Our Blog

Family Ministry Moments - September 2024

Confession - I’m a Martha!

Recently our family was watching The Chosen, a dramatization of the life of Jesus and the disciples.  Jesus was at the house of his friend, Lazarus, teaching.  Lazarus’ sister, Mary, listened intently while his other sister, Martha, attended to the guests, ensuring everyone was comfortable and fed. Martha attempts to rebuke her sister for just sitting there while she was doing all the work.  She does this by asking Jesus to tell Mary to help her.  Jesus kindly rebukes Martha saying that Mary, by sitting at Jesus' feet, has chosen the better thing.  This story comes from Luke 10:38-42.  It was portrayed very powerfully in the show.  I was moved because I saw myself in the person of Martha.

The Chosen is a dramatization that takes some liberties to fill in the gaps in scripture so we can not use it as our source of truth; however, it is helpful to see biblical accounts played out on the screen for us, provided we reconcile our thoughts, feelings, and actions with scripture.  In our day and age, we are such visual creatures, reading less and less and having less and less imagination.  It can be difficult to imagine the context and setting of the biblical accounts.  That is why this story touched me so much.

I have read the account of the story in Luke 10 many times.  I have taught on it and I have heard it taught many times.  For some reason when Jesus told Martha, “You are anxious and troubled about many things” in vs. 41 it hit differently.  Maybe it is the stage of life I am in or the busyness of the summer all while preparing for the school year.  Whatever it is, I can relate to Martha at this moment.

Martha was anxious because she was, “distracted by much serving.” (v. 40). She has at least 13 guests in her home, one of which was Jesus.  She probably wanted to make sure everything was perfect. She was overwhelmed.  So much so that she asked Jesus to instruct her sister to help her.  Jesus surprises all of us by rebuking Martha, saying there are many things you can be concerned about but there is only one truly necessary thing, the thing that Mary was doing, sitting at Jesus' feet listening.

The gravity of this should not be lost on us.  Mary was simply sitting at Jesus' feet absorbing what he was saying.  This is a humble and open posture.  Someone who wants to take it all in; someone that is not only interested in knowledge, but one that is listening for life change.  In my own life, I have noticed a difference between when I am listening to get the information and when I am really listening because what I am hearing is impactful to my life. This happens when my heart and my head connect while I am learning. It doesn’t happen all the time but when it does I have found myself being intentional to listen and have an openness to hear what is being said.  This was what Mary was doing, she was listening intently.

Serving the Lord is super important!  We are called to serve but there are many of us, myself included, that are just like Martha. We get lost in our service, we find our validation in it and if we are not careful we resent others that are not serving.  The prescription for people like Martha is not to stop serving but to make sure we include times of sitting at Jesus' feet.  Realize that you don’t have to be busy all the time.  Make yourself sit in quiet reflection on the Bible and in prayer.  Make sure your posture, both physically and mentally, is open to what God is saying through His Word.  Our time of devotion is not just another thing to cross off the list (Marthas love crossing things off a list), it is a vehicle to grow our relationship with Jesus.  My challenge for you and myself is to be intentional about spending time with Jesus this week. It can be difficult at first because you will want to be doing something “productive”, but sometimes the most productive thing we can do as a Christian is to sit at Jesus' feet and just listen.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:1-2

Worship Ministry - September 2024

Wisdom and Peace

Why is living peacefully so hard? Why is it so easy to get irritated or angry at someone? Whether it be conflict with your neighbor over a fence line, someone cutting in line at the store or how other people drive, it is so easy for us to give in to our self-righteous anger. I know I am quick to yell at the car next to me during the morning commute, and I am sure you could make a list of things that get under your skin.

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.” James 3:17-18

As we live our lives, we must seek Christ and all that is good in Him. We seek His wisdom and pure heart. We desire His strength and humility. His righteousness! We know this, but doing it with a steadfast heart is a bigger task. We give way to our flesh and worldly desires, and then we try to redeem ourselves through our own strength and
works - as if that’s even possible. Has God not made it clear to us where we should find wisdom, strength, and peace? We must remember to turn to the Lord, not just first but God alone. It is only God that can make us righteous and holy, turn to no one else but Him.

“God’s Wisdom produces that which is right, that which is pleasing and honoring to God, and that which is good for the people of God.” - David Platt (Christ-Centered Exposition commentary) When it comes to choosing between God’s wisdom and our own, choosing God’s is never followed with regret. We are never left wishing that we'd gone a different direction when we decide to follow God’s Word and Will. Seeking and following God’s wisdom brings us peace! “The peacemakers are blessed, for they will be called sons of God” (Matt 5:9)

Have you ever tried picking a restaurant to eat at with a group of people? It’s like pulling teeth to get everyone to decide on one place. This is true for all aspects of our lives! Life would be easy except that there are other people in the world who make it difficult; however, as we walk with Christ there can be peace through Christ. A.W. Tozer wrote, “As long as you set yourself up as a little god to which you must be loyal, how can you hope to find inward peace.” We can’t find peace when we rely on ourselves or anyone other than God.

As we desire Christ, we desire His wisdom and peace for He too desires these things for us. “Peace is what God desires in our relationships, our homes, and our churches.” David Platt (Christ-Centered Exposition commentary)

“5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting....” James 1:5-6a

Ask the Lord for His wisdom and peace! In those times of frustration or trouble, stop and pray that He would guide you and give you a heart and mind like Christ’s. Rely on Him alone!