At The Feet of Jesus

April 28, 2017 by Lighthouse Devotions by Joe

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”  -Luke 10:38-42

Located on the highest cliff of Ona, a tiny island in Norway, you’ll find this beautiful ruby red beacon known as the Ona Lighthouse. Built in 1867, it stands 48 ft. tall and overlooks a small village of no more than 25-30 inhabitants. At the foot of this tower, you’ll find a cluster of brightly colored wooden houses that help create an indisputable peaceful and tranquil scene.

When I contemplate the serenity depicted in this image it almost seems as if the houses are gathered attentively around the lighthouse waiting for its light to shine; the light that will reassure them that they will be kept safe from the dangers of misguided nocturnal sea vessels. Then, I am instantly reminded of Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Like Martha, we have all experienced the pressures of the daily cares of life. The demands of school, work, church, and family will occasionally gobble up most of our time and attention.¹ Book reports due, projects to complete, lessons to prepare, house to clean and baseball practices to attend. No doubt that these responsibilities constitute an important part of our lives. However, they can become detrimental to our overall well-being if we allow them to overwhelm us and overshadow the more important things, like physical and spiritual disciplines and quality family time. But the truth is that most of us already know this. We have been convicted of it many times before. We’ve felt guilty about it and we’ve told ourselves that it’s time to make a change, but unconsciously we get sucked back into the routine of meeting deadlines, giving in to our OCDs and thinking that the world will collapse if we stop (even if just for a moment) to sit down and catch our breath.

Like Mary, we all need to take a break and sit at the feet of Jesus every now and then. No, I don’t mean sitting in a church pew, or even behind a computer or phone screen scrolling through inspirational quotes and devotions. I’m not even referring to a routine devotional time. Even when doing these things we sometimes miss what God is trying to tell us because we are either on a time schedule, fulfilling another duty, just “kicking off our shoes” or just going through the motions. What I mean is that we have to take the time to get away and wholeheartedly immerse ourselves in His grace [Read Escaping Not “From” But “Into“]. Time to intentionally contemplate and appreciate His handiwork; the earth, the heavens, and the intricacies of the human body [Read Fearfully and Wonderfully Designed]. Time to deeply reflect on how the stripes that were on His body have completely healed us from the ill-effects of sin.² (Quite frankly, we should be doing this one more regularly instead of once a year during the “holy week.”) And we should also take time to just sit down quietly and give Him our undivided attention. Perhaps this is the only time He has to tell us how much we truly mean to Him. This doesn’t mean that we carelessly ignore our responsibilities as Martha thought Mary was doing. There has to be a balance between work and leisure in order for us to be effective and productive as Christians and as citizens in general. The key to obtaining this balance is discerning, like Mary, when it’s time to pursue “what is better.” In other words, we should know when it’s time to put the book down, take our hand off the mouse, or turn off the vacuum cleaner and take care of what is more important. Maybe it’s time to redo our priority list.

To manage life properly we need order, direction, encouragement, and support. God provides all of these through His word, sermons, songs, godly counsel and even through blogs like this one. But He also accomplishes it through the gentle whisper of an undisturbed quiet time at the feet of Jesus.

There are two other interesting facts about Ona that serve as an excellent Gospel analogy. The relatively small island has been populated for centuries because of its proximity to the fishing expanse close to the Atlantic Ocean. For this reason, fishing has traditionally been the only source of income for its inhabitants. However, the island has recently attracted a few pottery makers who have also made little Ona their home.

This reminds me that at the feet of Jesus, we can also find the motivation and passion we need to become effective fishers of men.³ Every heartbeat of our Savior has a name—the name of every soul who is yet to be saved. If we listen closely we’ll hear their cry and be encouraged to reach out to them with the Gospel.

At the feet of the Master Potter, ⁴ we also learn how we can help Him mold the clay He has placed on the wheel by following the Great Commission and making fully devoted disciples of Jesus Christ.⁵

I am not sure about you, but I am ready to spend some time at the feet of Jesus and listen to what He’s been trying to tell me. How about you?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, there is no other place I rather be than at your feet. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of life quicken me to stop and listen to what you have to say. Thank you for the privilege of being able to be in your presence and listen to your heartbeat; the heartbeat for a lost and dying world to which you have called me to shine the light of your Gospel. I pray this in your precious name, Amen. 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

1- “…but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.”  – Mark 4:19

2- “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5

3- “And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” – Matthew 4:19 (ESV)

4- “Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand..” – Isaiah 64:8

5- “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” -Matthew 28:19-20

-ALL SCRIPTURE IS QUOTED FROM THE NIV EXCEPT WHERE SPECIFIED.

At The Feet of Jesus