Luke 10:38-42 provides a beautiful lesson on balancing worship and service. Jesus clarifies that while serving is good, sitting at His feet in worship is essential. Let's explore this concept with three scriptures that emphasize the importance of worship and offer practical illustrations to help us move from performance-driven service to genuine worship.
1. **Luke 10:41-42 (ESV)**
_"But the Lord answered her, 'Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.'"_
**Illustration:** Imagine preparing a grand feast for a close friend. You spend hours cooking, cleaning, and arranging everything perfectly, but in all the busyness, you miss the most precious moments of sitting down and talking with your friend. That's what Martha did—she was so focused on preparing things for Jesus that she missed the chance to be with Him. On the other hand, Mary chose to sit at Jesus' feet and listen to Him. The meal could wait, but the moments with Jesus were irreplaceable.
**Application:** To worship more like Mary, we must recognize that our time with Jesus is the "good portion." It can be hard when responsibilities press on us, but slowing down to listen to Him gives us the spiritual nourishment that lasts. Taking moments in the day to sit quietly in His presence, pray, or read His Word can realign our focus from doing to being.
2. **Psalm 46:10 (NIV)**
_"Be still, and know that I am God..."_
**Illustration:** Picture a calm lake early in the morning, with the still water. The stillness allows you to see the reflection of everything around the lake. But if the water is disturbed, the image becomes distorted. In the same way, when we are constantly moving and working like Martha, our ability to reflect on God and recognize His presence becomes blurred. We see God's character and feel His presence in stillness and worship.
**Application:** Worship requires stillness—not just physical stillness, but also quieting our minds. We can start our day with a few minutes of worship through music, prayer, or simply sitting quietly, acknowledging that God is with us. This can transform our day by setting our hearts in tune with Him rather than with tasks.
### 3. **Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)**
_"Come to me, all who labor and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."_
**Illustration:** Think of a farmer guiding oxen with a yoke. The yoke spreads the load between the oxen, making it easier to bear. Jesus says that when we come to Him in worship and rest, we exchange our heavy burden of trying to perform and "do it all" for the lightness of walking with Him. Martha carried the weight of her responsibilities alone, but Jesus offers us a partnership, where He does the heavy lifting when we lean into Him.
**Application:** Worship brings us into that light yoke with Jesus, where we learn from Him. When we take time to worship, we are reminded that it's not all on us to perform. Worship becomes a place of rest and refreshment rather than duty.
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### Did Martha Overcome Her Struggle?
While the Bible doesn't explicitly follow up on Martha's story, John 11:20 and John 12:2 suggest a shift in her heart. In John 11, when Jesus arrives after Lazarus' death, Martha goes to meet Him, expressing faith in His power to heal. By John 12, she is still serving, but there's no sense of anxiety or resentment—just peaceful service. This suggests that Martha may have learned to balance service with worship.
Final Thoughts
It's natural to struggle like Martha, but we can learn to worship like Mary by intentionally setting aside time to be still with Jesus, trusting that He values our presence more than our performance. Worship helps us shift from a "doing for" Jesus to a "being with" Jesus.
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