Wednesday Words of Encouragement
Luke 10:38-42 (CEV) ~
The Lord and his disciples were traveling along and came to a village. When they got there, a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat down in front of the Lord and was listening to what he said. Martha was worried about all that had to be done. Finally, she went to Jesus and said, "Lord, doesn't it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!"
The Lord answered, "Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her."
I've been over-the-top busy the past few days. I'm getting ready for a retreat this weekend but also leave for North Carolina for two weeks on May 4th. So I'm trying to get orders filled, prepare a few things for the retreat, get the house in order and wrap up paper work. To be honest, I've been sounding a bit like a drill sergeant at home. I had to laugh this morning as I read this passage.
I can just envision Martha running around, setting the table, preparing the meal, making sure all the finishing touches are getting done. She is probably getting more and more annoyed as her sister, Mary doesn’t lift a finger to help. I can almost hear the whine in Martha’s voice as she finally complains to Jesus.
The sad thing is that I can relate totally to Martha. I’ve been there and done that many times. I run around doing all sorts of busy work; things that need to get done and I consider important. At times, I can begin to feel resentful of those who seem to find time to fellowship. I get so busy that I often don’t have “time” to pray or spend with the Lord.
Was Martha wrong in preparing the meal? Should she have not fed everyone? I don’t think so. Someone has to do it. I think one of the points of this story is that we can get so caught up in “doing” that we forget about what is really important. When everything is stripped away, what will really count?
When we stand before the Lord some day is He going to ask if your house looked perfect? Is he going to be concerned about whether you made fabulous meals? Will He care that you and your children looked like fashion plates? Will it matter to Him if everything in your life is perfectly organized? Will he care that you moved up the corporate ladder?
Or will He be more concerned about whether we spent time worshiping Him? Or is His desire to commune with us? Or for us to slow down enough to show love to those around us?
As you go through your day today, remember to spend time with the Lord. Stop what you are doing. Slow down. Sit at the feet of Jesus and look into His face. Spend time doing the things that will last.
The Lord and his disciples were traveling along and came to a village. When they got there, a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat down in front of the Lord and was listening to what he said. Martha was worried about all that had to be done. Finally, she went to Jesus and said, "Lord, doesn't it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!"
The Lord answered, "Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her."
I've been over-the-top busy the past few days. I'm getting ready for a retreat this weekend but also leave for North Carolina for two weeks on May 4th. So I'm trying to get orders filled, prepare a few things for the retreat, get the house in order and wrap up paper work. To be honest, I've been sounding a bit like a drill sergeant at home. I had to laugh this morning as I read this passage.
I can just envision Martha running around, setting the table, preparing the meal, making sure all the finishing touches are getting done. She is probably getting more and more annoyed as her sister, Mary doesn’t lift a finger to help. I can almost hear the whine in Martha’s voice as she finally complains to Jesus.
The sad thing is that I can relate totally to Martha. I’ve been there and done that many times. I run around doing all sorts of busy work; things that need to get done and I consider important. At times, I can begin to feel resentful of those who seem to find time to fellowship. I get so busy that I often don’t have “time” to pray or spend with the Lord.
Was Martha wrong in preparing the meal? Should she have not fed everyone? I don’t think so. Someone has to do it. I think one of the points of this story is that we can get so caught up in “doing” that we forget about what is really important. When everything is stripped away, what will really count?
When we stand before the Lord some day is He going to ask if your house looked perfect? Is he going to be concerned about whether you made fabulous meals? Will He care that you and your children looked like fashion plates? Will it matter to Him if everything in your life is perfectly organized? Will he care that you moved up the corporate ladder?
Or will He be more concerned about whether we spent time worshiping Him? Or is His desire to commune with us? Or for us to slow down enough to show love to those around us?
As you go through your day today, remember to spend time with the Lord. Stop what you are doing. Slow down. Sit at the feet of Jesus and look into His face. Spend time doing the things that will last.
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