Monday 18/11/2019
Luke 10: 38-42
38. “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.
39. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.
40. 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!”
41. “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,
42. but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Sometimes we get so caught up doing the work of God that we end up missing the important things that He wants to communicate to us. Mary was feeding on the Word, while Martha was caught up in trying to serve and although it was a good thing, it became a good thing done at the wrong time and a good thing done at the wrong time becomes a wrong thing.
We should never let our service become a distraction but rather let us learn to become effective by doing what God wants us to do and by listening to His instructions, as we are nothing but pens in His hands, moving according to His lead.
Martha welcomed Jesus, but because she was so preoccupied with everything else, she failed to acknowledge the purpose of His presence, and so she failed to fellowship with Him. There’s a difference between welcoming Jesus and being with Jesus as one can welcome Jesus, and still not be in His presence. Let us learn to respect the time that we’ve allocated for Him by removing whatever distraction may come our way to prevent us from doing it.
At the feet of Jesus is where we find all that we need and although it may be useful to ask questions, it’s even better to wait for God’s answer. In Martha’s mind, she was right in her thinking, and so she complained, but it’s better to ask and allow God’s answer to reshape the way we think.
In Matthew, the scripture talks of pursuing the Word of God first and all else will follow. This passage of Martha and Mary captures this. Sometimes we are so swayed by the fast-moving world that we get so busy doing everything else except the one that matters and to overcome this kind of distraction we must set aside time to fellowship with God for us to be restored before going out to do that which God called us to do.
Martha asked Jesus why He wasn’t bothered with Mary, not helping her? As humans, we often find ourselves seeking validation – Martha as the older sister was trying to show that she was responsible. We get so caught up doing the work of the Lord that sometimes we need to stop asking ourselves, are we doing His will or ours? Do not promote something that God hasn’t approved. The one real thing, as well as the most important thing God wants from us, is worship; it’s surrender. Every time we focus on worshipping God, what we seek will come to us.
We need to redefine distractions because distractions aren’t always necessarily sins, but they can also be those things that we do for Christ in the flesh and when you feel frustrated by it, know that you can always go back to God for relief. The response might not be what you want but trust and obey regardless, as staying at the feet of Jesus is what fills us with a peace that isn’t dependent on anything we see, feel or experience. Anything and everything can be taken away from us except the Word of God.
We are sometimes anxious about many things, and so we cover it up with service, but the reality is that we need to invest in eternal things and not something that is only here for a specified period. Don’t lose yourself in service because although it may be great to serve, it’s better to understand the purpose and motive behind it while not letting it hinder your relationship with God.
In life, we will always be presented with choices and obligations, but we have to learn to prioritize- this will ensure that we become productive. Priority brings consistency, and that’s what we need.
Inevitable distractions come with excitement. God values time, and He values the time that you give Him and so when you allocate time for Him, respect it and meet Him because He is faithful to meet you there. God is in the consistency that we give Him.
Distraction is an activity that deviates your focus from the essential. It can even be a good thing, but when it shifts your focus from what is vital, it then becomes a distraction. A distraction is also an escape we seek when consistency becomes hard.
The challenge most of us face is doing the right thing at the right time, but what helps us as children of God is a revelation; A revelation of timing. Martha was inclined In doing what seemed to be right for Jesus, while Mary had the revelation to sit at the feet of Jesus. When you do something out of revelation, it stays.
Having a revelation breaks the structure of obviousness. The revelation makes you unpredictable but not undisciplined, and it’s the only thing that moves you to the need of God. God’s need for everyone on earth is to be saved; therefore, God has placed you on this earth to meet that need.
Gratefulness to God for the gift of life should be expressed every day and not just at the end of the year. Wake up, feeling grateful every day. Be excited and be thankful today because although it may not be the end of the year, it may be the end of your life.
Prayer request:
- Ask God to open your eyes and ears for you to be revealed when you read.
- Ask God to help you not waste time and energy, but to lead you to focus on the essential.
- Ask God to help you keep your eyes on things that are eternal.
Watch || The Obvious is not Necessarily The Essential on Youtube
