Another Monday has rolled around, and it’s time for a little dose of Monday Motivation to help you make it through the week.
In the Bible, there was a lady named Martha. She had a sister named Mary and a brother named Lazarus. If you read the Bible, you may be familiar with their story. Lazarus is the man who was dead four days and Jesus raised him from the dead.
But let’s get back to Martha. She was a very hospitable person, it seems, and whenever Jesus and His disciples visited their city of Bethany, they would drop in and Martha and her siblings would open their home to them. On this occasion, the Bible says, Martha was knocking herself out in the kitchen, preparing food for Jesus and His friends, while Mary sat at His feet drinking in every word He had to say.
If you were in Martha’s position, what would you do? This is what Martha did:
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!” (Luke 10: 40)NIV
Martha fully expected Jesus to tell Mary to go and help her sister, but instead Luke wrote, “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” (v 41).
Strange, isn’t it? Martha obviously thought she was doing the right thing,. According to Bible commentaries, it would seem that she had gone to great pains to prepare something close to a feast, instead of a simple meal, which would have sufficed.
Jesus addressed her, “Martha, Martha,” the way we would address a child or maybe a close friend. It was a gentle rebuke, but carried a lot of weight. In today’s language He might have said, “Don’t worry about it. Relax. Just give us what you have and do like Mary. What she is doing is more important.”
We can learn a lot from this Bible story. Many times we find ourselves consumed by the busyness of our lives. We rush here and there, get involved in this or that project, even with our exercise, we may go overboard like Martha. Let us ask ourselves, is all of it really necessary? Are we being kind to ourselves?
When was the last time you turned off the television, the phone, the computer and the many things that distract you? When was the last time you listened to the birds singing, admired a beautiful sunset or went to a quiet place where you could be still and meditate on God’s word. If you don’t have an answer, maybe it’s time you did like Mary, sit at Jesus’s feet and listen to what He has to say to you. Your body and your mind will thank you for it.
This week, make time to get away from the housework and the many distractions and just be still. Then drop me a line and tell me all about it.
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