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Volume. XXIX, No. 14 Two Sisters
Long time ago, in a town called Bethany Lived two sisters, a Martha and a Mary They loved the Lord with all of their heart Each one doing their own little part. When Jesus visited them one day This caused elation, and then dismay! For one sister wanted to serve her best To her that meant there was no time for rest. She hurried about, rushing to and fro Everything must be right and just so! She worried and fussed about the meal, The Lord in their midst didn’t seem quite real. “I have to give my best, “ she thought. But Jesus Himself, she forgot. Till she saw her sister sitting there At Jesus’ feet, without a care! Anger and envy filled her mind “She’s not helping me, she’s not being kind! How mean of her to do this to me, I must tell Jesus and make Him see!” But Jesus answered and said unto her “I know both your heart and that of your sister. Your good intentions and care you give; Love with service, that’s how you live. But worry and cares have taken away The better part: to choose to stay And hear my words and commune with me For this good thing, I commend Mary.” For she had seized the chance to hear The words of the Lord she holds most dear; How else to know what He bids us do Or hear of His amazing love for you. So let us get our priorities straight: There are some things that just have to wait. We must take time to spend with God; Anything less we cannot afford. Time to listen and time to pray Time to read His Word each day For there is no more important goal Than to love the Lord with heart, mind and soul. *Creative license taken by the author to paraphrase Luke 10:38-42 These few verses in Luke 10:38-42 tell us a lot about our sinful human nature, even though we may love and serve the Lord. The Lord loved this family of Martha, Mary and their brother Lazarus. And they loved Him. However, there are a few lessons we can learn from Martha and Mary from this short passage. 1. Get our priorities right We may love the Lord, but if we lose sight of Him amidst our busyness of “serving” or “doing” for Him, then we have misplaced our focus. Mary chose to hear Jesus’ words. How often do we get an opportunity to do that? We will always be able to serve the Lord whether at work, school, home or church (for example, showing our love for others by hospitality, serving at church, etc.) but do we seize the chance to hear God’s Words? Jesus’ disciples had the opportunity to hear Jesus’ words from His lips while He walked on earth. They didn’t understand they wouldn’t have Him for long. There are places in the world that do not have the freedom to hear and study God’s Word at liberty. Will you let your many opportunities slip through your fingers? What if the day comes when we do not have this freedom anymore? 2. Do not compare yourself with others There are many pitfalls if we start comparing ourselves with others. Jesus told Peter not to concern himself about what others were doing but to follow Him (John 21:20-22). When we look at others, we look away from God. Comparing yourself to others may: A. Make you “puffed up” - as the Pharisee in Luke 18:10-11 was. In looking at what others were doing and comparing himself, he thought he was more righteous than other men. When Martha compared herself to what Mary was doing, she started thinking she was more righteous. This has the added effect of “putting someone down”. That is, by elevating yourself in your eyes, you are effectively looking down on someone else. We are commanded instead to esteem others better than ourselves (Phil 2:3-5). Let the humility of Jesus Christ be an example to us. B. Make you discouraged - Elijah felt so discouraged that he requested to die (1 Kings 19:4). He felt he could not bear the burden, as those before him did. In the verses following, God dealt very gently with Elijah (1 Kings 19:5-15) but He also reminded Elijah who He was and that He still had a job for Him to do. Being discouraged is not a sin, but let us also be reminded not to look at and depend more on ourselves rather than God, who is able to continue to use us if we are willing. 3. Do not be anxious Martha was anxious that everyone be served properly. She probably felt that she should do her best for the Lord whom she loved dearly. This caused worry about external things (hospitality), but she neglected the more important inner spiritual nourishment. Serving the Lord is important, but if this causes anxiousness, then the motive may need to be corrected. Do not borrow trouble for yourself, do what God has given you the ability to do and seek Him first and always (Matt 6:33-34). We also need not worry about what others think, as long as we are doing God’s Will. He knows what is in your heart. If you are doing something because of what others may think, then we need to examine our motives again. Man may look at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart (1 Sam 16:7). Deaconess Joyce Gong |
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