1 John 2:16-17 “These are the ways of the world: wanting to please our sinful selves, wanting the sinful things we see, and being too proud of what we have. None of these come from the Father, but all of them come from the world. The world and everything that people want in it are passing away, but the person who does what God wants lives forever.”
I enjoy entertaining guests in our home, especially on Saturday afternoons and evenings. Usually, we like to invite friends over for lunch or sometimes in the evening for games or a bonfire or movie. It’s just fun to have people visit. For a long time though, after we’d have lunch, I would immediately begin to clean my kitchen back up while everyone else sat around and visited. That was until one visit with my parents. My dad asked me, “Are you a Mary or a Martha?”
Yes, I was a little confused and I will tell you the same story he told me and let you decide who you want to be when you have guests in your home.
We read in the Bible how Jesus made a close friendship with three siblings, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. When possible, Jesus enjoyed visiting his friends and I am positive they enjoyed His visits. On one visit Mary, the youngest, wanted to enjoy her visit with her friend and hear what He had to say, so she disregarded her home and stayed with Him and talked. Martha on the other hand, was more concerned about what her home looked like, trying to keep up appearances so that she was focused on the housework more than Jesus.
Frustrated after some time, Martha decides to say something. She asks Jesus if He even cared that Mary had left all the work for her to do and that He should tell Mary to help. Jesus’ answer is so simple, yet full of meaning. He tells Martha not to be worried about so many things, only one thing was needed, and Mary had chosen what was better. (Luke 10:38-42)
What can be learned here? This story can help us set our priorities in order in a world full of distractions. Jesus was there to visit, to share His knowledge, to be with His friends and Mary chose to set aside her tasks for that brief time to spend with her friend.
I learned I needed to be more a Mary than a Martha. There will always be chores in my home, the dishes will always need to get done, but when friends visit, they are only there for a short time. Everything else can wait while we enjoy the time together.
Now when friends visit for lunch, I briefly clean off the table, put the food away and stack the dishes for later. Sitting with friends is my priority, gleaning knowledge from their stories or sharing from mine. Unbeknownst to Mary and Martha, Jesus was only going to be on this earth a short time and with all of us, we don’t know how long we or our friends have. Spending time sitting a spell with them should be more important than a few dirty dishes.
When life starts getting busy and we feel like our priorities are getting out of sorts, listen to the words of Jesus, ‘Mary has chosen the right way’, come sit a spell. Open God’s Word, bring God into your heart and learn from Him.
Today, are you a Mary or a Martha?
Reading the Bible isn't just for God's benefit, He inspired the writer's. Reading is for our benefit and there is so much we can gain when we open the pages and begin to see what God has spoken. Today let's look at a couple of those benefits. You become a Warrior:
Reading the Bible daily, makes you a warrior for yourself, your marriage, and your family. You set the tone for your family and you have a very powerful role of influence as a parent in your home or around your friends. When you realize this, the importance of reading the bible intensifies. By reading scripture daily—you are taking a stand to turn your heart to God and His plans for you, your family and friends. You’re letting Him renew your mind, guide you and direct your steps, and that directly impacts everything you do in life. You receive peace. Spending time in God’s Word does something pretty amazing—you start to feel peace rule in your heart. This is really noticeable because life is so fast paced. It’s a great reason to read the Bible in the morning especially because it sets the tone for your day. So today let's finish our study through 1 Corinthians 16:1-24 and I pray you have been blessed and encouraged and learned a few new things along the way.
Study 25- 1 Corinthians 16:1-24- https://www.docdroid.net/jtnKIvV/1-corinthians-study-25-docx
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