It’s amazing how a little thing can make such a big difference…
As a 28-year-old pastor’s wife, I longed to connect in a meaningful way with the Lord, but I didn’t really understand how much the Lord longed to connect with me.
But then I read a small story that would forever change how I viewed my quiet time. I tell about that experience in my book, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World: Finding Intimacy With God in the Busyness of Life
Few things have whetted my hunger for God like the discipleship course I took back in 1987. While other people may struggle with worldly temptations, my struggle has always been in the area of spiritual disciplines….
Before I took the Navigator’s 2:7 class, I didn’t even know what I was missing….The class was wonderful. My spirit began to grow and thrive as the soil of my heart was tilled deep and fed by the Word of God. But then my Martha-like perfectionist tendencies kicked in, causing me to approach my devotional time as another duty to perform….
Robert Boyd Munger’s article, My Heart-Christ’s Home changed all that. Through the simple analogy he suggested, I discovered what it meant to have a Mary heart toward God. Suddenly, my eyes were open to what true devotion is.
It is not a duty. It is a delight.
It is not an exercise in piety. It is a privilege.
And it is not so much a visit as it is a homecoming.
My Heart – Christ’s Home
“Without question one of the most remarkable Christian doctrines is that Jesus Christ Himself through the presence of the Holy Spirit will actually enter a heart, settle down and be at home there,” Munger says. “[Jesus] came into the darkness of my heart and turned on the light. He built a fire in the cold hearth and banished the chill. He started music where there had been stillness and He filled the emptiness with His own loving, wonderful fellowship.”
Munger goes on to tell how he showed Christ around the house of his heart, inviting him to “settle down and be perfectly at home,” welcoming Him room by room.
Together they visited the library of his mind—“a very small room with very thick walls.”
They peered into the dining room of his appetites and desires.
They spent a little time in the workshop where his talents and skills were kept, and the rumpus room of “certain associations and friendships, activities and amusements.”
They even poked their heads into the hall closet filled with dead, rotting things he had managed to hoard.
As Pastor Munger described each room, they reflected my heart as well. But it was his depiction of the drawing room that would forever change the way I viewed my time with the Lord. Especially when I considered the picture of friendship with God he portrayed.
We walked next into the drawing room. This room was rather intimate and comfortable. I liked it. It had a fireplace, overstuffed chairs, a bookcase, sofa, and a quiet atmosphere.
He also seemed pleased with it. He said, “This is indeed a delightful room. Let us come here often. It is secluded and quiet and we can have fellowship together.”
Well, naturally, as a young Christian I was thrilled. I could not think of anything I would rather do than have a few minutes apart with Christ in intimate comradeship.
He promised, “I will be here every morning early. Meet with Me here and we will start the day together.” So, morning after morning, I would come downstairs to the drawing room and He would take a book of the Bible…open it and then we would read together. He would tell me of its riches and unfold to me its truths.… They were wonderful hours together.
In fact, we called the drawing room the “withdrawing room.” It was a period when we had our quiet time together.
But little by little, under the pressure of many responsibilities, this time began to be shortened.… I began to miss a day now and then.… I would miss it two days in a row and often more.
I remember one morning when I was in a hurry.… As I passed the drawing room, the door was ajar. Looking in I saw a fire in the fireplace and the Lord sitting there.… “Blessed Master, forgive me. Have You been here all these mornings?”
“Yes,” He said, “I told you I would be here every morning to meet with you.” Then I was even more ashamed. He had been faithful in spite of my faithlessness. I asked His forgiveness and He readily forgave me.…
He said, “The trouble with you is this: You have been thinking of the quiet time, of the Bible study and prayer time, as a factor in your own spiritual progress, but you have forgotten that this hour means something to Me also.
What an amazing thought—that Christ wants to spend quality time with me. That He looks forward to our time together and misses me when I don’t show up. Once that message started sinking into my heart, I started looking at my devotional time in a whole new way—not as a ritual, but as a relationship.
And a relationship doesn’t just happen. It has to be nurtured, protected and loved.
—Having a Mary Heart
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Word of God Speak 2016
It isn’t too late to pursue that “Living Room” kind of intimacy with the Lord that Robert Munger describes…you can start today. God isn’t looking for perfection. He longs for your friendship.
I’d love to have you join the “Word of God Speak 2016” Facebook Bible reading community over at my personal page. God is revealing beautiful truths as we read smaller amounts of scripture in a more meditative way. Here are a few testimonials:
“My spiritual life is forever changed! I mean it! I started reading through the Bible yearly in 1995 or so. BUT, your plan with instruction to pick out the nuggets and write them down, have impacted me beyond what I can put into words.” – Debra
“I am so enjoying this method of Bible reading. Last week’s reading helped me focus on how God is in the details of everything. Looking forward to this week.” – Diane
You can learn more about this Bible reading approach in these posts:
Free Gift (+Bonus Page) & Updated Reading Schedule!
As a thank you to those who join my email list, we’ve created a downloadable “Word of God Speak” Journal. It’s a perfect place to record your Bible reading highlights, and you get it FREE when you subscribe at the link below.
If you’re a long-time subscriber, but haven’t yet visited my new website and subscribed there, I’d love to have you click on the link as well! You’ll not only get the free WGS Journal, you’ll be helping me as I move my email list to a different service! Just click here:
SUBSCRIBE to Joanna’s Newsletter
In less exciting news…I have a confession to make. In my rush to get the WGS reading schedule out by the new year, I left out the last half of Matthew. I know – terrible! But good news…you can download the UPDATED schedule by clicking here:
UPDATED “Word of God Speak” Schedule
To thank you for your patience, we’ve designed a BONUS WGS journal page filled with helpful tips on reading and marking your Bible. Current website subscribers will receive the bonus page in an email very soon!
(ALL SUBSCRIBERS: Please check your spam folder – or better yet, add this address to your contact list to make sure you receive my emails: joannaweaverbooks@gmail.com)
I’m so grateful for you, my friends! I pray that Jesus becomes more real to you this year than ever before. That you experience the sweetness of His friendship and the strength that comes from spending time alone with Him.
May our hearts truly become Christ’s home!
All my love,
Joanna
I’d love to hear from you…Which “room” in your heart do you sense God asking for access?