Learn From Mary and Martha
Mary and Martha are classic characters. Their story resonates with so many people because it is so common. We find their examples in Luke 10:38-42. Jesus comes to their house and begins to teach. While there, Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to every word. Martha is running around the house trying to make everything ready, acceptable, and presentable. Eventually, Martha complains to Jesus and asks him to instruct Mary to help her. Jesus refuses. He tells Martha that she is anxious about many things but Mary has chosen the good things of life and they won’t be taken away from her.
There are many lessens we may learn here, but none of them are as powerful as the lesson of seeking Jesus first.
We may want to be like Martha and busy ourselves with the activities, events, and works of ministry. But, if we do that to the neglect of sitting with Jesus we will not only face the reality of ministry burnout, but we will corrupt the works we attempt to do. We must first sit at the feet of Jesus, love him, and learn from him - i.e. have our souls ministered to and refreshed by him - if we are going to properly do the work of the kingdom of Christ.
If you observe scandals that happen in the church, you might know of the common threads that lead to sin, destruction, or compromise. The vast majority of failures in the life of an individual or a whole church is precipitated by a neglect of a prayer life, Bible reading, and loving Jesus. When Jesus doesn’t become the chief focus and affection of life then ministry, service, and good works will be hollow at best and hypocritical at worst.
The lessen of Mary and Martha’s story is that we must prioritize Jesus above everything else we are going to do. Jesus must get our first attention, our best attention, our constant attention. He is our first love, and if we forget our first love then everything else will be subpar.
None of us can think we are immune to sin. We must all realize how desperately we need Jesus. But we must also realize the glorious access we have to Jesus. However, it is not enough to simply acknowledge or realize our access to Jesus. We must also take advantage of it. That is how we fight against sin and grow into a faithful servant of Christ.
Nothing matters more in this life than sitting at the feet of Jesus. The Christian faith isn’t about doing all these ministry activities, it is about being with Jesus. So, before you do anything make sure that you are being with Jesus. Make sure he is your first love and that everything else you do is flowing out of your affection for him.
