Do you love easy? Do you care about people you’ve known forever AND people you just met? Even people you don’t know at all? Do you love to do for others? You may be a Martha. Not a Karen. Not a Betty. Not a Mary. But a Martha. Who is this Martha? Read on.
Martha is a woman in the bible who was constantly at work. She and her sister, Mary, were siblings of Lazarus, the man Jesus rose from the dead. All were very close with Jesus, and on one occasion, Jesus came to visit. Martha busy with all the preparations. She was upset that Mary wasn’t helping her with all that needed to be done, and she was complaining to Jesus.
To What or Who Are You Attending?
How many times have we also complained about all that we had to do? I imagine Martha was cleaning, and cooking, and offering to get the guests something to drink, and washing their feet. Feet? Yep. That was a custom back then. For those of you who don’t like feet, I guess it’s a good thing we don’t do that now! But Mary was at the feet of Jesus, and Martha was not happy about it.
Jesus told Martha that Mary was doing what was most important. He admonished Martha. Instead of saying, “Oh you poor thing. Your sister should be helping you,” Jesus told Martha that Mary was focused on the right person, and she was focused on what He wanted her to do. Martha was focused on all everything but.
He is the Most Important
I have always had trouble jumping to help and be there for anyone who asked anything of me, even to my own detriment. If I saw something that needed doing, I tried to do it. Like Martha, I often missed the most important person who needed me and wanted me… Christ. He wants my time. He wants me at His feet and He wants me serving His purpose.
When I spend time with the most important person, Christ, when I talk to talk to Him and listen, I find out what He really wants me to be doing. Sometimes, just that act, listening to his soft voice in the silence, reading the bible, talking to Him about anything and everything is exactly what I am supposed to be doing. Other times, He tugs at my heart to do something for someone else.
Be About His Business
So, we need to make Christ #1. Got it. But how do we know we are doing what He wants us to do for others? That is the million-dollar question. I wish I could give you a perfect answer, but I don’t have one. I do know what the bible tells us. It says we are to love others as we love ourselves. We are to seek first the kingdom of God. We are to spread the gospel. We are to take time to rest and withdraw and recharge. We will be called to do things we do not feel equipped to do or even comfortable doing.
When you are faced with an opportunity, you need to stop and ask yourself if this is something that would further God’s kingdom in some way, now or down the road. Is this action a way to show God’s light to someone else, maybe drawing them to Him? Are doing whatever it is to be noticed or to gain or earn something? If so, those are wrong motives, so I’d think twice.
Finding Joy:
I know life can run us ragged. Stop right now and rest. Just a minute. Just for you. Think about all that you have to do right now, and think about which item would Jesus choose for you. Pray that He makes that clear. If you don’t hear His voice, go back and check your motives for each action. Think about the most impactful item on your list, related to being the light and perhaps leading someone to it, to Him. When you choose wisely, you will find joy. We won’t always get it right, but when we do, we will hear Him tell us, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
Related Scriptures:
Joshua 24: 15 – But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
Matthew 25:33 – His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
Luke 10:38 – 41 – As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. 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!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed, or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Listen to This:
We all have to choose who we are going to serve, figuratively and literally. Whom will you serve? This song, “Gotta Serve Somebody,” originally by Bob Dylan, talks about making that choice. I love this version by Nichole Nordeman.
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