At the beginning of the year, there was an amazing sale on Beth Moore ebooks on Amazon.com. I downloaded several I hadn't read. She isn't Oneness, but I've always loved her writing. She has such a fresh view of the Word of God. I immediately began Jesus, The One and Only. Nearly four weeks later, I'm only about halfway through. See, when I read a novel, I read very quickly, usually completing 250+ pages in a few hours. With books like this, I have to slow down and let it soak into my spirit. The way Beth Moore compares ministry in general, to the ministry of Christ in this book has been eye-opening (and heart-opening) to me.
I was so excited when I arrived at chapter 33 and saw the title "A True Tale of Two Sisters." I immediately knew who those two sisters had to be! I've always loved the story of Mary and Martha. I remember being so excited when the book Having A Mary Heart in A Martha World came out several years ago. I read it many times over.
Beth Moore made so many good points, I thought they would be worth sharing with you. (All direct quotes from her book will be in quotation marks.)
First, she points out that Jesus loved Martha (John 11:5). "Martha was a good woman. Jesus loved her very much, apron and all." Everything Martha did was good. Mary simply chose to do something better.
"Martha opened her home, but Mary opened her heart." How many times have we attended events that wouldn't have happened without a Martha? Our church congregations have a Martha to thank for a clean place to worship and meals served for special events. Luke 10:38 says "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him." Not Lazarus, not Mary. Martha was the one who invited Jesus into their home that day. "Otherwise, Mary wouldn't have had a set of feet at which to sit...Martha's hospitality brought Him there." I think there is a point to be made here. Outside of family, we have very few people at our house. I usually feel there's too much involved getting my toddler-proofed house ready for "real company." I would hate to think someone had missed out on communion with the Savior, because I wasn't willing to open my home. We have to know when to serve and when to stop and worship. Its a balance that is learned. While God would say its best to open your heart, don't you think He also wants you to open your home?
"Distraction is the noble person's biggest hindrance to listening." "Martha wasn't stopping her ears and refusing to listen. She simply 'was distracted.'" Oh mercy. How many times have I left a service and wondered what the message was about? Distractions come in many forms. In Martha's case, however, the church service was happening in her living room! I cannot imagine how distracted I would have been...preparing lunch for the Messiah, while He sat in my living room teaching and preaching. I wouldn't have heard a word He said! I wouldn't been too worried that if I stopped to focus on Him, I would burn the rolls in the oven.
"Sometimes ministry can be the biggest distraction to the pursuit of true intimacy with God." This point was huge to me. Luke 10:40 says "Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made." "You may faint when you see the Greek word for 'preparations.' The word is diakonos. It means 'service, attendance, ministry.' We are more familiar with the word diakonos, meaning 'servant.' God's Word is saying that if we're not careful, even our need-meeting, well-meaning ministries can distract us from what is most important."
In some ways, I have more time than I used to, in other ways I don't. I'm not preparing for youth services anymore. I have no department head meetings to attend. I do, however, have lots of traveling to do as my husband evangelizes part time. Its not easy preparing to be out of town when you work 33 hours a week, have a toddler, and are active in your home church as well. It is definitely easy to become overwhelmed with the day-to-day tasks of life and ministry, in any season of it. Its easy to put the Bible on the back burner, while you prepare a meal for Bible study. I wonder if God would prefer we pick up some fried chicken, and spend our time in prayer and study of the Word, as opposed to rushing around picking up toys and cooking? Have you heard the saying, "If Satan can't make us bad, he'll make us busy." Satan technically can't make us anything, but we often give him lots of opportunity to manipulate. Lord please don't let me become so busy "helping You" that I don't have time to hear from You.
"Martha forgot to keep the 'pre' in preparation." Remember how the scripture said Martha was distracted by all the preparations. "Understand that these preparations were not frivolous. They were important! By doing them, Martha served Christ appropriately and enhanced the atmosphere in which He taught." If I'm going to be in someone's home, I would definitely like for that person to be a Martha. Martha's home will be clean and her food will taste wonderful. Stay with a Mary, and you may starve to death! The problem with Martha's preparations, was that she didn't limited them to the "'pre,' she continued her duties when the time came to sit at Christ's feet and listen." Oh yes, our preparations are critical. Every church service, every prayer meeting, every small group gathering. All depend on preparation. I don't believe God is adequately honored when our music is sloppy, our foyers aren't homey and inviting, our sanctuaries are full of used Kleenex from the previous service. However, God is doubly honored, when our preparation happens in advance so that when the time comes to stop and worship, we are able to do it with our minds free of distraction.
"Those distracted by service are often those who miss how much Jesus cares." Verse 40 says, "'Martha came to Christ and asked, 'Lord, don't You care?' I have a feeling if someone had asked Mary at the end of the day if Christ cared about her, she would have answered affirmatively without hesitation. Mind you, John 11:5 has already assured us Jesus loved both of them very much. I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that at times Mary probably sensed His love and care more readily than Martha. Why? I believe John 15:9 holds the key. Jesus told the disciples, 'remain in my love.' The more we cultivate a keener awareness of Christ's presence, the more we will abide or remain in the sense of His love. Christ's love for us never changes. However, our sense of His loving care changes drastically from time to time...Sometimes we are so shocked when a seasoned servant of God confesses that he or she is struggling with belief and awareness of God's loving care. We might think, you of all people! You are such a wonderful servant of God. How can you doubt for a moment how much He cares for you? Could it be that somehow service has distracted from the abundant, life-giving intimacy? Don't neglect to give Him ample opportunities to lavish you with the love He always feels for you."
The last point she made was this:
"Many things are important, but only one thing is necessary." "In our fight for right priorities, many things vie for the top of the heap, but only one is necessary." My relationship with God is the one thing I cannot do without! The message to Martha that day was not that we should neglect family or responsibility to pray and study the Word. "His message is that many things are important, but one thing is essential: Him."
"As we conclude, look at three simple words from Luke 10:42: 'Mary has chosen.' That's how it will always be. Right priorities will never choose us. They are a choice - in the midst of many other good ones. The word chosen comes from the Greek word eklego, meaning 'to choose, select, choose for oneself.' We can't choose what is necessary for anyone else, but we can certainly set an example. The remainder of the definition reads: 'not necessarily implying the rejection of what is not chosen, but giving favor to the chosen subject, keeping in view a relationship to be established between the one choosing and the object chosen. It involves preference and selection from among many choices.'
The choice is ours...what will it be?
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
The Struggle With Doubt
I've been blessed in my life to know people who seemed to live out their faith flawlessly. At least through my childish eyes, they never had bouts with doubt. Looking back through my adult eyes, I'm pretty sure there were times they doubted God's plan.
Luke 7 tells of John the Baptist sending messengers to Jesus. The messengers asked Jesus if He was the Messiah. Jesus told them to return to John and tell them, "The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor." Luke neglected to tell us (thankfully Matthew did) that John was sitting in a prison cell at the time. John knew in his head that Jesus was the Messiah. Sitting in that prison cell, however, was causing a little doubt in his heart.
Can you relate? I know I can. I've seen miraculous healings and heard incredible testimonies all of my life. Yet, there have been times when I so desperately desired God's intervening power on my behalf, that all the times I knew He had come through in the past seemed nonexistent. During those times, its easy to doubt who He is. Its also easy to question why He isn't doing something for you, when you hear testimony after testimony from others.
John the Baptist was not like "a reed swayed by the wind." Like those precious saints I knew growing up, he was a man of absolute faith. I don't believe for an instant that John was struggling with "head-doubt." I think, however, sitting in a prison and hearing about Jesus proclaiming freedom to the captives, he was thinking "Hey You, I know a prisoner over here who could use a little freedom!" His struggle was with "heart-doubt." There is most definitely a difference.
A little heart-doubt from time to time is probably normal, but it has the potential to be very dangerous. The problem comes when we allow our emotions to override what we know in our minds to be true. Jeremiah 17:9 says "the heart is deceitful above all things." This is why the world's philosophy "just follow your heart" can be so detrimental to disciples of Christ.
We have to work through our periods of heart-doubt WITH Jesus, through prayer and godly counsel. We can't allow our moments of heart-doubt to override what we know, that we know, that we know to be true in our minds: God's way is always the right way.
Frustratingly, sometimes we merely come to the conclusion that God's plan is greater than ours and there are some things we will never understand this side of heaven. God's way was right for John. The timing of his incarceration was not an accident. The Bible says John's task was to prepare the way of the Lord. Even John himself said "He must increase and I must decrease." John continuing in ministry could have actually caused some people to miss out on salvation.
Again, God's way is always right. When John the Baptist reached heaven and understood the kingdom plan, do you think he would have traded his role in that plan for anything? More than that, do you think he would have given up those days he spent in a prison cell? He alone was chosen to prepare the way for the greatest work of God known to man. What could be greater than that?
If you're struggling with a little heart-doubt today, keep your chin up. There is a kingdom plan in motion, there is reason you are sitting where you are. Please don't allow your heart-doubt to invade your mind. Think on good things. Remind yourself of God's faithfulness in the past. Encourage yourself in the Lord. One day, it will all make sense.
Luke 7 tells of John the Baptist sending messengers to Jesus. The messengers asked Jesus if He was the Messiah. Jesus told them to return to John and tell them, "The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor." Luke neglected to tell us (thankfully Matthew did) that John was sitting in a prison cell at the time. John knew in his head that Jesus was the Messiah. Sitting in that prison cell, however, was causing a little doubt in his heart.
Can you relate? I know I can. I've seen miraculous healings and heard incredible testimonies all of my life. Yet, there have been times when I so desperately desired God's intervening power on my behalf, that all the times I knew He had come through in the past seemed nonexistent. During those times, its easy to doubt who He is. Its also easy to question why He isn't doing something for you, when you hear testimony after testimony from others.
John the Baptist was not like "a reed swayed by the wind." Like those precious saints I knew growing up, he was a man of absolute faith. I don't believe for an instant that John was struggling with "head-doubt." I think, however, sitting in a prison and hearing about Jesus proclaiming freedom to the captives, he was thinking "Hey You, I know a prisoner over here who could use a little freedom!" His struggle was with "heart-doubt." There is most definitely a difference.
A little heart-doubt from time to time is probably normal, but it has the potential to be very dangerous. The problem comes when we allow our emotions to override what we know in our minds to be true. Jeremiah 17:9 says "the heart is deceitful above all things." This is why the world's philosophy "just follow your heart" can be so detrimental to disciples of Christ.
We have to work through our periods of heart-doubt WITH Jesus, through prayer and godly counsel. We can't allow our moments of heart-doubt to override what we know, that we know, that we know to be true in our minds: God's way is always the right way.
Frustratingly, sometimes we merely come to the conclusion that God's plan is greater than ours and there are some things we will never understand this side of heaven. God's way was right for John. The timing of his incarceration was not an accident. The Bible says John's task was to prepare the way of the Lord. Even John himself said "He must increase and I must decrease." John continuing in ministry could have actually caused some people to miss out on salvation.
Again, God's way is always right. When John the Baptist reached heaven and understood the kingdom plan, do you think he would have traded his role in that plan for anything? More than that, do you think he would have given up those days he spent in a prison cell? He alone was chosen to prepare the way for the greatest work of God known to man. What could be greater than that?
If you're struggling with a little heart-doubt today, keep your chin up. There is a kingdom plan in motion, there is reason you are sitting where you are. Please don't allow your heart-doubt to invade your mind. Think on good things. Remind yourself of God's faithfulness in the past. Encourage yourself in the Lord. One day, it will all make sense.
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