Different styles of serving

Martha, Jesus, Mary (Artist unknown)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 10-11; Psalm 117

TO CHEW ON: "… Mary … sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving." Luke 10:39,40

The sisters Martha and Mary make an interesting study in contrasts. Martha is an efficient go-getter. The Bethany home she shares with her siblings is called "her house" (Luke 10:38). She takes the initiative for the dinner party and obviously knows just how she wants the evening to go. It involves lots of details, which I'm sure she delights in, except she needs a little help.

Mary is the dreamy impractical one. While Martha flits around, Mary sits around, oblivious to Martha's "much serving" list and completely engrossed in Jesus and His words.

The contrast between the two sisters is seen again in another incident. It's another dinner in Bethany where again Martha serves (John 12:1,2). This time Mary does more than listen. To show her love for Jesus she pours perfume on his feet and dries them with her hair (John 12:3)! Who but a dreamy, impractical soul would think of something like that?

I believe Martha and Mary were different at a basic level. I think they were both right in serving and loving Jesus according to their makeup. Martha's mistake was to try and force Mary to leave her way of serving Jesus and do it Martha's way. Jesus' reprimand was probably an epiphany moment for Martha as He focused her on the value of what Mary was and was not doing.

I like how my Bible's commentary gets to the core of these differences.

"Martha's legitimate concern was to be a proper hostess. Mary's concern was to be a proper disciple. Jesus does not negate Martha's hospitable activities but is concerned with her distractions, worry and trouble about many things which cause her to underemphasize the one thing that is needed (Luke 10:42) that is to hear the word of Jesus" J. Lyle Story, commentary on Luke, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1408).

My sympathies have always been with Martha in this story. In my own life I see a tendency to get hung up on the practical details of service and ministry while losing sight of the big picture. And I would also like some support in my busy-ness. Perhaps you too?

Through this story we hear Jesus remind us, Don't be worried and troubled about many things. One thing is needed—to listen to My words. Your pursue that in your way and let others do it in theirs (my paraphrase).


PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to be a disciple in the way I have been created, while giving others the freedom to be themselves in the way they love and serve You. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 117

The Bible Project VIDEO: Luke - Part 2 (Read Scripture Series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Technology Word-snatch

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Mark 3-4; Psalm 96

TO CHEW ON: "The sower sows the word. And there are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts" - Mark 4:14-15


Jesus' parable describes the ancient practice of sowing but the modern process of snatching. On reading Jesus' explanation of the Sower Parable, something inside me says, the things He's describing—the sown word immediately taken away, the no-root, the preoccupation with the cares of this world, riches and other things—is very familiar. It is how I often feel especially since the coming of the Internet, email, Facebook blogging, twitter, and the smart phone. Something is always vying for my attention—and it isn't usually the Word!

Tim Challies writes about technology and a Christian's response to it in The Next Story. He says:

"Here is one of the greatest dangers we face as Christians: With the ever-present distractions in our lives, we are quickly becoming a people of shallow thoughts and shallow thoughts will lead to shallow living. There is a simple and inevitable progression at work here:

Distraction —> Shallow Thinking —> Shallow Living

All of this distraction is reshaping us in two dangerous ways. First we are tempted to forsake quality for quantity, believing the lie that virtue comes through speed, productivity and efficiency ... Second, as this happens, we lose our ability to engage in deeper ways of thinking—concentrated, focused thought requires time and cannot be rushed" - Tim Challies, The Next Story, Kindle Location 2037.

Isn't that what Jesus is talking about here—letting God's words, thoughts and principles land, penetrate, germinate, sprout, grow, and produce fruit in our lives? We do that as we think deeply and at length about what the Bible says, relating its teachings to our ways of being and acting.

Though our outward ways of relating Jesus' teachings and the Bible to our lives may be different from how people would have done it in the first century, our motivations and trip-ups are so similar. God's word snatched away, shallowly rooted, and choked is something of which we need to be vigilant more than ever!


PRAYER: Dear God, this ancient warning about distracted living is modern. Help me to discipline myself to turn off my devices and listen to You and let Your words preoccupy me. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 96


The Bible Project VIDEO: Mark (Gospel Series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A united heart

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 28-31; Psalm 86

TO CHEW ON: "Teach me Your way, O Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name." Psalm 86:11

In the world of words, prevailing wisdom says if you want to make it as a writer, stick to one thing. If you've had success with mysteries, for example, don't suddenly switch to writing historical romances and then over to contemporary suspense and, for a change, science fiction.

Why?  Because it confuses your readers and erodes their trust in you. Fans of your mysteries will be put off when they pick up your newest and find it's not another whodunit but a tale about life on Mars. What they wanted, and thought they were getting, when they saw your name on the cover was a puzzle, not a space fantasy.

David in our reading today asks for God's help with something similar in the realm of his life and affections when he prays: "Unite my heart to fear Your name." My Bible's notes suggest other ways of expressing "Unite my heart": "Give me singleness of heart" and "Do not let the heart have many allegiances or distractions" - Dick Iverson, study notes on Psalms, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 752. 

Why is a divided heart a bad thing? For one, it blunts the impact our lives will have because it confuses those who observe us. But even worse, it confuses us too (James 1:4-8).

It takes only a few minutes to come up with a list of things that could compete for the allegiance of our hearts: money, security, desire to be liked, success, popularity, personal appearance and image, pleasure, leisure…

How do we get to that place of having an undivided, undistracted, unified heart?

"Teach me Your ways," the psalmist begins his request here. Teach (yarah) means to instruct, direct, teach, point, shoot, aim, cast in a straight direction. One Bible word derived from Yarah is Torah which means instruction, teaching, as in the instruction Moses got from God written in the first books of the Bible (from "Word Wealth" by Dick Mills, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible p. 710).

I believe we can make the leap and conclude that spending time in God's word (for us the Old and New Testaments) will also teach us what it means to have an undivided heart.

I love how Leslyn Musch sums up this thought in her Truth-In-Action Through Psalms: "God desires for our hearts to be undivided, fully devoted to Him, daily choosing Him above all else in all decisions of our lives" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 755 (emphasis added)

 
PRAYER: Dear God, as I read the Bible, please help me to understand how its teachings apply to me. Help me to choose to put You first in every aspect of my life. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 86

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Oh shiny!

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 119:33-48

TO CHEW ON: “Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,
And revive me in Your way.” Psalm 119:37


Are you attracted by beautiful things? By the tempting challenges that promise to further your career? By the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that might just set you up for the foreseeable? Oh shiny!

The Bible has a lot to say, indirectly and directly, about what we see and respond to.

• Way back in Eden it was the sight of that tempting fruit that first got Eve in trouble (Genesis 3:6).

• Lot too was attracted by the sight of that well-watered Jordanian plain. It drew him to move close to corrupt Sodom (Genesis 3:10,12).

• Achan’s eyes got him in trouble when they dwelt on the beautiful Babylonian garment, the silver and the gold. His covetous look led to taking, hiding, and a whole lot of trouble for him, his clan, and Israel (Joshua 7:21 - read the whole story in Joshua 7:10-26).

• Rich and wise King Solomon made several observations about setting one’s eyes on and directing one’s life by the attractive. By his own admission he lived that way (Ecclesiastes 2:4-8). And though he claimed to have kept his wisdom (Ecclesiastes 2:9), in the end all he went after turned out to be futile (Ecclesiastes 2:11). His advice: Go ahead and let your heart follow your eyes, but there will come a day of reckoning for this (Ecclesiastes 11:9).

• Even Jesus faced the temptation of the attractive (Matthew 4:8). He was not taken in. And on that mountaintop of temptation, Satan’s proffered exchange exposed what’s at stake here: “‘All these things I will give you if You will fall down and worship me” - Matthew 4:8 (emphasis added).

Perhaps that last is key to unveiling what’s behind such “Oh Shiny!” temptations for us too.  Their appeal and our response to them reveals to us and the world what our heart is worshiping. So the prayer of the psalmist becomes as relevant today as ever.

PRAYER: “Incline my heart to Your testimonies
And not to covetousness.
Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things.
And revive me in Your way” Amen.


MORE: Extracurricular
Another passage that we might consider when facing the “shiny” opportunities and challenges that come our way is Paul’s advice to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:4,

“No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”

We might ask—is this shiny possession / opportunity / deal, consistent with my role in the Kingdom of God? Or will it prove a distraction?

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Discipleship's competition

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 9:51-62

TO CHEW ON: "And another also said, 'Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.' But Jesus said to him, 'No one having put his hand to the plow, and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.'" Luke 9:61-62


In one of his meditations about discipleship, Oswald Chambers says:

"If any man come to me and hate not . . . , he cannot be My disciple," not, he cannot be good and upright, but, he cannot be one over whom Jesus writes the word 'Mine.' Any one of the relationships Our Lord mentions may be a competitive relationship. I may prefer to belong to my mother, or to my wife, or to myself; then, says Jesus, you cannot be My disciple. This does not mean I will not be saved, but it does mean that I cannot be "His."

The three interactions Jesus had with potential disciples at the end of our reading today (Luke 9:57-62) shed more light on discipleship's competition. It can come not only as human relationships but also as:

1. Material security
When a man approached Jesus and promised, "I will follow You wherever You go," Jesus didn't do what we might have expected, either welcoming or turning him away outright. Instead He told the man I don't even own a place to sleep. We hear no more of the man following Jesus. As a footnote commentary in my Bible explains it: "An emotional enthusiasm that hasn't considered the cost of abandoning material security is insufficient." (New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1406).

Do we do that—get all glowy with the romance of following Jesus, and then reconsider when we realize, missionaries don't often own real estate, have fat pensions waiting for them at retirement, or have the luxury of a six-week winter vacation?


2. Procrastination
In a second case Jesus challenged a man to follow Him, but the man replied, "Let me first go and bury my father." Does Jesus reply, "'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God,'" mean that the true disciple wouldn't even take time off for a family funeral? Hardly. I've heard someone explain this scenario by speculating that the man's father was probably not even dead at this point. Rather, he was in a life situation where he let current responsibilities trump Jesus' invitation to be a disciple by putting Him off with, 'I'll follow you later, when…'

Do we do that—put off sold-out discipleship for when our family is raised, our current project is finished, it's generally more convenient?

3. Distraction
In the third case, a man volunteered to be a disciple, but wanted first to bid farewell to those at home. Jesus' answer, "'No one having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of heaven,'" says to me that He knew the trip home for this potential disciple would be a distraction and a means to cause him to reconsider his decision.

Do we do that—after hearing His call, return to the people, the books, the advice that conflicts with His absolute claim on our lives? Like the seed that fell among thorns (Luke 8:7) didn't produce because of cares, riches and pleasures, our return "to bid farewell" can have a similar choking effect on our discipleship.

Oswald Chambers continues:

"Our Lord makes a disciple His own possession, He becomes responsible for him. 'Ye shall be witnesses unto Me.' The spirit that comes in is not that of doing anything for Jesus, but of being a perfect delight to Him. The secret of the missionary is - I am His, and He is carrying out His enterprises through me.

"Be entirely His" - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, September 4th reading.

How will I respond to that challenge? How will you?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, Your call to discipleship was not casual in the first century and is no more casual today. Help me to be a true disciple. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.

Fighting end-time distractions

Photo from Pixabay.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Mark 13:24-37

TO CHEW ON: "'Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—lest coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.'" Mark 13:35,36

If there ever was a time that is full of distractions, it's now. Go to any public place and you'll see people engrossed in their phones or tablets as they walk, drive, eat, converse… It's an era characterized by multi-tasking, by doing or trying to do a whole lot of things at once and by having our activity, focus, or thoughts repeatedly interrupted by beeps or ring-tones: "Gotta check my messages… Facebook… Twitter."

I know from experience how easy it is to get swept along in a chain of replying, clicking on links, checking out just one more thing online. Before I know it 30, 45, 60 minutes have gone by. All of which makes Jesus' plea for us to watch and be alert to the signs of His near return all the more challenging.

The Bible talks in other places of things that distract us from a posture of watchfulness and readiness:

• The everything's-going-well-so-let's-have-a-party attitude of the days before the flood - Matthew 24:38-39.

• The feeling that Jesus' coming and the day of accountability is still a long way off - Matthew 24:48-51.

• The failure to prepare ahead of time, so that the unexpected catches us without resources - Matthew 25:6-10.

• Absorption in the joys and problems of this life - Luke 21:34,35.

• Physical fatigue and exhaustion - Mark 14:34-41.

• Dullness because of apparent peace and safety - 1 Thessalonians 5:3.

So what do we do to stay watchful, alert, and prepared for these end days?

1.  We familiarize ourselves with the Bible's predictions for the end—that list we talked about yesterday, of signs that Jesus' coming is approaching.

2. We get mentally and spiritually prepared for society's increasing rejection of Christians and Christianity, even in so-called freedom-of-religion countries like Canada and the U.S.

3. We get serious about storing up some oil. We get to know our Bibles and memorize verses and passages against the day the Bible may be banned as a hateful and subversive book.

4. We stay alert in prayer as Jesus told His disciples in Gethsemane.

Do you think I'm being alarmist? Can you think of more?


PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I know my own distractibility. Help me to get on Your wavelength of watchfulness so I'm alert and equipped for Your return and the events that precede it. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Job's lament

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Job 24:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "Since times are not hidden from the Almighty,
Why do those who know Him not see His days?" - Job 24:1

In this dark chapter Job asks questions that he probably never had when he was healthy and flourishing. His experience has made him sensitive to evil and the general suffering around him in a way he never was when his life was going smoothly.

- He asks why God tolerates the bullying of the wicked (Job 24:2).
- He names ways they oppress the poor and helpless:

• They take advantage of widows and the needy (Job 24:3-4, 9-10).

• They force the hard-working and deserving to live on gleanings, without clothing in harsh rain and mountains (Job 24:6-8).

• They murder and steal and get away with it (Job 24:13-17).

In fact to Job there is no observable difference in the fates of the evil and the good person (Job 24:22-24).

This is a pretty depressing read. Are there any redeeming features at all in Job's lament? Song writer and worship leader Brian Doerksen would say there are. In an article titled "Why laments are healthy" he says:

"I know in times of tragedy and crisis, it’s especially important that we express what’s going on in our hearts. To try and deny what we are feeling is the route that many modern believers have taken; maybe without realizing it strays from the biblical pattern laid out for us in the psalms and in the life of Jesus. In fact denial is one of the main ways that the world deals with loss and grief.

"There’s another ‘d’ word that describes the way the world deals with loss – distraction! Between denial and distraction you pretty much have the world’s way of coping with loss, disappointment and grief summed up. (The entertainment and travel industries are built on coping through escaping) But we are not called to take our cues from the world. We are saved and freed to live the life that Jesus showed us to live . . . and one of the many things I love about Jesus is that he was completely free to feel"

He sums up:

 "Worship is not always about bringing God our best and brightest. Sometimes it’s about bringing God our pain and grief. Sometimes it’s coming just the way we are!

"God wants to give us more than permission to feel – he wants to step into the middle of our feelings and be present with us; even in our suffering . . . even in the middle of our emotions. So let the tears flow . . . let the laments be sung . . . " Brian Doerksen, "Permission to feel; Why laments are healthy" - Read entire  (.pdf file, ellipses are in the original and do not indicate words left out; emphasis added).

PRAYER: Dear God thank You for being big enough to hear my complaints and negative feelings. Help me to be honest rather than in denial. Please help me to invite you into my times of pain and confusion and find comfort in Your presence. Amen.

MORE: How Long O Lord - Brian Doerksen

Brian Doerksen set the words of Psalm 13 to music, reviving an ancient lament.