Joanna Weaver - At the Feet of Jesus: Daily Devotions to Nurture a Mary Heart

A T THE F EET OF J ESUS
P UBLISHED BY W ATER B ROOK P RESS
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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. Scripture quotations marked ( DRA ) are from the Douay-Rheims 1899 American edition, published by the John Murphy Company, Baltimore, Maryland. Accessed through Bible Gateway, www.biblegateway.com/versions/Douay-Rheims-1899-American-Edition-DRA-Bible/#copy. Scripture quotations marked ( KJV ) are taken from the King James Version. Scripture quotations marked ( TLB ) are taken from The Living Bible, copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ( MSG ) are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ( NASB ) are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org). Scripture quotations marked ( NKJV ) are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ( NLT ) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ( NRSV ) are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ( RSV ) are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Includes previously published material from Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, Having a Mary Spirit, and Lazarus Awakening. Some entries have been edited for space and/or context.

Personal stories appearing in this book are used by permission. In some instances the names or details have been changed to protect the privacy of the persons involved.

eISBN: 978-0-307-73102-9

Copyright 2012 by Joanna Weaver

Cover design by Mark D. Ford

Published in association with the literary agency of Janet Kobobel Grant, Books & Such, 52 Mission Circle, Suite 122, PMB 170, Santa Rosa, CA 95409.

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v3.1

To my dear friend and writing companion,
Angela Howard:
Thank you for loving God and loving people in such
a passionate yet winsome way!
This book would not have been possible without you.
And to Patty Strellnauer:
You have been Jesus to me, my sweet sister.
Your wise friendship has sheltered my heart
as well as challenged my soul.
I am forever grateful.

At the feet of Jesus.

I dont know what those words do to your heart, but they stir something deep within me. My spirit longs for time with the Lord, but life often interferes. So many responsibilities to take care of. So many duties to be done.

Sitting at Jesuss feet was a choice Mary had to make the day He came to her familys home in Bethany (Luke 10:3842). It is a choice you and I must make as well. Laying aside our busynesseven our busyness for Godso that we might focus our hearts on spending time alone with Him.

I hope you will find this devotional a helpful companion on your journey into Gods presence. Ive interwoven excerpts from my three Bethany books: Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, Having a Mary Spirit, and Lazarus Awakening. Ive also included previously unpublished material that didnt make it into my original books, each of which Ive labeled outtake. A Read and Reflect section will help you dig into the life-changing Word of God for yourself, giving you opportunity to find the better part Mary enjoyed and the one thing I believe her sister Martha discovered as she received the rebuke of the Lord and found life for her soul.

Sprinkled throughout the year are Going Deeper sidebars to help you develop a daily quiet time, and in the back of the book youll find a unique one-year Bible reading guide that takes you back and forth between the Old Testament and the New (check out the downloadable format at www.becominghis.com). It is my prayer that youll fall in love with Gods Word in a brand-new way as you discover the message of grace woven throughout the Bible from beginning to end.

Down at the feet of Jesus. Thats where it all begins.

L ord Jesus, I give You my life. I invite You to have Your way in me. Take me and break me. Shake me and make me. Fill me and spill me. Change me and rearrange me. But whatever You do, Lord, dont leave me the same. Spirit of wisdom and revelation, I welcome Your work. Open my eyes so I can see my ears so I can hear I choose truth over comfort, challenge over complacency. Lord, make me forever Yours. And most of all, make me like You. Amen.

Ive always dreamed of being much more than I am. More organized, more disciplined, more loving much more much more, if you know what I mean! Each January I set out on a new self-improvement program.

This year Ill get in shape.

This year Ill keep my house clean.

This year Ill send out birthday cards. On time.

This yearreallyIll be the loving, forgiving, obedient woman of God I long to be instead of the willful, stubborn, disobedient Christian I sometimes see staring back at me in the mirror.

All noble goals. Truth be told, I am much more at peace when my house is clean. And I believe that if you really love people, you ought to care enough to send the very bestor at least one of those ninety-nine-cent cards from Wal-Mart! And I know that genuine happiness only comes from living close to God and obeying Him.