The Call // by Joanna Goodin
It’s a fresh start to a new week. This is our final week of studying the story of Mary and Martha. This week, we look for: commands to obey and examples to follow.
It really seems that both ladies got a lot right and gave us good examples in different areas. Martha was hospitable. In fact, she ran to Jesus and invited Him into her home. Mary was a connector. She desired to talk with Jesus and sat to listen. The longing to run to Jesus and feel the call to serve Him, is so beautiful. Equally beautiful is the desire to fall at His feet and listen to His voice.
I joked in the previous post (perhaps not the best joke), that Martha could have laid out the fish and bread and let Jesus do His thing. Truly though, there is much joy in putting our love in action, and much joy in a hard day’s work. She wanted to use acts of service to love Him well. To invite Jesus in, but be unwilling to serve Him and His kingdom, will rob us of relationship and joy.
The fact that Jesus says Mary has chosen what is better, but never says Martha needed to stop working, makes me think that we are to have a bit of a Mary posture along with a Martha like work ethic as we serve. Perhaps the balance is to run to Him, fall at His feet, listen, and learn who He is and carry our relationship with Him, and that same countenance, into our work. I do my quiet time in the living room or my bedroom. I love that time and often I would rather stay in that space all day. It is amazing how often I have caught myself closing my Bible, going to start the day and by lunch my brain is scattered and spinning with a to do list. When I keep the right posture, all the work, and to do lists are done with Him and done unto Him. Basically, I need to stop acting like I left Jesus in the living room as soon as I got into the kitchen. When we serve like Martha, and keep our hearts on Him, our work becomes worship.
So much of this story feels more like an invitation or a call to come to Him than commands. Often though, when we see a call in the Bible, we will find a command that matches it somewhere else throughout scripture. Let’s remember His commands are not meant to keep us from enjoying life, but to give us life.
Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28Whatever you do, whether in the word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Colossians 3:17
We are to go to Him. He wants a relationship with us and He isn’t just saying it would be good if you were a part of that. God is saying to go to Him and to do all things in His name with a heart for Him. Martha went to Jesus and asked to serve Him. Mary went to Him when He arrived. She sat with Jesus, and listened to Him. Martha went to Him again later when she was full of anxiety. Go to Him. Know Him. Serve Him. Worship Him as we serve, work and speak. Go to God before you’re anxious, and go to Him when anxiety has already struck. The two basic commands I have found in this passage are: Follow Him and Fellowship with Him.
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I have regrets, but none have ever included obedience or relationship with Jesus. What is one thing you can do to respond to His call and command to follow and fellowship with Him today and through the week? Spend time asking Him where He is telling you specifically to obey. Ask Him where He is saying your relationship with Him could use some work and sit at His feet and listen. He will always answer when you call out to Him.
Joanna is a contributing writer for Shaken and Stirred. She loves Jesus and hopes she never stops learning more about Him. She is a Life Coach working alongside women and adolescence, as well as a mom to amazing 11&13 year old young men. She loves hiking and yoga when she gets the chance to do it. She often enjoys writing, creating, coffee with a friend or book, and laughing while hanging out with her boys.
