by MeredithNMills | Jan 15, 2016 | confidence, fear, freedom, grace, knowing God, ministry, rest, serving, Uncategorized, Walking by Faith
“Don’t You care that she’s not helping me?”
Martha’s words reflected the turmoil in her soul. With so much to do, how could Mary just sit there? Did she forget about their large dinner party tonight? The food wouldn’t cook itself!
Martha wanted so much for everything to be perfect – the meal, the accommodations, the service. It wasn’t everyday that Jesus came to visit! She had to make sure He was comfortable during His stay. He needed to feel honored, to know how much she loved Him. But…how could she do it all alone?
“Don’t You care that she’s left me to do all the work? Tell her to get up and get busy!”*
Do you ever feel like Martha? I know I do. All the time. Hubby jokes about my impossible “to do” lists. But it’s true. I seem incapable of creating a “to do” list that’s actually doable.
Oh, I totally get Martha. I know what it’s like to feel resentful when my priorities are not a priority to others.
So when I came across this passage in my Bible reading last week, I spent a while reflecting on it. Where did Martha go wrong? What is life’s one true necessity that Mary chose? And seriously, did Jesus not care about dinner? I mean, just practically speaking, how was dinner going to get on the table if both Mary and Martha sat at His feet?
What strikes me most in this account is the tenderness that exudes from Jesus’ gentle rebuke.
“Martha, Martha…My dearly loved Martha! I do see your hard work! I know you want to honor me and prove your devotion. But, Martha, that’s not what I want from you! You’re so distracted, so anxious, so uptight. You’re trying so hard all the time. Trying to take care of everyone. Trying to stay on top of things. Trying to do the right thing.
“I want you to quit trying and just come rest.
“Just be near Me. Listen to My heart. That’s what Mary has chosen. I won’t send her away to get busy.”*
The key difference, it seems, between the two sisters is this – Martha was driven to serve, while Mary drew near in love. Her adoration compelled her to just be close. To hang on His every word. To listen to His heart. To know Him deeply.
And Jesus said nothing in the world matters more.
His call to know Him and be near Him is woven through all the pages of Scripture.
“Cease striving and know that I am God…” (Ps 46:10a).
“Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…” (Phil 3:8).
“Oh, that we might now the Lord! Let us press on to know Him…” (Hos 6:3a).
“But as for me, the nearness of God is my good…” (Ps 73:28a).
“Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace…” (Heb 4:16a).
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…” (Jas 4:8).
Boil it all down, and we find this at the heart of Christianity – being near God. It’s expressed in many different ways…Abiding in Him. Drawing near to Him. Learning from Him. Loving Him. Fixing our eyes on Him. But it all comes back to intimate nearness with God. Everything else in life flows out of that.
This nearness is certainly cultivated in quiet alone times with Him. But thankfully, for this mama with littles (who finds “quiet time” a bit elusive), I’m learning it can also be cultivated in the noise and activity of life. In my busy “Martha moments,” when dinner truly must get on the table, I can still have the heart of Mary as I rest in my relationship with Him. Serving my family (and anything else I do) can be an overflow of my walk with Him. As I receive and rest in His love, I can freely give it to those around me.
So whatever our season, however busy our days, let us press on to know Him!
How do you cultivate the nearness of God in your daily life?
*This is my paraphrase. 🙂 You can read the whole story in Luke 10:38-42.
by MeredithNMills | Jan 14, 2015 | confidence, Uncategorized
“Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus” Romans 8:1.
Does the voice of condemnation ever whisper in your heart?
Do you ever feel unacceptable to God?
Recently, as I began praising Him in prayer, I was overwhelmed with a general sense of inadequacy. Thoughts of “You’re not good enough to pray” or “You can’t praise Him!” assaulted my mind. I felt that God wouldn’t receive me or extend love to me until I changed…something, though I wasn’t sure what. Oh, I have plenty of shortcomings, and could always do better at so many things – read my Bible more, pray more, abide in Him more consistently. But were these thoughts of condemnation from Him?
So I began asking Him about this. Does He push us away when we come to Him with genuine outpourings of love and adoration? (It sounds ridiculous to actually put that in writing! But when I stop to think about it, these emotions are frequent visitors in my soul. Just being vulnerable here, people! :-)) I often feel that I have to prove to God (by a good track record) that I’m repentant of sins I’ve confessed to Him before He will be close to me.
Psalm 66:18 says, “If I cherish wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” For as long as I can remember, this verse has been my constant companion – either at the forefront of my mind, or in my subconscious thoughts when I pray. It has “guided” me for years. I mean, what good is prayer if He won’t hear me? My understanding (or misunderstanding) of this verse has been at the root of my feelings of condemnation and “unacceptable-ness” before God. It has kept me from wanting to pray because, I’ve reasoned, surely there is some sin I’ve missed or forgotten to confess. Crazy thoughts, I know. Maybe I’m the only one to ever feel this way. Probably not.
As I meditated on this verse, I realized that I’ve totally misunderstood it. To “cherish” sin is to see it, enjoy it, hold onto it. Cherishing sin while still trying to walk with God is like trying to serve two masters (Matt 6:24). It’s trying to walk “in the flesh” and “in the Spirit” at the same time (Gal 5:17). It’s hypocrisy. This is a question of my devotion, my allegiance.
According to Ps 66:18, the consequence of cherishing sin is unheeded prayer, not a rejection of the one praying. In John 6:37, Jesus says, “All whom the Father gives (entrusts) to Me will come to me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out. [I will never, no never, reject one of them who comes to Me]” (Amplified Bible). He will “never drive away” (NIV) His own. Never. Not when we come to Him for salvation, or at any future time in the relationship. Cherishing sin will hinder our prayers. But it will not make God reject us.
On the contrary, we are invited to come boldly to His throne of grace when we are in need (Heb 4:16).
Boldness involves “free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness and assurance.”* This invitation implies full acceptance of the one invited. It recognizes the weakness, the neediness, of the recipient. And, most importantly, it is based on the compassionate understanding of our Mediator, Jesus Christ (Heb 4:15). He gets it. He knows what it’s like to be tempted, to go through tests and trials. But not only can He sympathize, He can empower us to overcome! He was without sin, even in the onslaught of temptation levied by the devil himself. He understands our weakness and has given us the power to be victorious (Eph 1:19-20, 2 Cor 2:14). We can experience that power as we stay connected to Him (Jn 15).
We can’t “clean up our act” before coming to God as Christians, anymore than we could before we were saved. Trying to do so may seem “spiritual,” but it’s really the height of pride. (And while God does not drive away His own, He does resist us when we walk in pride. See James 4:6-8.) We need Him – to convict us of sin, to enable us to see it through His eyes, and to help us turn from it. Our focus must be on Him (Heb 12:2), not on ourselves or our sin. Otherwise, we will live in discouragement. We will shrink away from His presence and will inevitably sin more.
So by all means, run to Jesus!
When you are weak, come to Him for strength. When your heart is hard or complacent, come to Him for healing. When you’re weary, come to Him for rest. When you are lonely, come to Him for companionship. When you are happy, come to Him in gratitude.
Praise Him. Adore Him. Enjoy Him!
If you know Him, come in faith! If you don’t yet know Him, come in faith! He won’t turn you away.
When the voice of condemnation whispers in your soul, press harder into Him. Speak truth to yourself. If you are His, you are redeemed, forgiven, and made holy. Celebrate Him!
Lord, I come. I will praise You, adore You, enjoy You. No, I am not worthy. Only Jesus is worthy. But I am accepted, welcomed, even drawn by the One who died to bring me near (Eph 2:13).
What thoughts hinder you from boldly approaching your Father?
*From the Blue Letter Bible Lexicon
