That You Might...

The introduction to my new Bible study series, “Cleaning out the Closet...of your heart”, continues with a background check into this New Testament letter, which I often referred to in my teaching days as the 4^th of the vowel books.  I referred to it as such because Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians were easily confused during Bible Sword drills until I read somewhere that these four books of the New Testament were listed in vowel order. Galatians has a lot of A’s, Ephesians has E’s, etc. (Now didn’t that tidbit make this worth reading?!?) But, please continue anyway!

As we begin our background check, we notice at the very beginning of the letter that Paul identifies himself and Timothy as the writers of this letter and acknowledges the church in Colosse as the recipient. Bible scholars will attest to the fact that Paul was not responsible for starting that church, but as we continue to read through chapter 1, we quickly see that he and Timothy had heard about them! Right from the start he describes them as holy and faithful.

In verse 3 Paul expresses a prayer of thanksgiving for this church and emphasizes their faith in Christ and their love for all the saints.  The importance of this statement will be seen in greater light later in the study.

Considering Paul’s numerous usages of the word knowledge through this letter, it is believed that early forms of Gnosticism were beginning to creep into that dear church. Basically, Gnosticism taught that the root of any religious experience was built on deep inner knowledge. Paul, therefore, expresses throughout chapters 1 and 2 that the source of true knowledge is Christ. He also reassures them that by Him (Christ) and for Him all things were created, and in Him all things ‘consist’, or, are held together. 

Keeping this thought in mind, we can see how Paul’s prayer in chapter 1, verses 9ff, could include one of Paul’s purposes for writing this letter to these faithful believers. We can see this particularly in verse 10 when he states, “…that you might walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in knowledge of God ." He reiterates that purpose a little later in what we have marked as 2:2. (Remember, this was written as a letter and was not divided into chapters and verses at that time.)

A similar purpose was to impress upon the Colossian believers of the importance of not only knowing Christ, but, as mentioned above, Paul also makes it a point to emphasize the pre-eminence of Christ, and the role that should play in their (and our) lives. When we make Christ number 1 in our lives, it will affect how we live our lives. It will affect our ‘wardrobe’ as we will see in chapter 3.

 We will discuss this issue in more detail next time as we take a quick peek at chapter 2. 

Stay tuned!

Debbie

INTRODUCING: Cleaning out the Closet...of your heart (Updated)

Please note: I wrote this study from Colossians a couple of years ago. I am coming back to it to do some tweaking and hopefully publish! Any feedback, suggestions, or encouragement...and your prayers will be appreciated!~~Debbie

Not too long ago, a friend called me beaming with joy over a verse she had come across while reading her Bible. I was taken back, as her conversations over the past few days had been sorrowful and tearful, as she was dealing with a difficult situation in her life. The passage she had ‘discovered’ was Colossians 3:12-14. She went on and on with her joyful proclamation that she was determined to start living that passage and was confident this would bring new found joy to her hurting heart! I sat there just flabbergasted at what was taking place. 

And, to top it off, I was going through a pretty tough time myself with some issues, and when she read those verses, they slapped me upside the head. I realized there was a lot in that passage I needed to live as well.

So, when a family member asked me recently to share some good growth verses with her-that is where I decided to begin~~with Colossians chapter 3. After prayer and consideration, I have decided to use this chapter as my next series in "Light Thoughts". 

The bulk of our Bible study will take place from verses 5-17. Since verse 5 begins with the all-important word, THEREFORE, we should (as I have heard numerous pastor's say...) find out what it is there for.  Therefore (I couldn’t resist), we will start with some background material from Colossians. Next time we will begin this journey and look at the overall purpose of Paul’s letter to the Colossian believers so as to glean a general idea for the principles and instructions of chapter 3.

I encourage you to take some time over the next couple of days to read Colossians 3 and get a head start on what we will entitle "Cleaning out the Closet....of your heart".

Until then,

Debbie

Blessed are the Balanced

Well, the Mary/Martha Saga comes to an end! The journey started the first week in January when I began my ‘dream’ of writing and entered the ‘blogosphere’!

I have been challenged, encouraged, and hopefully, changed by my studies and readings from Mary’s and Martha’s two encounters with Jesus in Luke 10 and John 11. I have thoroughly enjoyed the writing process and trust that the lessons from God’s Word have challenged, encouraged, and changed my readers as well!

My goal was to use my thoughts, examples, stories, and personal style to make the Mary/Martha Saga come alive and become less of a struggle in your lives, as it has been in mine. There was a time when I would describe myself as a “Mary who felt guilty for not being a Martha.” That was precisely why Joanna Weaver’s book, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World grabbed my attention the day I bought it. In one of my grad school counseling classes I did a self-counseling project on this very issue. Matter of fact, part of the thoughts and material used in this series stemmed from that project. It had definitely been a struggle in my life.

Yes, I am still a Mary~yet, I don’t need to feel guilty about NOT being a Martha. However, I have learned that there are lessons from the Martha side I should incorporate into my Mary life. As I mentioned in “Comfort Zone”, doing Martha things doesn’t have to be fancy and complicated. Just looking for ways to do things as a grandma would ~with a little love and grace~is all one needs to worry about. That was probably the biggest eye-opener and encouragement for me! It is a challenge, but I continue to try to add a little Marthaness in my ministry opportunities. (And, I trust the Marthas out there are trying to incorporate a little Mary devotion into their ministry opportunities).

“Comrades in Arms” is probably one of my favorite segments from this series. I see it as a real-life/today example of Marys and Marthas working together for the cause of Christ. It takes both!

In conclusion, I hope we continue to keep in the forefront of our hearts and minds what seems to have become the theme verse of this series:

Colossians 3:23: “…Whatever your hand finds to do, do it heartily as unto the Lord, and not unto man.”

          Whether a Martha or a Mary be---

                    Do what YOU do for HIS glory!

I close with these words from Commentator Warren Wiersbe. (Taken from “Be Compassionate-a Study of Luke 1-13; specifically the section on Luke 10:38-42)

“BLESSED ARE THE BALANCED”

Yes, ladies~~Blessed are the balanced!

Debbie

I am thinking a study of Colossians 3 is coming next. Be ready to change your ‘wardrobe’!

Mary DOES!

Last time we took one final look at Martha and considered her new attitude as she served her Lord one last time in John 12:1. We concluded from the simplicity of the statement, “Martha served” that she had learned the lesson Jesus had begun to teach her in His loving rebuke of Luke 10:41-42.

But what about Mary? What had she learned from the events of Luke 10 and from her brother’s death/resurrection in John 11?

Back on February 1 we discussed that our devotion to the Lord is important. We had discussed earlier that Martha needed to learn to “BE STILL AND KNOW”.  However, we also discussed in 'Comfort Zone' (Feb. 4) that is important to put feet to our worship as we looked at lessons on compassion throughout Jesus’ ministry.  We discussed James 2:17-“Faith without works is dead” and the old saying, “Some people are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.”

We concluded that we, as Marys, must step out of our comfort zones and DO!

Well, here in John 12 we wonder. Did Mary step out and DO anything? There is no indication that she was helping Martha this time either. But as we move into verse 3 we see some ‘stirring’ about to take place. Mary goes into action! 

               She took. 

                    She poured. 

                           She wiped.

She took a pound of VERY expensive oil (commentaries say it was worth at least a year’s wages!)

She poured this VERY expensive oil on Jesus’ feet.

She wiped His feet with her hair. What an amazing act of humility! 

Yes, in this final encounter between Martha, Mary, and Jesus, Mary does DO something. Mary gave! She gave abundantly! She gave lovingly! She gave humbly!

Joanna Weaver, in Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World (quoted several times during this Mary/Martha saga), made one final comment regarding Mary. “The contemplative student has become an effective servant as Mary shows her love through extravagant deed.” (Emphasis mine)

In Luke 10, Martha was stressed to make her service extravagant in the eyes of man. Here, in John 12, Mary was humbled to make her devotion extravagant in the eyes of Christ. She didn’t care about the criticism that followed in verse 4.

Mary understood the lessons of John 11 and completely ‘got it’. She knew what lie ahead for Jesus, and she was honoring Him for His soon to be sacrifice. She was giving flowers before the funeral so to speak. 

As we consider the parallel passages of this event in Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3-9, we see that Jesus honored her gift with a promise that she would be remembered throughout the ages for this sacrificial and humble deed.

Martha was rebuked for her ‘extravagant’ service~~Mary was blessed. What is the difference?

Colossians 3:23~~Mary did it heartily as unto to the Lord, and not unto man.

Last week, we concluded with a question for the Marthas out there. Marthas, have you learned to ‘do it’ unto the Lord, and not unto man? Remember, you are not out to impress others, so don’t overwhelm yourself in the doing!  Just serve-with a humble and gracious spirit.

This week, the question is for the Marys out there: Mary's, have you learned to ‘do it’ unto the Lord, and not unto man? Remember you don’t have to impress others, so don’t frustrate yourself in your doing! Just serve-with a humble and gracious spirit.

The lesson is the same for both Martha and Mary!

Oh, and don’t worry about the criticisms!

Love abundantly and serve humbly,

Debbie

Things Were Different the Next Time Around

Last week we concluded our study of Martha in John 11, but, we are not quite finished with her yet. Martha has one more encounter with Jesus in John 12. Before we get to the events of that day, let’s take a look back and see where Martha has come from throughout this study.

If you recall from our earlier studies in Luke 10 (see the January /February archives), we described Martha with words and phrases like: cumbered about with much serving, distracted, over-driven, overwhelmed, over-occupied, stressed, angry, accusatory, ‘short’,  worried,  in turmoil, in panic…

Poor Martha was a mess! She ‘chewed out’ Jesus and questioned whether or not he even cared. Remember when we pictured her standing in the doorway with a tomato-stained apron and flour in her hair, with one hand on her hip and the other one shaking a rolling pin at Jesus as she made her ‘case’?

The scene in John 11 started out very similarly. Martha ran to Jesus and said, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother would not have died!” But, she must have learned something that stressful day back in Luke 10, because in the midst of her new face to face encounter with the Lord, she added the word, BUT. “But, Lord, I know…” She had learned that she could trust Him. She had learned that He did care, and that He did have her best interest at heart. 

Let’s look back a bit and see exactly what lesson Jesus had in store for her that busy night in Luke.

Jesus’ response to Martha’s cry is found in Luke 10:41. “Martha, Martha, Martha-You are worried and troubled about many things."  Remember from “Choosing the Better Part” (February 9), I suggested that Martha CHOSE to allow herself to become overwhelmed with much doing because she thought the things that needed to be done were of utmost importance. She thought her worth and value were wrapped up in her productivity. Well, Jesus had one more thing to say to her during His loving rebuke, “But ONE thing is needed.”  Not the many things~One thing!  What is that one thing?

 “It’s not nearly as much as much as we tend to imagine, yet, at the same time, it is much more than we tend to understand.” 

That one thing was the one thing Mary had put at the top of her ‘to-do’ list~BE STILL AND KNOW! (See Jan. 27 for a more detailed study of Psalm 46:10.) According to the teaching notes in my CEF Children’s Ministry Resource Bible, to “be still and know” is “a call to cease from personal efforts and submit to God.” That was the lesson Jesus had for Martha that night!

His words must have spoken to her heart.  Because, as mentioned above,  just a few weeks later, Martha once again found herself in an overwhelming circumstance. This time, however, her response showed that she knew He did care, and that she knew He could bring peace to the chaos in her life. She went on in John 11:27ff to boldly proclaim her faith in the Lord as the Messiah-Deliverer and then demonstrated that belief when she permitted the stone by Lazarus’ tomb to be rolled away.

Now, as we look at John 12:1, we see Jesus was once again visiting the home of Martha, Mary, AND Lazarus. Another busy, house-filled night of guests to feed and entertain. Did Martha panic? Was she distracted? Was she cumbered about?  No, verse 1 says simply, “Martha served”. There is no indication that Mary helped her.  Matter of fact, indications are that she was once again in the front room with Jesus, Lazarus, and the disciples. Scripture doesn’t suggest that Martha complained or was stressed.  I believe that the simplicity of the statement conveys that she did what had to be done with a humble and gracious spirit. She did it “…heartily unto the Lord, and not unto man” (Colossians 3:23). I think Martha finally ‘got it’.

My question then is:

Marthas~Have you learned to ‘do it’ unto the Lord, and not unto man? Remember, you are not out to impress others, so don’t overwhelm yourself in the doing!  Just serve-with a humble and gracious spirit.

Marys~My question for you will come next time! But, as a hint~it will include the same verse and same final conclusion!

Several of the thoughts, quotes, and comments mentioned in this blog were taken from previous posts from our study of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. They can be found in my archives from January and February. References from John 11 can be found in March and April archives.

Serve humbly,

Debbie

You Can be a Nudger

While working on one of my grad school classes a few years back, I recall doing a paper on curriculum evaluation. One of the articles discussed how important it is to make sure your children’s Bible curriculum is focused on God and not the Bible character. The main idea should be on the greatness of God, not the greatness of David, etc.  God should be the hero in every Bible story! I found this most intriguing, and I even started evaluating my own lessons in that light. (John Walton from the article "Bible-Based Curricula and the Crisis of Scriptural Authority" in Christian Education Journal-Spring 1993)

When you consider I Corinthians 10:11-13 (mentioned in last week’s blog), one can see that God truly should be the emphasis of our Bible lessons. Notice the middle of verse 13: “…God is faithful.” Facts about David’s great feats, without crediting God for His role, are not going to change a child’s life. But, teaching the faithfulness of God in the lives of these Bible characters will. These examples serve as reminders that we can trust God to guide us through the challenges and ‘uncertainties’ of life.

Last week we discussed how Martha needed a little nudge and a gentle reminder to encourage her to take the step of faith needed to permit Lazarus’ tombstone to be removed. This in itself could be one of the examples referred to in the Corinthians passage mentioned above.

As discussed in the “Sweet Surrender” blog (May 1), examples of God’s faithfulness can also be seen in the lives of dear, godly friends. This is what I would like to dwell upon today. Do you have stories and examples of God’s faithfulness in your life that would serve as a little nudge or gentle reminder to a dear friend who may be going through a tough, overwhelming circumstance? Or, maybe she (or he) has a difficult decision to make regarding the future. Does she need to take a step of faith? 

In 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 we learn from Paul that God comforts us so that we in turn may bring comfort to others going through the same trials. 

Today, I want to encourage you to be a ‘nudger’ and a ‘reminderer’ to those in whom you know that may need that little nudge in order to remain faithful to the cause of Christ and to take those steps of faith.

One way to do that is to keep track of specific examples of times when God demonstrated His faithfulness to you and/or your family. Carol Kent recommends in her book, Speak Up with Confidence, that you “WRITE THINGS DOWN” so you never forget the details. So many times, it is the details that demonstrate that only God ‘could have pulled that off’.

 Be ready to share those experiences in your Bible Study group or Sunday School class. You never know just who may need that gentle reminder at that moment. Listen to your friends. Do you recognize a situation that you once found yourself facing?  Invite that scared, nervous, or overwhelmed friend for coffee and share what God did in your life during a similar struggle or ‘scary’ time.

Just remember, whenever you have a story to tell—make sure God is the hero!

You may want to refer to my February 4^th blog “Comfort Zone” and add “Become a ‘nudger’ to the list of things that timid “Marys” can do to show compassion.

Keep nudging!

Debbie

Sweet Surrender

1 Corinthians 10:11 says, “…these were written for our examples.” God’s Word serves as a reminder of His promises and faithfulness towards us. Yes, sometimes we need a little reminder to help us take the steps of faith in our Christian lives.

Martha needed that little nudge as well. In John 11:40, God, Himself, spoke to Martha to remind her of His promises. She, too, needed a gentle reminder to encourage her to add another link in what Elizabeth George calls the ‘chain of faith’.

Jesus had promised in John 11:4 that the events involving Lazarus would not END in death. Martha was disappointed that Lazarus had died before Jesus arrived, yet she accepted God’s plan and purpose (11:22). She pledged her faith in God’s plan for the future (11:24). But, could she act on that faith right now- in the present?

Last week we saw that Jesus told Martha to have the stone removed (11:39). Martha’s initial response  was, “But, Lord, by now he stinketh!” Had she failed the test?

Maybe we have had a similar response to a new or challenging plan for our lives. Maybe we have found ourselves saying, “But, Lord, I’m too old”, “I’m too young”, “But, I don’t think…”

What did Martha need to ‘give in’ and outwardly express her faith in the Messiah-Deliverer and grant ‘permission’ for Him to continue His plan? She needed a little nudge-a gentle reminder.

In John 11:40 we find that little nudge and the gentle reminder. I’m sure in our human thinking we almost imagine Jesus rolling His eyes, taking a big sigh, and with forced kindness, saying, “Martha, Have I not told you…?” But, no, I’m sure Jesus continued to be patient with her struggle of ‘getting it’ and her developing understanding, and nudged and reminded her in love.

Did He then place His hand gently on her shoulder and say, like we so often say to our own children, “Now, trust me-OK?”

In my mind, I can see Martha squeeze Mary’s hand, and I can hear her take that deep breath of surrender and say firmly, “Do it!”

How do we respond when faced with that defining moment in our lives? What do we do when it is scary and difficult to just surrender and say, “Ok, I’ll…..”

I recall the testimony of a dear friend, who, while mopping her kitchen floor, finally just dropped the mop, sat down on the wet floor, and cried, “Ok, Lord. I’ll go!” 

So, what gets us to that point of eventual, complete surrender? 

First of all, as mentioned earlier, events in Scripture were written to remind us of God’s promises and faithfulness.  It is therefore necessary to spend time reading it!  Secondly, the testimonies of dear, godly Christian friends can remind us of His promises and faithfulness in their lives. Thirdly, we need to take time to BE STILL AND KNOW the faithfulness of God in our own lives! The nudges and reminders are there. Squeeze someone’s hand, take a deep breath, and say, “OK, Lord~I'll Do it!”

Like Stephen Curtis Chapman says in one of his songs:  "Sink or swim~I’m diving in!”

Roll away that stone!

Debbie