You Busy?

Luke 10:38-41

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 only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."


For most of us, one of our most prized commodities is time. As children we learn to value time at crowed supper tables, noisy classrooms, and dizzying playgrounds. Bath time, dinner time and bed time became so well known to us that we figured out creative ways to either avoid or be first in line for these special times depending on the level actual or perceived fun to be had. Having grown up in the wide-open spaces of the South, I remember outdoor games fondly. Even today, boys and girls today innocent enough to still play “Hide and Seek frantically search for friend-proof hiding places until the clarion call of “TIIIIIIIIME!” is heard. Oh how I loved the dashing about against both the clock and my three brothers’ swift feet. As adults we turn away from innocent games and move on to package our time into tight hours, precious minutes, and ticking seconds- all dedicated to countless tasks during a day. We cringe at the very thought of anyone wasting a moment of our all too little time. Upon awakening to a painfully annoying alarm, we hop into quick showers, after which we gulp down the processed breakfast item of choice along with an instant coffee. We dash in and out of traffic with horns blaring and glances glaring to drop off kids, swing by grocers and pick up laundry. Miraculously we arrive at work with coiffed hair, a polished smile and frazzled nerves still intact. I don’t know about you, but there are days when I arrive at work dog tired, weary, worn and looking at the clock!

Occasionally,we followers of Christ rush past chaotic days so quickly in the name of work, school, play and all tasks in between, that we enter and exit each hourly gift without any true communication with the Lord. No wonder that many well meaning Christians suffer stress, depression, anxiety and an overall sense of disconnection from the Lord when we finally do go to God in prayer. There are valuable lessons to be learned from the two sisters in our text. We must learn to transcend beyond simply being busy preparing for the presence of God and press on toward a deeper relationship with the Captain of our souls.

Open the door…and then what?

In our study passage, we see Jesus traveling about the countryside and a woman named Martha who “opened her home to him” and later busied herself with “preparations” for Him. The messages and fame of our Lord were spreading far and wide at this point in His ministry and no doubt these friends of Jesus felt honored to welcome Him in to rest from travel. Martha, like many today, are happy to hear of the coming of Jesus and will even allow Him to enter beyond the door of our hearts, but we grow so busy with doing good works that we fail to allow the Lord full access to all that we are. We get dressed up, and pumped up and fluffed up in preparation for a “mighty move of God” but never enter into His presence in such a way that our lives are transformed and our hearts lightened as we move forward working for the Kingdom. Martha’s sister Mary on the other hand, not only greeted Jesus at the door, she also “sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said.” She recognized that opening up to the things of God and preparing room for His presence is only preliminary to the real joy that sitting at the Master’s feet can bring. While it is wonderful to read a great devotional or hear an inspiring message about Jesus, how much more awesome is it to sit down in the presence of the Lord and allow Him to speak directly to your heart? Mary had certainly heard the Jesus message from others, and yet her heart longed to hear the Lord’s voice for herself. Now that you have opened the door of your heart to God and prepared for His presence, what are you now doing to nurture true intimacy with God? How will you now position yourself to spiritually receive from God?

Position Yourself to Receive God’s Best!

There is something quite special about Mary’s physical and spiritual positioning in verse 39. She is seen “at the Lord’s feet”. This position implies one of submission and expectation. I can imagine her sitting there, looking up at Jesus knowing full well that her knowledge of God and faith in His promises for her own life were being renewed by the Word. She had heard about Jesus, and now was her opportunity to hear Him for herself. What grace Mary was afforded here…grace to increase her faith! Romans 10:17 reminds us that “…faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” We must remember to position ourselves through prayer and study of the Word of God to receive greater measures of faith, guidance through difficult life decisions, as well as the wisdom and strength to complete everyday tasks. There is no way that we can be effective at maintaining a true relationship with Christ and then sharing His message with others if we are unwilling to humbly make time to intimately know Him ourselves. There were times in my younger, more arrogant phases of life when I felt self sufficient and much too busy for more than a few moments of prayer. Most often my hurried prayers were thrown toward Heaven before eating a meal, while in the dental chair, after just missing a car crash, etc. How pathetic to see myself in memory “praying” while laying down and quickly falling asleep! Sadly, my Bible study consisted of the couple of scriptures I read from the screen with the rest of the Sunday Morning TV congregation. There was very little prayer power in my life and when I needed a Word from God, I couldn’t identify a single passage that spoke to my situation. After fully surrendering my life, and re-positioning myself at the feet of Jesus, I have found so much more peace. I now find answers to my life’s most difficult questions whilst on my knees in times of prayer and Biblical study. Matthew 6:33 and 34 always encourages me: “33) But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34: Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” God knows the troublesome nature of being busy and striving to do your best. He also desires for us to get in a position to receive an outpouring of His choicest blessings!

No Time for Distractions!

Our poor friend Martha is seen here dotting about the house preparing for Jesus and company. No doubt she is locating fresh water for their feet, flour to make fresh bread and maybe even preparing a catch of shiny fish. Perhaps, the visit caught her by total surprise and she felt compelled to do some last minute tidying as well. With all of this work going on, Martha quickly notices that Mary is calmly sitting at the feet of Jesus enraptured in His message of salvation, hope, healing and restoration of the Kingdom of God. Certainly Mary can’t be so caught up in the message that she fails to see how much work was yet to be done. It just doesn’t seem fair for her to be sitting there, seemingly idle while Martha was breaking her back to meet the needs of her visitors. Martha questions Jesus’ lack of concern for her busy work and demands in verse 40 that he has Mary to help with the work of the house. In verse 4, Jesus speaks emphatically to Martha by calling her name twice, “Martha, Martha”…"you are worried and upset about many things 42) but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." I am certain that all of us reading this could at some point insert our names in for Martha’s. “Son, Daughter”…you are worried and upset about many things!” When we feel that we are going above and beyond for God and that neither He nor those around us recognize our effort, we become frustrated and distracted from our true Kingdom purpose. Sure you started out playing a meaningful role on one or two church committees, now you are spread so thinly that you simply want to scream at most auxiliary meetings. Your focus is no longer on the real reason you joined the mission and is now on what others are not doing, as you grow increasingly frustrated with the busy-ness of it all. You may even cry out to God begging Him to make Bro. This Guy and Sister That Lady shape up or ship out! Ask yourself, why am I even doing this work? Have I succumb to distractions, or are my actions planted solidly in the perfect plan and will of God for my life in His Kingdom? Galatians 6: 9 reminds us that we should “not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Jesus truly cares and sees your effort, but He desires more than a good effort. He desires a purposeful effort that is couched safely within His Divine will. Our Lord desires our attention to be so toward Him that even in the face of distractions, we maintain a Heavenly connection that sustains us, renews our strength and always keeps us on the path to glorifying the Father. It is not by our own power that we function. It is by the Spirit of God. Submission to the Word of God and the resulting connection to the Holy Spirit is that “one thing” Jesus mentioned in verse 42. Moments allocated to the Presence of God leave little time for distractions, and make way for a God connection that mortal men simply cannot take away! In our busy work for God and ever tightening schedules, let’s put to memory a thought expressed by a nineteenth century clergyman and great proponent of prayer, E.M. Bounds: "Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still."

Dr.’s Orders:  During this week, write down the time you spend in Biblical study, prayer and personal devotion. Do not include church meetings or functions. Make a true assessment of your time spent with the Lord. In the coming days we will focus on prayer. I pray that you will be blessed by this week’s devotional series.