Finding the One Priority of Life According to Jesus

If anything marks our culture today, it would have to be the fact that we are all busy. Everywhere you go people are rushing around in a hurry. The irony of the age we live in, is that it was predicted that the age of computers would give us more leisure time. That was a lie. Our technology has somehow made us slaves to clocks that never seem to allot us enough time. I’m retired, yet I, too, often feel like I just don’t have enough time to get done the things I need to get done.

I committed myself several years ago to giving a real effort to make God my priority when I wake up in the morning. Though I try to be a man who “prays without ceasing”, I still struggle with the distractions inherent in life. If I give God the first minutes of my day, at least He got some of me. Though I don’t force myself into a legalistic ritual in which I punish myself on the days I miss my morning time with God, I make it a priority to do so most mornings. This morning’s study time was a lesson from Jesus on just how important it is to make Him the priority. It is found in Luke 10:38-42.

In the story, we find Martha busy preparing to serve Jesus, having invited Him into her home. Luke describes her as “distracted with all her preparations.” Meanwhile, her sister Mary, is “seated at the Lord’s feet listening to His word.”

We’ve all been there. While we are doing all the work, our co-worker is playing on their smartphone. While we are carrying in the bags of groceries, our spouse is watching the game or a soap opera on TV. Even in the church we get frustrated with the lack of people helping in the various ministries. It’s long been a church saying that 10% of the people do 90% of the work. Yea Martha, we get it.

Martha has had enough so she goes right to Jesus about this lack of help. Listen to her rebuke of Jesus from Luke 10:40 “…and she came up to Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me."”

But the response she gets is not the one she expected.

Luke 10:41-42
But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things: but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

This is not an excuse to not serve in the church. Nor is it an excuse to not hold a job or help those in need. This is a lesson on priority.

You see the most important aspect of the Christian life is worship. It is what we will do in Heaven. We simply must take the time each day to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to His Word. When we do that, we will know how to serve Him. We will know what His will is for our lives. We will understand how to serve Him without these angry, frustrated feelings that we see in Martha. We will learn that making more money is not the most important task in life. We will learn that we do not have to constantly be doing something. We will clear our minds so that we are praying without ceasing.

But more importantly, we will know Jesus. And as we grow closer to him, we will worship Him more and more. Then every command in the scriptures, every instruction from Jesus and the inspired words of the Bible will become our desires and not a burden to enjoying life, as some seem to make them.

Its important to serve God. But not at the expense of sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to His Word. Are you a Martha? Or are you a Mary? Jesus said Mary did the only necessary thing, which is to listen to Him.

Listen to Him.

The Simple Message of Mercy

Mercy. It is a powerful word to the Christian, for it is because of God’s mercy that a poor, wretched sinner, like me, can have a relationship with Almighty God.

Ephesians 2:4-5
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.

We have been saved by grace because God has mercy upon us. What response does this great news require of us in return? Jesus spoke about what He wants from us in Matthew 9:13 instructing us to “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Because God extended mercy to us, we are to extend mercy to others. The question then is this, do we know what mercy is?

The simple answer is to look up the word mercy in the dictionary. The first definition I find when I searched online is a good one. It says that mercy is “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.” In other words, it is giving them something they do not deserve, while holding back the punishment they do. This is what God has done for us by sending Jesus to die on the cross so that we can, not only be forgiven, but are also given His righteousness. This is called imputation in theological terms. It means that though we are still sinners in our thoughts and behaviors, we are cloaked in the robe of Jesus’ righteousness. When God looks upon those He has saved, He sees them just as He sees Jesus, without sin, pure and holy. This means that when a Christian dies, He will enter the presence of God. It means a Christian can come into His presence anytime through prayer. This is why we add “In Jesus’ name” to our prayers.

In terms of practical Christian living we are to also show mercy to those who are not deserving of our love. This includes every and all types of offenders. Drug addicts, prostitutes, adulterers, and even child molesters are to be shown mercy by the Christian.

Does this mean we simply overlook their offenses? No. The Bible is clear that government is put into place to yield the sword against those who perpetuate violence and crime against us. So, yes, we let justice be served within the parameters of our society. It means we protect the innocent. It means we defend life.

But it never authorizes personal hatred towards even the vilest of society. Jesus said we love our enemies. We are called to pray for them. They are a part of the world in which we are sent to preach the Gospel to. We cannot show them the love of Christ if our minds are set on anger and bitterness. This will require a heart of mercy and the only way to have that heart is through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Let us learn what mercy is and let us show the same mercy to all people as God has shown to us. Before our new birth we were enemies of God. Without His grace given, expressed through mercy, we would all be cast into the eternal darkness of hell.

I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul from His great letter to the Romans. May we all learn what mercy is and make it real in our lives.

Romans 11:30-32
For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy.  For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

Go now and learn what this means.

 

What We Do When We Find Ourselves Doubting Jesus

Since faith is the way we please God and the only way to salvation, we Christians don’t like to express that we sometimes have doubts. Of course, God knows our thoughts before we think them, so we are not fooling Him. Trying to fool others is just prideful and trying to fool ourselves? Well, that is just silly. But there is a wonderful story in the Bible that shows us that doubt is sometimes going to pop up.

We find this story in Luke 7;18-23 and in Matthew 11:2-6.

In the story, we find John, stuck in a prison for simply being obedient to the call he was given by God. Listen to John’s question of doubt.

Luke 7:18-19
The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

John, the one who baptized Jesus and then personally saw the heavens open, the Spirit of God come down from them, and rest upon Jesus. John, the one who was filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb, and the same John who once said this about Jesus, John 1:29, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” This John expressed doubt later in his life.

Doubt isn’t something we should hold on to, for it will take away your joy if left unfettered. So, what do we do with doubt? The answer is simple. We do as John did and take it to Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of our faith. We pray when we doubt. Then we open His Word to hear the truth about the questions we have. Then we believe God. We believe the Word. The Word is Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)

Listen to the wonderful words of the psalmist who instructs us in how to fight doubt.

Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

God spoke to Joshua and instructed him how not to doubt that he could lead the nation Israel.

Joshua 1:7-8
Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.  This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

The Book of the law must depart from our mouths. We must follow the straight path it lays out. We need to be always thinking about its truth so that we may follow how God has instructed us to live.

Peter said this in 2 Peter 1:3, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.”

The knowledge of Him comes through the Word of God. It is the place we must go to remove all doubt.