Today’s post is written by Becky Crenshaw, a dear blogger and speaker friend. This post is from a series written by Becky on Advent. Thank you Becky for sharing with us today!
“…who seated herself at the Lord’s feet.” Luke 10:39
I love all versions of Scripture. Nothing thrills me more than to take one passage and compare it across multiple spectrums of translations. But my FAVORITE always trends towards the Amplified Bible. There is something so exhaustive in nature about this version. With a “double-clicking”, if you will, of each word, it takes a 3-D look into a passage in a way that resonates with me deeply.
That being said, the Amplified version of this little phrase just melts me.
Mary “seated herself at the Lord’s feet.” Mmmmm. What do you notice? What does this look like? Can you picture it?
Mary made a choice. Jesus didn’t ask her to sit down. Mary saw an opportunity and took it. “If that is where Jesus is, then that is where I want to be, too.”
And where did she sit? Well, where a disciple sits, of course. At Jesus’ feet. Mary took her appointed place as a student of her Lord, making every effort to learn from her teacher.
And let’s just talk about feet for a second. We know that the Mary’s of the Bible were all about His feet, right? Just back in Luke 7 we see Mary (arguably by scholars our same Mary of Bethany) break open a very expensive Alabaster Jar of perfume to anoint his dusty feet. So whether it is the same Mary or not, the picture is still the same. Being at the feet of Jesus is a picture of worship, learning and humility.
So, sweet reader, how on earth does this translate to us in current day, Christmas rush, smart phone age, media indulgent America?
The answer is still the same. “Mary seated HERSELF.”
The choice is the “how.” Jesus is the choice we can make over and again. We can choose our place of worship, humility and learning every moment of every day. Emmanuel, God is with us, all day long.
We don’t have to wait for a surprise supper with Jesus. The Omnipresent is as much with you as He is with me – if we acknowledge Him or not.
LET’S SEAT OURSELVES by choice today and all Advent long.
Choosing What Is Better:
- I am sure you have heard the coined phrase “Treat. Yo. Self.” at least once before!… As a believer, I encourage you to “Seat. Yo. Self.” (Couldn’t resist.). What does “seating yourself” look like today? (For example: grabbing your journal and writing out a prayer…. reading through a few Psalms and meditating on the meaning…. shutting off all the noise and sitting quietly – acknowledging God’s presence.)
- The word Disciple by definition means “a follower or student of a teacher.” Have you ever really thought of yourself as a student of Jesus? Well, as Christians that is exactly what we are! Students of our Lord. If you have never viewed yourself as such, how does this change your approach to Him? What do student’s of Jesus do? What do you need to learn from your teacher today? Write out your responses to these questions in your journal.
- What hinders you from seating yourself at Jesus’ Feet? What obstacles stand in the way of you seeing yourself as a student? Take this to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to help you overcome these hindrances.
Becky Crenshaw and her husband, Brent, live in Tennessee with their three, football-crazed and energetic boys. Three children of which a doctor said she would never have. After losing her mother to cancer, Becky now has the great honor of caring for her 92-year-old grandmother, Ethel.
Brent and Becky served on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ at the University of Tennessee for nine years, discipling college students and sharing the Gospel across campus. They are currently ministering to a new demographic in their city. Brent serves as the Young Adult Pastor of their church, where they lead pre-marriage classes and help post-graduates plug into community with others their own age and grow in their own relationship with Christ.
To read more posts from Becky, you can visit her blog site at www.beckycrenshaw.com