Author: thestillsmallvoicesays

Why host Him?

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“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.”

— Luke 10:38 (NKJV)

The story of Martha and Mary is one of my favourite Bible stories because there is so much to learn from it.

In the story, Jesus visits the home of two sisters, Mary and Martha. Martha is busy with the work of hospitality—preparing and serving—and becomes frustrated that Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to His teaching instead of helping out. Martha asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her.

Jesus gently responds that Martha about being worried and distracted by many things, while Mary has chosen a better option which is listening to Him and that this choice will not be taken away from her.

Have you ever wondered why Martha actually invited Jesus into her house?

The answer may not be as obvious as it seems.

We can however infer from her actions in the passage that it wasn’t primarily to listen to the teaching of the word of God from Jesus. Perhaps she liked the prestige of having a mighty Man of God in her home. Perhaps her name would have been on the lips of the people of Bethany. Everyone would have praised her for “hosting the great Rabbi, Jesus” in her beautiful home.

Why do I say this? Because she placed more priority on serving rather than on fellowship with Jesus.

It’s so easy to fall into the same trap as Martha.

When last did you do a heart check?

Ask yourself, “Why do I actually go to church?”

The answer may seem obvious—until you look deeply into your heart.

If we are not careful, we can seek to be around Jesus, but not truly with Him. Martha was around Jesus, but Mary was with Him.

Many Christians like the “Christian” label and even benefit from it, yet have no real interest in Christ Himself.

Our priority should be in our fellowship with Christ and learning at His feet.

When we come to God—whether in our personal time with Him or in the place of corporate fellowship—our focus should be on Jesus Christ, while all other activities take second place.

A Counter-culture

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Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch not the unclean thing; And I will receive you,” – 2 Corinthians 6:17 (KJV)

Amidst the hustle and bustle of life, it’s easy to forget that as Christians, we are called to live differently from the world.

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” – Matthew 5:13 (KJV)

In the scripture above, Jesus, referring to believers, implies that we Christians are meant to bring flavour to the world around us.

But how can salt bring flavour if it blends in completely with the food? It can’t.

It’s our difference – our Christlike nature – that brings flavour to the world.

The Bible makes it clear that as citizens of God’s kingdom, we subscribe to a different way of life.

This kingdom lifestyle is clearly spelled out in the Bible.

If we don’t make an intentional effort to study God’s word and discover what He says on various life issues, we’ll end up following the way of the world, which is often the path of least resistance – the convenient path.

I encourage us today to return to the Word and discover how God expects us to live our lives. What does God say about our relationship with others, our attitude to money, our approach to work, our values, and many other issues?

As we begin to walk in the kingdom culture, we will bring the much-needed flavour to the world around us.

Jesus Prayed – Part Two

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In my last post, we saw how Jesus’ prayer life highlights the necessity of prayer. Today, let’s focus on the efficacy of prayer: if Jesus prayed, then prayer works.

As Christians, we may engage in the religious practice of prayer. Yet sometimes, deep in our hearts, a question lingers: Does our prayer even go beyond the ceiling of our room?

If prayer was only an empty religious practice, Jesus would not have bothered with it. However, He believed that prayer works. Think back to what He said at the tomb of Lazarus in the scripture below.

“And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” (John 11:4)

This conviction is further seen when, as He prepared to face the greatest test of His life—Death on the cross—He went to a place of prayer to gather strength.

Therefore, if Jesus, the only son of God, prayed for things to happen in His own life while on earth, then we should take our prayer lives very seriously.

When we partner with God in prayer, we see things move in our lives and in the world around us.

Myles Munroe once said, ” Prayer is earthly license for heavenly interference.”

Another popular saying goes, “Where there is a man to pray, there is a God to answer.”

When we have this understanding, it places a sense of responsibility on us as God’s representatives on earth.

We begin to see ourselves as change agents for God’s kingdom in our families, in our communities, and in our nation.

Prayer becomes about manifesting God’s will on earth as Jesus said in the Lord’s prayer.

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

Looking at scripture, it only takes one person who decides to engage God in prayer to change a nation. The scriptures are filled with numerous examples of men and women who engaged God in prayer and enforced His will on earth.

The Bible says, ” Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.” James 5:17 (BSB)

We also learn of Daniel, who realised that according to prophecy, it was time for the Israelites to be released from captivity, yet nothing was happening. So what did he do? He set his “face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes” (Daniel 9:3, KJV)

In summary, prayer is a powerful weapon in the hands of a yielded vessel. So, I challenge you: Decide today how you will use prayer to impact your world.

Jesus Prayed!

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As we navigate our daily Christian walk, many of us struggle to balance the demands of our busy lives with maintaining a consistent prayer life. It is often a source of guilt and frustration for many of us.

During the course of my Bible study a few days ago, I came across the scripture below, and I heard this loud in my spirit: “Jesus Prayed!”

Immediately, He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. After dismissing the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone. … Around three in the morning, He came toward them walking on the sea. Matthew 14:22 -25 (HCSB)

We see in this scripture that, despite leading a very busy life, Jesus made it a priority to carve out time with God.

If Jesus, the son of God, felt it was a priority to pray, then it must be central to human life. He didn’t just teach it, He practiced it. We have no excuse! Note that prayer is not a monologue. Prayer involves us talking to God and God responding to us. Jesus said,

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” Matthew 4:4

As food is needed for survival, even more, the word of God is needed to access the life God designed for us to live. Where do we find that word that proceeds from the mouth of God? In the secret place of prayer!

In summary, a life of prayer – consistent two-way communication with God – is a non-negotiable part of a Christian’s life. We must strive and fight for it no matter what it takes. There will be an element of sacrifice in maintaining intimacy and fellowship with God.

Looking at the example of Jesus in the scripture above, Jesus led a busy life of ministry, and so He carved out time in the “evening” until “about three in the morning.” That is at least 4 hours in the middle of the night. He denied himself sleep to maintain that fellowship with God.

Take stock of your life. What are the sacrifices you can make today to maintain your connection with God daily?

As you lean upon the grace of God, may you enter into deeper and richer fellowship with God. God bless you.