The Most Important Things

Luke 10:38-42

³⁸ Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
³⁹ And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
⁴⁰ 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.
⁴¹ And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
⁴² But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

The gospel of Luke tells us a story about Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus. Perhaps you've heard of Lazarus? He is famous because Jesus raised him from the dead. In Luke chapter 10, however, the emphasis is on Martha and Mary. You see it was Martha who received Jesus into her house.  If it had not been for Martha, Lazarus would not have been raised from the dead. Why? Because Jesus would not have been welcomed into this home. He would not have been around to raise Lazarus from the dead; the friendship would not have existed. Verse 38 makes is clear to us that it was Martha who received (invited?) Jesus into her home. Yet it was Martha who received the strongest rebuke from Jesus.

At first glance it doesn't seem to be right. Martha was cooking and cleaning while Mary was in the living room (probably with the men) listening to Jesus talk. Martha simply asked Jesus to tell Mary that she was needed in the kitchen. It seemed a reasonable request. But instead of sending Mary to the kitchen Jesus invites Martha to the living room to sit and hear him teach. I know I'm using my imagination to fill in the gaps but bear with me. Mary is so desirous to hear Jesus words that she is literally sitting on the floor at his feet. Martha is concerned with feeding the crowd in her home. While this may have seemed like a noble cause it was not the most important thing. She had the king of kings in her home yet she was worried about cleaning the drapes.

Our lives in 2013 are so busy. It seems to take all day at times to get one task accomplished. We start off in the morning with good intentions to accomplish much yet at the end of the day we are bone tired and feeling as if we got nothing done. I'm sure this was how Martha was feeling. She was a conscientious worker, no doubt, and wanted to get all her tasks in order. Yet Jesus was asking her to reevaluate her priorities.

I believe there are two lessons to be learned from this story. Number one, Jesus must always have the number one spot in our lives. We can get so busy doing the things of life that we don't take time for him. We can be so busy doing things for him ( church work, etc.) that we neglect our personal devotion time with him. In the end all these things will not matter if we don't know Jesus.

Number two is the importance of family and friendships. There is a principle here that we often miss. Relationship building. The relationships that we build in life are more important than the tasks we accomplish. While Martha was busy cooking and cleaning Mary was developing a friendship with the One who would later raise her brother from the dead.

Lord, help me to look beyond the tasks of the day and be sensitive to the people in my life. Each of them is important. Perhaps you've placed them around me so that I can minister to them. Don't let me be so caught up in serving the physical needs that I neglect the spiritual. Though I will not neglect my duties, let me like Mary choose to put my energy into the most important things. Amen



Sincerely,

Sullivan Jones

 

Attitude

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22

A man was battling cancer when he ran into a minister friend in the store. The minister, whose wife was critically ill, spent time asking about his friends condition. Though his wife was critically ill, he still took time to let his friend know that he cared. Over a year later the two again met in the store. In the year the ministers wife had died. Again his concern was for his friend. He spent time asking about his condition and was happy to hear that he was doing well.

Does it ever seem to puzzle you how two different people can see the world so differently? What one person sees as a setback another sees as an opportunity. The difference is attitude. Our attitude in life makes all the difference in the world. Helen Keller, who was blind her whole life, said "Keep your face to the sun and you will not see the shadows." What a way to look at life. Corrie ten Boom, a holocaust survivor, suffered several strokes before she died. While she was bedridden friends from around the world came to visit her in her California retirement home. They all testified that, though they came to encourage her, they were the ones who left encouraged. You see, Corrie had learned the secret to a positive life long before; "Just keep your face to the Son and you won't feel the shadows."

I'm convinced that those people who take life as it comes enjoy it much more. There is always something to complain about in life. But there is always something to be thankful for as well. Some people are just born with sunny dispositions. They are the people magnets who always see the glass half full. Others have to work hard at being cheerful. We can, however, train ourselves to see the good. It make take a little practice but it is worth the effort. The more we speak positive things the better we feel. When we don't feel well it helps to find someone else who is having a struggle and do our best to encourage them. We can either have a pity part together or we can have a praise fest together.

It is much more fun to praise God for his blessings than to curse life for its troubles. Next time you are tempted to tell someone how bad you have it why not tell them how good you have it instead. If you haven't counted your blessings in a while it may be difficult at first. But the more you do it the easier it becomes. Just try it. Make someone's day. Speak life instead of death. What have you got to lose?

Thankfully,

Sullivan Jones
 

Common Sense

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

There is a much used phrase that I find to be a misnomer. The phrase? Common sense. Most people would define common sense as the sense that all of should have. I have even heard it referred to as God given common sense. But most of what we think of as common sense is actually learned behavior. It is what is common to us because we have experienced it before with one of the five senses, thus the phrase "common sense."  "Common sense" might be common among a certain group but that which is common to one lifestyle would be totally foreign to another.

Need an example? Most of us would say that it is common sense to figure out how to flush a toilet, use the elevator, or work a vending machine. These things are actually learned behavior to those of us who live in the modern world. I remember once having to show a native in Central America how to flush the toilet. He had always lived where the common facilities where an outhouse. When he did have a "flushable" toilet it usually required scooping water from a barrel beside the toilet and pouring it in to make it flush. The thought of a toilet that flushed itself was not common and so his "common sense" couldn't figure it out. Did this mean he was less intelligent? No, of course not. Most of us would be equally lost in his world.

Common sense has much to do with the way we perceive and understand faith. It is hard to get someone to accept something that goes against his logic or "common sense." Yet everything about faith defies logic. It defies logic to think that a man walked on water, healed the sick, and arose from the dead of his own accord. It doesn't make sense to think that the laying on of hands with anointing oil can heal the sick. I can't explain how sins are washed away through a prayer of repentance and baptism. I certainly can't explain how speaking in tongues works? Why? These things go way beyond my idea of what makes sense.

Common sense is made up of the things that we have experienced with our five senses. If I haven't experienced it before then it defies what is common to my senses. This usually results in me not believing in it. This kind of common sense definitely has its merit and can keep us from looking like fools. But when it comes to spiritually things my senses will never be enough. God sees all, knows all, and understands all. What is to God common sense (because he can see it) is quite foreign to me. When he asks me to do something that defies my logic, like simply trust him, I have to remember that he can see what I can't see. He knows what I can't know ahead of time. And there is nothing that he doesn't understand.

When my common sense isn't enough I can trust him. After all, HE IS.

Trusting in Jesus,

Sullivan Jones