Lesson in Radiance: Mary and Martha

"Mary....sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving."

Luke 10:39-40

Distractions are everywhere. We are easily deterred from things that are important. But consistenly, God will get our attention and re-direct us back to Him. It is then up to us whether we choose to follow or not. We have been studying some extraordinary women over the past few months. Each woman has been very different from the others, but they have also had one thing in common: they have all had a center focus on Him. They were all extraordinary not because of them, but because of God. God made them and makes us radiant.

This week, God has been teaching me about the importance of being meek. So far, I have learned that  1. meekness does not come naturally and 2. to have a meek heart does not make you weak but truly strong in Christ. When I began reading the chapter on Mary and Martha, I immediately could relate to Martha. In this story, Jesus had to gently teach Martha a lesson in meekness...so that she could be humble and learn that what is most important is to trust in Him and in Him alone.  

Read Luke 10:38-42

Martha was upset with Mary. She was irritated that Mary was sitting rather than working. And then she eventually got so irritated that she complained to Jesus himself in front of everyone. And she was probably shocked when Jesus told her that she was the one in the wrong. Having a meek heart means that you are obedient, no matter the circumstance. You can question God's direction in your heart, but not aloud! ( an example of this is found in Ezekiel 24: 15-17). Martha's end actions shows how subtly and sinfully human pride can corrupt even the best of our actions. Mary had chosen the right thing. She had chosen a listening ear...a listening heart. She was showing a teachable spirit. (Psalm 25:4-5).

Having a meek heart helps us to realize that what God has done for us is far more important than what we do for Him. "Meekness is an attitude of humility toward God and a gentleness towards people, springing from a recognition that God is in control." Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Meekness = Radiance
Are you seeking radiance today?

Lord, I pray that you will help us all to seek You. Lord, may we allow You to be consistently in control and may we have a listening heart. Lord, transform us, change us, clothe us with meekness, fill us with Your Spirit and produce in us a "Mary" heart,  not only for our own enjoyment and pleasure, but even more for Your glory and so that we may radiate and reflect Christ to our world. I pray it in Jesus’ name, Amen.
~Donna

Lessons in Radiance: The woman at the well

My vision is not good.

.....but then I am reminded that I should see things through God's eyes and not mine. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

          My heart struggles with living in this world.

 .....but then I am reminded that I am not of this world but that I belong to Him. (John 17:14-22)

          My head is fighting my heart to give up and quit.

                                                  .....but then I am reminded to "stand firm" in the work of the Lord. 

                                                                                     (1 Corinthians 15:58)

The story of the woman at the well is simple. It is about confronting who we really are, truly experiencing God's grace, and then sharing the Good News. (John 4: 5-42)

Simple...right? Some days yes and some days...no. The hardest part? Being human and trying to "please" people while ultimately serving the Lord without compromise. Maybe I need to spend a bit more time looking at the woman at the well and basking in God's grace, letting Him cover me. 

My joy is fading and then God reminds me of a simple lesson that I learned as a little girl. A song embedded deep in my heart.

My 4 year old girl is dancing her first dance recital to a familiar song...."This Little Light of Mine". 

We all know it...

"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine....

Hide it under a bushel, no, I'm gonna let it shine.....

Don't let Satan blow it out, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine"

But her song is a bit different. It is by a group called Addison Road. Please join me in listening...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii2THk_yR3Q

"There will be days when you want to give up

When the clouds settle in

But after the rain comes the sun

Don’t you ever forget

One day there will be no more pain

And we will finally see Jesus’ face

So until then I’m gonna to try

To brave the dark and let my little light shine"

When the world and all the people in it are bringing you down...

 LET IT SHINE. 

When Satan is trying to steal your joy.... 

LET IT SHINE. 

When you are confronted with who you really are, hold on to God's grace and....

 LET IT SHINE.

Do you want to be radiant?

Let it Shine!!!

~Donna

Lessons in Radiance: Mary (Mother of Jesus)

And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers." 

Luke 1:46-55

Mary was nothing special. Really. When we meet Mary we find her in the town of Nazareth. Today's equivalent would be... the middle of nowhere. Even Nathanael said " Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (Jn 1:45-46) when Philip told him the he had found the Messiah and that he was a Galilean from Nazareth. She was a young girl (yes, a teenager) who was pledged to be married to Joseph, a carpenter. She did have some illustrious ancestors..but so did Joseph. They were both of the bloodline of David but Joseph's line was a bit more prestigious as his family came through the royal line of Solomon while Mary's came through  Nathan, one of David's other sons. She was just an ordinary girl who was loved by an extraordinary God. Just like me and you.

Most of us know the story. Mary is just hanging out waiting to get married...because that is what you did. When, poof an angel comes out of heaven to let Mary know that she should not be afraid but that she is going to have a baby. Mary is a little confused being that she is not married yet and asks in wonder how this will happen. The angel replies through the Holy Spirit she will give birth to the Son of God. And Mary says "Let it be to me according to your word." (Luke 1:38).

WHAT?!?

Oh, that I could be as ordinary as Mary!

See in that very moment without hesitation, without question, without doubt...Mary willingly and graciously submitted to the will of God. She knew the embarrassing and difficult position that she was going to be in, the fingers that would be pointed, the possibility of death...but she never hesitated to put her life in God's hands. And then she sang!

I love music and I love the praise and honor and glory that Mary gives to God and to Him alone in Luke 1. I love that in the middle of her "crisis" (well that's what we would call it) that she praises God, shadowing scripture from the Old Testament (see below for further study). She is such a great example to us all. Mary teaches us that God makes us radiant. Mary teaches us that with God nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). Mary teaches us that we are blessed because of God. 

I love the song "Who am I?" by Casting Crowns...here are some of the words: "Who am I? That the Lord of all the earth would care to know my name (Isa 43:1), would care to feel my hurt?(2 Cor 1:3-5) Who am I? That the eyes that see my sin, would  look on me with love and watch me rise again? (Rom 5:8)." I am learning daily who I am and I am reminded through this song that God answers "Not because of who you are, or because of what you have done; but because of who I am and because of what I've done..you are mine!"

~ Donna

For Further Study:

Luke 1:46 - see 1 Samuel 2:1, Ps 34:2, Ps 35:9, and Isa 61:10

Luke 1:47 - see Isa 12:2, Isa 45:21

Luke 1:48 - see 1Sam 1:11, Ps 102:17, Ps 136:23, Genesis 30:13, Mal 3:12

Luke 1:49 - see Ps 71:19, Ps 126:3, 1Samuel 2:2, s 111:9, Isa 57:15

Luke 1:50 - see Ps 130:11, Ps 103:17, Isa 51:8

Luke 1:51 - see Ps 89:13, Ps 98:1, Isa 52:10. Ps 89:10, Gen 8:21

Luke 1:52 - 1 Sam 2:6-8, Job 34:24

Luke 1:53 - see Ps 107:9

Luke 1: 54-55 - see Ps 98:3, Isa 44:21, Mic 7:20, Ps 105:6-9

References: "Twelve Extraordinary Women" by John MacArthur

Lessons in Radiance: Ruth

I sometimes give up too easily. When I am trying to do something or change something and I do not see results quickly, I just simply give up. My dad can attest to that. We used to struggle...ha! (he would laugh if he read that) through math. He would try to teach me some background and help me to understand and excel... I just wanted the answer so I could be done. Books un-read, exercise and diet programs pushed aside, learning how to play the guitar, and playing the piano well.. I could go on but you get the point; all left undone or half done. But then there are things that I have stuck with. I finished PT school and received my Masters', I trained and finished a 10-mile race, I re-did my bathroom and painted my closet doors, and I have had the pleasure of leading a wonderful group of women known as Faithfully Fit for over 3 years.  Finishing/working on those things have required persistence.

Ruth was a woman of persistence. "Born on the wrong side of the Biblical tracks as a Moabitess. When she enters the Biblical story, she does so only as the widow of a now dead husband who was one of God’s chosen people. When she elects to follow her Mother-in-Law back to Bethlehem it is a brave decision – since her language, accent and even her name would have betrayed her as a stranger. To make the journey was to leave everything familiar behind and risk all kinds of isolation." But Ruth saw something in her mother-in law Naomi that she wanted, a relationship with Jesus and she would stop at nothing to get it.

Ruth 1:16-17 says this:

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”

What follows is a great love story. Ruth's faithfulness is rewarded with a marriage to Boaz and the birth of a son, who would be the grandfather to King David. It is a story of trust, hard-work, and a "redeemer" who saved her family - her family that was just hers by marriage. Not only did Ruth start her journey but she finished it as well.

Many of us start many things. Many of us start a relationship with Christ but we never bother to see it through. We never "hang-around" long enough when we don't see the results that we want or when we don't "get our way". Ruth is an example of the courage that it takes to not only step-out into the unknown, but to keep on walking and follow the road of faith (believing but NOT seeing) wherever it may lead. Ruth was radiant and allowed God to be radiant through her. What are you not being persistent with today? Is it your walk with God? Have you even stepped out yet to start your journey? What follows is a great love story...a story that is real. A story of a Savior who came just for you and for me and gave up His life because He loved us so much. A Redeemer who has saved the world and Who wants to see you to the finish...just like Ruth. 

 John 3:16-17

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him."

~Donna

Lessons in Radiance: Sarah

"And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered Him faithful who had made the promise." Hebrews 11:11

Sarai ("my princess") or Sarah ("princess"), is mentioned more times in the Bible than any other woman even Mary, Jesus' mother. She was the half-sister of her husband Abraham, and she was barren. (Genesis 11:30) Sarah is known for her physical beauty, her radiance, her faith and her mistakes. Sarah was..well... just like us!!

God had promised Abraham on more than one occasion that he would be the father of great nations and that through his offspring the Messiah would come (Genesis 12:1-3). Much like Eve being a part of the Seed that would crush the serpent (Satan), Sarah had a role in this promise that God had made Abraham. But for years we see that Sarah remained barren, but we also see that she remained faithful. Faithful to her husband, as his wife, and protected by God when Abraham would try to "pass her off" as just his sister. (Genesis 12:10-20). She had her faults too, the biggest being the seed of doubt that she let grow in her heart that God would not provide Abraham a son. (Genesis 16:2-5) She tried to concoct a man-made solution to a divine situation...and well, it did not work. God was waiting to put His power on display. God wanted no doubt that He had allowed Sarah to have a son at such an old age (much like He wanted Jesus' mother to be a virgin so that there would be no doubt to His divine nature). And when God did all that He had promised there was much laughter! (Genesis 21:6)

Radiance: "Light reflected by something"...or Someone.

 We all have times in our life when we feel barren. When we feel that God is never going to fulfill His promises. When we wonder why we continue to be faithful because it seems that no one else is. But when we are radiant - looking to God to fill us up, looking on His face to make us what He wants us to be, good and FAITHFUL servants - we are then joyful, and we can laugh! Sarah should remind us that when we become doubtful or afraid that we should remember to let God take care of it. Because well, He already has!

~Donna

Lessons in Radiance: EVE

"And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the

  mother of  all living." Genesis 3:20

If you have been involved with Faithfully Fit in the past, you know that we have discussed Eve. The last time I spoke on Eve and lessons to be learned from her was due to the fact that we were studying "Bad Girls of the Bible."  Eve had her faults (don't we all?), but we can learn from her and what the Bible has to say about her "sheer radiance" even through the temptation, fall, and curse that she is most well-known for.

Remember our key verse for this session? 

Eve was radiant. She was made...created..by God's hands. She was formed out of Adam, to be Adam's perfect helpmate....suited just for him. She was not just spoken into existence, but God created her from the living tissue of Adam to be radiant...unashamed.....beautiful. (Genesis 2:20-25)

The Bible does not give a physical description of Eve - you know 5ft 10 inches, 150 pounds, golden blonde hair, and knockout abs -  but rather her beauty is described through her duty to her Creator and her role alongside her husband. Eve was created by God to fulfill the Biblical role of a wife. Not to be under Adam..but to walk alongside him and support him...to become one with him. Eve's radiance was not found in her "outward appearance" but in what she was made to be for Christ. Made not only to he a helpmate to Adam but to be the "mother of all living."

Even in the darkness of temptation and the fall, God still used Eve in the curse. God could have ended it right there. He could have been done...but our God is full of grace and mercy. God knew her heart and knew that sin was going to enter the world but from the very beginning He had a plan. A plan to "save the world and not condemn it" (John 3:17)

 Genesis 3:15 says this (directed to the serpent) 

"I will make you and the woman enemies to each other. Your descendants and her descendants will be enemies. One of her descendants will crush your head, and you will bite his heel.”

Through Him, Eve had a hope. Hope for one of her descendants to make her wrong.....right. Because she continued to"look upon Him" she was full of radiance...full of Joy...even in darkness...even in sin. We too can become radiant, but not on our own. Are you ready to look into His face today?

~Donna

Radiant

Well, it has begun! A new session of Faithfully Fit! 

Excitement abounds! 

Women have called in response to our advertising to find out more. Our past Faithfully Fit girls have returned. A brand new class starts this afternoon! God is working! And those who are seeking Him will become RADIANT!!!

This year, I want to become radiant. Not just shiny. Not just polished...but Radiant! I want my focus to be consistently on Jesus. I don't want to take my eyes off Jesus (like Peter) and sink into a world that offers me only the temporary "buff." I want to be transformed so that I can send out THE LIGHT. I want Jesus to shine BRIGHTLY through me into all the world!

Will you join me? God promises us that when we choose Him over all that we have made the right decision. I challenge you to be eager for change. I challenge you to not make a "resolution" but to be transformed "by the renewing of your minds" (Romans 12:2) -minds, bodies, hearts that choose to be RADIANT while seeking Him!

Looking forward to tonight!

~Donna

Seek with a Whole Heart

The house is quiet on this first morning of 2014. Time is on my side today and I lay with my Bible to seek the King. The hunters cleared out early this morning to take in the last day of the season, those who stayed up late to ring in the New Year sleep away on this first morning of 2014. I treasure the quiet. I seek to see the King in all His glory.
There are still a few decorations from Christmas remaining in my home. The tree in the living room stands fully decorated and as I pass I see the star, the one with Jesus.

The wise men are there. Seeking.

And I am reminded.

Reminded of years that I spent seeking other kings, chasing other things.

And I seek the truth to learn.

First, the wise men asked direction. "...Where is the one who has been born the king of the Jews?" Matt. 2:2

They asked with great purpose. "We have seen the star in the east and have come to worship Him."

 

Jeremiah 29:12 details the posture of seeking that we should take saying, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Seeking with all my heart. Looking with everything I am, searching for the King as the wise men did the night they saw the star. They were not emptied handed. They carried their treasures with them and presented them to the King when their search was over. I think it was more than a gift, the Word refers to them as "treasures". Could it be that they laid down their treasures in worship, presenting their whole heart to the One they were seeking?

 

We may not have a star shining in the East to guide us toward Jesus. But we do have guidance and direction from the One who promises to listen. Jeremiah says that

when

we call

when

we pray

He WILL listen. (Jer. 29:12)

And Jeremiah gives us confirmation that just as the wise men found the Lord so too will those who seek Him with their whole heart. (Jer. 29:13-14)

In the quiet of my house this morning, I seek.

In the sunrise of the morning, I seek.

In the truth of the Word, I seek.

Seek to see, to taste, to feel the King.

With my whole heart I seek, that I may lay my treasures down and worship.

 

In winter session 2014 of Faithfully Fit we will seek. We will gather together many times a week to strengthen our faith and fitness. And we will seek. We will seek the one who makes us RADIANT.

"I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces will never be covered in shame."

Psalm 34:4-5

All ladies are invited to join us. Begin seeking Him in the quiet of your home, in the still of your heart. Then join us as we fellowship, prayer and have devotion to continue the search of the One who takes away the fears, the One who answers, the One who listens, the One...the only One true King!

Happy New Year ladies ~ Jodie