Article Display
Email  |  My Account  |  Donate
You and I are the busiest generation ever to live on the face of this earth. We're a fast-paced society that does just about everything "on the go." In this age of personal computers, faxes, and cellular telephones, the pace doesn't show any sign of slowing down.

What's more, we're fast approaching the end of an age, and as part of the New Testament Church, that means you and I have a lot of work to do to bring the great end-time harvest of souls into God's kingdom before Jesus comes and we're out of here.

So how can we possibly keep up with our busy schedules, as well as with everything God expects of us, in the middle of all this fast-lane living?

To answer that question, I'd like to take you to one of my favorite places in the Bible, Luke 10:38-42. I like this passage of scripture because I don't know how anyone could read it and not totally relate to it. It's such a graphic picture of our lives, especially given the hour you and I face:
Now it came to pass, as they went, that Jesus entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, "Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me." And Jesus answered and said unto her, "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
(Luke 10:38-42)
Now, there was a busy woman - Martha, that is. Jesus and His disciples had just come from the Jordan Valley campaign, which was a time of intense ministry to probably thousands of people.
In fact, there was so much work, Jesus had appointed an extra seventy disciples to minister in His behalf. That was in addition to His original twelve disciples. So, when Jesus and His disciples came off the road from ministering, Martha opened up her home to them.

The point is, knowing Martha, I'm sure the notoriety of her guests added even greater pressure to her responsibilities. All those curious onlookers hanging around her door were sure to add to her already busy schedule.

Pity Parties and Flesh Fits
In the middle of life's busyness - even with the Anointed Son of God in her house - Martha could not handle the weight of all the responsibilities she had taken upon herself with the arrival of Jesus and His entourage. In the end, she buckled under the pressure of all that busyness and failed.

When we examine Martha's response to her circumstances, we can gain a lot of insight as to how not to handle situations in our busy, day-to-day living. When the pressures of life came bearing down on Martha and her world started caving in, she responded out of her flesh, not out of her spirit.

When Martha went to Jesus with her troubles, there was nothing He could do because her double-mindedness.Her doubtfulness, hesitancy - and so on - tied His hands in the matter. She was wasting her time and breath in taking her complaint to the Lord.

Truthfully, Martha wasn't looking to Jesus for solutions to her problems, anyway. She really went to Jesus so she could chew Him out and give Him a piece of her mind. She was mad, and probably overworked and tired, and she just wanted to tell somebody all her troubles.

Martha's next fleshly response was a desperate effort to try and get Jesus - the Lord of the universe Whom she had just accused of not caring - to change her circumstances by making Mary help her.

"Bid her therefore that she help me." In other words, Martha was saying, "Change her, Lord. Make her what I need her to be!"

Have you ever gone to the Lord with that attitude and said something like that concerning your spouse, or someone close to you? I made the mistake of saying something along those lines one time, and I didn't get a bit of pity or consoling from the Lord over it. All I got was a stern correction. So that was the last time I ever tried that line.

Finally, in complaining about her sister to Jesus, Martha was basically saying: "Lord, if You'll tell Mary to help me, she'll do it - because she listens to You. She won't listen to a word I say, and I'm the one who does all the work around here." Obviously, those were not Martha's exact words, but I'm confident they reflect the attitude of what she did say - and, actually, Jesus confirms this for us later.

The bottom line is, Martha had the attitude: "Well, this church meeting stuff is fine, but some of us do have to make a living, you know."

When we get into this I've-got-to-make-a-living mind-set, our thinking can get twisted around to the point that God no longer is our source...for anything. We begin looking to ourselves, or our spouses, or children, or pastors, or jobs, or education, money, possessions, and so on, to meet our needs, instead of God.

In reality, all those needs we want to be fulfilled - financial security, comfort, peace of mind, happiness, love, acceptance, companionship - those are all spiritual needs. And to try and get spiritual needs satisfied through natural, physical things is what the Bible defines as materialism. It's when we don't look to God as our true source.

Too Much Anxiety
The Amplified Bible tells us that Martha was "overoccupied," "too busy" and "distracted" (Luke 10:40). And if that weren't enough, Jesus told her, "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things" (v. 41). The Amplified Bible says she was "anxious and troubled."

Martha was indeed filled with mental anxiety, but we're not just talking about being anxious over preparing a meal for a bunch of folks. No, Jesus was telling her, "Martha, there's a whole lot more than today's lunch bothering you. You've got a lot of problems. And My making Mary get in the kitchen and help you cook isn't going to solve any of them. What about tonight's dinner...and tomorrow's breakfast? What will you do then? The work will never stop."

In addition to all the everyday pressures, there's a bunch of devils running loose in this earth, and they will try to stir up every kind of trouble known to man. Yet, in all our busyness and in all our challenges in life, we have need for only one thing - one thing that will accomplish every task and overcome every care in this life with great success. That one thing is the Word of God.

Martha's problem wasn't that she had too much work to do, or that she didn't have enough helping hands to do it. Her real trouble in life was that she had not chosen the Word. She had not chosen it first. And all the while, it was right there in her living room.

Sit at His Feet
Mary, on the other hand, chose the Word. When Mary made the decision to sit at Jesus' feet, she chose the authority of the living Word of God over any problem, any trouble, any situation that could ever raise its head and challenge her.

Mary chose the Word that says, "His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises" (2 Pet. 1:3-4).

My friend, commit to your victory. Commit to your victory over the busyness of the hour in which you and I live. Give the Word first place!

In the middle of the hustle and bustle of this life, remember, only one thing is really needed. Take time to sit at Jesus' feet. Make time for the Word.

Excerpt permission granted by
Eagle Mountain International Church, Inc.
aka:  Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Author Biography

Kenneth Copeland
Web site: Kenneth Copeland Ministries
 
For the last 50 years Kenneth and Gloria Copeland have been passionately teaching Christians all over the world how to apply the principles of faith found in God’s WORD to their lives.
Read more...

About Us

The online ministry of cfaith has been helping people discover faith, friends and freedom in the Word since 2000. Cfaith provides a unique and comprehensive collection of faith-building resources for the worldwide faith community.

At cfaith, you can strengthen your faith and deepen your understanding of the Word of God by digging into the vast collection of teaching articles, streaming audio and video messages, and daily devotionals. No other website offers such a unique and extensive collection of spiritual-growth resources aimed at helping you grow in your knowledge of the Word.

Read More...

 

 

Support Us

Why support cfaith?


(All contributions are 100% tax deductible)


SUPPORT CFAITH WITH ONE CLICK!

For every Internet search you make using
goodsearch, cfaith will receive one penny!

GS Logo 250x38

Contact Us

Business Hours:


Monday—Friday: 9 a.m.—5 p.m. CST
Saturday & Sunday: Closed

Phone:

(763) 488-7800 or (800) 748-8107

Mailing Address: 

CFAITH.com
9201 75th Avenue North
Brooklyn Park, MN 55428

 

Login Form

Please ignore the “Secret Key” field; it is not needed to log in to cfaith.

Login Change Article

Spring360x442
You need to enable user registration from User Manager/Options in the backend of Joomla before this module will activate.