunities I've had. Over the past few
years, one thing I have had to lean on is being full of the spirit of God. I've
found that If I don't make him the priority, I get caught up in the busyness of
it all, and can sometimes forget why I'm doing what I'm doing. Perhaps this is
why the Lord keeps reminding me that only
one thing is necessary. When I find myself in His presence, full of His Spirit, I am equipped with what I need to live out my calling, having the right
heart.
Download an image for your phone background here.
As women of God, it's vital to
our spirits to allow him to refine us, speak to us, and fill us with His Spirit.
This can only happen when you and I take the time to be in His presence sitting
at his feet and letting Him change us, letting Him encourage us, letting Him
speak to us, and letting Him love us.
So, after weeks of hearing the
Lord speak this phrase to me over and over, I'm sharing it with you.
Join me in this journey of
sitting at his feet.
Take time this week and establish a new pattern in your life. That you won't let your day be filled with the worries and busyness of life, but you will take time to put first things first... take time to establish yourself in God's presence. That you will be found walking and living in His Spirit, because that is what it is all about to LIVE FULL.
ABOUT MELISSA
I'm a single twenty-something Jesus lover and avid coffee drinker navigating my way through ministry and life in the south.
Connect with Melissa on Instagram (@melissajoynorris).
Love this! When we are living a life consistently in his presence, we can stop worrying about things we should or should not do, or if we are doing too much or not enough. We are able to just start walking in the spirit, which is such a liberating thing!
ReplyDelete