LUKE 10:38-42 – Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 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.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
THEME OF THE DAY. BUSYNESS AND SOUND THEOLOGY. Today’s scripture might be one of the most preached portions of scriptures found in the Gospels. I wonder how many sermons on the dangers of busyness in a Christian’s life have been preached? Or how many sermons on the perils of being so consumed with service for the Lord, the Lord of the service is missed? And I am curious of the number of sermons preached, maybe books written, on being Mary-like, not Martha-like? Well, I am not going to add to either. There is something else to consider. It comes from the question and statement Mary speaks to Jesus – “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”
If I were asked what the greatest challenges are facing churches and Christians in a post-Christian culture fully given over to relativism and secularization, I would offer these two. First is the lack of Christ-centered men in our churches and families who are leading the Lord’s churches, their wives and children modeled after the Lord Jesus. We suffer from husbands and fathers who are not providing daily role models of what it means “to count all things as loss for the sake of Christ” and “to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21; 3:7-10). Sadly, I believe there are way too many Christian homes where wives long to be led in the Word, prayer, and service for the Lord by Godly husbands that are simply too worldly, too passive, and show no interest or effort to do so. And one of the reasons why our children walk away from the faith or show no interest in the faith may be due that they observed a head of the home who did not live with Christ the head of his life.
The other challenge I would present facing Christians and churches today is the glaring lack of Biblical knowledge and particularly Biblical theology. Let’s test my statement. Right now, would we (you and me) be able to provide an articulate and Biblically-based description (yes, verses quoted) of salvation by faith alone, the deity of Christ, His substitutionary death, the Trinity, the inerrancy of scripture, and at least three attributes of God? There are a lot of reasons for this lack of Bible knowledge and theology in Christians. The first place we must start is in our churches. When entertainment, experiences, and shortened times in the Word occur, there will be no depth of Biblical knowledge or theology. It takes time to build a deep reservoir of truth in the heart and mind. And that leads to where we want to go with today’s scripture.
Yes, Martha let busyness take her from the Lord. Yes, Martha let service override time with Jesus, but there is something else more important. Her busyness created bad theology. Pay attention to her “theology of God” because of her busyness. First, she said of Jesus, “Lord, do you not care?” Martha, stop. Do you know what your shallow theology just did? You blasphemed the God who is love (1 John 4:8). To accuse Jesus of not caring is the height of ignorance of who He is. But it goes further. The busyness of Martha, producing an improper theology of God, caused her to “command” the Lord of the universe – “Tell her then to help me.” Oh, Martha, you not only attacked Christ’s character, but you forgot who is standing before you. We don’t give the Lord commands, we receive and obey His commands.
This is what busyness will do. It will create poor or no proper theology of God. And where no Biblical theology of God exists, self-deception, false doctrine, and a roller coaster of feelings-based Christianity thrives bringing confusion and discredit to the true Gospel. May the Lord help us not to neglect the necessity of good sound Biblical theology due to lives way too busy on lesser things.
PRAYER: Father, please help me not be so busy that I am not able to know You as You really are.
QUOTE: “A firm foundation of solid Biblical theology, necessary for Christians, takes time and effort to build.”