Have you ever read something, and the words seemed to jump off the page at you? Well, that’s what happened to me when I was reading Luke 10. The words “distracted with much serving” were illuminated for me like never before.
Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42
Wow!!! “Distracted with much serving.” How many times have I done this believing I am busy serving the Lord? Yet, I have no time to be still and know that He is God. We sometimes get so distracted with serving the Lord, we have no time to stop and seek Him and realize that not only is He a rewarder, but He is the great Reward.
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Luke 11:6
Sometimes we equate busyness in ministry with faith, but sometimes it is our lack of faith that makes us serve in the way we do. When we have faith in God, we do what He wants us to do even though it may seem like nothing. Faith may keep us in prayer away from the crowd because faith knows that God should be first and the center of our lives. Faith keeps our focus on Him and seeks Him no matter what is happening.
However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. Luke 5:15-16
Jesus understood withdrawing from the crowd and the busyness of teaching and healing was necessary so that He could be alone with the Father in prayer. I believe Jesus knew the danger of being too busy serving and not having time to connect with the Father, so He was very intentional about leaving His teaching and healing ministry to spend time in the presence of His Father. That was more important. Many people may have wondered why Jesus would have left the people who came to hear his teaching and especially those who came to be healed of their illnesses. Some may have been desperate for their healing. There are some persons who when they saw Jesus walking away from the people may have felt He lacked compassion or maybe was even lazy, but what He did was essential. He was seeking the Father, knowing this is of paramount importance even above the needs of the people. When we are in God’s presence praying, reading His Word and listening to His voice then we will get to know His heart and He will direct us into His path which is always righteous. In His presence we get to truly know Him.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:21-23
I never want to hear Jesus tell me that He doesn’t know me because I am distracted by doing things seemingly in His name. The devil is a deceiver, and He will use all this serving to let us believe we are in God’s will, yet we don’t know Him, and we don’t have a relationship with Him. That is one of the devil’s great deceptions as he knows our busyness may result in lack of intimacy with Jesus. I want to have a friendship with Jesus like John the Apostle did. I want to relax on His bosom and delight in Him. I don’t want to be far from Jesus, but I want to be in His inner circle. I like how Charles Spurgeon describes this.
There is another especial path dropping with fatness to those who walk therein, it is the secret walk of communion. Oh! the delights of fellowship with Jesus! Earth hath no words which can set forth the holy calm of a soul leaning on Jesus' bosom. Few Christians understand it, they live in the lowlands and seldom climb to the top of Nebo: they live in the outer court, they enter not the holy place, they take not up the privilege of priesthood. At a distance they see the sacrifice, but they sit not down with the priest to eat thereof, and to enjoy the fat of the burnt offering.
I want to sit with Jesus and know His heart. It is difficult to know God’s will if we are not spending time in His Word and His presence while seeking His kingdom and righteousness first. When we seek Jesus then we realize that all we need is Him and we hunger and thirst for Him more. I will end with these words from Oswald Chambers which summarize all I have been trying to communicate.
Today, a great enemy of Jesus Christ is the idea we have of practical work. This idea doesn’t come from the New Testament but rather from systems of the world in which endless energy and activity are insisted upon, but no private life with God. The emphasis is placed on the wrong thing… We have to rid ourselves of the spirit of the religious age we live in. As disciples, our lives are supposed to resemble our Master’s life; in his life, there was none of the stress and rush of tremendous activity that are regarded so highly today. The cornerstone of the kingdom of Jesus Christ is a personal relationship to him, not public usefulness to other people.
Comments