A Spiritual Strategy for 2026: Mary Not Martha

Life with Jesus is not built on clever tactics but on choosing what is better. Luke 10:38–42 sets two faithful disciples side by side—Martha, active and overwhelmed, and Mary, settled and attentive—and exposes a pattern many carry into a new year: full calendars and starving souls. The call is to build a spiritual strategy that forms Christlikeness, not merely a list of religious tasks. Four steps shape that strategy.

First, listen to the Lord. Mary’s posture at Jesus’ feet reveals the priority: presence before productivity. Daily Scripture is not optional fuel; it is light for the path and lamp for the feet. Regular, engaged Bible intake deepens communion with God and reorders desires, not only trimming compromise but increasing joy, patience, and resilience. It is not a box to check; it is the place where the heart is warmed to God’s voice and will.

Second, do not mistake distraction for devotion. Serving is commanded; substituting serving for sitting is not. Good things—ministry, hospitality, even helpful systems—can crowd out the best thing: unhurried time with Christ. The test is simple: if we are pouring out faster than we’re being filled, we will confuse activity with faithfulness and call our distraction “devotion.” Presence must govern practice.

Third, serve from God’s approval, not for it. Performance spirituality exhausts; grace-driven identity frees. In Christ, acceptance is settled—secured by his perfect life, atoning death, and victorious resurrection. Ephesians 2 insists salvation is a gift, and our good works flow from it, not toward it. Serving from approval produces joy and steadiness; serving for approval breeds anxiety and pride.

Fourth, find rest in the Lord. Busyness is not faithfulness. Jesus offers an easy yoke and light burden to those who come, commune, and trust. Real rest is relational: praying, depending, and enjoying the One who carries what we cannot. And for those outside of Christ, rest begins at the cross, where the perfectly just and perfectly loving King bore the lashes we deserved, so that by faith we might be forgiven, welcomed, and made new. Therefore, take concrete steps now: open James today, replace one distraction with a spiritual discipline, renounce approval-chasing, and, if needed, come to Christ in repentance and faith.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Sit before you serve each day. Mary’s posture teaches that presence precedes productivity. Scripture engagement is how the Shepherd’s voice is heard and the heart is re-aimed. Over time, Scripture doesn’t just inform; it reforms desires and habits so that obedience becomes joy, not drudgery. Start with small, consistent, unhurried listening. [46:22]
• 2. Distraction is not devotion. Good tasks can still pull you from the better portion. If your calendar is packed but your soul is thin, you are likely mistaking motion for maturity. Reorder life around the Presence—let service flow from sitting, not replace it. [55:37]
• 3. Serve from approval, not for it. The gospel relocates identity from performance to Christ’s finished work. When acceptance is settled, service becomes worship, not wage-earning. Freedom grows where grace is the root; bondage grows where scoreboard spirituality rules. [57:44]
• 4. Rest in Jesus, not busyness. Busyness cannot deliver the peace it promises. Jesus’ easy yoke is found through communion—prayer, dependence, and trust—not through doing more to feel less. Rest is a practice of faith: laying down self-sufficiency to receive his sufficiency. [61:23]
• 5. Justice and love meet at the cross. God did not wave off our guilt; he bore it. Like the king who covered his daughter, Christ took our lashes so mercy would not compromise justice. Rest begins where substitution is received and forgiveness is believed. [66:36]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [36:10] - Turn to Luke 10:38–42
• [37:01] - Jansen’s “foolproof” strategy joke
• [38:44] - Build a spiritual strategy for 2026
• [42:03] - Mary and Martha in context
• [46:22] - Step 1: Listen to the Lord
• [48:56] - The “Power of Four” study
• [51:31] - Husbands: guard your wife’s time with God
• [52:22] - Step 2: Distraction isn’t devotion
• [56:11] - Step 3: Serve from approval, not for it
• [57:44] - Grace over performance (Ephesians 2)
• [60:43] - Step 4: Find rest in Jesus
• [63:13] - The King who takes our lashes
• [67:45] - Practical next steps and invitation
• [70:04] - Closing prayer

1. In Luke 10:39, what is Mary’s posture and place in the room, and what two actions are named? How does that location help us see her priority?
2. In Luke 10:40, what specific words describe Martha’s state, and what does she ask Jesus to do? What does that reveal about how she views the moment?
3. In Luke 10:41–42, what contrast does Jesus make between “many things” and “only one”? What does he call “better,” and why is it secure?
4. What modern images were used to picture a “Martha” temperament (“skylight calendar,” “gel pens,” “sticky notes,” “Atomic Habits”) and a “Mary” temperament (“prayer journal,” “electric blanket,” “AirPods”)? How do those snapshots help you visualize the two postures? ([43:52], [45:10])

1. If Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet listening,” what principle about discipleship rhythms rises to the top—presence before productivity? How might that challenge the way one typically starts a day? “sat at the Lord’s feet listening” ([46:22])
2. How can someone mistake distraction for devotion—especially when serving is good and needed? What indicators might show the heart is pouring out faster than it is being filled? “We are called to sit and serve” ([54:34])
3. What changes in the heart when service flows from God’s approval rather than for it? How might this shift relieve resentment, worry, and comparison, as seen in Martha’s frustration? “serve from God’s approval, not for God’s approval” ([56:11])
4. Jesus says “only one thing is needed.” How does that clarify what real rest is and where it is found, especially when anxious and troubled? “You are worried and upset about many things…only one” ([01:00:43])

1. “Full calendars, but starving souls.” Where is your calendar full but your soul thin right now? What is one small change this week that would help you sit before you serve—time, place, plan? ([55:37])
2. Try the “Power of Four.” What would four unhurried Scripture engagements this week look like for you—when, where, how long, and with what plan? What will help you stay engaged rather than rushed? ([49:43])
3. Start today with James. When today will you read one chapter of James, and what will you put in place (reminder, location, people) to help you finish all five days? What do you hope God addresses in you as you read? ([01:07:45])
4. Identify a swap. Name one specific distraction (even a good one) that often crowds out time with Jesus. What exact discipline will you replace it with this week, and how will you guard that time? ([01:08:10])
5. Approval audit. Where do you notice yourself chasing God’s approval—performance, perfection, people-pleasing? What gospel truth will you preach to yourself in that moment, and what different action will flow from serving from approval? ([57:44])
6. Husbands (and households), make room. What is one practical way you will guard your spouse’s (or a housemate’s) time with the Lord this week—covering the kids, sharing chores, protecting a slot on the calendar? Be specific about when and how. ([51:31])
7. Practice rest. What is one simple way you will come to Jesus for rest this week—10 minutes of quiet prayer, a midday walk with a psalm, a tech-free hour in the evening? How will you remind yourself that his yoke is easy and his burden light? ([01:01:23])
8. If you’re unsure where you stand with Jesus, what question or barrier keeps you from trusting him? What would it look like to respond to his invitation to receive forgiveness and rest today? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” ([01:06:57])