(C) Cheryl Howard 2008

Martha welcomed & received JESUS into her home, & opened her arms wide in hospitality to HIM; she took HIM under her roof & opened her home to HIM – her home & her heart.

  Her sister Mary sat down near, she got as close as she could, she sat beside & at the feet of JESUS as HE took refuge & rest in their welcoming home. Mary sat & eagerly listened to every word HE spoke, she hung off HIS words, she hearkened to them & she gave HIM her full, undivided attention; she heard & she received, taking all HE said to heart where she treasured & stored HIS life-giving words.

  Martha was left with all the menial tasks of serving – all the chores involved in making their Special Guest feel welcome, cared for & pampered, but she was not happy with this. She was distracted, dragging herself around, her mind consumed with all the work she had to do while her sister just sat at JESUS’ feet & didn’t lift a finger to help.

  Finally she became so agitated & cumbered by her load that she could keep silent no longer. “LORD,” she accused, “Don’t YOU care about me, don’t YOU notice, aren’t YOU concerned, doesn’t it matter to YOU that I alone am serving YOU? That it’s only me ministering to YOUR needs? What about Mary? Look at her, she’s not doing anything – it isn’t fair. Make her get up & help me – if YOU really cared about me then YOU would make her!”

  JESUS looked into Martha’s eyes, He saw her heart & HE lovingly corrected her – teaching her a very important lesson. HE didn’t get defensive, HE didn’t berate her; HE unveiled her heart in love, & HE showed her HIS heart in return. “Oh Martha, dearest Martha. You are full of anxiety, stress & pressure, you are preoccupied & distracted; your mind is consumed & you are disturbed & troubled, you are confused & in a muddle about so many things. You’ve lost sight of what is truly important, of what really matters – what matters to ME - & I know it is ME you are trying to please. But I don’t need you to be ‘doing’ all these things for ME – if you truly want to please ME, then there is only one thing that I require, yes even that I demand of you; only one thing that I want of you, that I need you to do. One thing that I want you to be concerned about & busy with – to fill your mind, your thoughts, to consume your energies. Child that one thing your sister Mary has discerned; she has chosen it, out of all she too could ‘do’ for ME, she has made the one choice that I long for, demand & want from MY children – to ‘draw near to ME’. To get as close to ME as possible – to ‘sit at MY feet’ with a humble, open, receptive heart, & to hunger for MY words; to receive them & cherish them & take them in; to hear from ME. To ‘select’ ME as the object of love & devotion. This one thing is truly good, it’s beneficial to you, it’s ‘essentially good’ & it’s pleasing to ME. You will be truly blessed if you do this thing – for it is what I desire of you. Those who do this, like Mary has, will never lose out; what they receive will never be taken from them, removed from them or cut off from them. This is of lasting value – this one, so important, thing – not all that you ‘do’ for ME, good though that may be, but that you learn to draw near to ME in intimacy & to hear MY voice & to hearken to ME.”

thought for the journey …

Oh can you hear the longing, the cry of FATHER GOD’s heart, in the words of HIS SON - it is for you, for your heart! Yes we need a life full of good works - but they should follow us as we follow our SAVIOR - and not we them! 

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are HIS workmanship, created in CHRIST JESUS for good works, which GOD prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” How do we walk in them? We follow JESUS, walk in HIS ways, and we will naturally fulfil the good works HE has laid out for us to do! As we walk in HIS footsteps we will find ourselves walking a life that is rich in good works - but HE is first; our focus, desire and goal!

John 15:4-5 “Abide in ME, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in ME. I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in ME and I in him, bears much fruit; for without ME you can do nothing.” Occupy ourselves with HIM, with learning to ‘be’ with HIM, with bringing joy and pleasure to HIS amazing heart - and as we do this we will find our heart beginning to beat with what is on HIS heart; with HIS concerns and burdens, with HIS passions and longings …