Mary or Martha: Heart Check.

"As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “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.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” - Luke 10:38-42 NLT


I love this passage of scripture! I studied it some time ago, but was lead back to it last night. I know this will bless you. Let's break it down.....


There were two sisters, Martha & Mary, who welcome Jesus into their home. Both sisters are excited and honored that the Messiah is there. Martha wants to make a great impression, so she begins to prepare a dinner feast to win favor from Jesus. But Mary, oh Mary, isn't concerned about trying to impress the Savior; she wants to be at His feet. 


Martha is caught up in the particulars and like many of us, it includes work, church, money, food, friends, family, school, etc. NONE of these things are important when you're in the presence of the King! It's not Jesus doesn't want us to work, but He tells us in Luke 12:29-30, not to be concerned about what we will eat or wear...He is LORD! He knows everything we need! When we find our hearts being consumed by what is wrong and trying to fix it, we take our eyes off Jesus. We put too much stress on ourselves, then our lives begin to fall out of order. He said he keep you in perfect peace, when your mind is stayed on Him! 


"You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!" - Isaiah 26:3 NLT


Mary, on the other hand, recognized Jesus' authority and majesty. She let go of trying to "seem" important and trying to impress Him with her intelligence; instead she valued His presence. She didn't let what her sister thought keep her from Him! Because her HEART was directed towards Him, the peace/joy/fullness she found in His presence would never be taken from her! 


What is getting your heart tangled? What is causing you not to value His presence...or even recognize when He's arrived? If your heart is constantly caught up in earthly desires, you can miss Jesus. Let go of anything or anyone that is keeping you from experiencing the fullness of His presence. Whatever is in your heart is what will take over your life. 


"A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart." - Luke 6:45 NLT


Bring everything that is weighing you down to His feet and capture His presence!


In Him,
DJR 

Wake Up Everybody!

I had the HONOR & PRIVILEGE to be apart of an amazing project with many talented artists from here in Richmond (you will recognize many of them :)). It's time for us to wake up!!! Check out the vid & shout-out to BlackRVA (www.blackrva.com)

In Him,
DJR