Having Bible knowledge and understanding is great, however if the scriptures are not living and active in our lives, it is all in vain (Hebrews 4:12-13). The life application selections contain thoughts provoking, real life challenges that will prayerfully transform us to be more like Jesus in our spiritual journey. James 1:23-27 challenges us to not just merely listen or read the scriptures, it says “But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” Do not miss your blessings my friends!
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
What Does It Mean to Learn from Jesus?
Mary gives us a powerful picture of what it truly means to learn from Jesus. While Martha was distracted by serving, Mary did three very intentional things:
- She sat at Jesus’ feet.
- She listened to His words.
- She chose relationship over responsibility.
Jesus then said something very important:
“Mary has chosen what is better.”
This does not mean that Mary chose something good while Martha chose something bad. What Jesus revealed is that learning from Him is the better path. And this is the one thing Satan will fight hardest to keep you from doing.
“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.”
When you read, hear, or listen to Scripture, what is it to you?
Is it another inspiring story?
A good moral code for life?
Or a growing desire to honestly know who Jesus is?
Jesus, who became the Word of God, is telling us that His words create life, heal the heart, expose lies, and transform the mind. If you call yourself a Christian or a disciple of Jesus Christ, you must hear His voice daily, sit in His presence, consume His Word as your lifeline, and obey the Word of God by putting it into practice.
2 Timothy 3:16–17 reminds us that if we want to live a transformed life as disciples of Jesus Christ, full of life through the Holy Spirit, we must believe this truth:
“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.”
Have you ever taken the time to sit and meditate on this verse?
I will never forget the day Jesus stirred my soul at the age of sixteen and made me still enough to truly reflect on what it means to believe in Him.
By that age, Jesus had already rescued me. I was baptized, raised as a new creation, and I was fired up, saved, and Holy Spirit–filled. The Lord had already performed miracles in my life beyond earthly explanation. Yet one day, the Holy Spirit led me to ask, There has to be more than just being a grateful sinner.
I was involved in the church. I knew the Scriptures. I understood the power of the cross through Jesus Christ, and I knew I was called to share with the world what the Lord had done for me. But through prayer and seeking revelation from the Lord, the Spirit helped me realize it was time to surrender my past, present, and future to God’s will.
“Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.”
What is weighing you down today?
Life can feel heavy, burdensome, and at times almost impossible to move forward.
Have you ever felt the pain of worry deep in your soul, so intense it felt like an out-of-body experience? I have been there. There are moments when life feels overwhelming, confusing, and even hopeless. The unknown can lead our thoughts, minds, and hearts into places that feed the darkness within our souls.
"No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him."
Have you ever wondered what it will be like to celebrate a New Year—or a new beginning—with Jesus in the new Garden of Eden?
This thought is where the joy of the New Year rises in my soul!
Read with me Revelation 22:1–5:
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.”
“He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God.”
The Word Who Came… and the Word Who Will Return”
This week, people all over the world will celebrate Christmas, the day Christians pause to remember the birth of Jesus.
But I want to ask you a deeper question: What does the birth of Jesus truly mean to you?
Yes, the Word of God became flesh.
He walked among us.
He taught us how to live a transformed life that honors God.
But His story did not end in a manger.
He carried a cross, died for our sins, and rose again, the victory we celebrate each Spring on Easter.
Yet there is another holy day, one that is rarely acknowledged, yet it completes both Christmas and Easter.
Who Is This Jesus? Ministry, Inc. is a nonprofit organization based in North Carolina.