I was going about my daily business, as you do when God brought my attention to something- I was behaving like Martha. Martha is many things but the specific reference is taken from this passage:
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42 (NIV).
The main part that really stood out to me is in verse 40-41 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things.
I had become distracted by doing the things of Christ outside and within church but had neglected actually being IN Christ and taking time to listen at His feet. Truth is, it is so easy to get lost in serving God that you begin to do things by rote.
You forget to pray as you start your day or task.
You do things in your own strength or 'talent'.
You don't carve out dedicated time for God.
To make matters even 'better' for me, verse 41 -“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, became my reality.
It is an oxymoron to be serving God and still be filled with worries. I mean, where God is there is peace, so if you are truly serving Him in His strength and not yours, worry has no place there.
It is one thing to come to this realisation and another to actually change. So, how can we become more focused on God?
1. Intentionality
Be intentional about starting your day or a task right. Even when serving in church, don't just start without praying to God and asking Him for guidance. If not, you are just going through the actions without the help of the Holy Spirit.
2. Stay fresh
The Bible says, 'Give us this day our daily bread', for a reason. We cannot stay fresh on yesterday's word- we need to continuously remain in His presence. Stay fresh, not stale.
3.Pray
This cannot be over emphasised enough.
Prayer changes things.
Prayer changes our focus from ourself to Him.
Prayer provides perspective.
Prayer is life.
Prayer is humility.
Don't get it twisted, there is nothing wrong with serving God in church or elsewhere, but in the process we should not lose sight of our why and our why is God.
So, in this new week and beyond, let us keep our focus on God and not get lost in the busyness of life.
In a world where being Martha- booked, busy and occupied is the norm, dare to be a Mary.