Note from Team LO: We are SO excited to bring you part 1 of ‘In Him’, an LO Fam exclusive bible study created by our sister and friend, Emma Jenkins! Want to join us over the next four weeks as we study and grow together? The doors are open for this week only! Hope to see you there 🙂

In Luke 10:38-42, Jesus is invited into a woman named Martha’s house. As Jesus was in the home, Martha’s sister, Mary, sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to Him as He taught. In the meantime, Martha was distracted as she was preparing a big supper. I can only imagine all of the details that she was focused on. Dishes needed to be cleaned, the food needed to be cooked well, and the service needed to be excellent. I am sure she was one who liked her kitchen area to be tidy too. Many details were to be invested into, I mean Jesus was in fact at her house, but all the while, Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus as He taught. In frustration, Martha approaches Jesus and claims, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” Isn’t it interesting that Martha feels as though she should be spending her time doing things for Him instead of enjoying being with Him? Jesus responds by saying, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

In Philippians 1, the apostle Paul, prays over the church of Philippi that they would understand what really matters. Have you ever thought about where you are investing your energy? Where you are spending your time? Or, where you are hanging out in your mind? What does it mean to understand what really matters?

To understand what really matters comes from a heart that truly believes that the promises of God are faithful. The Lord promises that He will finish the good work that He began in us, and with this confident hope, we can live our lives focusing on what really matters. Throughout the chapter of Philippians 1, Paul expresses what this looks like. To understand what really matters is to always be filled with the fruit of our salvation-the righteous character produced in our lives by Jesus Christ-for this will bring much glory and praise to God. It means to consider our present sufferings as a blessing because we believe that God is working it together for good to help spread the Good News. To focus on what really matters is to rejoice always and continue to rejoice more because we know that it is the joy of the Lord that is our strength. It looks like not being ashamed but being bold in Christ. It is to help others grow and experience the joy of their own faith. To understand what really matters is to walk with a posture of awareness that we are citizens of heaven and we are simply passing through here. It is to live in a manner worthy of the gospel. It is to stand together with one Spirit and with one purpose, fighting together in unity for the one faith. When we are focused on what really matters, we are not intimidated by our enemies because we know that we belong to Christ and we also acknowledge the privilege of trusting in Christ and suffering for Him.

As Paul continues his statement, he says that he wants the church of Philippi to understand what really matters so that they may live blameless and pure lives until the day that Christ returns. Meaning that there is a purpose in focusing on what really matters. We focus on what really matters so that we may continue to live the life that God has called us by name to live until the return of Jesus. Where we invest our energy has purpose. Where we focus our thoughts has power and meaning. But I think that sometimes we think focusing on what really matters means doing enough things, being involved in more organizations, speaking at more events, knowing more people, making more posts, having more bible studies. In Martha’s case, focusing on what really mattered meant cleaning dishes and preparing a big supper, but although these are all sweet and wonderful things, if these things begin to be our determining factor of how “close” we are to Jesus, then we have missed it. Big suppers are important, but if I miss the purpose of sitting at His feet in order to serve a yummy supper, then I didn’t actually taste and see how good the supper could have actually been because it would have been prepared on my own without the One Who wants to cook it with me. Our relationship with Him is not based on how much we do for Him, but it is how intimately we know Him. Are we sitting at His feet? Our actions are an overflow of our focus and I want my focus to be on what really matters. There are many details that are fun and sweet and important. But there is only one thing that really matters, and that is a relationship with Him at His feet, and this will never be taken away from us.

I will leave you with some questions to consider.

1. What details are you concerned about that are distracting you from sitting at the feet of Jesus?
2. What does it mean to understand on what really matters and how will that impact the way that you live?
3. What does it reveal to you about Jesus’ heart seeing how He responded to Martha?

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