Do You Have a Complex?
Recently, I have been studying and praying about Mary and Martha. So when my pastor mentioned Martha on Sunday, I felt a clear leading from the Lord to write about my findings this week.
Recall, Mary and Martha were sisters of Lazarus, the man whom Jesus raised from the dead. At the tail end of Luke 10 we see Jesus being welcomed into Martha's home. Martha's sister, Mary, sat at the Lord's feet listening to His teaching.
Immediately we get a glimpse into Martha's heart by what she is saying.
Lord, do you not care ... that I am serving alone?
So one of the first things, aside from Martha being distracted, is that she accuses the Lord Jesus of not caring. She obviously has bitter resentment toward Mary for sitting and listening instead of trying to alleviate her in her distractions.
Martha is plowing ahead, 'doing' without 'waiting'. She does not want to submit herself to the Lord by being still and paying attention to the teaching.
So often, we ourselves function with this attitude, being so distracted that we refuse to pay attention to the teaching or by making excuses and grumbling about other's perceived 'lighter loads', comparing them to our own life, refusing to see that some are just choosing to lay down the distractions for a moment at the Master's feet.
When we are distracted and overwhelmed the best thing for us to 'do' is to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to what He is saying. I appreciate having a pastor who prayerfully prepares his message each week because I know that when I enter into the congregation that God is going to speak through him.
I literally have to lay down any and all distractions so that I can receive what Jesus himself wants to share with me through my under shepherd.
When I see people engaged during a teaching, I myself am encouraged but when I see someone on their phone, allowing it to dominate their eyes and ultimately their minds, I think of Martha.
I find it very interesting that the people that are most like Martha tend to do what she did recorded in scripture. They will grumble about no one helping them, including grumbling against God himself. They don't realize that their own unwillingness to lay down their distractions is preventing them from being refreshed, encouraged and strengthened in their walk with Jesus. By their actions they encourage others to do the same thing.
Do you have a complex? A 'Martha Complex?
Do you point out other's faults and accuse God of not caring for you all the while serving your own idols instead of bowing at the feet of the One who died to give you peace and rest?
Do you busy yourself by 'doing' things that are 'good' all the while distracting yourself from God's best?
Are you easily offended and think that you are doing the lions share of the work, continually comparing your life to the lives around you in order to fuel your idols of bitterness and resentment that demand to be fed?
Are you unwilling to submit your mind to the teaching and preaching of the Word, by laying down your distractions in order to be challenged and refreshed by submitting to a local body and Pastor?
Do you think that what you are doing is working for Jesus but really you are decieved in your service in that you are really serving the idols of your own heart, idols of self reliance and self glorification, stealing the glory from the work that Christ has already accomplished for you so that you don't have to earn favor with man or with God?
When asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus responds;
So I would ask, who are you thinking about more? Yourself or Jesus? Our minds are for the Lord and when we think about our lives and struggles more than focusing on the Lord and His goodness and love and kindness toward us then we are really having our minds full of ourselves like Martha. Are we thinking about loving others or are we comparing our plight with the ease of another's life?
When we do this it is impossible to love the way that Jesus commands us to love.
I Corinthians 13 says:
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast;
Martha was impatient and she envied Mary's position all the while boasting in her own work ethic.
it is not arrogant or rude.
Martha approaches Jesus with a haughty attitude about her perceived plight in her busyness.
It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
Martha was insisting on her own way when she told Jesus to tell Mary to help her.
it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
How we love people will never end! The record of our love here on earth has an everlasting history. Will we determine in our hearts to serve God by applying our minds to the teaching of the Word? Will we lay down our distractions for Him? Will we love our neighbors the same way we love our selves? Always giving them the benefit of the doubt and not comparing our lives to their's which has a crippling effect on our ability to walk in love with one another?
Lord, help us to exalt you and others above ourselves in our mind. We are so prone to think continually of our own difficulties without sitting and gleaning from the knowledge of knowing you intimately. Help us to see, and lay down our distractions and idols that give us all the excuses in the world to be frustrated and embittered with your people. Help us to make our lives about loving you with our whole hearts, minds, souls and strength so that we can love others without comparison, loving one another with a sincere heart.
Recall, Mary and Martha were sisters of Lazarus, the man whom Jesus raised from the dead. At the tail end of Luke 10 we see Jesus being welcomed into Martha's home. Martha's sister, Mary, sat at the Lord's feet listening to His teaching.
But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and sad,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me to serve alone?
Tell her then to help me."
Immediately we get a glimpse into Martha's heart by what she is saying.
Lord, do you not care ... that I am serving alone?
So one of the first things, aside from Martha being distracted, is that she accuses the Lord Jesus of not caring. She obviously has bitter resentment toward Mary for sitting and listening instead of trying to alleviate her in her distractions.
Martha is plowing ahead, 'doing' without 'waiting'. She does not want to submit herself to the Lord by being still and paying attention to the teaching.
Psalm 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God. I will exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"
So often, we ourselves function with this attitude, being so distracted that we refuse to pay attention to the teaching or by making excuses and grumbling about other's perceived 'lighter loads', comparing them to our own life, refusing to see that some are just choosing to lay down the distractions for a moment at the Master's feet.
When we are distracted and overwhelmed the best thing for us to 'do' is to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to what He is saying. I appreciate having a pastor who prayerfully prepares his message each week because I know that when I enter into the congregation that God is going to speak through him.
I literally have to lay down any and all distractions so that I can receive what Jesus himself wants to share with me through my under shepherd.
When I see people engaged during a teaching, I myself am encouraged but when I see someone on their phone, allowing it to dominate their eyes and ultimately their minds, I think of Martha.
I find it very interesting that the people that are most like Martha tend to do what she did recorded in scripture. They will grumble about no one helping them, including grumbling against God himself. They don't realize that their own unwillingness to lay down their distractions is preventing them from being refreshed, encouraged and strengthened in their walk with Jesus. By their actions they encourage others to do the same thing.
Do you have a complex? A 'Martha Complex?
Do you point out other's faults and accuse God of not caring for you all the while serving your own idols instead of bowing at the feet of the One who died to give you peace and rest?
Do you busy yourself by 'doing' things that are 'good' all the while distracting yourself from God's best?
Are you easily offended and think that you are doing the lions share of the work, continually comparing your life to the lives around you in order to fuel your idols of bitterness and resentment that demand to be fed?
Are you unwilling to submit your mind to the teaching and preaching of the Word, by laying down your distractions in order to be challenged and refreshed by submitting to a local body and Pastor?
Do you think that what you are doing is working for Jesus but really you are decieved in your service in that you are really serving the idols of your own heart, idols of self reliance and self glorification, stealing the glory from the work that Christ has already accomplished for you so that you don't have to earn favor with man or with God?
When asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus responds;
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and first commandment.
And a second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
On these two commandments depend
all the Law and the Prophets."
So I would ask, who are you thinking about more? Yourself or Jesus? Our minds are for the Lord and when we think about our lives and struggles more than focusing on the Lord and His goodness and love and kindness toward us then we are really having our minds full of ourselves like Martha. Are we thinking about loving others or are we comparing our plight with the ease of another's life?
When we do this it is impossible to love the way that Jesus commands us to love.
I Corinthians 13 says:
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast;
Martha was impatient and she envied Mary's position all the while boasting in her own work ethic.
it is not arrogant or rude.
Martha approaches Jesus with a haughty attitude about her perceived plight in her busyness.
It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
Martha was insisting on her own way when she told Jesus to tell Mary to help her.
it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
How we love people will never end! The record of our love here on earth has an everlasting history. Will we determine in our hearts to serve God by applying our minds to the teaching of the Word? Will we lay down our distractions for Him? Will we love our neighbors the same way we love our selves? Always giving them the benefit of the doubt and not comparing our lives to their's which has a crippling effect on our ability to walk in love with one another?
Lord, help us to exalt you and others above ourselves in our mind. We are so prone to think continually of our own difficulties without sitting and gleaning from the knowledge of knowing you intimately. Help us to see, and lay down our distractions and idols that give us all the excuses in the world to be frustrated and embittered with your people. Help us to make our lives about loving you with our whole hearts, minds, souls and strength so that we can love others without comparison, loving one another with a sincere heart.
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