Category: <span>thoughts by Darren Hewer</span>

by Darren Hewer

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to [Jesus] and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?  Tell her to help me.”  Luke 10:40

Ever feel like a Martha? Someone who is focused, driven, hardworking “someone who wants to just get things done? Have you ever read Jesus’ interaction with Mary and her sister Martha, and felt sympathy for poor Martha, who is doing her best to be busy and work, only to be reproved by Jesus?

Does Jesus despise working hard? Surely not; Jesus commends hard work and perseverance (Revelation 2:2), and gives many parables to illustrate the value of hard work (such as the Two Sons, Matthew 21:32). What, then, does Jesus object to? Martha was not just working, but was : distracted,”  “worried,” and “upset.” Just as “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:17), the inverse is also true: Actions done with a gladful heart are what God desires.

What is the “better” thing that Mary has chosen? “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:29). If Martha were doing her work with the proper focus (on God) and a loving attitude, she would not have complained that her sister was focusing on listening to Jesus, for Jesus told the crowds to “Listen and understand.”  (Matthew 15:10).

Even when we have a Martha attitude, we can take comfort in this: “Jesus loved Martha”  (John 11:5) Even when we miss the mark, have a bad attitude, or lose patience, God still loves us. Take this opportunity today to examine your servant life, and see if your heart is “distracted,” “worried,” and “upset.” If so, it would be worthwhile to take time to spend some time in peace and quiet with God. Remember, “Jesus loved Martha.”

Question: Is your heart distracted, worried, or upset today? If so, take solace in the fact that God loves you, and try to turn those feelings into something great, by listening to God through His word.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/03/20/dh_loved-martha/

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Thoughts by All thoughts by Darren Hewer Thoughts by Men

by Darren Hewer
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Is a person a Christian merely because they have been born into a Christian family? Of course, the thoughtful answer is no, even though a person may subconsciously subsume some surface-level measure of their parents’ faith, yet never allow it to make any deeper impact on their life. And then people wonder why have never experienced this “faith� thing!

Rev Victor Shepherd notes in his excellent recent book, Do you love me? And other questions Jesus asks:

Christians of every generation are slow to hear that God has no grandchildren. God certainly has children: We become God’s children as we seize Jesus Christ in faith and vow never to let go. Grandchildren, however, are those who try to ride the coattails of their parents’ faith, sooner or later to find that what they assumed to be possible – faith at arm’s length, faith secondhand, faith on the cheap -isn’t possible.

If you today are wondering if you have been living as a grandchild, and not a child of God, I implore you to please take a moment to consider what it means to be living a Spirit Filled Life:
http://www.thoughts-about-god.com/biblestudies/spiritfilledlife.htm!

It may be the most important few minutes of the rest of your life!

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/02/21/dh_grandchild/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Darren Hewer Thoughts by Men