Mary and Martha – Two Different Sisters
Luke 10 tells the story of two sisters, Mary and Martha. We don’t know much about them, other than they are sisters and Jesus with his disciples were dining at their home.
Mary is enthralled by her Savior, and sits intently listening to his teachings. She is mesmerized and wants to soak up everything that she can, thinking of nothing else. Martha, on the other hand, is working in the kitchen trying to prepare a meal for all of her guests. She is the one who has taken on the responsibility of meal prep, cooking, cleaning, and presentation of a perfect meal.
At one point Martha becomes frustrated. She has been in the kitchen, slaving away making a meal for the guests while her sister sits with the company. She even goes out to the company and asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her. Something in my gut tells me this is not the first time Martha tried to boss Mary around. Jesus’ reply was this:
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied. “You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42
Clearly Mary and Martha are two very different sisters. One is worried about the things of the world at present, and the other about the world to come. One is task-oriented, and the other thought-oriented. Martha is concerned with working hard, entertaining her guests, and providing a perfect meal –while Mary is content learning from the Lord about the path to Heaven and the world to come.
One is concerned with appearances, and the other with the heart.
This is a good lesson about looking deep inside the heart and seeing what is really important. Just like Martha could not ‘earn’ Jesus’ respect by cooking a meal, so we cannot ‘earn’ God’s favor by working our way into Heaven. It is not our works that earn us anything. Salvation is a gift –a free gift of grace. We can choose to accept it, or not. It cannot be bought, sold, or earned. It is not a wage, or a commodity. There is only one source, and that is from God.
Now, this said, there is nothing wrong with entertaining guests, and having fun in our homes, but at what cost? Is there a deeper motive somewhere that is hidden from view?
The Bible says we are to be in the world, but not of the world. That’s a hard one sometimes. We all want the respect and recognition of others. The questions is, how do you go about it?
Until next time:
Peace to you and yours,
Have this blog delivered right to your Kindle!
http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-is-my-Life-Coach/dp/B00K11MI58/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1417217979&sr=8-3&keywords=loretta+Sinclair+blogs
Tweet me @LorettaLea
#jclc #Sinclair
#JesusChristLifeCoach
#JesusIsMyLifeCoach
Re-Inventing the Impossible
~Lori
Loretta Sinclair
Sinclair Publishing
http://www.SinclairInkSpot.com
http://www.SinclairInkSpot.com/Jesus-is-my-life-coach
Jesus is my Life Coach!
http://www.sinclairinkspot.com/jesus-is-my-life-coach
Luke 10 tells the story of two sisters, Mary and Martha. We don’t know much about them, other than they are sisters and Jesus with his disciples were dining at their home.
Mary is enthralled by her Savior, and sits intently listening to his teachings. She is mesmerized and wants to soak up everything that she can, thinking of nothing else. Martha, on the other hand, is working in the kitchen trying to prepare a meal for all of her guests. She is the one who has taken on the responsibility of meal prep, cooking, cleaning, and presentation of a perfect meal.
At one point Martha becomes frustrated. She has been in the kitchen, slaving away making a meal for the guests while her sister sits with the company. She even goes out to the company and asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her. Something in my gut tells me this is not the first time Martha tried to boss Mary around. Jesus’ reply was this:
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied. “You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42
Clearly Mary and Martha are two very different sisters. One is worried about the things of the world at present, and the other about the world to come. One is task-oriented, and the other thought-oriented. Martha is concerned with working hard, entertaining her guests, and providing a perfect meal –while Mary is content learning from the Lord about the path to Heaven and the world to come.
One is concerned with appearances, and the other with the heart.
This is a good lesson about looking deep inside the heart and seeing what is really important. Just like Martha could not ‘earn’ Jesus’ respect by cooking a meal, so we cannot ‘earn’ God’s favor by working our way into Heaven. It is not our works that earn us anything. Salvation is a gift –a free gift of grace. We can choose to accept it, or not. It cannot be bought, sold, or earned. It is not a wage, or a commodity. There is only one source, and that is from God.
Now, this said, there is nothing wrong with entertaining guests, and having fun in our homes, but at what cost? Is there a deeper motive somewhere that is hidden from view?
The Bible says we are to be in the world, but not of the world. That’s a hard one sometimes. We all want the respect and recognition of others. The questions is, how do you go about it?
Until next time:
Peace to you and yours,
Have this blog delivered right to your Kindle!
http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-is-my-Life-Coach/dp/B00K11MI58/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1417217979&sr=8-3&keywords=loretta+Sinclair+blogs
Tweet me @LorettaLea
#jclc #Sinclair
#JesusChristLifeCoach
#JesusIsMyLifeCoach
Re-Inventing the Impossible
~Lori
Loretta Sinclair
Sinclair Publishing
http://www.SinclairInkSpot.com
http://www.SinclairInkSpot.com/Jesus-is-my-life-coach
Jesus is my Life Coach!
http://www.sinclairinkspot.com/jesus-is-my-life-coach
RSS Feed