MARY CHOSE TO SIT AT THE FEET OF JESUS
Martha was distracted and she missed what’s the most important thing in life!
When I volunteered for the U.S. Navy, I was persuaded a large part of my responsibility was to serve our country and protect its citizens. I was stationed overseas for four years during which time I served on two Naval vessels and in the Sea Bees. After my discharge from the Navy, I
served as a ten-year volunteer deputy in our local sheriffs department, I believed the slogan “to serve and protect.”
Service for others is very popular in today’s economy i.e., in church groups, various clubs, and many other organizations. Emphasis on service as the primary purpose of moral and Christian conduct is frequently accepted without question. Service is often the highest
motivation in many moral and humanitarian efforts, but this kind of moral service is not true of the Christian way of life. It is true, however, that service or good works is a large part of God’s purpose for those who are saved by His marvelous grace.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
Any believer whose life is not saturated with good works is perpetually failing to measure up to God’s plan for their lives. The Apostle Paul consistently admonished all believers to serve faithfully, and so it should be with all believers who trust in Jesus Christ for eternal salvation.
“My beloved brethren, be you steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
“I beseech you brethren that you present your bodies a living sacrifice which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).
The importance of works is further shown by the fact that God holds everyone responsible for what is to be accomplished in the Christian way of life. “So then everyone of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).
“Wherefore we labor, that whether present or absent (from the body) we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that what he has done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5: 9, 10).
Repeated admonitions that God values and recognizes good works is further evidence of their great importance. “If any man serve me, him will my Father honor” (John 12:26).
“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which you have showed toward his name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister ” (Hebrews 6:10).
“Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor” (1 Corinthians 3:8).
“Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man does, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free” (Ephesians 6:8).
“And behold I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12).
It is of great importance for the believer to perform good works and to be aware that he is held accountable for what is accomplished in his quickly passing life. How encouraging it is to know that God will not fail to recognize every good thing that is done by the serving saint. As important as service is in the believer’s life there is something else that must accompany effective service. It is to know that He desires and values love, devotion, and all glory going to Himself. He doesn’t need
your service to sustain him because He is always sustained by Himself.
The benefit in service is that when you serve under the power of the controlling ministry of the Holy Spirit your works will count as they are classified as gold silver, and precious stone. In other words, they will endure and will not be consumed at the judgment seat of Christ to be
burned as wood, hay, and stubble. It is easy to become so active and consumed with our own personal agendas that we lose sight of the primary objective. The primary
mission is that our service and performance must begin and continue with a total occupation with Christ.
Constant and full occupation with Him must be accompanied by a passionate desire to please purely
because of who and what He is, and not because of who and what we are as His servants. This kind of focus has almost become a lost reality in the Christian way of life, but it is a necessary prerequisite for acceptable service to Him. An event in the lives of two sisters who were His most intimate friends gave Jesus an occasion to express Himself in this matter. The story is expressed as follows:
Jesus entered into a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha received Him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who also sat a Jesus’ feet, and HEARD HIS WORD. But Martha was cumbered about with much serving and came to Him and said, “Lord, do you not care that Mary my sister has left me to
serve alone? Tell her that she should help me to serve.” Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha you are careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: and Mary has chosen that good part, which
shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10: 38-42).
These believing sisters represent two different attitudes that many believers take in their service toward Christ. Both sisters were intensely devoted to Jesus, but there was a vast difference in their attitude toward Him. Martha’s attitude was to be busy in doing a material
service for Him. This was carried so far that she became occupied by much serving and as a result became impatient with her sister. Martha wanted to do everything expeditiously and with perfection. She really
cared for her unique guest. She was not occupied with things separate from Jesus, all she did was for Him, exclusively. But notice, Mary, instead of doing something for Him, sat at His feet and received from Him. How personal and how wonderful. It was all about who He was and not who she was or what she was doing for Him. He would later give his all for her, and to all who would believe on Him.
To fully realize this unique situation, we must remember that their unique guest was the One by whom all things in heaven and earth had been made. He was the Word made flesh, full of grace and truth. He had come that out of His fulness of grace they might receive grace upon
grace. Mary desired to receive spiritual things from Him, Martha was so nervous and busy in her task of serving Him with temporal things that she had no time to receive the spiritual things He had come to offer her.
In clear and unmistakable terms, Jesus expressed His evaluation of these two attitudes toward Him. He kindly rebuked Martha for being concerned and troubled about many things and added that Mary had chosen that good part, which should not be taken away from her. In His answer to Martha, Jesus announced that an attitude of devotion with a desire to receive from Him is more highly valued by Him than service with temporal matters.
Notice in His last commission to Peter at (John 21:15-17) He intensified His evaluation of devotion over service. He made love for Him the condition for service. He remarked, “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?” Simon answered, “Thou knowest, that I love
thee.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Three times Jesus repeated His question and three times Simon replied, “Yes.” The last two times Jesus commissioned him to feed His sheep. There can be no question that Jesus makes love for Himself the condition for ministering spiritual
things to His sheep.
In a third instance the importance of the attitude toward Christ over service, is declared even stronger. From the Island of Patmos John wrote to seven churches in Asia Minor. He wrote to the Church of Ephesus: “These things says he that holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know your works, and your labor and your patience and how you cannot bear them which are evil; and you have tried them which say they are apostles, and are not and have found them liars: and have been patience for my name’s sake have labored and have not fainted”
(Revelation 2:1-3).
Notice the powerful commendation. They had works and labor and patience. They could not bear evil and had cast out false leaders. They were commended for the second time for their patience and labor in the name of Christ, and in all these things they had not fainted. Indeed,
this was an unusual assessment of service as many of the churches of this age were not worthy of this commendation. Please notice closely these powerful words. “Nevertheless, I have somewhat against you, because you have left your first love. Remember therefore from whence you are fallen, and repent, and do
the first works; or else I will come unto you quickly, and will remove your candlestick out of its place, except you repent” (Revelation 2:4,5).
Only one thing was lacking in the church of Ephesus; it was the first love for Christ, a love for Him before everything else. Because of this deficiency of first love, they were warned that their candlestick would be removed out of its place if they did not repent. If separated from their first love they could not walk in the light of the gospel of the amazing grace of God. Most certainly there is something more important to Christ than the service of a man as important as that
service is there is something exceedingly important that is frequently overlooked. From the instances mentioned above, it is clear that our wonderful Lord desires and values the love of those who are His far more than any service they can possibly render to Him. His love is
perfected in the believer when there is a response to him in love and full adoration.
“We love him, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
Are you impressed with how much you love God? Don’t be because the best of your love of God comes from a limited human being and is relative and far from perfect.
Our focus and motivation must be directed to how much He perfectly loves us and not how much we imperfectly love him. His love is perfect because He is perfect. Our love is imperfect because we are imperfect. You may be thinking, “Oh no! I love Him with all my heart.” What an
imperfect source from which to love our Savior! Your heart is a sewer and “out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Matthew 15:19).
The only possible way to love Him is to love Him by means of the power that comes from the controlling ministry of the Holy Spirit. We can only love Him in truth as we are controlled by the Holy Spirit whose ministry
it is to Glorify Christ in us. Our behavior counts not so much by what we do, but by what we do when we are controlled by the indwelling and filling ministry of God the Holy Spirit. One is human production that
emanates from the energy of the flesh (the OSN); the other is divine production that is accomplished by means of the controlling ministry of God the Holy Spirit. One is gold, silver, precious stones, the other is wood, hay, stubble.
Notice: “This I say then, walk by means of the Holy Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (the OSN), (Galatians 5:16).
“Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT” (Ephesians 5:18).
“Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).
“For you were sometimes darkness, but now are you light in the Lord; walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).
“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18).
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
If you have never believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, the issue is not confessing your sins, it is Believe on Him Who has died for your sins and will hear you and immediately save your eternal soul.
“He that believes on me has everlasting life” (John 6:47).
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
