> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.belonging.house/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Jesus is Already Happy. - URL: https://www.belonging.house/jesus-is-already-happy-2/ - Published: 2025-07-22T07:44:23.000Z - Updated: 2026-07-27T16:40:57.000Z - Description: On Mary and Martha and getting an upgrade. - Author: Christ John Otto - Tags: rest, Discipleship, Podcast, #Migrated-1785169869929, #Import 2026-07-27 16:39 Jesus is Already Happy. 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedHow do you respond to Jesus? Our desire is to respond with a Kingdom grid. The Father is always calling, always wooing. And there is a promise in scripture that very few people understand: If you draw near to me I will draw near to You. A lot of people think that scripture says: If I repent hard enough, do the right stuff and serve God until he approves then I will have permission to come close but God may or may not be interested. Jesus said, Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. For my yoke is easy, my burden is light. I recently heard a talk by James Jordan, and he recounted watching a very famous American preacher. I believe he was speaking at a national event, and as the preacher spoke, he quoted a familiar verse from Deuteronomy. Only he didn't. The preacher said, "You shall serve the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself." And James Jordan said, the man's wife looked down in shame. And his final comment was telling: out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. For many people, this is their grid. I must be busy for Jesus. There are a lot of awful sermons on this moment in the house with Martha and Mary. This is one of those scriptures used to brow beat people, but also to send them mixed messages. There isn't one pastor who doesn't secretly desire a whole church full of Marthas to do his bidding. The lectionary is dipping into Luke 10, and a few weeks ago, we heard the story of Jesus sending out the 70 to go ahead of him. And now Jesus is going out behind the forerunners and he follows his own advice. He goes to a town and looks for the man of peace. In this case, the man of peace is a woman, Martha. And Martha invites Jesus into his home. There are two things going here, first Martha feels bound by the laws of hospitality, and has to give Jesus the very best she can. And her sister is actually violating those same laws. This is one of those moments not just of tension between two sisters, but the larger expectations of their society coming into conflict. This is another one of those places where Jesus is asking someone to choose between expectations and the kingdom. And Martha is caught up in doing what is necessary to host an important guest. She has chosen what was expected of her. And her sister is sitting there listening to Jesus teach. We are not told what Jesus was saying, but we are told several things about Martha: She is distracted with much serving, she is anxious, she is troubled. Distracted, anxious and troubled. She is like the soil in the parable of the sower where she hears the word, but the little birds of the cares of this world carry the word away. And this is usually where the preacher says: this is why you SHOULD be like Mary, and not like Martha. An old friend used to say to me, don't should on me. There is something a lot deeper going on here. We respond to Jesus out of the abundance of our hearts. Mary has tapped into a Kingdom Grid. Her heart is responding to the word, and she has been drawn to listen. As Peter says in John 6, "where, O Lord, can we go, only you have the words of eternal life." Martha, on the other hand, is consumed with trying to make Jesus happy. What she doesn't understand is that Jesus is already happy, and just a few verses earlier, when they ran out of food He multiplied enough for a multitude. Jesus is in the details. They are going to eat, whether or not Martha cooks dinner. When you get a Kingdom grid, you understand that you do not have to make Jesus happy. Jesus already is happy. The Kingdom is about rest. Jesus said we shall live by every word spoken by the Father. Mary heard the voice of the Father, so she sat down. The second piece of this also very important. Jesus never condemns Martha. This is not about sin. This is about learning to listen to the Voice. Jesus doesn't say to Martha: Martha, don't you see that the God of the Universe is here and you have chosen to work in the kitchen because you have chosen to be a servant over a daughter? Shame on you Martha. Repent. Now you need to do even more stuff to make me happy. No, Jesus says, Martha, I don't want you to be distracted and anxious. Your sister is receiving the eternal word from me. Why don't you come and join her. Draw near to me, and I will draw near to you. The Kingdom of God has already come to this house. I am here. Receive. This is all about responding to Jesus. Are you going to respond out of sonship or out of the heart of a servant. The busiest Christians in the world live in Great Britain. It's very hard to find someone who is not rushing around busy every day and night for Jesus. And Jesus says, you are anxious and distracted with much serving. Come sit at my feet and listen to my word this is the better part and the part that cannot be taken away. In 2006 when this Belonging House adventure began the Lord invited me to skip church on Sunday. And he asked me to sit with him three or four hours a day in silence. After the guilt, the shoulds, and the scolding from other Christians past, I was alone with Jesus. This began a process of "metanoia," getting God's perspective. The past six months or so have been very difficult for several reasons. God keeps bringing up deep stuff that needs healing. Sometime in February or March God gave me a warning dream. It was very upsetting. I was sitting in the drivers seat of a black Mercedes and the car stalled out. I tried to restart the car, and each time I heard that bad sound of gears jamming. And then a warning appeared on the screen, "Do not attempt to restart the car on empty." As a general rule, in dreams, modes of transportation are symbols of your ministry. The black Mercedes is a typical hired car in London used for chauffer service. It's a luxury work car. It's been a rough few months as I have been on empty, and we have been in a transition, but things just do not seem to get going. I don't remember a low this low in a long time. On Friday Val shared a scripture that really disturbed me, "My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." Yikes. When I got to Hull yesterday, I was able to sit and have quiet for the first time in a while. There is no quiet at my office, ever. And the Lord began to show me how I was trying to get filled. I have been trying to get filled since that dream a few months ago, and I have grieved the Holy Spirit, and I have drifted, and struggled. And have been slipping back into old ministry mindsets. And sadly, that kind of behavior gets encouraged by other people. So yesterday, I sat here in the lounge and said, Lord forgive me for every way I have let the cares of this world and my own fears and insecurity take over. Forgive me for trying to make you fill me through my effort. Forgive me for turning away from you to other things to meet my needs. Forgive me for grieving you Holy Spirit. And then I sat and listened to God. When you are dry, and empty, it takes a while for the life to flow, but I sat and the Lord in his mercy, began to fill my empty soul. And as I sat with the Lord, I began to see another car. It was a seafoam green Mercedes and was very different from the one I have seen in the past. I have never seen one like this in real life, so I wondered if it was a real car. This morning, I discovered that the car I saw was *MotorTrend*'s car of the year for 2025. The Mercedes Benz E-Class. "Our 2025 Car of the Year is far from the sexiest choice. It isn’t a sleek, high-powered electric German sport sedan, nor is it the long-anticipated rebirth of a ’60s cult classic. Instead, it’s a car that has been molded and refined since the 1950s with a clear purpose to make it just plain better. Smoother. Quicker. More efficient. More comfortable. Better at anticipating driver needs. And more luxurious—not in a trashy, in-your-face way, but quietly. Confidently." Isaiah 30:15 says For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” Maybe today you feel like things are out of sorts, and that you aren't where you want to be with God or where you want to be in life. A lot of folks will say, if you just follow these six simple steps and be more disciplined you can change. No, You can't get yourself busy back into the center. You need to come and sit and listen. Mary chose the better portion and what she received cannot be taken from her. Stop moving. Sit and calm your soul. And let the Lord speak and give you an upgrade. Thanks for reading! I am committed to raising up a million sanctified, fearless artists. Help our community meet that goal. --- Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published*Christ John Otto leads Belonging House International, a fellowship called to raise up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth.* *The heart of Belonging House is our Friday email. You can subscribe here:* https://mailchi.mp/44964233320d/friday-email-signup *If you like my work, subscribe or hit the tip jar. Thanks.* https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto https://buy.stripe.com/6oE9EG6ObfnF2nSbII ---