What's the Big Deal?

We need to relax

Too busy?

As women we have always been busy, with a great deal expected of us. Just take a look at Proverb 31 in the Old Testament – ‘the wife of noble character’ - if you think it was any different back then. For women in the 21st century, life doesn’t seem to have got any less hectic. As Christians we can fall into the busy-ness trap big time. I call it a trap because I think constant ‘doing’ for God can actually be a distraction from what He really wants. Let me explain; a couple of Sundays ago, I went to church as usual in busy mode, armed with a list as long as your arm of people I had to see, things to photocopy and forms I needed to get signed. Worshipping God was on the list somewhere but only after I had got the rest done! I was justifying the fact that I hadn’t spent any time with God that morning by telling myself that God had given me so many things to organise. Basically I had my attitude all wrong and God proceeded to remind me of a few home truths via the visiting preacher. His sermon was about four steps of discipleship and the first step is what I would like to expand on here.

Real Discipleship
Discipleship is basically becoming like Jesus Christ and the first step, where we must begin, is coming to Jesus. When Jesus said “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” he meant it as a continual command, something that we should do every day, not just once when we become a Christian. The great commission God gave us was to go and make disciples of all nations (i.e. to do something) but it wasn’t his first commission. We have to come first and then go out. Think of the conversation Jesus had after his resurrection with one of his closest disciples - Peter. He asked Peter three times “do you love me?” and asked him to “Feed my sheep” . The point is we can’t look after the lost if we don’t love Jesus. To love Jesus we need to know him, and to know him we have to spend time with him.

Are you a Martha or a Mary?
Jesus had friends he used to stay with sometimes – Martha and Mary. On one occasion Martha was busy in the kitchen preparing food for Jesus and the disciples while Mary was sat at Jesus’ feet listening to him. When Martha complained that her sister was leaving her to do all the work, Jesus gently reprimanded her and said that Mary had chosen what was better. Jesus knew that Martha was busy doing something that needed doing but he didn’t see that as the priority . Martha was letting herself be distracted from what was really important at the time. God wants us to form a close relationship with him – praying, listening, reading his word. When we spend time with God we get to love him more, like Mary did. She was the same woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive oil - a lavish and sacrificial act of worship .

Getting the Balance Right
I know I need to be more like Mary but if there were no Marthas nothing would get done – right? Well, no because it’s all about getting the balance right. On the one hand there is a huge amount of work to do and we are told that faith without deeds is pretty useless . On the other hand if we get into a mindset of achieving things for God without really spending time with him we can become proud, like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. We will end up doing good deeds for the wrong reason, thinking that we are earning our salvation, when we know that actually we are saved by grace. I don’t just want to be ‘a good Christian’, I want everything I do to be out of love for Jesus, keeping the channel between us open so that he can work through me.

Kate Orr
June 2007

Katie Streten
March 2007

Terms and conditions | Contact us | Sign up for updates