My Own Terms

Passages: Genesis 29:19-34 & Luke 10:24-42

Scripture:
"Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary..." Luke 10:41

Observation:
Martha had her issues. She was busy making preparations and became irritated at the thought of her sister doing nothing. It is easy to imagine how she felt. Jesus did not wait for her to finish her tasks before he started teaching. Mary did not hang in there with her before going to hear him teach. She was left alone in her preparations. Jesus showed up while she was in the middle of something. Instead of stopping, she chose to miss out. Instead of owning her decision, she chose to resent those who made a better choice. Instead of slowing down to sense God's movement; she chose to stay on task.

Application:
As I look at this passage, I sense from God three things that He wants to say to me. First, what bothers and worries me? As I think on things that tick me off or cause me concern it creates a mental list in my mind at least a mile long. I am easily annoyed. I think the only skill that each person is naturally gifted at is being annoying. I am also easily worried. All it takes is one phone call, one simple letter, one hint of bad news; then worry descends on me like a bandit and robs me of every sense of peace that I have. The simple truth is that God calls me to be slow to anger, full of kindness and to worry about only one thing; His presence.

Second, what is my attitude in serving? Today's world focuses intently on people's natural gifts and abilities and equality. Everyone is supposed to carry their fair share of the burden and we all should do only those things that we feel capable of doing. It is easy to fall into that trap and become frustrated when things do not fall into alignment with that. All those things seem logical, but they are not Biblical. When I read the Bible, I seldom see people called to things they are naturally equipped to complete. I also NEVER see Jesus teaching on things being fair and balanced. The simple truth is that God calls me to serve with a pure heart, seeking his equipping, and ignoring the contributions of others.

Finally, do I pay attention to where God is moving? God is inconvenient and unconventional. He shows up at the worse of times and asks me to do things that just don't make sense. In the heat of an argument, He shows up and asks me to be kind. I pray for a chance to pray for someone and he sends me a candidate for turd of the year. I'm standing in line at the grocery store when my heart melts for the guy standing next to me. I am late for a meeting when someone stops in to say they need to talk. On and on and on I could go. Following after God is a task that will NEVER be convenient and will never follow my logic.

Prayer:
I want to serve You, but I want to serve You on my own terms. As I sit this morning and look on these three things, I feel helpless and hopeless. I need Your help. Learning to control my worries and annoyances; keeping my attitude in serving pure, and sensing Your movement and presence is something that I can't do on my own. I pray that You guide and direct me on this journey. Teach me to complete the things that You have placed on my heart this morning.