| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship” Our Bible verse for today: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary.” Luke 10:41-42 (CSB) Our thought for today: “More like Mary; less like Martha” For thousands of years Jesus’ story of Mary and Martha has been used in sermons, Bible lessons, and devotional messages to illustrate the difference between reflective contemplative people, and busy worker-type people. In this scene Jesus was visiting the sisters. Martha was in the kitchen fixing a meal and feeling stressed. Mary was sitting quietly just enjoying being with Jesus. Martha got frustrated with Mary for not helping in the kitchen and so she ends us snapping at both Martha and Jesus. The lesson is that sometimes we need to stop the busyness and just sit at the feet of Jesus. We see in this story how distracted and off track we can become if we allow ourselves to get caught-up in busyness. It can result in our priorities becoming skewed and in losing sight of the things that matter most in life. A mindset of hurry, busyness, and frantic fussing distances us from the people around us and it steals our joy. We end up frustrated and anxious, banging pots and pans in the kitchen while missing the beauty and richness of the moment. It reminds me of something written by Pastor John Mark Comer in his book “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry,” “All of my worst moments happen when I’m in a hurry.” Another lesson for us here is found in the kindness of Jesus’ response to Martha. He wasn’t reprimanding her, not really. Instead, I think He was counseling and consoling her. This was His pastor’s heart speaking, urging her to take a deep breath and relax. Martha is the type who worries too much, and as a result, she spends a lot of time anxious and upset. To that Jesus says, “Relax, Martha. It’s okay.” Martha needed to hear that. So do I. Maybe you do too. The practice of deep discipleship teaches us to take a deep breath and relax. It causes us to slow down and sit at the feet of Jesus rather than bustling around in the kitchen, upset with our sister (or spouse, or kids), and banging pots and pans to express our irritation. Not only will the practice of taking a breath and taking a break calm us in the moment, but over the long-term, if that becomes our regular practice, that calmer and less anxious demeanor will become part of our character. Over time we will become a little more like Mary and a little less like Martha by nature. Most of us worry and fuss too much. We would all benefit from becoming a little more like Mary, and a little less like Martha. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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