Luke 10:41-42 ~ And Jesus answered ‘Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.’
For the longest time, this story really rubbed me the wrong way. I could completely understand Martha’s position. After all, someone has to make sure there is food on the table or we’d all be hungry. When guests arrive, someone has to see to their needs. If we all just sat around talking, nothing would get done. It’s just not fair to call out Martha when Mary is not pulling her fair share of the work load. Poor Martha. Then one day God opened my eyes. Jesus didn’t say ‘Martha, you are fussing with serving dinner and setting a pretty table’. He said ‘Martha you are worried and troubled about many things…”
Jesus was speaking into her life, not just the moment. Maybe God was addressing an issue of the heart that only He could see. Could it be that Martha was busy proving her worth, controlling the situation, desiring to impress so she could feel valued. If so, then God put that story in the Bible just for me. Oh how I used to work so hard at proving my worth.
If I threw the perfect dinner party and set the perfect table, people would value me.
If I sang the perfect song at church, people would value me.
If I kept a perfect house, people would value me.
If I taught Sunday School, people would value me.
If I joined this organization, people would value me.
If I raised perfect children, people would value me
If I, if I, if I….the list could go on for quite a while. It wasn’t until I came to a moment in my life that I realized how much God valued me that I could stop striving to be valued by the world. It was through the trials of striving and failing that eventually I fell to my knees and looked to God. I can remember a time when I cried out to Him that I just couldn’t do it; that I wasn’t good enough and I gave up.
God gave me a song in my heart that day, and the verse went like this:
Look to the Lord to find your worth.
Look to the Lord, not things on earth.
His love will fill your needs
when you come to Him upon your knees.
So whose kingdom do you serve?
Is it God or things on Earth?
God was waiting for me to come to Him, on my knees, ready to choose pleasing Him over pleasing people. God wanted to show me that my worth is in His eyes, not in the eyes of those around me.
Jesus was saying to Martha, “Come to Me first. Choose Me first. Look to Me to find your worth. Choose the good part that cannot be taken away. Choose ME. Then the other things will be taken care of as needed.”
When I first realized this, I remember thinking, “Well, when you put it that way, of course I choose You first Lord.” But then when I got honest and took a real hard look at what my first choices really were, I saw that I didn’t. Sometimes I chose checking email in the morning before my quiet time. Sometimes I chose the morning news before I chose time with God. This perspective really made me change how I looked at the ‘choices’ I made throughout the whole day. When I said yes or no to an activity or commitment, I would stop and ask if I was choosing God or the world.
Jesus was speaking into her life, not just the moment. Maybe God was addressing an issue of the heart that only He could see. Could it be that Martha was busy proving her worth, controlling the situation, desiring to impress so she could feel valued. If so, then God put that story in the Bible just for me. Oh how I used to work so hard at proving my worth.
If I threw the perfect dinner party and set the perfect table, people would value me.
If I sang the perfect song at church, people would value me.
If I kept a perfect house, people would value me.
If I taught Sunday School, people would value me.
If I joined this organization, people would value me.
If I raised perfect children, people would value me
If I, if I, if I….the list could go on for quite a while. It wasn’t until I came to a moment in my life that I realized how much God valued me that I could stop striving to be valued by the world. It was through the trials of striving and failing that eventually I fell to my knees and looked to God. I can remember a time when I cried out to Him that I just couldn’t do it; that I wasn’t good enough and I gave up.
God gave me a song in my heart that day, and the verse went like this:
Look to the Lord to find your worth.
Look to the Lord, not things on earth.
His love will fill your needs
when you come to Him upon your knees.
So whose kingdom do you serve?
Is it God or things on Earth?
God was waiting for me to come to Him, on my knees, ready to choose pleasing Him over pleasing people. God wanted to show me that my worth is in His eyes, not in the eyes of those around me.
Jesus was saying to Martha, “Come to Me first. Choose Me first. Look to Me to find your worth. Choose the good part that cannot be taken away. Choose ME. Then the other things will be taken care of as needed.”
When I first realized this, I remember thinking, “Well, when you put it that way, of course I choose You first Lord.” But then when I got honest and took a real hard look at what my first choices really were, I saw that I didn’t. Sometimes I chose checking email in the morning before my quiet time. Sometimes I chose the morning news before I chose time with God. This perspective really made me change how I looked at the ‘choices’ I made throughout the whole day. When I said yes or no to an activity or commitment, I would stop and ask if I was choosing God or the world.
Imagine if Martha had chosen time with Jesus first, along with Mary. They would have welcomed Him into their home and immediately sat with Him, talking about things of God; gleaning wisdom and gaining eternal value. Eventually Jesus would have said, “I’m getting hungry, are you?”. The meal would be served, with everyone pitching in. The table would not be magazine worthy, but to make it so would have been time spent on something with fleeting value. The meal may not be Food Network worthy, but making it so would have been time spent on something with fleeting value. Did they need a clean table to eat on and food that tasted good and healthy? Yes. Would this have been accomplished if they had all worked together after spending time with Jesus first? Yes.
I don’t believe that God looks poorly upon a well prepared meal or a well kept home. There is plenty of scripture to support the value of honoring God through our service to our family. But that was not the lesson for Martha that day. The lesson for that day, and for us today, was and is to keep God the focus of our life. Jesus has been invited into your home. Where do you start your day; at His feet or with the chores? Maybe you start at his feet and in His Word, but do you ask Him to direct your day? Or do you finish your allotted time with the Lord and then get consumed with the details of the day? If you were to miss your time with Him, or cut your time short to get to the chores that are waiting and calling, would you feel it? When you make choices throughout the day, do those choices include God?
By choosing to put God first, our relationship grows stronger and we see ourselves through His eyes. We learn to find our true worth in the things we do for Him and through Him, not in the things we do to prove our worth to the world.
What about you? Is there an area in your life where you are seeking to please others to prove your worth when God is saying “Choose to honor Me and there you will find your worth?” Or maybe your life is so busy keeping up with the expectations of others that God is not first in your time choices.
What is God speaking into your life today?
Our recipe today is to Choose Jesus First.
The ingredients are from Luke 10: 41-42.
The directions are to choose God first, finding your worth in doing His will as He sees you through His eyes.
I don’t believe that God looks poorly upon a well prepared meal or a well kept home. There is plenty of scripture to support the value of honoring God through our service to our family. But that was not the lesson for Martha that day. The lesson for that day, and for us today, was and is to keep God the focus of our life. Jesus has been invited into your home. Where do you start your day; at His feet or with the chores? Maybe you start at his feet and in His Word, but do you ask Him to direct your day? Or do you finish your allotted time with the Lord and then get consumed with the details of the day? If you were to miss your time with Him, or cut your time short to get to the chores that are waiting and calling, would you feel it? When you make choices throughout the day, do those choices include God?
By choosing to put God first, our relationship grows stronger and we see ourselves through His eyes. We learn to find our true worth in the things we do for Him and through Him, not in the things we do to prove our worth to the world.
What about you? Is there an area in your life where you are seeking to please others to prove your worth when God is saying “Choose to honor Me and there you will find your worth?” Or maybe your life is so busy keeping up with the expectations of others that God is not first in your time choices.
What is God speaking into your life today?
Our recipe today is to Choose Jesus First.
The ingredients are from Luke 10: 41-42.
The directions are to choose God first, finding your worth in doing His will as He sees you through His eyes.
How can you apply this to your daily life? Ask God to show you what might be taking first priority in your life, before Him. Confess it and ask for Him to increase your awareness of the times you make similar choices so that you might always choose Him first. Write what is impressed upon your heart today.
CLICK HERE for a printable version of today's recipe for the soul. Make notes on it of how God is speaking to you today, and carry it with you to feed your soul as needed.
PRAYER:
Father God, I confess that there are times I choose what I do based on what I think will please others to find favor and value in their eyes. But Lord, search my heart and know that I value my relationship with You above all others and desire to choose You first at all times. Thank You Lord for reminding me that I am perfectly and wonderfully made by Your loving hand, and that you find me precious. Remind me daily Lord that I am of great value to You. Order my day Lord and help me rest in the peace of knowing that when I choose You first, all the other tasks and chores of the day will fall into place as needed. Amen
God Bless and Keep You,
Tami
amen
ReplyDeleteTami - well written. Thank you for speaking Christ's truth in love.
ReplyDeleteWow Mrs. Tami, just what I needed to hear.
ReplyDelete"Choose Me first"