In Luke 10, we read about Martha and Mary, two sisters who offered hospitality to Jesus and the people traveling with Him. They had a brother, Lazarus. The three young people were friends of Jesus. When Jesus came to eat at their home, Mary sat at the Lord's feet and was consumed by His teachings, heart, and ministry.

On the other hand, Martha was consumed with serving and preparing the dinner, but as we dive into this portion of scripture, Maria Mason opens an even deeper reality of what was happening. Martha represents our orphan heart, which often manifests a victim mindset and uses victim language to distract us from love.

Mary represents the transformative power of the secret place, a place of intimate communion with the Lord. She chose the ‘better thing’ because she had already decided to be a person of the heart. Mary had predetermined to take responsibility for her inner life, which is the most important choice.

Maria shares some wisdom about our needs when we come to God. We need time to process our pain, lament, or repent. She offers some advice on using our time well so that when we do come to sit at His feet, we are free to gaze and not be in an emo mess. Processing in the secret place is not always a good use of our time and cuts into valuable time just looking at His face.

The Bible tells us to buy oil, wine, and bread. This is a metaphor for being in God's presence and withdrawing from His heart as we sit and rest in His love. Let us learn to pray like a Bride and not like a widow, full of revelation and light as we look on the Lord's face. It's from here that we are empowered, shifting from being a victim to a victor.

The Good News is God loves you with an unconditional love and He chooses to love you in that way every single day. God wants to be in relationship with us, and He values every moment we will give Him. So what kind of relationship does God want to have with us? All of Scripture is full of rich wisdom and insight on this. In this message, we take a look at the relationship between Mary of Bethany and Jesus. Mary went on to participate in the Messianic mission of Jesus because of the special insight she had received from her time with Him.

Many who were serving Jesus completely misunderstood and ultimately missed out on partnering and supporting Jesus through the greatest act of love the world has ever seen. Why is it that not all who served Jesus knew what their Master was doing?

In Luke 10:42, Jesus says of Mary of Bethany that she had chosen the good portion and that it was a good thing to do and would remain with her always. What did Jesus mean by choosing the good portion? We explore the Psalms to uncover what choosing the good portion looks like as a lifestyle and what fruit it bears for our lives. Jesus encourages us in John 15 to bear the fruit of remaining in His love and the wisdom given to the Disciples in this passage of Scripture was blessed to them because Jesus saw them as cherished friends.

Looking at a cross-section of Scriptures we draw out revelation on what it looks like at a personal level and at a community level to have a group of beloved sons and daughters choosing a daily relationship with Jesus, living from the abide-and-go impartation of His Spirit, and following in the more excellent way of love.

David Balestri takes us on a tour of the concept of the Imago Dei, the image of God. Human beings are image bearers, meaning we carry and express the very image and likeness of God. In Genesis 1:26, we read, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.” Through the fall, certain aspects of the image and likeness of God were lost, such as His holiness and His glory. However, through redemption, the glory of God has been restored to the sons and daughters of God. Paul now declares, “Christi in you, the hope of glory!” (Colossians 1:27) David encourages us to step into the glory God has ordained for each of us to walk in. We can now shine with the glory of God. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine…” (Matthew 5:16). May this message inspire you to put on Christ and live large in your witness of Christ in this world.