Good Afternoon!
Hello friends, I hope you are doing well this afternoon. The Lord led me to read the story of Martha and Mary and as many times as I have read this passage, there was something that really stood out to me and made me ask myself, "Am I more like Mary or Martha?" I will paraphrase this passage; Jesus came to Martha and Mary's home and Martha welcomed Him. He came in their house along with the disciples, Mary was sitting at His feet listening to every word that He spoke. Meanwhile Martha was busy in the kitchen trying to prepare a meal for Jesus. She became so overwhelmed that she came to Jesus and said, "Lord do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work? Tell her to help me." Jesus answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by so many things. But one thing is needed and Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her."
Notice the word "distracted." Think with me for a moment, think about all the distractions that we have in our lives. Our many to do lists, everyone beckoning and calling for us at almost every minute of the day. If you notice throughout the new testament, Jesus was busy too. He was preaching, ministering, healing, delivering, and saving people all the time everyday. The amazing thing about His life is that even though He was busy, He always found a time and place to meet with God. Like Mary, Jesus had to choose to spend time with God, if He hadn't, His ministry probably wouldn't have been what God wanted it to be. His relationship with our Father in Heaven was important to Him and like Mary this time with Jesus was important to her. She knew that Jesus didn't stop by their home that often and she was going to take full advantage of this opportunity. I am reminded of the words in Isaiah 55:6, "Seek the Lord while He may be found."
Are we being more like Mary, taking full advantage of every opportunity we can get to seek our Lord and Savior? Or are we being like Martha, distracted and worried about so many things that it keeps us from seeking the Lord? I will admit, I am guilty of this and I pray that God will give me opportunities to come and spend time with Him in a quiet place. There have been times where I have to excuse myself like Jesus did and go be with the Lord for a little while. Do you not know that God loves it when we seek Him, it gives Him great delight! It pleases Him and makes Him excited to see His children seeking Him.
You might ask how do we seek after God? I am glad you asked, you seek Him in prayer, thanksgiving, and praise and worship. He loves a child of God worshipping Him in Spirit and truth, with their whole heart! David was a man after God's heart and He was a worshipper, He worshipped God with all his heart. You might even say he stole God's heart because of his worship. So how do we become a Mary in a Martha world? Make time with the Lord even if that means getting up an hour early or thirty minutes earlier than your usual time. Ask God to show you a time and place to meet with Him, make sure it's a place with no distractions and it's quiet. It doesn't have to be perfect or fancy just a place where you can meet with Him.
Before you open your Bible to read, ask God to open your heart to receive the word He has for you and to help you to apply it to your life. Sometimes I like to play some worship and praise music to get me started so I focus on God. I don't do this every time because sometimes it can be a distraction and I need it to be quiet to be able to hear the Lord speak to my heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in your prayer and Bible Study, He will be glad to help you. I like to start my day with prayer and Bible study and end the day with prayer and read my Bible in the evening. Now when I get home from work, I will usually do a workout, take a shower to destress from the day. After this, I will put on some praise and worship music on to help me get my mind off the work day. Then after dinner when everything is cleaned up and everyone has settled down, that's when I will usually meet with God. You do what's best for you, God will make a way for you to meet with Him.
Also it's important to set a day for Him, most of us like to do it on Sunday, but I am trying to make it a habit to start incorporating more time for Him on Saturday and Sunday. God is constantly at work in my life and I am always praying that I will please Him instead of man. If God is leading you to do something different in your normal routine, don't resist, just go with it. "Obedience is better than sacrifice." 1 Samuel 15:22-23
In conclusion, I pray that we all become more like Mary and less like Martha. God wants us to come and sit at His feet like Mary and listen to every word that He has to say. So what are you waiting for, open up God's word and see what He has to say to you today! You might be very surprised by the outcome, it may be the answer that you have been searching for or the healing that you needed or the confirmation that you have been needing. Go ahead my friend, don't hesitate, He's waiting on you to come, He will meet you right where you are. Remember nothing is impossible for God and He wants you to prosper in every way, but it starts by putting Him first and keeping Him first! May God bless you and keep you dear friend! In Jesus name, Amen!
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