When Jesus visited the sisters Mary and Martha, Mary sat at His feet while Martha got caught up in all the preparations that needed to be done. You may have been in Martha’s position before, where life feels so overwhelming that you cannot even keep up. It seems as if the to-do list never ends! (I sure have felt that way too.) However, at any moment, and especially in those stressful moments, it is still Jesus Who matters most. Mary chose to sit in Jesus’ presence and to leave her troubles at His feet. All those tasks did not matter to her because she fixed her eyes on the Lord. When we take our focus away from our difficulties and gaze steadily upon our Savior, that is when we can do the impossible. Similarly, when Peter looked to the Lord and replaced his fear with faith, he was then able to walk on water beside Jesus. (Matthew 14:22-33) Psalm 46:10 also reminds us to “Be still and know that I am God.” According to these words, we must first be still in order to know God. That means putting aside all the tasks and distractions in our lives and simply sitting in His presence, just like Mary did. Once we look to Jesus first, then everything else will fall into place. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Luke 10:41-42 says, “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
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Most of us know Martha as the woman who was too distracted with housework to sit and listen to Jesus when He visited. But what if there’s more to who she is? In this post, we will be looking at other passages about Martha and learning more about her true character.
As I mentioned earlier, when Jesus visited Martha and her sister Mary, Martha was too focused on other tasks to be attentive to Jesus. (Luke 10:38-42) Although this is true, Martha also demonstrated great faith (in other passages recorded in the Bible). For instance, after Mary and Martha’s brother, Lazarus, had died, Martha greeted Jesus as He came to visit her and Mary once again. At first, she says, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21) I am sure that many of us can relate to Martha’s feelings during this situation. Many times, we may think that it is too late for God to do anything in our lives, when in reality, we must be patient and wait for His timing. Although your situation may seem hopeless, just remember that God is not finished with you yet! To answer Martha, Jesus explained that Lazarus will rise again. In John 11:24, Martha answered saying, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Through this statement, it is clear that Martha believes in Jesus, as the Gospel itself is based on the fact that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) In addition, Martha also says, “I believe that You are the Messiah, the Son of God, Who is to come into the world.” (John 11:27) Just like Martha, we all are tempted to take our focus off of God. This world is filled with distractions, so it can be easy to stray away. Yet God knows that we are not perfect, and He just wants us to love and believe in Him. Hebrews 11: 6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” |
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