Have you ever read about Martha in the Bible? I can relate to Martha in so many ways. If I’m totally honest, I am Martha! Maybe you are, too. 

I love reading about Martha and her siblings, Mary and Lazarus! What an incredible “real life” story we have available to us from the books of Luke and John. One of the things I love most that this family was known for is that they were close personal friends of Jesus. He seemed to enjoy spending time with them in their home. Martha hosted Jesus and the disciples on more than one occasion.

So, like any good “Martha” would do when you know that company is coming, you want to make sure the house is clean and smells good and is welcoming. You want to prepare your best meal. You want to make sure to serve that dessert you are famous for! The coffee is always ready and there are several delicious creamers to choose from….am I right? Are you starting to see yourself in this picture at all? 

While there was really nothing wrong with Martha preparing the meal that would be served and making sure her home would be comfortable and welcoming for her guests, she chose to remain busy and in so doing, missed the best part! She forgot to sit and enjoy the presence of her guest. Her dear friend Jesus was in the family room! 

Martha even felt comfortable walking into the room and complaining to Jesus about her sister Mary! (That part is a little amusing, actually.) She needed help in the kitchen and she was hoping to get Jesus to see things her way - maybe even reprimanding Mary for not helping to  prepare and serve the meal. But, that’s not at all what Jesus did. Instead In Luke chapter 10 we read what Jesus did say to her...

“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’” 
Luke 10:38-42

In other words, a simple meal would have been fine. There was no need to go to all that extra effort, right? She was so worried about the serving and the perfecting that Martha took her eyes off of her Savior. In the busyness of “doing,” she lost her peace. 

I have to admit that this is me on so many occasions! Maybe you love to entertain, have people over for dinner, or just invite a friend for coffee. Maybe you go a tad bit overboard when you know someone is coming to stay for a few days, driving everyone around you crazy while you’re striving for perfection. You see, Mary chose the “good portion.” She didn’t want to miss anything that Jesus had to say while He was in their home. 

But before we are too harsh on Martha, I think it’s important that we notice something else about her in John, chapter 11: 

“Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany; the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” ……. 

Next, we see an amazing statement of faith from Martha...not Mary! 

“Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, although he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.’”

Notice that when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she got up and went out to meet Him! Mary, on the other hand, remained in the house in grief. Can’t you just sense Martha’s boldness in this text? “Lord, if you had been here …” 

We often overlook Martha’s faith in the statements she made. She firmly believed that had Jesus been there, her brother would not have died! And yet, in verse 22 note that her faith is still very much alive. “But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you”  I love that...an “even now” bold faith. Martha believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God who had come into the world! Martha’s faith was rewarded that very day as her brother Lazarus was miraculously resurrected from the dead. 

Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus, to listen, and to just lovingly be in His presence. She chose to worship Him. But, I like to think that Martha learned a valuable lesson from her sister and her dear friend Jesus on the day of her service in Luke Chapter 10, too! I believe she learned the balancing of her acts of service with her worship. 

Why do I believe that?  When all seemed lost, we see that Martha trusted her Lord! And she understood who He was. I especially love the way the Passion Translation phrases it in the Book of John. 

“Then Martha replied, “Yes, Lord, I do! I’ve always believed that you are the Anointed One, the Son of God who has come into the world for us!” 

Finally, in John 12, we see Martha serving...the right way. 

“Six days before the Passover began, Jesus went back to Bethany, the town where he raised Lazarus from the dead. They had prepared a supper for Jesus. Martha served, and Lazarus and Mary were among those at the table. Mary picked up an alabaster jar filled with nearly a liter of extremely rare and costly perfume—the purest extract of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet. Then she wiped them dry with her long hair. And the fragrance of the costly oil filled the house.”

Again, Mary was at the feet of Jesus. Martha was serving. But, this time Martha is not complaining or demanding help - she is simply serving her dear friend Jesus! Isn’t it so true when our attitude changes for the better, the very atmosphere around us changes? Martha is such a powerful life lesson. May we too always remember the crucial “balance” of service and worship to our Savior Jesus, The Christ, The Anointed One, The Son of God! 

Several months ago, I was called in to work unexpectedly for a looming hurricane and had to miss Sunday church services at Bold City Church. Luckily, as our Serve Team Coordinator, I was able to swing by to say hello to our teams and help out during our tear down after the 11am service. Just one of the many perks of being a mobile church! During that time, I was talking with Pastor Jason and his young son Liam had wandered off just a short distance away to check out a large rain puddle. Pastor Jason kept saying "Don't do it, Liam,” while Liam looked back at him with a look any of us parents recognize. He was away from his father and the temptation was too great. Liam proceeded to jump right into that puddle and stomp and dance all around in it. 

I jokingly said, "Well that is a perfect analogy of our relationship with our Father, isn't it?" We can be led to ignore God's will and do what we want to do, usually bringing us immediate pleasure and satisfaction. That's the human, sinful nature in us, right? But I also sensed there was more to the story as God brought this analogy to mind. 

Soon, Liam left his puddle and was off to demolish another one when all of a sudden, he slipped and belly-flopped right into the second puddle. Like any toddler, he began to cry for help. He laid in his puddle sobbing and wet, not knowing just what to do. Pastor Jason walked over and lifted him up to comfort him and let him know that he was going to be okay. 

That is a beautiful picture of what our Father does for us as well. God's love and grace is there for us in the middle of our mess, despite our disobedience. How often we find ourselves soaked in our sin and mistakes, and our Father picks us up right where we are and comforts us, showering us with love and grace. 

We don't have to remain in our puddles nor do we have to keep returning to them. We simply have to listen and heed our Father's voice when He speaks to us. It is important to note that I couldn’t hear exactly what Pastor Jason was saying to his son in his moment of need. See, God speaks to each of us in the same way. His voice is found in the whisper, not the shout. That’s why we have to stay close to Him and in His Word! I encourage you to get in your secret place, in the Bible and prayer, every morning and seek His voice and His will for your life. When the Holy Spirit leads us, we can dance and flourish in the rain and maybe even avoid a few of the puddles that life throws our way.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 

God speaks to us all in so many ways. He most often speaks to us in prayer and through the reading of his word. But, He can also speak to us through the people He has placed around us in our lives and even through our dreams. Lately, I think my favorite way that God has chosen to speak to me is through my child. He’s taught me lessons through my son that have been life-changing for me, shifting my heart forever. 

Take this Halloween, for instance. While taking my son trick or treating with a group of friends, God spoke clearly to me. As we set off around the neighborhood, he told me adamantly that he did not need me to bring his stroller. I should have used my mother’s intuition and realized that a three-year-old wouldn't be able to keep up with all the others as we walked over two miles. But, I let him convince me that he could be a big boy and hang with the older kids. 

When we were about half way through, he began to get so tired that it caused him to fall behind. He wanted badly to keep up with the older kids but he just couldn’t. I tried to hurry him along so we could catch up, even skipping out on some of the houses along the way to make our way closer to the group. Because of all the rushing, he no longer enjoyed the moment. The joy he had when we were leisurely walking and enjoying our time together was gone because we were trying so hard to keep up with everyone else. It was in that instant that I clearly heard God's voice. 

So many of us do this very same thing in life with the seasons we face. We try to rush through times that might not seem as important as what we think our next season will look like and we don’t enjoy the small things along the way because we are so focused on what’s next. We also battle the mindset of “Keeping up with the Joneses.” God reminded me how we often compare our lives, seasons, or walk with God with other people who surround us because we think our journeys should look exactly the same. But, nothing could be further from the truth. 

As Baxley and I began to slow down again and just enjoy being on the journey together, we laughed so hard that I could see the joy and life brimming out of him once again. Once we made it back to our starting point, all the kids began to compare candy and I noticed that Baxley didn’t have some of the same goody bags as the others. One of the moms described the house they got it from and I realized it was a house we skipped when we were trying to catch up. Because we were trying so hard to keep up with everyone else, we missed out on some of the bigger treat bags. The way we trick-or-treated that night is a great picture of how many of us spend our lives. 

When we try to speed up the season that we are in, we can miss the blessings that God has lined up for us because we are rushing instead of turning our attention to what He is trying to do in our lives. 

As I reflected on our night, it reminded me to choose joy and thankfulness in every season, every situation, and in every circumstance as I look for God and what he is trying to teach me. His timing is perfect, His hand in our lives is perfect, and all we have to do is remain in His will and allow Him to guide every step we take. 

There are many types of boundaries in life - most with a great and specific purpose. For instance, physical boundaries keep our bodies safe and whole, emotional boundaries keep our mind from being overburdened and overwhelmed, and professional boundaries help ensure that we adhere to a moral code without letting our work lives bleed too much into our home lives. But, the thing about the boundaries we create is - they end up defining who we are. They enforce the limits of what we will and will not do and they draw the lines so that others will do the same. 

Have you ever been through a time when it seemed like life was coming at you from all directions and the weight of it could almost crush you? Have you ever felt pulled in so many different directions that, surely, you would just be torn to pieces? Most especially in a season of business, the demands of life can make it seem like you are spiraling through your days completely alone and they often try to pull you from the one person that can provide you the strength and peace you long for - the Holy Spirit.

You see, Jesus himself created boundaries.  He knew that the only way to carry out His purpose was to stay aligned with His Heavenly Father through a personal and consistent relationship. He often got alone to pray (Mark 1:35) and encouraged the disciples to do so as well. (Matthew 6:6) He rested even in the midst of chaos (Mark 4:38) and allowed others to come to Him instead of chasing after them. (John 10:40-41)

What if you could give yourself the gift of setting healthy boundaries this holiday season? A lot of us second guess our boundary setting capabilities. We think...what if I say “No?” What if someone reeaally needs me? What if no one else will do it? 

But, Jesus had far more resting on His shoulders than you or I will ever experience, and yet He set boundaries with joy in His heart, peace in His soul, and a calmness that permeated through Him to those around Him.

Jesus also allowed others to take part in their own healing - a great example to us that we can equip those around us, but they too must do their part. In John chapter 9, we encounter a blind man who must venture to the pool of Siloam where he was to wash the mud from his eyes. (John 9:5-7) Jesus didn’t actually wash the man’s eyes for him. He simply instructed him what to do and the rest was up to the man.

You might be struggling with saying “no” today, but I would encourage you to reframe your thinking. What if instead, you said “yes” to freedom from being at the mercy of others? What if you had time to be listening and available when the Holy Spirit urges you to move? What if, by not doing something, you give someone else the opportunity to walk in what God is calling them to do?

When we understand who we are in Christ and Him alone, we can begin to understand that our identity is not determined by how much we do, how many people we help, or how successful we are in our careers. Placing Godly boundaries in our life doesn’t limit us at all, but setting boundaries actually brings us closer in relationship with the One who most deeply desires us.

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 42:5 NIV

In this Psalm, we see the psalmist speaking directly to himself. How odd. 

The more I thought about it though, the more I realized, the psalmist is actually being his own worship leader. He is not waiting for a Sunday morning or a Wednesday night service. He’s not waiting for the “skilled musicians” to bang on the drums or let out some epic notes of praise. This psalmist is writing from a downcast place (seen in Psalm 42:6) but is reminding himself in the middle of it that God refreshes his soul and that only the Lord can satisfy. As the psalmist brings forth his lament, he also reminds himself to place his hope in God, praising him.

Worship in the secret place brought about the breakthrough that this writer in Psalms was so desperately in need of. 

There are plenty of examples of people throughout the Bible who’ve taken the initiative to become the worship leader of their own heart in a time of need. 

Paul reminds us in Thessalonians that God is worthy of praise in all circumstances. There is no better way to stir up your faith than coming before God with thankfulness. 

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thes 5:16-18 

Believe it or not, some of my greatest moments of worship leading happen in my own home. I’ll put a song on full blast and dance around with my daughter declaring the truths of redemption and revival. Or I’ll sit on my bed in the stillness of the evening crying out to God, declaring His goodness even in the stresses of life. 

So, I encourage you today to be your own worship leader!

1. Have a dance party of praise in your kitchen.

2. Sing your heart out in the car.

3. Whisper songs of remembrance at your workplace.

You are your own worship leader! You don’t need to wait for Sunday morning. Everything you need to lavish your love on God is in you. He’s waiting in the secret place to lavish His love on you. All that you need to receive from Him is an open heart.

Consider these scriptures this week and be encouraged as you take the place of worship leader in your own home! 

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. John 4:23-24

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:15-17

May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 (GNT)

Hope isn’t just wishful thinking -  it’s confident expectation. I don’t know about you but I EXPECT TO SEE THE LORD MOVE this week! I believe the Kingdom of God is still advancing, no matter what happens here on election day or anywhere else. 

Remember, hope comes from the Lord - not from a political candidate, not from policy, and not from anything else for that matter! The Bible says that God is our source of hope. Therefore, I place my hope in Him alone. No matter who wins today, no matter what happens, I expect to continue to see the Kingdom of God advance!

Here are two good signs that your hope is growing in these days: 

1. You are filled with JOY. Joy comes when we delight ourselves in the presence of the Lord. To be filled with joy means it runs over. If we are filled with joy, we can’t contain it. So, others around us will notice it and even be impacted by it. The Bible tells us the joy of the Lord is our strength! Come on! If you are excited about the presence of God today, I bet your hope is growing!

2. You are filled with PEACE. Peace is the ability to rest and fellowship in the middle of a war. It has nothing to do with the absence of a battle and everything to do with trust in God in it. For believers, peace is remembering that the battle isn’t ours, but rather His! And I have good news, He’s never lost a battle. If you find yourself walking in peace during these uncertain times, I bet your hope is growing!

The Bible also tells us that hope deferred makes the heart sick. Feel sick living in days like these? There is hope. Here are three things you need to do today to get your hopes up:

1. Pray: Be honest with God about how you feel. Repent for focusing more on the problem than the Problem Solver. Then ask God, more specifically, Holy Spirit, the source of hope, to fill you with joy and peace. 

2. Worship: Begin to sing worship songs… out loud! Turn the tunes on and begin to love on God. Give Him your undivided attention and watch your hope grow. Put on a song that you love to sing to the Lord. I’m listening to “Get Your Hopes Up” by Josh Baldwin while I’m writing this. 

3. Find a scripture and meditate on it. Try to memorize it. The enemy will plant lies in your mind in an attempt to make you hopeless. The only way to combat a lie is with a truth. His word is the truth! Romans 15:13 is a pretty good one. So is Hebrews 6:19, Jeremiah 29:11, and a whole bunch more! You go take a look for yourself. 

Father, I thank you for being our source of hope today and every day! Holy Spirit, help us to get our HOPES UP, filling us with peace and joy today. No matter what happens, your kingdom shall continue to advance!