Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World Study Guide: Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of Life

by Joanna Weaver

Overview

A companion study guide that helps participants answer the question: How do we blend intimacy with Jesus and service for him in the midst of our busy, hectic lives?
 
Joanna Weaver’s signature book, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, explores how each one of us has some Mary and some Martha within. The Mary in us wants to leave the dishes and sit at Jesus’ feet, while the Martha in us wants to attend to the multiple tasks around us. In this ten-session study guide, designed as a companion resource to the bestselling book and companion video content, available separately, Joanna reminds us that Jesus extends to us the same invitation he gave these sisters of Bethany: Come to Me.
 
Featuring an expanded and revised version of the book’s original study, this beautiful guide provides space to capture what’s been learned from reading the assigned book chapters and the study of God's Word. Practical sidebars, memory verses, video pages, and “Make a Plan” prompts make this a resource women will turn to long after the study is done. As we discover the best of both the Mary and the Martha parts of our lives, we will deepen our devotion to God and learn to delight in sitting at his feet.
 
Created for both individuals and groups, this study guide enhances opportunities for personal reflection and/or group discussion around the bestselling book. To get the most out of the study, each participant will need a copy of the book and the study guide. Ten sessions of video content, approximately twenty minutes each, are also available on DVD or by online streaming.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307731609
Publisher:	The Crown Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/19/2013
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	547,148
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Joanna Weaver is the bestselling and award-winning author of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, which has sold more than one million copies. Her other books include Having a Mary Spirit, Lazarus Awakening, At the Feet of Jesus, and Embracing Trust. Her articles have appeared in such publications as Focus on the Family, Guideposts, and In Touch. The parents of three, Joanna and her pastor husband, John, live in Montana.

Read an Excerpt

Week 1: Introduction

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.
Luke 10 :38–39

Having a Mary heart in a Martha world?

Is it really possible? More than ever, I am convinced it is. Jesus wants to meet with you as surely as He met with Mary and Martha that long-ago day in Bethany. He wants to reveal Himself to you, filling you with His presence and His love so that His grace spills through you to a dry and thirsty world.

Though our initial introduction to Mary and Martha is only four verses long, I believe this brief story has the power to literally change our lives. So let’s begin! As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 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!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38–42)

Theme Verse
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28

Discussion Questions

1. Before we begin this study, what preconceived ideas do you have about Mary and Martha? Which woman do you relate to most—Mary or Martha? Explain your answer.

2. One woman told me, “My life is like a blender—and it’s stuck on frappe!” What inanimate object best describes how your life currently feels, and why?

3. Read Matthew 11:28. What do Jesus’ words mean to you?

Session One Video

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Revelation 3:20, nkjv

The Story of Mary and Martha—the Story of You and Me, Luke 10:38–42
The Living Room Intimacy __________ God that we long for will never be found in Kitchen Service __________ God.

Discovering the Better Part

1. Martha opened her home (Luke 10:38).
• preparations—diakonia —____________________

2. Mary opened her heart (Luke 10:39).
• She made ____________ for time with Jesus.
• She did the _______________________.
• She ___________________ to Jesus.

The same invitation Jesus made to Martha is the invitation He makes to us:
“Come spend time with Me.… Allow My __________ to fill your life so that I can spill you to the world!”

Closing Time

I sense the Lord saying…

Make a Plan

God desires to transform you by the power of His Word. He wants to speak specific things to your heart over the next several weeks. What one thing could you do to get the most out of this study?

Prayer Requests

This Week’s A ssignment
• Follow through with your week 1 “Make a Plan” homework.
• Read chapters 1 and 2 in Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World.
• Answer week 2 study questions.
• Memorize Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Table of Contents

Letter from Joanna vii

How to Use This Study ix

Week 1 Introduction 1

Video: Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World

Week 2 A Tale of Two Sisters (chapters 1 and 2) 5

Video: Lord, Don't You Care?

Week 3 The Diagnosis (chapter 3) 15

Video: Freedom from Fear

Week 4 The Cure (chapter 4) 29

Video: Burden Bearer

Week 5 Living Room Intimacy (chapters 5 and 7) 41

Video: Pursued by Love

Week 6 Kitchen Service (chapter 6) 51

Video: Compelled by Love

Week 7 Lessons from Lazarus (chapter 8) 61

Video: Rewriting History

Week 8 Martha's Teachable Heart (chapter 9) 73

Video: The Beauty of Repentance

Week 9 Mary's Extravagant Love (chapter 10) 85

Video: Loving God Extravagantly

Week 10 Balancing Work and Worship (chapters 11 and 12) 95

Video: Lord of the Process

Bonus Session 105

Video: Developing a Quiet Time

Memory Verses 107

Bible Reading Highlights 109

Notes 113