“Sometimes we get around God, we get around the Bible, we get around the songs of Zion, we get around the church, we get around the preacher, we get around prayer, we get around Bible study, we get around Jesus, but we don’t really listen to what he says.” said Pastor Josh about half-a-dozen sentences into the sermon. The point was that there are plenty of folks who get so immersed in the activity of being a Christian, they forget what is ‘needful’. And Jesus spelled it out for Martha when he went to visit her home.
The text of the sermon is from Luke 10:38-42. Jesus and the disciples are traveling and enter a village. They are invited into Martha’s house. Martha extends her hospitality to them and gets busy doing the things one needs to do to make thirteen guests comfortable.
Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. (John 11:5) Martha is trying to get everything done when she sees her lazy sister sitting at the feet of Jesus. She gets hot under the collar and complains to Jesus. She says something like “Don’t you care? My lazy sister has left me to do everything. Tell her to get up and help me.”
The response is not what Martha expected. Jesus stops her cold. His response is something like, “Martha, Martha, you are so anxious and distracted about all these things. Only one thing is needful. Mary is listening to me, this will not be taken away from her.”
Martha is like so many of us. We get so distracted by everything else that we don’t take the time to just stop and listen to God. He has so many ways that he speaks to us and, unfortunately, we are too easily distracted.
Pastor Josh told a story about finding his mailbox in the ditch. In order to get the mail, he needed to fix the mailbox. He doubted seriously that the mailman would stop and fix the mailbox to put his (Josh’s) mail in it. He would just not deliver it until it was repaired.
Getting the word of God can be like that mailbox. The mailbox is supposed to be up and ready to receive the mail. We need to be attentive and ready to listen to God. Pastor Josh concluded, “I’d rather be worn out in the service for the Lord than to grow rust and dust. World care will do you no heavenly good.”
The text of the sermon is from Luke 10:38-42. Jesus and the disciples are traveling and enter a village. They are invited into Martha’s house. Martha extends her hospitality to them and gets busy doing the things one needs to do to make thirteen guests comfortable.
Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. (John 11:5) Martha is trying to get everything done when she sees her lazy sister sitting at the feet of Jesus. She gets hot under the collar and complains to Jesus. She says something like “Don’t you care? My lazy sister has left me to do everything. Tell her to get up and help me.”
The response is not what Martha expected. Jesus stops her cold. His response is something like, “Martha, Martha, you are so anxious and distracted about all these things. Only one thing is needful. Mary is listening to me, this will not be taken away from her.”
Martha is like so many of us. We get so distracted by everything else that we don’t take the time to just stop and listen to God. He has so many ways that he speaks to us and, unfortunately, we are too easily distracted.
Pastor Josh told a story about finding his mailbox in the ditch. In order to get the mail, he needed to fix the mailbox. He doubted seriously that the mailman would stop and fix the mailbox to put his (Josh’s) mail in it. He would just not deliver it until it was repaired.
Getting the word of God can be like that mailbox. The mailbox is supposed to be up and ready to receive the mail. We need to be attentive and ready to listen to God. Pastor Josh concluded, “I’d rather be worn out in the service for the Lord than to grow rust and dust. World care will do you no heavenly good.”
