“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.’” – Luke 10:39-40

Two sisters were devoted to Jesus. When He came to their home, one immediately went to work doing everything necessary to host a crowd. The other sat at his feet and listened to Him. When Martha became resentful and asked Jesus to intervene, He praised Mary for choosing to listen and learn. He didn’t deny that there were important things to do. He understood that somebody needed to do them. But what was most important in that moment? Jesus praised Mary for choosing to take some time to be still, listen, and learn from Him.

In Christian life, our devotion to Jesus can drive us to become very, very busy. There’s always more that we can do for Jesus. God has prepared good works for each of us to do. These works are good, important, significant, and satisfying. Our desire to do them can sometimes cause us to become like Martha. We can become so focused on our Kingdom “to do” lists that we don’t make time to simply be still, sit at the feet of Jesus, enjoy His presence, and learn from Him.

Do you consistently make time with Jesus each day? Do you slow down to read the Bible, pray, and simply enjoy Jesus? Do you take time to quietly talk to Him, listen for His voice, and learn from His Word, the Bible? Do you think about Him and what you’ve read, rejoicing that He loves you and died for you? If you don’t prioritize time with the Lord, it simply won’t happen amidst the hustle and bustle of modern life. Set aside time to be like Mary. Guard that time and enjoy it deeply. There’s plenty of other time throughout the day to work hard like Martha. #FollowJesus

“Others said, ‘These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?’” – John 10:21

People struggled to make sense of the available evidence and understand Who Jesus is. The problem is that they didn’t want to understand because that would change their life. That remains true today. Many saw the unprecedented miracles performed by Jesus and attributed them to demons. These were miracles proving that Jesus was Messiah, the Son of God, God come in the flesh. That didn’t fit their theology or understanding of the world. So they rejected Jesus.

They heard the extraordinary words of Jesus. Words unlike any they’d heard before. These were words faithful to the Scripture but mind-blowing in application. These words made clear that Jesus was the authoritative prophet, priest, and king come to rule forever. That didn’t fit their theology or understanding of the world. So they rejected Jesus.

When your assumptions about how the world works leaves no room for the movement of God in Jesus, that’s a problem. Many missed their opportunity for salvation and eternal life because they were convinced Messiah wouldn’t be like Jesus. Many still do. Don’t be one of them! Devote yourself to Jesus. Read and study His words, actions, character, and sacrifice. Let Him surprise you and challenge you. Let Him rattle your philosophy, politics, and practice of life. Reshape your theology and understanding of the world to fit Jesus. Don’t try to reshape Jesus to fit your way of thinking.

Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Every system of thought, philosophy, and theology must adapt to His reality or it will utterly miss salvation, transformation, and truth. Every assumption and understanding of the world you hold must yield to the reality of Jesus because where there is a discrepancy between your thinking and Jesus, you’re just holding tightly to mist. Hold tightly to Jesus! #FollowJesus

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” – John 8:36

Jesus, the Son of God, didn’t come into our world to bind and burden you. He came to set you free! How? By believing in Him as Savior and Lord, turning from your sins and following Him.

Jesus set you free from sin’s power. Apart from Jesus, you can’t help but sin. You try not to, but it dominates and drives you. When you trust in Jesus you become a new creation with the freedom to not sin. Don’t take your freedom for granted by indulging sin.

Jesus set you free from sin’s consequence, which is death. Death entered the world because of sin. Why? Because rebellion against God (which all sin is) separates you from the source of life (which is God). Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead having defeated sin and death. When you trust in Jesus, you’re set free from death’s power. Your body will certainly die (unless Jesus returns first) but your soul won’t. Death is not the wall you imagine but a door into God’s visible presence. Don’t take your freedom for granted by living in fear of death.

Jesus set you free from the burden of trying to save yourself. Apart from Jesus, you have no power to save yourself from your sins. Nonetheless, you may have tried through systems of rules, laws, religions. Every other system of faith is about what a person must do to save themself. How often to pray. What to say. What to give. Where to go. Jesus set you free from the impossibility of saving yourself. He suffered and died on the cross to save you as a gift of God’s grace. All you must do is believe. Don’t take that freedom for granted by adding man-made rules and systems to your faith.

Jesus set you free from having to conform to the world. The fundamental invitation of Jesus is to follow Him. It’s an invitation to live a life filled with His Spirit, walking in step with His presence. This is an invitation to do what He said to do out of love, joy, and delight for the freedom He’s given. If you let Him, He’ll guide you in paths of blessing and purpose far greater than those you would find for yourself based on the world’s ideals, attractions, and pressures. Don’t take that freedom for granted by continuing to follow the world’s priorities. #FollowJesus

“And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’” – Mark 8:27

Jesus began one of the most important conversations He ever had with His disciples with this simple question. He asks what they hear people saying about Him. The disciples give various answers. Jesus immediately makes it clear that it doesn’t really matter what other people say about Him. For each individual person, the most important question is who do they think Jesus is. From this conversation comes the foundational confession of the Christian faith, that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.

Each of us must answer that deeper question for ourselves. There is no more important question. Who do you say Jesus is? In our own time, lots of people say lots of things about Jesus. Some consider Him a legend. Some consider Him a lunatic. Some consider Him a great teacher or a moral example. Some describe Him as a revolutionary. Many will declare Him a prophet. Others call Him a created being or the spirit-brother of Satan. Forget about what others say… Who do you say Jesus is?

There’s only one answer that brings salvation, forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. If you haven’t already done so, believe that Jesus IS the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. Believe that He died on the cross for you and rose from the died victorious over sin and death. Believe that He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, reigning in Heaven at the right hand of God the Father. Don’t let the answers of others confuse you about Who and What the Bible reveals Jesus to be. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. Believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. You will be saved! #FollowJesus

“But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.” – Matthew 15:18

What we eat may be unhealthy but it can’t make us unclean in God’s eyes. Our bodies take care of that naturally as Jesus explained in the verse before this one. On the other hand, what we say…. That can really make us unclean in God’s eyes!

The Bible repeatedly emphasizes the terrible power of our words to hurt others AND ourselves. Hasty, rude, angry, cruel, obscene, profane, divisive, or selfish words not only reflect the poor health of our souls, they reinforce that worsen that health. Words can absolutely be sinful. We must recognize that and repent whenever we sin with our mouths.

We must also recognize that if we have a pattern of sinful words it reflects a heart that needs additional transformation in Jesus Christ. Don’t excuse away your words. Embrace the spiritual work of drawing nearer to Jesus and letting Him transform your words. Invest in your daily time with Jesus, studying and meditating on His Word, talking to Him in prayer, and worshiping Him both privately and publicly. You may need to invest in counseling to help apply His Word more fully to your hearts so that you speak life rather than death and holiness rather than defilement. Be willing to do whatever it takes to get your heart and mouth in alignment with your Savior. #FollowJesus