Am I Mary or Martha?

I have been mulling over the devotional that I read the other day. It spoke to working for the church, but not working with the spirit. This devotional spoke directly to me. I tend to get so caught up in plans and activities that I forget what I am there for. Church can become a chore and not a joy. It made me think of the story of Mary and Martha:


"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "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 10:38-42 (New International Version)

I need to take a breath and focus on my real purpose. This certainly does not mean that I cannot help out at church. It just means that I need to remember what I am really there for.

Great Expectations

Luke 12: 47 -48 "That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (NIV)

What does this scripture say to us? It calls us to action. I assume as you are reading faith filled blogs and I am writing them, we both fall more into the first group than the last. We are working to better understand the Master’s will and therefore there are great expectations on our shoulders.

This scripture is like the Biblical equivalent of “ignorance is bliss”. While those that are ignorant are not completely cleared. They will not be treated as harshly as those who know the right path but choose to ignore it. This is why confession has its limits. God appreciates that we are sorry for our actions and that we want forgiveness, but like any parent, there is a point where sorry isn’t good enough. I find myself saying this to my children frequently when they continue to harass each other. God must want to say the same to us as well. And while in the long run we both will forgive our children, we are frustrated by their repeated errors. We certainly know that they will err, but to err in the same way over and over leads to the question about the genuineness of the remorse.

What do you think God is demanding of you? As you have been graced by forgiveness, what have you promised to never do again? Have you been able to hold up this promise? How do you plan to hold it up in the future?