@ LibertyGal

This Sunday our pastor had to give a sermon with very little preparation. He was leading an elders’ retreat and one of the elders was supposed to preach in his place. The elder who had prepared a sermon ended up in the hospital, so our pastor had to prep fast. He did a great thing. He preached on a passage, but also used that passage to demonstrate how he studies scripture. It was a great sermon. The passage he preached on reminded me of a time in my past when I learned some important lessons. Almost 20 years ago, I was leading a high school girls Bible study. They picked out a book about Mary and Martha to study. Initially, I wasn’t thrilled with their choice, but didn’t have a theological problem with it, so I agreed for us to study this book. (I don’t remember the name of the book and all my books burnt up when my house burnt down almost 10 years ago). In the end, I probably got more out of the study than any of the girls because I have a definite tendency to be a Martha. What was Martha’s error? Let’s check out the passage: > Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 ESV) Jesus visited two sisters who welcomed Him into their home. Mary sat at Jesus’s feet and listened to His teaching. Martha spent her time serving everyone and taking care of everyone’s physical needs. Is taking care of their home and the needs of their guests a bad thing? Of course not, but is it the best? To make things much worse, Martha then got upset because her sister Mary wasn’t helping her. She was just sitting there taking in every word that Jesus said. Most of us would think Martha’s sacrifices to take care of everyone was better than Mary’s choice to just sit at Jesus’s feet, but did Martha really choose the better path? Martha then showed that her heart wasn’t focused right and she wasn’t putting the most important things first. She complained to Jesus about her sister’s failure to help and even commanded her Creator, “*Tell her then to help me*.” Instead of focusing on the words of Jesus, her frustration led her to command her God to act in the way she desired. She was so busy with cooking, cleaning, and serving, that she missed the most important things — spending time with and listening to her God, who was right there in her house with her. This was an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed due to busyness. How often do we all do this same thing? How often are busy doing good things and miss the most important things? How often are we busy doing ministry that we forget about the reason for the ministry? I don’t know about you, but this happens to me a lot more often than I would like to admit. My biggest sins are usually not what most people think of as sins. My biggest sins are getting so busy that I leave God out of my life. I am so busy serving God that I forget to follow His leading. I am so busy doing what most people would consider good things, but if God is not part of them, they are not worth much. Because I am focusing on getting things done, worry and stress overtake me harming my health and my relationship with Jesus. I don’t think this is taking Scripture out of context: > We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. **God is love**, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (1 John 4:16) {emphasis mine} Knowing that God is love, read the following passage replacing ***love*** with ***God***. > If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have ***love***, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have ***love***, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have ***love***, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) If I do not include God in my every action, “*it profits me nothing*.” In reality it shouldn’t be allowing God to join me in my works, but me joining God in His works. It should be me listening to God’s word and the leading of the Holy Spirit, looking and seeing what God is doing around me, and me joining in His great works. It should be me allowing God to use me as a tool. There are times that God speaks clearly and directly to us about what He desires for our lives, but most of the time, He speaks through His word — the Bible. Knowing the Bible helps us to know His will and His eternal plan, so we can follow Him and join Him in His work. Knowing the Bible helps us to differentiate between what is good and what is God’s best. It helps us to prioritize what is really important. > And this I pray, that your love **may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment**, so that you **may approve the things that are excellent**, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the **fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ**, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11) {emphasis mine} We can’t obey God, imitate Christ, or follow Him if we refuse to listen and that means spending time in the Bible and time in prayer with Him. > “Listen to Me, you stubborn-minded, Who are far from righteousness.” (Isaiah 46:12) > Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord . (Psalm 34:11) > “Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, For blessed are they who keep my ways. (Proverbs 8:32) > But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33) Our focus on Jesus/God must go beyond knowing Him. It is equally important to obey. > And He \[Jesus\] said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:59-60) \[clarification mine\] Once we know what He wants from us, we need to instantly drop what we are doing and follow Him. We can’t put other things ahead of obeying God. > For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” When they had brought their boats to land, **they left everything and followed Him**. (Luke 5:9-11) {emphasis mine} We should be like these apostles, that, after their most successful catch of fish in their entire career as fishermen, “*they left everything and followed Him*.” We need to let go of what we think is important and obey Him. We need to change our priorities to match God’s priorities. That may mean we change careers to one that allows more free time for ministry or even going into full time ministry. It may mean letting go on keeping the perfect, clean house, so there is time for ministry, Bible study, or discipling our kids. It may mean changing your habits from watching TV with your family to reading the Bible with your family. For each of us, it will look different, but we need to be like Mary and choose to sit “*at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching*.” We need to be like the apostles who “*left everything and followed Him*.” We need to choose to put Jesus’s plans before our own. We need to choose to make God’s values our values. > But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’ (Jeremiah 7:23) Like so many things, it is simple, but it isn’t necessarily easy. We have to change the way we think in order to obey faithfully. > If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:26) We have to change our priorities to God’s priorities. > Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. (Matthew 16:24) We need to seek God, His word, and His presence. > As the deer pants for the water brooks,\ > So my soul pants for You, O God.\ > My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;\ > When shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1-2) We need to be in God’s word daily, so we know who God is and what He desires from us. > How can a young man keep his way pure?\ > By **keeping it according to Your word**.\ > With all my heart I have sought You;\ > Do not let me wander from Your commandments.\ ****Your word I have treasured in my heart**,\ > That I may not sin against You.\ > Blessed are You, O Lord;\ ****Teach me Your statutes**.\ > With my lips I have told of\ > All the ordinances of Your mouth.\ > I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,\ > As much as in all riches.\ ****I will meditate on Your precepts**\ > And regard Your ways.\ ****I shall delight in Your statutes;\ > I shall not forget Your word**. (Psalm 119:9-16) {emphasis mine} We need to read the Bible cover to cover so we know the whole word of God. Once we have read through the Bible multiple times, we need to spend time studying the Bible in more depth, so we can know the details, see how the different parts relate to each other, and grow in our knowledge of God. We need to study the Bible and use this knowledge to guide every decision in life — big and small. > Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction. (Jeremiah 17:23) Just reading the Bible or sitting in church listening to sermons will not make a difference if we don’t truly listen and internalize God’s word, so we can apply it in our every day life. God knows what is best for us and we will never be truly at peace or have true joy until we are living our lives in the light of God’s word and direction. My prayer for you and for me is that we will have the heart of Mary rather than the heart of Martha and that we will faithfully seek and follow God all of the days of our lives. Trust Jesus.