Luke 10:38-42 (NLT)
38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Even as a little boy, I was always easily distracted by the things
around me. In first and second grade, my teachers complained to my parents that I would always pay more attention to the people and happenings around me than to the lessons of my teacher. It was a constant struggle and still is. Even when I come to
church, instead of worshipping and being in connection with God, sometimes I
pay more attention to the person sitting next to me or the people on the stage rather than closing my eyes and
surrendering myself in the presence of God.
Last week as Pastor Randy spoke on the passage of Mary and Martha, I felt like the Lord was speaking directly to me, telling
me I needed to stop being like Martha and be more like Mary. The scriptures say
that Martha was distracted by the big dinner — probably by the cleaning and
making sure everything was in order. I think in her heart, all she wanted to do
was to serve Jesus and his disciples in the best way possible. I understand. I also love helping and serving other people, but sometimes forget to spend
time sitting still in the presence of God. I’m so concerned in meeting the needs of others that I forget that He
is the provider, the healer, the restorer and there is nothing I will be able
to do without His grace and power. Sometimes I give
more priority to people than to God, neglecting to realizing that God is the one who will help me to better serve his people. Martha was giving more priority to the things and people of Jesus than to Jesus himself; though there is nothing wrong with her desire to serve Jesus, she was missing the
point. Serving people is great and honorable, but sitting at Jesus’ feet is
best. I cannot take people into the presence
of God through worship, if I myself have not been in the presence of Jesus.
I don’t want to miss the
opportunity of spending time with Jesus because of my own distractions. I want to be more concerned with honoring God than with pleasing those around me. Matthew 6:33 says:
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
My first priority in my life should be seeking God’s
presence. There will be many distractions in this life, distractions that will
make me worry and take my eye off Jesus. If I seek His kingdom first, God will take care of everything else I need. If I sit at the feet of Jesus like Mary in the first place, then I know God will see
my heart and will know what my priorities are. I must stop being consumed with the
worries of this life and instead should be at a place where Jesus wants to meet
with me.
Thanks for reading,
Israel
No comments:
Post a Comment