Martha

“But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭10:40-42‬ ‭(ESV)‬‬

Service is an overflow of God's love for us.

We should not take pride in it.

We should not make it our god.

We should not be anxious or troubled about it.

Think about the last time you served whether in ministry or at home or anywhere else. What compelled you to serve? Is it for selfish gain or is it for selfless love? 

In ministry, we should not feel comfortable but we should not be anxious about it. 

We should ask: "What more can I do?" Rather than: "What do people say I do?"

Volunteers are not perfect, but they are loved by a perfect God.

This compels us to serve.

If you don't have a relationship with Jesus, sit down at His feet like Mary did and listen to Him first. Don't be distracted by the things that you think needs to be done from the one thing you should be doing: enjoying God's presence in your life.

How then shall we serve?

Being part of a ministry is a privilege. It's always an honor to honor God through the time, skills, resources and passion He has given and is continually giving to us. 

By serving others, we share the love God has poured in our lives. Without the understanding of that love, we cannot truly serve confidently with a heart.

Every ministry we have has a role not just in the sunday or youth services, but it is an avenue where people with the same passion come together and grow the talents God has deposited in us. 

Going back to Martha, she indeed has the skill to serve tables as she may have been doing it for several times already. She's also used to having her sister help her in serving. Yet this time was different because she was doing it "alone". Do we welcome God to help us as we serve? When we feel that we are doing it alone, our heart is not united with the body anymore.

Martha was the one who welcomed Jesus in her home.

“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭10:38‬ ‭(ESV)‬‬

Why would Martha welcome Jesus in her home?

-to serve him?

-to get to know him?

-to listen to his teaching?

Jesus knew that Martha was anxious and worried. As a believer, she may have seen how tiring it is for Jesus to do His ministry in the places he goes to and she just wants to serve Jesus to ease the pain He might be feeling. Or maybe Martha wanted to serve Jesus because He was a single man and she was a single woman (this I am not sure but it entered my mind). She may be a known hospitable person and the pressure of that identity caused her to worry about not serving the best hospitality without the help of her sister.

For sure she had good intentions but Jesus was not after her service but her heart. Jesus might have welcomed the invitation to be at her home because He had a message He wanted to say yet Martha was not willing to listen. Jesus knew Martha and He wanted to give a lesson of what should have been prioritized at that moment.

Jesus deserved the best hospitality we can ever offer, but all our "best" is rubbish in His eyes if our hearts are not honoring His presence.

The next time we serve God, are we there fully or are we there half-heartedly?