Service: Worship in Action

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,  but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”    -Luke 10:38-42

Notice that Martha was not rebuked for anything she was doing. She was not rebuked for being who she was or who she wasn’t. She was, however, rebuked for something she had not done. Martha had not taken the time to understand Who she was serving, so she was doing good things the wrong way.

When work is put before worship, we do not make ourselves available, and that is the only way God can work through us. When I make myself available, I push my agenda and my comforts aside to offer God what I have, then let Him decide what He wants me to do with it. When I follow God’s leading, my life goes in an entirely different direction that it does when I am in control – and while it is scary at first, it is the most freeing thing I can do because as I get to know Him more, I realize that the only thing worth doing in this life is following Christ. As an introverted person, I don’t like getting out and doing new things; but I am a witness to the fact that God only calls me to new places so I can serve Him. I know that I may be just beginning this crazy journey called life, but I am discovering that the biggest fears I face have the biggest payoff in the end.

In this story, there are two people exhibiting two separate characteristics that I am called to exhibit, and my ‘takeaway lesson’ is this: I need to take time to worship and get to know Him, then get up on my feet and start serving Him. Each has its time and place, and each is linked to the other. But for this to happen, I have to find my identity in Him. He identified with my sin on the cross; the very least I can do to show my gratitude is to identify with Him during my life. As I get to know Him more, I will trust Him more; then obedience will come more naturally as He shows me just how great He is.