A tremendous practical example of this is found in Luke 10:38-42. Jesus and His disciples were in the home of Martha and Mary. Martha was busily making preparations to serve the Lord and the other guests. You might say she was very involved in ministry, meeting the needs of the Lord and his church, especially the leadership in the church. But Mary was sitting there listening at the feet of Jesus. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" And Jesus said to her, "Martha, Martha...you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (NIV)
Martha is the picture of the person who is involved. She's busy. She's doing a lot of stuff, and yet she doesn't reflect the life that is filled to overflowing with the peace of God and the life of God. Unlike Mary, she's anxiously and busily doing things for God. She's not really taking the time to sit and listen, to fellowship, to get to know the Lord.
- The "Things" of Life:
In the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:4-15) Jesus said some people receive the word with great joy, and they're excited and really growing, but after a while life's worries, riches and pleasures come in and choke the word making it unfruitful (Luke 8:14).
Life's "worries." They are many! Even today as I'm working on this pamphlet, I have just left my truck with a mechanic for a major repair - a blown head gasket. It was only last week that I picked it up after having the crankshaft seal repaired. At the same time the rack and pinion unit had to be replaced on our family van! Believe me, I know what it is to be challenged by the worries of everyday living! To beat it all, it's now one week before Christmas and I'm having to spend several hundred dollars on auto repairs. If it were not for the Lord and my fellowship with Him during this time, I would in no way have the "Christmas spirit."
I once read that it takes 60 trillion droplets of fog to cover seven city blocks. Those 60 trillion droplets or seven city blocks worth of fog can close down airports and tie up cities. Yet if you condensed those 60 trillion fog droplets you would end up with only half a glass of water! That's a good picture of what worry is all about. You begin with something little, only half a glass of water. But you start thinking about it, wrestling with it, wondering how it's going to work out and how you're going to handle it. Pretty soon you can't see straight, and your airport is shut down. You're not hearing from the Lord, and you're not soaring with the Lord like you once did because you're all fogged in. Spending time with God is the one thing that will clear the fog.
Jesus said, "...do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" Matthew 6:25 (NIV) He also said, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4:4 (NIV) There will always be things that we can worry about. But as we make time for the Lord and His Word, worry is replaced by faith, peace, and the assurance that God knows our needs even before we ask.
Then there are "riches." Some people spend so much time working to make more money to buy more things that all of a sudden life comes to an end, and they realize that all the work and all the things are not what real life is all about. Jesus said, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:15 (NIV)
But "riches" doesn't just mean money. One could be rich in good looks, rich in popularity, rich in "brain power." These things could involve tremendous amounts of time. Time to go to social events or parties. Time to study, not the Bible, but the school textbooks. Time to "surf the Internet." "Riches" in these areas of life may tend to pull you away from the most important thing in life - your relationship with God.
