Luke 10:38-40 - Thankful in service
Scripture:
Luke 10:38-40
38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.
39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord's feet, listening to His word.
40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me."
NASU
Thoughts:
The Bible is so amazing, one reason being that it so accurately portrays the behavior of people at the time it was written, and now. As we read these verses, especially those who have been a Christian for very long, we instantly recognize Martha's wrong attitude. We easily dissect Martha's problem, and yet we find ourselves doing this same thing!
Martha was serving the Lord (verse 38), but Mary, as she listened to the Lord (verse 39), was not told by Him to help Martha in what she was doing. Martha then becomes exasperated, frustrated that Mary is not helping her (verse 40), even questioning the Lord's concern for her!
Just about every ministry I've served in has battled to some degree with this same phenomenon. Those serving in the ministry become exasperated towards those who are "inactive." Everyone starts with a desire to serve the Lord in ministry, but before long we can find ourselves distracted by the issues of our service and a self-imposed pressure for perfection, like Martha. This can then lead us into fantasizing of what more could be done if there were only more servants, which finally gives way to exasperation that others are not involved!
Prayer:
Forgive me Lord, for the times I've followed in Martha's footsteps here. Rather than being thankful that I got to serve You in some way, I found myself focusing on those not called to do the same, and developing an attitude towards them. Give me the same love and understanding for my brothers and sisters in the Lord, that You have for me. Empower me to serve You with a thankful heart, I pray.
Amen
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