The Kingdom’s Action Plan – Part III
Key Verse: Luke 10:42
“There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Additional Reading: Luke 10:38-42
I have underlined Luke 10:42 in my Bible because Jesus said that Mary had discovered something that He wouldn’t want to take from her.
In other words, Mary had discovered another important part of the Kingdom’s Action Plan! This is another very familiar story to us who read our Bibles on a regular basis.
There were two sisters Martha and Mary. It was Martha that had welcomed Jesus into their home for dinner. As Martha was busy preparing the dinner, her sister Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus carefully listening to Jesus talk about God’s new Kingdom principles.
As you probably know, it wasn’t long before Martha was frustrated at the fact that she was doing all the meal preparations. She went to Jesus and vented her frustration: “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me” (Luke 10:40). I think Martha was very confident that her thinking was correct, and that Mary’s thinking was wrong and selfish! Martha was so confident that she was right, she told Jesus exactly what she though He should do.
Have you ever felt so strongly about a situation that you have told Jesus what He ought to do? I have. I have felt so offended at what a person did to me, that I wanted Jesus to vindicate me in a way that that person would know how wrong they were! We are so troubled by the unfairness of life, at times, that we ask Jesus to right the wrongs NOW!
Certainly, another aspect of this story is the fact that Martha believed she was doing all the necessary work! Again, think of the times when you felt that you were doing all the necessary work and your spouse, or maybe a friend, was not helping and maybe just being lazy!
The summary of this lesson is so important for us to get into our lives.
God’s Kingdom has different priorities than this world has for us. The world may call us lazy, or even irresponsible for choosing what we believe to be a Kingdom priority. Choosing not to work overtime to spend more time with family may draw negative comments from those who feel you should never turn down extra money.
Also, be mindful of the fact that life is about choices, none of which may be sinful, yet some are more beneficial to our spiritual lives.
Ask God to give you a discerning mind that you might choose the best over the good, when it comes to your relationship with God.
Father, as the Gardner of my soul, please grant me wisdom to choose the best options of things that fill my days! In Jesus’s Name, amen.