Before Daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Mark 1:35 NLT

It’s day one of the series “Mark, a chapter a day for Easter” here at Refocused Bible Study. If you missed the details, you can find them here.

Whatever way you came across this post, I’m glad you are here and I pray you’ll join us! There is so much good stuff in every chapter, it is hard to pick one verse to focus in on! However, this one about Jesus going off to pray by himself made me fall in love with him all over again.

Jesus was fully God and fully man, yet still went off by himself to intentionally cultivate a connection with the Father through prayer. Did he do this to model spiritual discipline for us? Maybe. Did he do this because

HE LOVED THE FATHER AND WANTED TIME ALONE WITH HIM?

I think so. The day before, Jesus had been healing people and casting out evil spirits. Ministry was busy. He knew another busy day of serving and healing was ahead of him. So he got up while it was still dark to go spend this time one on one with his heavenly father. If Jesus did this, how much more do we need to do this? He was one with The Father, and yet he still carved out time from the rest of the day to go and talk to him one on one. Do you know what I’ve been telling myself instead of waking up early to spend time with The Father?

YOU NEED SLEEP, AND THE LORD KNOWS IT. YOU CAN PRAY LATER DURING THE DAY.

But, ladies, how I’ve been missing this time with Him! Time alone with God in the morning just cannot be replaced. There is nothing like it. Plus, it’s easy to see that Jesus sacrificed sleep to go and be alone with God, even in the thick of a very busy few days of ministry.

During the days leading up to Easter, let’s follow Jesus’ example and set our alarms just 30 minutes earlier. Let’s go and pray to Him and see how it changes our hearts and our days. Following the pattern for prayer that Jesus shows us is a good place to start: “This, then, is how you should pray:

“ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:9-15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I look forward to hearing what your verse for chapter 1 is! Let me know in the comments below. ❤

Did you miss the first post about the Mark Study? Find the details and print out your goodies HERE!

“One sister thinks she has to have everything perfect for her King. The other one knows that there is absolutely no way she will ever get everything perfect and so she just sits there, mesmerized by the most beautiful sight she has ever seen, her Savior, her Maker, the Lover of her soul. She has already forgotten about all the imperfections in her home. Jesus says she has CHOSEN what is better. How I praise God that it is better to sit and adore him than to run around like a crazy woman making everything perfect.” – excerpt from Refocused Bible Study, page 135

The projects I listed out on this page of the study will be year long tasks for me. I have many things I want to do in my home that I feel like I never get around to! Who’s with me on that? However, I knew that we had to, I mean had to study this passage to end our week on home and as a farewell passage to this whole bible study.

Luke 10

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 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!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

I have studied this verse many times. Because I am a Mary. Yes, I have found that sitting still and worshipping Jesus is my ONE THING. But what I have had to learn through the years is how to stay in a position of worship and fellowship of my sweet Jesus in my heart and mind as my hands and feet work hard in my home and in every good work he sets before me. Jesus knew all that frettin’ Martha was doing was not necessary. Can you hear him gently, lovingly confront her:

“All those are details Martha! I’m what’s important, and you are loosing sight of it!”

How often I do get sidetracked, worried over all the little details that will not matter for eternity as I push my Savior aside and try to do it all. Be it all. Have it all perfect. Especially during this season where I have starting writing daily. Everyday I must refocus on Him and make sure I know He is my ONE THING. What easily sidetracks you from Jesus being your ONE THING? I pray that we will all remember his sweet, FREEDOM FILLING reply to Martha:

“Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be take from her.” Luke 10:42

Mary is awestruck at Jesus’ feet. This is it girls. The only thing that is necessary. The better portion. Don’t miss it. Don’t miss his mesmerizing LOVE! I have a little parting download to help you continue to put into place the principles we have learned in #Refocused. #Refocused Prayer Journal & Goals Template

Parting with a prayer: As we come before Our ONE THING, I pray over all your daughters who have participated in #Refocused during the month of January. We close our books asking you to help us walk with you daily to put these truths into practice, to help us refocus our eyes daily on YOU, everyday in 2021 and everyday until we see your eyes in clear sight. In the Mighty Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

✨New Here? This is the last day of this study! I’ve been blogging through my Bible Study, “Refocused: Fixing your eyes in Jesus for the road ahead.” Resources: Download the study free HERE OR You can can buy the study here: Refocused Bible Study

Starting ON 💗 VALENTINE’S DAY, February 14th, I’m hosting “Love Letters from God: a prayer journey through God’s love” here for the month of February! It’s a 4 week study through Ephesians 3:18. I hope you’ll join me!

Praying for you,

Amy

“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”

Proverbs 24:3-4

“I need to get more laundry baskets, and shelving for them to stay organized in the laundry room,” I told my friend over coffee one day. I started there and I made this long list of things I needed to buy in order to get our house in order. Looking at the list, I got overwhelmed, realizing how much money and time we would need to buy and install all these systems for organization of all of our stuff. After a few minutes of fretting, I did what I should have done all along.

I brought the Holy into Housework and asked the Lord what to do about this situation of our messy closets.

It sounds kind of silly, right? Like, I could have just gone to the closet and started chunking things. But this Jesus who died to give us relationship with Him actually loves for us to talk to Him about everything, even mundane chores and housekeeping. When my mind was reeling, thinking about how we really needed (LoL!) a larger home with one more bedroom and larger closets,

His wisdom whispered, calm down, daughter, I give you everything you need when you need it.

A few days later, my tune changed to this: “We spent the day cleaning out our closet and now I don’t need baskets or shelves anymore!”

LOL! Did you see that, friends? How the enemy had me anxious, feeling like we didn’t have enough, and the Lord whispered and showed me we were holding onto too much. All we needed to do was get rid of the things that weren’t precious and pleasant riches so we could better care for all the wonderful real precious and pleasant riches we already had (i.e. enough clothing to wear something different everyday of the week, which many people in the world would be honored to have).

Maybe you are like me, struggling to see how Wisdom Himself has already blessed your house richly with precious and pleasant riches, but you have too much junk to see and appreciate it. Or maybe you really do have a need in your home right now. I can’t tell you how many times the Lord has blown my socks off by his timely provision after I have asked Him for what our family needed. Go to Him, and he will provide what you need.

Whatever the situation, He holds all knowledge to help you rid your house of unnecessary, life-snatching clutter and replace it with valuable, life-giving treasures. The Lord delights in helping us build and establish our homes, so I encourage you today, to:

1 Thank the Lord for the precious and pleasant treasures in your home

2 Think about how you can care for them today as an act of worship to Him, the Giver

3 If there are any needs, pray and ask Him to meet them (He may surprise you like He did me, and answer in an unexpected way, but TRUST He will answer!)

And remember, sisters, the most precious and pleasant treasure is Jesus himself, alive and present in our homes! The last day of Refocused on Home is tomorrow, sweet friends! Praying you will finish strong as we look at two sisters and Jesus blessed as most important in homemaking.

✨New Here? I’m blogging through my Bible Study, “Refocused: Fixing your eyes in Jesus for the road ahead.” Resources: Download the study free HERE OR You can can buy the study here: Refocused Bible Study

Praying for You,

Amy

Refocused on Home Day 3

Colossians 3:23-34

23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

When we were adopting our daughter from Uganda, a small country in East Africa, I woke up most mornings to the sounds of hard, repetitive housework. I heard brooms made out of dried banana leaves sweeping my neighbor’s back porch.

Brush, Brush, Brush, Brush.

I heard pots and dishes clanging together outside as the women washed and prepared their meals for the day in their kitchens—their outdoor washing bins and their pots that cooked over outdoor fires.

Bang, bang,

clang, clang,

stir, stir.

They handwashed their clothing outside in buckets and then hung them to dry in the hot sun just a few miles from the equator.

Yes ladies, we have it made in our gourmet indoor kitchens with GE appliances.

Or do we?

Yes, it is convenient. But have we lost the sacredness of homemaking with our super quick machines? I think the answer is no. I learned some principles from my hard working Ugandan friends while watching their joy, dedication and strength.

Yes, we are serving our families, but whom does this passage remind us we are ultimately serving? How did Colossians speak to you about mundane, repetitive housework?

I’m continuing to ask the Lord to help me see the Holy in housework. Praying the same over you, friend. Two more days of “Refocused on Home!”

✨New Here? I’m blogging through my Bible Study, “Refocused: Fixing your eyes in Jesus for the road ahead.” Resources: Download the study free HERE OR You can can buy the study here: Refocused Bible Study

Praying for you!

Amy

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” John 14:3

The most important point of Jesus’s words here is the fact that He will be at this place. He has gone to PREPARE a place to commune with Him forever! What a privilege to mirror his example by creating and maintaining a place for ourselves and our families to fellowship with Jesus in our homes while he is preparing our eternal home! -Refocused Bible Study

Jesus is our Prince of Peace How can we prepare places of peace in our home? What areas in your home are causing chaos instead of calm?

For me, lately, it’s been our daughters’ room. Two girls sharing a bedroom means a lot of…clothes…pocketbooks, lonely socks, confetti…I could go on and on. Oh how thankful I am to write those words. Having girls is fun! Crafts and fashion shows are some of our favorite past times, but with all the crazy fun comes all the crazy mess.

Unfortunately, the girls enjoy the fun but not so much the cleaning! (They take after their mama, I confess.) So, in order to keep that room somewhat in order, I have to go through it about once a week. I am constantly going in there with a trash bag, filling it full of things to donate and throw away (because no one wants one lonely sock or earring). This rhythm of once a week “going through stuff” creates a stream of peace behind me.

What weekly rhythm can you put into place to create peace in your space?  

The peace that flows behind me are little girls who can go into their drawer and find two socks because the lonely ones aren’t in the way. It’s them feeling good about the shirt they put on, because it still fits and isn’t to small because I’ve gone through and taken out the ones that were getting too snug. It’s also them learning to take care of the things their Heavenly Father has blessed them with, and passing it all on to their little cousins and friends as soon as we are done with it, thinking of others and in turn being a blessing. Their little bedroom can reflect their Savior who loves them. They can lay down on the fluffy new mattresses and pull up their soft comforters and be told God provides all their needs so they can lay their heads down in peace. They can talk to Him in the quiet and know that their parents who lovingly created this space for them to dwell in gives just a glimpse of the love their Savior who has gone to prepare their eternal home has for them.

This mentality brings the Holy into Housework. God has given us a beautiful opportunity to reflect His goodness in our homes. Let’s seize it and praise Him all the way. What area of your home are you going to focus on this week?

✨New Here? I’m blogging through my Bible Study, “Refocused: Fixing your eyes in Jesus for the road ahead.” Resources: Download the study free HERE OR You can can buy the study here: Refocused Bible Study

Praying for you!

Amy