At Jesus' Feet...

I learned a very important lesson today about walking with Christ through this life. His greatest desire is to be in close fellowship with me. I have known this, but as we walk...I tend to get more and more involved in church activities, kids' activities, work activities, and less time spent with God and family. It is very easy to keep saying "yes" to every opportunity, but it is a lot harder to learn to say "no." I have known for quite some time that I am a YES woman. I love to say YES to everything that comes my way. I love to be involved with many different projects and people at once, and I love being busy (even if I do get tired).

I grew up in a family that was always on the go, and I believe I inherited the need to keep going all the time! When I became a Christian, I carried my old habits into my new life. I am a pleaser, which I am sure God loves because it results in great obedience, but I get in trouble when I try to please man and God at the same time. God is jealous for my attention, my time and my love. More than all my "service," he just wants me to sit and talk with him (pray). He wants me to know Him deeply. I realized today that as I have been so busy, I have lost some of the connection I had with God. I found myself feeling distant from God and not knowing why. I was doing children's church, sunday school, bible study, ministering to others, cooking for fellowships, taking the kids to school, swim lessons, and AWANAS. I was not spending time with God, I was just relying on what I had learned about him yesterday, or even months ago. I am not keeping my relationship fresh with Him, spending time each day just reading His Word and listening to him speak.

I felt freedom when I realized that I had a real problem. I had become so busy that I was missing out the most important thing in my life, just enjoying and being with my Savior Christ. I know He has been calling out my name, asking me to come back in a variety of ways, but I have just been too BUSY to listen to Him. This happens in marriage as well, when we get busy with kids, work, church, etc. We just keep going, but we don't spend the time talking to one another. Eventually, the relationship begins to decline and many end in divorce. If we would just stop being so busy and start focusing our attention on God, our families and our spouses, we might see a rapid decline in Christians backsliding, divorces, abuse, adultery, miscommunications in the family, children in trouble, drugs, premarital sex and violence. We live in a BUSY culture where everything is meant to be fast-paced. We need to slow down and get back to the core values of Christian living. The place to start is making sure we make time for the One that is most important, our Lord Jesus Christ. For months, I have been telling Him and myself that I would get up early to meet with him. He kept saying to me "I am here to meet with you, why don't you meet with me?" And I would hear Him say that, and just keep moving on to something else.

I believe I am not the only one with this problem. Please accept the wisdom that God gave me today for your own life and make some time to sit at Jesus' feet, read his Holy Word, and listen to His voice. Cultivate that relationship first (as I am going to) and the rest will be added unto you, as scripture says:

Matthew 6:33 (NIV):

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

and

Luke 10:38-45 (NIV):

"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 only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Our enemy is very cunning in convincing us that if we are not doing everything at once, we are not accomplishing anything. The enemy is quick to lie and make us feel as though we have to earn our way to salvation, or that we are not pleasing to our Lord is we are not serving in every possible capacity. I am guilty of believing this lie, but I am thankful that my Lord revealed the deception to me today, and showed me that he is very satisfied when I simply sit at His feet and grow in knowledge of Him. In fact, one thing He spoke to me about this season was for me to receive from Him, rather than give, but I went right out and started working again. This came to a head today because I was offered yet another ministry position. The Lord spoke to me while I was asking whether I should accept. I thought about everything I am already doing, and how tired I am at times, but I did not want to disappoint God by not taking it. I was rather surprised, but relieved when he showed me that turning it down was His will. In fact, I am instructed not to volunteer for anything else this season. I am to serve my family, nurture my marriage and role as a parent, and just love God....sitting at His feet. What relief I now have! I thank God for setting me straight, and I pray that He speaks to you through this blog and shows you that YOU too do not have to save the world all by yourself. Let someone else take a turn at the wheel, Jesus.


This word from the Lord was for me, but I felt that perhaps there was someone else who could benefit from the freedom I received in this wisdom. I pray that it finds you sitting at the Lord's feet, but if you are a busybody like me, I pray that God would deliver you from your compulsive need to work and please others. I pray that you will find peace in receiving knowledge, wisdom, and love from Jesus Christ, and that he would be your desire! I thank God for His mercy in my life, for without it, I would be on my way to hell. He is faithful to pull me back when I am walking away, even when I don't know it! Thank you God for saving me! I pray in Jesus name, Amen.

In His Mercy,

Sarah