The Risk of Trusting in Money

Psalm 49

I remember when I graduated high school, and then college, hearing some of my classmates talking about how one main goal of theirs was to get rich, get as much money as they could.  I don’t know if any of them achieved that goal.  Quite possibly a number of them did.  That seems to be the goal of so many people throughout all of history.  That is the topic of our psalm today, a look at people who trust in money, and what that leads to in the end.

Today’s psalm is one of eleven psalms that the Sons of Korah wrote.  These men were Levites who served in Temple worship in Jerusalem.  Their goal in this psalm was to show the people that desiring to accumulate a lot of money is a futile task, and also that what the end result will be.

As the Sons of Korah begin their psalm, they call out to the people, and not just the Jewish people, who would be their audience, but to all people, all the inhabitants of the world (vs. 1-4).  They call out to the aristocrats and the working class, to the rich and the poor.  God has a message for them, and no one is excluded.   God’s Word, His truth, is not reserved just for the elite, the educated, or the privileged.  The psalmist is offering God’s wisdom and truth here, which is accessible to all.  We can all read God’s Word, the Bible.  It has wisdom for all of us, regardless of our status.  The psalmist is bringing us some of that wisdom here, a message from the Lord in these verses.

We are told to listen.  “Hear this” our psalm says.  One message in this psalm is that all the money we could ever have will not redeem our soul nor that of any loved one (vs. 5-9).  One thing that is common among many very wealthy people is that they find their value in what they have acquired, and they look down on people poorer than themselves.  However, God tells us that all the money in the world cannot redeem our soul, which is ultimately the most important thing.  Scripture tells us that our eternal salvation cannot be bought.  Only the Blood of Jesus Christ can redeem us (I Peter 1:18-19).  When the rich come to the end of their life, if they have not turned to Jesus, they will face God’s judgment, and their money cannot sway Him.  We need to trust in Jesus Christ alone for redemption, not in any earthly riches or achievements we have.  They will do us no good at the time of our death.

There is a saying that “nothing is certain but death and taxes.”   Our psalm speaks the truth about the first part of that saying (vs. 10-14).  Until the Lord Jesus returns, death is a certainty for everyone.  Death will come to the rich and to the poor, to the intellectual and the uneducated.  In death, everyone is equal, the billionaire will lie in the morgue right next to a homeless person, no difference, equally a dead corpse.  All worldly glory is gone then.  All of our wealth will mean nothing then.  Knowing that, we should live our life with eternity in view, and instead of working to accumulate earthly wealth, we should instead be concerned with storing treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).

A key verse in this psalm is verse 15.  This is the psalm’s turning point, as it affirms the psalmist’s, and all believers, hope in the resurrection and eternal life.  Eternal life is a gift from God, and is secured by the shed Blood of the Lord Jesus, not through anything we do, and not purchased through someone’s wealth.  Jesus promised that those who believe and trust in Him will have eternal life (John 11:25-26), thus the psalmist could have this confidence.

Our psalm finishes up with a final warming against materialism (vs. 16-20).  If we are not reading and studying God’s Word, if we have no understanding or spiritual discernment, then how are we any better than an animal?  True understanding comes from the Bible, and if we reject that, then we are on the path to eternal ruin.  We need to be pursuing the wisdom of God’s Word.  Instead of envying the wealthy, we should be seeking spiritual riches.

Looking back over our psalm, we see that God’s truth, His Word the Bible, is for everyone.  It doesn’t matter whether one is rich, poor, or in-between.  It is for people from every nation and race.  It is not just for the privileged or any one certain nationality.  It is important to know that riches cannot redeem or save anyone.  Once we die we can’t take any riches with us.  They are worthless in the afterlife.  Until the day that Jesus returns, we all will die, and our only hope is in the Lord Jesus, who offers us eternal life, and who alone can redeem us from the grave.

Having An Empty Or A Meaningful Life

Ecclesiastes 1:12-14, 2:1-23

Ecclesiastes is an interesting book in the Old Testament.  It was written by Solomon, the son of David who followed him as king, and who built the Temple in Jerusalem.  King Solomon was said to be both extremely wealthy, and also quite wise.  He wrote much of the Book of Proverbs, along with Song of Solomon (also called Song of Songs), along with some Psalms.  Solomon likely wrote Ecclesiastes later in his life, when he was an older man.  In this book of the Bible, he reflects on life, on the emptiness and futility of living a life apart from God and having a relationship with Him.  From a man who could have anything and everything he wanted, let’s see what he says in today’s Scripture.

As our Scripture begins, Solomon identifies himself as the king of Israel in Jerusalem, and also as a Preacher (vs 1:12).  When we look at that, these are both positions of someone that we should listen to, someone who has something important to say.  As he wrote this towards the end of his life, he looked back and saw that all of the things that people pursue and run after in life tend to be “vanity and grasping for the wind.” (vs. 1:14).  When the word “vanity” is used in the Bible, it implies a sense of emptiness and futility.  It emphasizes the meaninglessness of a life lived without God.

Solomon found this out in his life, and now as an older man, he sought to warn others so that they would not fall into the same trap.  As the king goes on to write chapter 2, he describes his attempts at finding meaning and pleasure in life, each one only bringing futility and vanity to his soul.  Despite all the different things he tried, things to bring pleasure, to achieve accomplishments, and different types of work, nothing brought him any lasting satisfaction.

At first Solomon sought meaning in a life filled with mirth, filled with gaiety and pleasure (vs. 2:1-2).  Perhaps, as king, he might have brought into his royal court some of the latest comedians of the day.  However, without God it was all senseless.  He then turned to alcohol (vs. 2:3), seeking to “gratify my flesh with wine.”.  As anyone who has ever gone that route knows, that can only lead to ruin.  Fortunately Solomon realized that before he became an alcoholic.  Then he turned to both architecture and horticulture (vs. 2:4-6).  Both of these are very worthwhile pursuits, but if one doesn’t have God in their life, it is vanity.  He sought meaning with an accumulation of wealth (vs. 2:7-11), with piling up of gold and silver, of servants, livestock, and musicians.  Whatever his eyes saw, if he wanted it, he got it.  However, he repeats that none of this brought him any satisfaction.

Here in chapter 2, and throughout the Book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon speaks about things being done “under the sun”.  This refers to life from a purely earthly perspective.  Without God guiding what we do in life, even wisdom and pleasure become empty pursuits, as Solomon found out.  Solomon had unmatched wisdom (I Kings 4:29-34), yet even he found it insufficient to explain life’s deepest questions.  Intellectual pursuits, apart from God, lead to sorrow and frustration.

As Solomon continues with his ponderings, he realizes, like we all do, that both the wise and the fool die alike (vs. 2:14-16).  The same with the rich and the poor.  They both come to the same end.  This exposes the meaninglessness of living just for earthly gain.  Solomon then laments that one may work wisely all their life, accumulating a nice bank account, but then leave it to someone who will just squander it (vs. 2:18-23).  This shows the vanity of having worldly ambitions and building a legacy apart from God.

As we come to the close of this Scripture passage, what can we learn from Solomon’s lifetime pursuits of happiness and meaning?  As he found out late in life, all that he went after in life was meaningless since none of it was rooted in God.  True meaning is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The answer to having an empty and futile life is not more effort, but surrendering to God’s will and having an eternal perspective which Solomon says in the last words of this book (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

Finding pleasure in our life, in our work, interests, and hobbies is not sinful, but as Solomon learned, it cannot be our foundation.  Having fullness of joy is found in God (Psalm 16:11).  As St. Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:2, we need to set our minds on things above, heavenly and spiritual things, not on things of this earth.  When our goals have eternal value, not just earthly satisfaction, then our life won’t be one of just emptiness and frustration, but instead will be one with a deep, eternal purpose.  A life walking with Jesus is greater than anything the world has to offer.

Ask, Seek, and Knock

Luke 11:5-13

Have you ever felt that God just doesn’t hear your prayers?  I think that many Christians have felt that way at one time or another.  Does God hear our prayers, and will He answer?  In our Scripture today from the Gospel of Luke, we read what the Lord Jesus had to say about this.  Let’s take a quick look at this passage.

Immediately prior to these verses, the disciples had come to Jesus, asking Him to teach them to pray, and He proceeded to give them the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1-4).  Jesus then continued by teaching them, using a very brief parable, some important lessons about prayer, specifically the need to be persistent in prayer, and also showing the goodness of God.

The short parable gives a scenario that many of the people could relate to, that of a man who has some sudden, and unexpected visitors who arrive at the house quite late at night (vs. 5-8).  In Bible days, hospitality was extremely important, no matter what the hour or how unexpected the guests may be.  And if the host didn’t have all the necessary provisions, it wasn’t unusual to ask a neighbor for some help.  In this instance, though, the neighbor did not want to get up and help, and basically told his friend to get lost.  However, the man was not going to go back home empty-handed, with nothing to feed his guests.  That would be unthinkable.  So instead he keeps knocking, and keeps knocking until his neighbor gets up and helps him, just to stop the pounding on the door.

What does Jesus teach here?  He tells us that when we pray, we need to be persistent and not give up, just like the man with unexpected visitors was.  God honors persistent, faithful prayer.  This isn’t because He is reluctant to answer our prayers, but instead because He desires us to seek Him earnestly (I Thessalonians 5:17; James 5:16).

Jesus teaches us that in prayer we need to ask, to seek, and to knock, and keep on doing so until we receive an answer (vs. 9-10).  Each of these words - ask, seek, and knock are written as present tense verbs, which implies that there is ongoing action.  Jesus promises us that those who ask in prayer will receive, those who seek will find, and those who knock will have doors opened.  This does not mean that we have free reign to demand that all of our selfish desires be granted.  We are to have faith-filled, God-centered prayers, prayers that reflect our active dependence on Him.  If we come to God in prayer with the right motives, putting first the Kingdom of God, and if we live for Him, He will give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4).

If we want God to respond to our prayers, we must meet some conditions.  First we must have a right relationship with Jesus Christ by trusting Him as Savior.  God is not under any obligation to answer the prayers of the unsaved, except the prayer of salvation.  And after salvation we must not live an ungodly life (Psalm 66:18).  Secondly, We must make right requests, asking according to God’s will (I John 5:14).  If the neighbor had been asked for a large sum of money, it likely would not have been answered.  Instead he asked for what he needed, bread, and it was granted.  Lastly, we should pray specifically and with confidence.  Remember, we serve a God who answers prayer.

Jesus then contrasted earthly fathers with God, our Heavenly Father (vs. 11-13).  Most fathers will make sure that their children have all that they need if they are able to provide it.  And if their child asks for something they need, a good father will try to provide it.  Even sinful men give good gifts to their children, so how much more will God give the Holy Spirit to those who ask!  God is a benevolent and holy God.  The Holy Spirit is the ultimate gift, empowering believers to live godly lives (Galatians 5:22-23; John 14:26).

Looking back over this Scripture passage, we see that when our need is urgent, we can approach God boldly in prayer, especially in times of crisis.  He is not reluctant to answer us, yet He invites persistence in prayer.  We can trust God’s faithfulness to answer.  Though our earthly fathers may give us good gifts, God, our Heavenly Father’s nature is even more generous.

We should keep on praying and trusting that God will graciously and generously supply what we need.  So let’s keep on asking, seeking, and knocking.  Jesus will answer!

Beware Of False Teachers

Colossians 2:6-10

Going through life, we have to be careful who we listen to, and what we believe from what we’re told.  That’s because we are frequently given the wrong information.  Sometimes that might not be such a big deal, like when we might be given the wrong date for a sale at our favorite store.  We might feel a little foolish when others find out that we believe some urban legend, but again no serious harm is done.  However, believing some things can cause us financial loss or even physical harm.  And as we will see in our Scripture today, following the words of the wrong people, and believing the wrong things they teach, can lead to spiritual ruin.

Today’s brief Scripture passage comes from St. Paul’s epistle to the Colossian church.  Let’s take a quick look at each verse, as we can learn much, and also receive help to not be led astray with false or heretical teaching.  Paul begins by instructing us that since we have received the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we need to be walking in the teachings He has given us (vs. 6).  The word “walk” here isn’t just talking about moving one’s feet.  It is the Greek word “peripateo”, which not only means to walk, but also to conduct one’s self or pass one’s life.  It is keeping company with someone on a shared journey.  We received Christ as our Savior by faith, and we continue our Christian walk by faith, too, not by works, or by rituals, nor with worldly wisdom.

As Paul continues on, he uses the picture or metaphor of both agriculture and architecture to make his point (vs. 7).  He told the believers in this church that they were “rooted” and “built up” in the Lord Jesus.  A tree, or most any other plant, needs strong roots to firmly keep it standing in the ground.  A building needs a good foundation to keep it from falling over.  So too, our faith needs to be grounded and built up in the Lord Jesus.  It needs to be established in sound doctrine, and not in any false teachings or cultural trends that false preachers try to spread.

Next, the Apostle gives us a strong warning that we need to be careful that we don’t get taken captive by any false preacher or teacher who brings the philosophies of the world and heretical teachings, and not the true message of the Lord Jesus (vs. 8).  This also aligns with concerns of those who twist Biblical passages and verses to fit their own particular narrative and false beliefs.  Paul warns to be careful not to fall prey to them, or to those who infiltrate the church with their secular ideologies.  This would include those who preach the “prosperity gospel”, that God wants everyone to be rich and healthy, and to get that way one needs to send them money.  It also includes the TV preachers who only preach warm and fuzzy, feel-good messages, ones that just boost the listeners self-esteem and never mention sin or salvation.  We need to refuse to listen to ungodly advice or the false philosophies so popular in our world, nor follow their worldly advice.

As we continue, we read an important verse that speaks of Jesus’ human and divine nature (vs. 9).  This verse proclaims that Jesus is fully God in bodily form.  This refutes the false and heretical teachings that have been around since the early days of the Church, and are still around today that deny the Incarnation of Jesus, and that say that He is not the Son of God, but was just a “good teacher”.  Verse 10 declares to us that believers are “complete” in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Once we have taken Jesus as our Savior, there is no need for anything extra to attain spiritual fullness.  The Lord Jesus is sufficient.

With the Lord Jesus as our Savior, His wisdom can give us direction if we come to Him in prayer.  His knowledge will give us instruction.  The Savior’s power is our protection, and His justice is our guarantee.  Jesus’ love is our comfort, His mercy is our solace, and His immutability or inability to change is our trust.  When we pray to God, seeking His power and love, we are asking for what He has already faithfully promised.  Because of that we can pray with certain confidence.

Paul warned the Colossian church to be on guard, and keep their eyes on the game.  We, like them, need to be careful not to be taken captive by false philosophies.  There are so many false teachers out there who want to entrap us in ways of thinking and living that are opposed to the Gospel.  Be vigilant against teachings that sound spiritual but are not rooted in Scripture.  Whether it is cultural or religious traditions, if they conflict with the Bible, they must be rejected.  It is imperative to test everything we hear or read by the Word of God alone.  Stop looking around to other beliefs and ways of life.  Everything we need is found in the Lord Jesus Christ!

God Magnifies His Word Above His Name

Psalm 138

How important to you is your name?  No one wants to see their name fall into bad repute, to be tarnished, or dragged through the mud of some bad scandal.  We tell our families to keep up the good reputation of the family name.  No one wants their name said with scorn or a snicker.  Instead, they want to be able to hold their head up with some degree of pride when their name is mentioned.  The Lord God is particular in how His Name is used.  One of the Ten Commandments is to not take the Lord’s Name in vain.  We are not to misuse His Name in any way, as it is that important and sacred.  With that in mind, would you think that He would put anything above His Name?  Let’s see what our Psalm for today has to say.

Psalm 138, a short psalm by King David, is filled with praise and trust in the Lord God.  He begins this hymn of praise by proclaiming that he will praise Him with his whole heart (vs 1).  When it comes to God, David does not do anything half-heartedly.  When it comes to praising Him, he gives it everything that he has.  There is nothing casual about David’s worship of God.  He has fully surrendered to Him.  Neither does the king hold back in his praise of Yahweh for fear of offending anyone who worships another pagan deity.  He knows those false gods are nothing, and he boldly sings before them praises to Yahweh, the one and only true God.  Like David, we should not be ashamed to give wholehearted worship to the Lord, nor should we feel that we have to listen to the world when it tells us that we should keep quiet about the Lord Jesus because “there are other religions in this world”.  David boldly proclaimed Yahweh before the pagans.

David continues by proclaiming he will worship the Lord towards His temple (vs. 2).  The great Temple in Jerusalem had not yet been built in David’s day.  His son and successor, King Solomon, would build the Temple.  However, Yahweh was worshiped in the Tabernacle, and had been since the days of Moses.  This was a temporary, transportable structure of curtains and poles, similar to a tent surrounded by a curtained courtyard.  David would worship God in His earthly dwelling.  He also praised God for His wonderful attributes, such as His loving kindness and His truth.  God is truth (John 14:6), and there is nothing false about Him, so we can fully trust in Him.  He also has loving mercy towards His children.

Next we read something that some might find surprising.  That is that the Lord’s Word, the Bible, is magnified or exalted above even His Name (vs. 2).   We know how much God honors His Name.  As mentioned above, honoring His Name is one of the Ten Commandments.  We pray to God in the Name of Jesus.  Satan and the demons must obey the Name of Jesus (Luke 10:17).  However, here we read that God exalts His Word, the Bible even above His Name, as revered as that is!  God’s Word is exalted even above His reputation.  This affirms the inspiration of the Scriptures.  Every word of Scripture is God-breathed and authoritative (II Timothy 3:16).

David continues on to say that there will be universal praise given to Yahweh (vs. 4-6).  All the kings of the earth will praise Him.  We certainly don’t see that today!  There are a number of rulers who violently oppose the worship of Jesus in their country.  And most others, though they grant freedom of religion, have absolutely no regard for Him in their own life.  However, there is coming a day when all rulers will acknowledge Jesus when He will reign over all, and all nations and rulers will bow before Him.  Yet as we see, though God is exalted, He is willing to care for the humble (vs. 6).

David reminds us that there will be times when we go through trouble (vs. 7).  He doesn’t say that there may be times we go through trouble, he states it as a matter of fact, we will face those times.  But when we do, God will deliver us.  No matter what our circumstances are, no matter how insurmountable the odds, God promises to save us in the very middle of our trouble.

As David comes to the end of his psalm, he states that God will perfect that which concerns him (vs. 8).  God finishes what He starts.  This echoes Philippians 1:6.  He is faithful to complete His work in us.  God has a purpose for our life, and He will fulfill that purpose.  If we have entrusted our life to Him, we can rest in His promise to take care of us.

In closing, we see several important things that David has shared with us in his psalm.  We learned that God’s Word is supreme.  It is magnified even above His Name.  David also shared how important it is to be bold in our public worship of Yahweh.  Even in the presence of opposition, we need to stand firm.  Then David reminds us that though He will be exalted by all rulers, God cares for the humble.  Finally we can trust that God will fulfill His purpose in our lives.

An Intercessor

Genesis 18:20-33

How willing are you to intercede for people you know are sinful and wicked?  Are you willing to go before God in prayer, interceding on their behalf, to in a respectful way try to bargain with Him for His mercy for them, knowing that they are wicked sinners?  Most of us would rather sit in the judgment seat, calling for condemnation, especially if they are accused of something terrible.  We would not be trying to bargain with God on their behalf.  In our Scripture today we look at an episode in the life of Abraham, where he does just that.  Let’s see what God’s Word says.

Right prior to our Scripture, Abraham had just had some visitors to his residence, which he found to be the Lord and two of His angels.  When they left, Abraham walked with them for a short while, and the Lord decided He would share with him what He planned on doing shortly.  This showed that Abraham had a very close, personal relationship with God.  He wasn’t the type of believer who just said a quick, memorized prayer-poem before he went to bed.  He was God’s friend (James 2:23), and as such, God would not keep this secret from him.

As they walked, He revealed to Abraham that He was going to bring judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah because of their grave sin and depravity (vs. 20).  These cities have long had a deep rebellion against God and His ways.  Before passing judgment, though, God would give them one last look-over to see exactly how wicked they were (vs 21).  Though God is omniscient, and knows everything, His going down to investigate shows that His justice is never arbitrary.  It is deliberate and righteous.  The two angels left God and Abraham and traveled down into Sodom, and what they found is further described in Genesis 19.

It was at this moment that Abraham stepped in as a great intercessor.  First, he knew that his nephew Lot and his family had been residing in Sodom for a while.  He knew that, though Lot was a believer, his spiritual life had greatly fallen into the pit since he had moved there.  Still, Abraham did not want them to suffer in the judgment with the rest of the city.  He also did not want anyone else who had not participated in any of the grievous sins of the city to perish, either.  Abraham stood before the Lord and began to pray, to intercede on behalf of the innocent people in those cities.

Though historians and Bible scholars do not know for certain exactly how many people lived in Sodom and Gomorrah at this time, Abraham started at the number fifty, and asked God to spare the cities if fifty righteous people could be found (vs 23-26).  He appealed to God’s justice.  He knew that God would not ever condemn the righteous along with the wicked.  God agreed.  He would not destroy the place if fifty were found.  Abraham continued and worked his prayer and intercession all the way down to ten people.  If just ten were found, would God spare the place?  The answer from God was yes, if just ten are found it would be spared (vs. 27-32).

Abraham was both bold and humble.  He boldly came before God to plead for the righteous, people whom, aside from Lot and family, he didn’t even know.  He knew the wickedness of the place, which is why he never joined Lot in residing there.  However, he cared about others, and would come before God to pray for them.  Abraham, though, was also humble.  He wasn’t proud, nor prayed with presumption.  He knew that he was but dust and ashes before God (vs. 27).  Yet, because he knew God’s character was one of love and mercy, he interceded on behalf of Lot and others.

After Abraham’s prayer, God ended the conversation, not in anger, but in sovereign decision (vs. 33)  As we later see in the next chapter of Genesis, Abraham’s intercession did not save Sodom.  Ten righteous people in the cities could not be found.  However, this did reveal that God was willing to spare them for the sake of ten if they could have been found.

What can we learn from this Scripture passage?  First, we see that God is just.  He does not punish the righteous with the wicked.  His judgments are always fair and holy.  We also see that God is merciful.  He was willing to spare an entire city filled with evil and wickedness just for the sake of ten righteous people if they could have been found, which unfortunately they weren’t.

Very importantly we see the importance of intercessory prayer.  Like Abraham, we today are called to stand in the gap, pleading for mercy for others.  Like the prophet Ezekiel said centuries later, God is looking for people to stand in the gap with prayer for others (Ezekiel 22:30).  This world has only gotten worse since the days of Abraham or even Ezekiel.  Abraham gave us an example that believers must pray and plead with God on behalf of the lost.  Will you do that?  Will you stand in the gap and pray for God’s mercy on an evil and wicked world today?

Misplaced Priorities

Luke 10:38-42

In addition to the twelve apostles, and the other disciples that followed Him throughout His ministry, Jesus had a number of friends who believed in Him, and helped to supply His needs.  Among these were Mary, and her sister Martha, and their brother Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead.  Our Scripture today tells the account of one event in their relationship with Jesus, one that only the evangelist Luke records.  Let’s see what happened that day with Jesus.

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived in the village of Bethany, just outside of Jerusalem.  Jesus and His disciples would frequently visit there when they were in Jerusalem, their home being a place they could rest, away from the crowds.  The three were good hosts, and their home was a place where Jesus felt welcomed, loved, and cared for.

As we look into our Scripture from Luke’s Gospel, we read of one visit of Jesus to this home.  As Jesus and the disciples relaxed in the main room of the house, Martha was scurrying around, trying to prepare a meal, get the extra plates and glasses out, set out some snacks, straightening things around the house, etc.  She was probably getting somewhat flustered and stressed out.  Meanwhile, her sister Mary was sitting on the floor at Jesus’ feet, listening intently to what He was saying to the group (vs. 38-39).  She was not worried at that moment what the house looked like, or whether they would have the perfect dinner a little later.  Instead, what was important to her at that moment was the words Jesus was speaking, and being in His presence.  No matter how much noise Martha was making in the kitchen, rattling around with pots and pans, and probably heavy sighing to get Mary’s attention for help, Mary’s attention was glued on Jesus.

Finally Martha’s patience broke, and she came into the room, interrupting Jesus, and complained to Him that her sister wasn’t helping, that He didn’t seem to care about that, and that she was doing all the work by herself! (vs. 40).  However, instead of getting the response she was hoping for, that Jesus would scold Mary and make her help, Jesus gently scolded Martha for being so worried about things that weren’t that important.  What Mary chose to do, listening to Him, “that good part”, was what was important (vs. 41-42).  The priority of personal devotion to Jesus is more important than even well-intentioned service.

Mary’s choice to sit at Jesus’ feet shows a believer’s highest calling, that of personal communion with Jesus through His Word.  Martha’s busyness, even though she meant well, shows how even ministry can become a distraction away from Him.  Because of her misplaced priorities, Martha soon became filled with anxiety and worry, things no one wants in their life.

As we look closer into Jesus’ interactions with the two sisters, we see that He wasn’t scolding Martha for her service or hospitality.  Service is good, but only when it flows from a heart grounded in worship and truth.  Hospitality is commendable, but it must not replace worship.  Martha welcomed Jesus physically, but Mary welcomed Him spiritually.  Misplaced priorities can lead to a spiritual imbalance in our life, and even to resentment.  Because of Martha putting priority on getting a meal together, instead of listening to Jesus’ Words like Mary was, she was soon frustrated.  This led her to finally bring a complaint, not only against Mary, but subtly against Jesus, Himself (vs. 40).

Jesus knew that Martha was anxious and overwhelmed.  He reminded her that the spiritual peace she really needed would come, not from doing more, but from abiding in Him (John 15:5).  Jesus told her, and tells us today, as well, that the supreme priority is fellowship with Him.  Mary’s choice was the eternal one, and it would not be taken away from her.  Time spent in God’s Word and in prayer has lasting spiritual value.  Mary followed the first and greatest commandment, that of loving God with all her heart, soul, and mind.

Many Christians today make the mistake of Martha, they let their ministry replace a close and personal time with God.  Service to the church and community is good, but if we neglect personal devotion, the service becomes hollow.  Like Mary, we need to prioritize our quiet time with Jesus, guarding our time for Bible study and prayer.  That is the “good part” that fuels our Christian life.

If both sisters had done what they should, and sat at Jesus’ feet, learning from Him, they would have been spiritually fed.  True, there wouldn’t have been a gourmet meal later.  It may have ended up being a buffet style “make your own sandwiches” type meal, but in the long run that would have been better.  Jesus would not have minded.  To have fellowship with Jesus, we may have to leave some things undone.  Our greatest need is to spend time with Him.