Day 72: Martha to the Max

Luke 10:38-42

New International Version (NIV)

³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

   ⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one.^[a]Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Well, here it is... the story that defines my life. I am a recovering hard-core Martha. After only three months at our last congregation, the church secretary gave me a copy of the book Martha to the Max: Balanced Living for Perfectionists. I'm not sure, but I think that was a hint. Ahem. 

The truth is that she was absolutely right. I have always tried to do everything. Be everywhere. Go everyplace. And many times, this has been at the expense of my personal relationship with God. 

That's where Martha found herself: working, going, doing, but not being, learning, experiencing. She was so caught up in the event itself that she missed the whole point. Jesus, the Lord Himself, was in her home, and she was so busy washing dishes that she couldn't be bothered to stop and pay attention to Him. 

What a lesson for us... or for me, at least. And the interesting thing is that Jesus says that Mary has chosen what is better... Mary, who looks suspiciously like a lazy bum. Jesus knew her heart, though, and He knew that she saw an opportunity of a lifetime and seized it.

See your opportunities for spiritual growth. Seize them. And don't get so busy doing for the Lord that you forget how to sit at his feet. It's not laziness. It's maturity.

Day 71: Would You Save A Drowning Man?

Luke 10:29-37

New International Version (NIV)

 ²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
 ³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii^[a] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
   ³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
 ³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
   Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”


How many times have I read this story? How many times have you? And yet, thinking about it tonight, I have a not-so-good feeling that I haven't taken the message to heart nearly as much as I like to pretend that I have. 


Just like these guys, I have been guilty of not choosing to put myself in a situation because I was afraid. Just like these guys, I have been guilty of not going out of my way because I "didn't have time". Just like these guys, I've hurried on by.


Have you seen this article? http://hypervocal.com/news/2011/police-firemen-look-on-as-man-drowns-off-ca-coast/ It's about a bunch of policemen and firemen in California who chose to look on while a man drowned himself. When they're interviewed after, they say that "policy" prevented them from intervening. And the scary thing is that that almost sounds reasonable to me.


I'm sorry to say that I could see myself standing on the shoreline, telling someone how much I *wished* I could do something to help. That's not the person that I want to be. I want to be the person that, when faced with the opportunity to save someone, doesn't stop to think "what are the possible ramifications for me"? Who finds it impossible to stand on the shore and watch someone drown - physically or spiritually. Who says, this person is more important than my job/my rules/my life. 


If you had been on that shoreline, what would you have done? There are moments in life that tell who you are. The good Samaritan of this story found his defining moment on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Where will you find yours? 

Day 70: Do This And You Will Live

Luke 10:25-28

New International Version (NIV)

 ²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

   ²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
 ²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b]”
   ²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”


Short and sweet tonight: "Do this and you will live." What a short and sweet statement. If you a) love the Lord will all your heart and soul and strength and mind and b) love your neighbor as yourself, you will live. So easy. So hard. 


The principle couldn't be more simplistic. The practice... well, that's another story. It's that little "all". If it said that you must love with part of your heart, or some of your heart, even most of your heart, okay. But all... that means you have to get rid of every single other thing that has laid down roots. You must give them up. If it takes away a single ounce from your strength, love, knowledge for God, it has to go.


Do this and you will live.

Day 69: Why Time Travel Rox My Sox

Luke 10:23-24

New International Version (NIV)

 ²³ Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. ²⁴ For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”


For those of you who don't know, I'm an aspiring author. I have (for years, actually) been working on a middle-grade novel about two super cute and wonderful kids who discover that they're time travelers. Tonight, like many nights, I've spent a couple of hours working to perfect a scene in said novel. I say that to say this: I spend lots of time thinking about time.


Maybe that's why, when I read this passage, my thoughts immediately turned to time travel. (Yes, I know, but still. They did.) How awesome would it be to get to travel back in time, to actually see these events with our own eyes? The prophets and kings that Jesus refers to... what would they have given to travel forward in time and see these events with their own eyes? Why, oh why do I not have a flux capacitor of my very own?


In effect, this is what Jesus is trying to get across to his disciples... how incredibly, amazingly, indescribably lucky they were to get to see him, walk with him, witness his marvelous works. They were about to witness the one event that would change the world forever. Everyone who ever lived before them, and everyone who ever lived after them, would long to see what they saw.


I do wish I could travel back in time. I would love to know for sure what Jesus looked like, instead of having to imagine Him. I would love to see His facial expressions when he speaks, hear the tone of his voice. 


And one day, I will. Until then, I can be grateful that God saw fit to leave his Word with us, and that I'm blessed enough to know how to read it. God is good, all the time.

Day 68: J-O-Y Down In My Heart

Luke 10:21-22

New International Version (NIV)

 ²¹ At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
   ²² “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”


At some point I'm going to have to go back and see how many times the Spirit is referenced over the course of this study. It's going to be an interesting statistic. Here's another reference to the Spirit that I've never noticed before: Jesus is full of joy through the Holy Spirit. Have you ever realized that your joy comes through the Spirit?


I don't believe this is a giddy sort of joy, or a hyper sort of joy, or a "everything all perfect all the time" joy. Instead, it's that deep knowledge that God is in control, and that He will make all things perfect in their time. It's that joy that keeps you from blowing up at the fast food cashier who keeps getting your order wrong. You're able to back up and look at the bigger picture... and smile.


Spirit-led joy is a wonderful thing. Here, Jesus sees the Pharisees and teachers of the law twisting his words, plotting against him, and generally making his life miserable, and he is filled with...joy??!!? Yes, because he sees the bigger picture. He sees the irony in the fact that little children can see God when these "teachers" can't. I can almost picture him shaking his head, a tiny smile on his face. Nothing but Spirit-led joy could take such a negative and allow it to be viewed as a positive.

I want, covet, desire that joy. But I realize that it starts with me. To get it, I have to allow the Spirit to be active in my life, and to follow His lead in each and every situation. It will take discipline. But the payoff is JOY! (Right now I'm picturing Perry Taylor singing, "J-O-Y, down in my heart, deep deep down in my heart!") And that is a payoff worth working for.

Day 67: Learning From the Devil

Luke 10:17-20

New International Version (NIV)

 ¹⁷ The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
 ¹⁸ He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. ²⁰ However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”


Wow. Wow wow wow wow wow. I'm not sure I've ever heard a sermon on this passage, or even read an article on it, but, well... this is something. I got a sort of chill when I read it. There's a lot to ponder here.


First, the ones who were sent out have gotten a charge out of the fact that they have power over demons. And who could blame them? I can only imagine what watching someone who was demon possessed must have been like (I've seen a few kids that have made me wonder, but I digress). And then to realize that you could do something about it? It must have been quite the experience. 


But you see, that's the thing. They couldn't do anything about it - on their own, anyway. Only Jesus could. And that's what he is trying to get across when he points out that he saw Satan himself fall from heaven. He's saying that while their "authority" is just a shadow, his is the real thing. It's a proclamation that He Was, and Is, and Is To Come. He was there when Satan went from an angel to the devil. I have often wondered what that moment was like. It must have been terrible.


In any event, it seems to be a serious business to Jesus, with good reason. Just think of all the  harm that Satan has done. I can't count the things he's done to me personally, and Jesus has watched every one of them unfold, multiplied by every person who has ever lived. When he tells the disciples not to rejoice that the spirits submit to them, he's teaching a valuable lesson. He knows why Satan fell... because he coveted the power of God. He got a taste of power, and that taste grew until it was insatiable. Jesus doesn't want to see that again. And so He says, don't exult in the power. Exult in the fact that you have salvation.


Keep your focus. Keep your humility. As Micah 6:8 says, "Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God." Learn a lesson from the devil, and don't follow in his path.

Day 66: A Road Map For Missions

Luke 10:1-16

New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two

 ³ Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴ Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.   ⁵ “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ ⁶ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
   ⁸ “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. ⁹ Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ ¹² I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
   ¹³ “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ¹⁴ But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.¹⁵ And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.^[b]
   16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”


We've been meeting lately with a group that's planning a mission trip to Christmas Island next summer. Some of us have been on many missions; some have never been before. It's interesting to see the differences in the attitudes toward the trip and the differences in what people are concerned about. This passage is a good one to consider before going anywhere "foreign" (read: outside of your normal realm of experience) with the gospel. 


I have to say that I never have, and still don't, understand why they were to greet anyone on the road. But the rest of the passage is an excellent road map for missions.


1. Eat and drink whatever they give you (mentioned in both v. 7 and v. 8). In other words, be grateful for what others are giving you out of the goodness of their hearts, and be considerate of the fact that they may have different cultures or customs. Don't lose your influence and look like a jerkface because you don't like fill-in-the-blank. Don't be a diva.


2. Do not move around from house to house. Honestly, I'm not sure of the original purpose behind this one, but I know a good purpose for it now. I have actually known people staying in homes on mission trips who have asked to stay with someone else because they didn't want to sleep in the floor, or because the person didn't have food they liked. Umm... no. Again, don't be a diva. Remember that your purpose is to proclaim the message of Jesus, and he had "no place to lay his head". It's pretty hard to proclaim his message when you're not even willing to sacrifice a little bit of comfort for a few nights. As my college instructors always said, "No complaining while campaigning!" Your attitude will show people the way to Christ... or not.


3. Heal the sick (meet their needs). People cannot listen to you if there's an enormous need smacking them in the face while you're trying to talk. Think about the last time you had to sit through a class while you were super hungry... it's no different with those you're trying to teach. If they're hungry/cold/sick/worried, they can't focus on your message. First, heal their physical need to the best of your ability. Then you can begin to meet their emotional need. Which leads us to...


4. Tell them, "the Kingdom of God has come near to you". Share what you know! Everyone has a personal story of faith. I've found that it's good to start there. Be excited... you know the most exciting story that has ever been told. The kingdom of God has come near to you! Amazing!


5. When you enter a town and are not welcomed... not everyone will listen. It's a fact of life. And it's okay. Don't feel like you have failed personally. The decision to follow Christ is one that every person has to make individually. Not everyone who heard Jesus followed Him; in fact, most people didn't. Why should it be any different for us? Shake it off and move on.


These are simple thoughts, but we proclaim a simple gospel. Sweet.