Mary and Martha

Our BMCF (Bellevue Men's Christian Fellowship), Monday mornings at McDonalds (6:45 am), is continuing a study on "Spiritual Detours" and our text is Luke 10 and 11. I was reading a commentary by Warren Wiersbe and he define s the passage better than the others:

"The family at Bethany was especially dear to Jesus (John 11:1–5), and the Gospel record gives us three glimpses of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus (Luke 10:38–42; John 11; John 12:1–11). Each time you find Mary in the Gospels, she is in the same place: at the feet of Jesus. Most Jewish rabbis would not accept a woman for a student, but Jesus delighted in teaching Mary the Word. It was not wrong for Martha to prepare a meal, because people have to eat if they are to live; but it was wrong for her to be so preoccupied with work and her own “burdens” that she ignored her guest and was rude to her sister. She was “anxious and troubled” as she tried to serve the Lord, and yet she was missing the greatest and the most lasting blessing. Mary was occupied with Jesus; Martha was preoccupied with herself. What we do with Christ is far more important than what we do for Christ, for submission leads to obedience and service."

We are working through the word Activism with these studies (the good Samaritan, Mary and Martha and the exxample of how to pray): a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action esp. in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue — ac•tiv•ist \-vist\ n or adj — ac•tiv•is•tic \ˌak-ti-ˈvis-tik\ adj

One of the most deeply ingrained human notions is that a person must do something to merit God’s favor. We accept gifts from other people. But we seem to want to say of what we receive from God, “I earned it!”

There is a chill in the air today!