Article 18
Barren Busyness
Luke 10:38
Martha’s name means “Lady” and that was exactly what she was. All Lady!
She
was always so busy.
We are going to hear her story…step inside her mind
for a little while and
compare her life to ours.
As we begin, Martha is preparing a meal for Jesus and his followers.
Let me see now. How many will there be this time? Fifty, eighty, or maybe
even
a hundred?
The Lord always had a crowd around him. Even when it was only Jesus and his
disciples she had
plenty
to cook for and serve. They were always laughing and listening to the Master
talk.
Well, at least Mary stuck around long enough to help with the housework
before
taking off. Do we have enough food to feed them? We’ll serve them
in the yard so there will
be plenty of
room for them to eat.
Where is Mary? That girl is always wandering off and thinking about
something.
It seems her
head is in a cloud constantly. But she is such a
lovely girl. She has a
wonderful sense of humor
and she is always in a good mood…
even when I scold her for not helping me around
the house.
We always have to have this place clean because we never know when our brother
Lazarus is going to bring home someone that needs a meal, a bed
or just some company. He
has such a big heart. He’s in Jerusalem right
now waiting for Jesus and his followers and anyone that
might want to
wander home with him. If he’s not bringing people home, he’s bringing
home
stray animals.
But, of course, he always finds a home for them. I
guess I’m the only one with common sense around here. I think that’s
because I
grew up quicker
than they did. Someone has to make sure
everything gets done right! Well,
anyway, I need some
corn to grind for
bread and some to boil for eating. Where is Lazarus? Oh yes,
I forgot.
He went to Jerusalem, but where’s Mary? I guess I’ll have to get it myself!
Why
is no one ever around when I need them?
Bethany is a busy town today.
There’s a festival going on right now in
Jerusalem. Many visitors
stop here
in Bethany and Lazarus brings honored guests to our home often. Maybe
he is proud of the way I make sure they are fed and I send them on their
way full and
happy. Jehovah always
provides us with plenty of food to feed
these people. We are a very blessed
family. When our father passed on, he
had provided well for us and left us with a great
inheritance. That’s
where
Lazarus gets his heart from. Always doing something for someone.
It makes you
wonder how they
ever got any work done around here. Our
Mother never complained though. She
was such a Godly woman. How I
wish I had her patience.
But Jesus: that is another story all together. How can I serve such a man?
I
feel his greatness and yet he walks among us as though he knows what
we feel and what we’re
thinking. He is called a
Rabbi. The news has
spread all around about everything he is doing. He has
healed the sick and
lepers, given sight to the blind and raised the dead. And yet, he laughs
with us and treats us just
like we are the same as he is. I wonder if he will
like what I am preparing for
him and the men to eat? Will he be able to sit
here on this chair or should I
get the other one from my bedroom? He’s a
friend to us but he has been doing so many great things for his people
that
I must do something to try to repay what he has done for us. Oh well, I
must get to my work. No one is here yet to help.
“There you are, Mary. Where on earth have you been? You know we have
guests
coming any time.”
(Mary) “Oh Martha, I have been preparing myself for the Lord. He’s a great
man
and I don’t
want him to find me weak in my faith or…
(Martha) “Never mind about that right now, Mary. You can work on your
spiritual
self while you go
and fetch me some corn to grind and boil. And while
you are out there, please
get some potatoes, too.
Thanks, dear!”
Well now, what was I doing? Oh no, there’s the men, and I’m not finished
cooking.
I’ll never get this food prepared in time! What will they think of
us? Our
reputation will be ruined
and none of the great officials will want
to stop by our home again.
What is Mary doing? That girl is sitting at
Jesus’ feet. Now I am upset! She
knows that we women are not to be
hanging around the men while they talk. She’s not
fulfilling her duty as a woman.
We are to serve the Master. I must tell her, but how? She’s sitting
at his
feet. I know,
I will have the Master tell her. He knows that we
women are to do what we are
to do!
That is to serve the men.
“Lord doest thou not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Bid her
therefore that she help me.”
Oh my goodness that sure came out wrong. I did not mean to sound so
cross with
the Lord.
But what is it he is telling me?
“Martha, Martha thou are careful and troubled about many things: But one thing
is needful:
and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away
from her”.
Mary is doing the right thing? She has chosen the needful thing and
I was too busy caring for things around the Lord to care about worshipping
him.
Barren Busyness.
Martha had been making things ready for him instead of sitting at his feet and
letting him get things
ready for her. Do you find yourself this way? God wants
us to pray but He also
wants us to wait
on his answer. Not many of us really do
that. Have you prayed until you got
your answer before
getting up or letting up
on that prayer? Or, are we too busy to wait? That is
why we think we have
our answer. We don’t wait upon the Lord. He will talk to you if you
wait long
enough. Just
think of your average day right now. If
you work, you have a
certain time to get ready and get to work. After you get
there, you have a
certain time to get the work done, a certain time to eat and get back to work
and then a time to get home. After you’re home, you have to prepare an evening
meal for your family, throw in
a load of clothes
and put them away. Then, if you
have children, you have to help with homework,
or it’s off to watch TV until you
nod off to sleep and have to get up and go to bed. Then, it’s a
quick “Now I lay
me down to sleep” prayer.
If
you don’t work, what is your day like? Up early to get the ones off that do
work or go to school.
If you have children, your day is planned around them.
You prepare supper and
sit with your spouse
and children…help them with
homework and then TV and bed. Where is your prayer
time?
If
you live alone, you spend time making the day pass faster by doing things. If
you spend it with the
Lord, it goes faster. Time flies when you’re having fun! You
can even do work for the Lord that is not in His will. Is that something that
stuns
you?
We line up the day with things we want to do without asking Him what He
wants
us to do.
We must be a good wife, mother, girlfriend or just a friend to do what He wants
us to do.
We must put Him first, then the family and then the job if we have one. Make
time for Him.
Try
to change your day and see how it goes. Get up earlier and read His word
or
pray. You are to
keep your home going. But keep your busyness going for
God, not yourself. I’ve
had people tell me that they have not had time to study
God’s word. Yet, when you call them
they’re sitting around. I’ve had them tell
me that they we’re too sick to study. That is still barren
busyness. You will
answer to God for this. God always uses people to warn us of
our mistakes.
Look at Martha. Her busyness should teach us for this day too. Start now to be
busy for the
Lord.
If
this has touched you in any way, you must talk to God and set your mind not to
be barren. Be busy in His kingdom. We may think everyone here is OK but you
can read the
scriptures where Jesus even told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan”.
He was not calling him
Satan but that Satan was
speaking thru him. Would Jesus
say that to us if He were here right now? Would
we complain to
Him of our
finances, our sickness and our troubles? What would He say? We use
these
things to
keep us from serving Him and we will stand before Him one day. What
will we say
then? Just like Mary, we need to be doing the “needful things”. What
is that in your
life? What have you been seeking?
The Lord is soon coming…better stop the Barren Busyness.
Until next time…may God bless you and yours,
Julie
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Love & Prayers,
Julie Watts