BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

That day in Martha’s house began with everyone having their minds on Jesus, but then a thought pulled Martha away, and pretty soon she was running around. "Weust" translates it this way: “But Martha was going around in circles, overoccupied...” (verse 40). Before long, Jesus addressed the issue, saying, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things” (verse 41, "NKJV"). That’s it—she had lost her peace. Where did it go? It left the moment her focus did, the moment she took her mind off the Word. Jesus then added a very powerful insight. “But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, WHICH WILL NOT BE TAKEN FROM HER” (verse 42, emphasis mine). The Word was spoken, and as usual, Satan came to steal it. Martha got distracted and let him. But Mary chose differently. She chose the “good part”—to keep her mind on His Word—and Jesus Himself guaranteed that Word wasn’t going anywhere. It was going to take root and produce fruit in Mary’s life. How would you like a guarantee like that? How would you like Jesus Himself to guarantee that when you hear the Word, it will take root and produce fruit in your life? Here’s how you get that guarantee; you do what Mary did. You value the Word. You honor the Word. And you refuse to be distracted from the Word. That’s choosing the good part! You have to wonder, what was so important to Martha that she allowed herself to choose to be part of something that wasn’t so good, to be distracted from the best that God had for her? It’s easy to judge Martha for her choice, but if we examine ourselves closely we’ll see we’re not so different from her. Distracted by Ministry What was so important to Martha? According to this passage, she was distracted “with much serving” (verse 40). If you look up the word serving, you’ll discover what distracted Martha was ministry. Martha’s challenge wasn’t learning to tell the difference between something important and something that was a waste of time. It was learning to tell the difference between what was important and what was more important. Martha was distracted by her own ministry. Her motivation for getting up was to serve Jesus. But ministry is a bad substitute for intimacy with the Lord. To think that you and I could neglect intimacy with Jesus for the sake of our ministry is foolish. And yet, it happens every day. Jesus says, “Hey, come here. I want to talk to you.” We reply, “I can’t. I’m too busy doing the work of the ministry.” It doesn’t matter if God has called you to pastor a church or to be a blessing through hospitality, that ministry isn’t supposed to be a distraction from what’s more important. Martha was a woman whose mind was on the Word. She was in Jesus’ presence, in an intimate environment, hearing a word she’d never heard before. She was in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing. And then a thought carried her away. The Tale of Two Meals Two meals were being served in Martha’s house that day; one by Jesus, and one by Martha. And the only meal that was “that good part” was the one Jesus was serving. What should Martha have done? When that thought came, she shouldn’t have moved. She should have said to herself, Prepare a meal? Have you seen what this guy can do with a piece of bread and a fish? I’m not moving a muscle. I’m staying right here. Had she done that, Jesus could have guaranteed that what she heard that day would never be taken from her. How about you? There are things you can do to guarantee the Word will take root in your life and produce fruit. You can make it a habit to spend time in the Word and in prayer; never neglecting that time for anything—including for the sake of your ministry. You can make a quality decision to keep your mind on God’s Word, to be part of the 25% of people who receive…not the 75% who let it be stolen. Ask the Lord to help you identify when it’s time to go and serve, and when it’s time to stay and receive. When you put Him first, above all else, and keep your mind stayed on Him, Satan won’t be able to steal one word that the Lord has for you. And you’ll find yourself in perfect peace. V Jeremy Pearsons and his wife, Sarah, are founders of Pearsons Ministries International and pastors of Legacy church in Green Mountain Falls, Colo. For more information, visit them online at pearsonsministries.com or legacychurch.family. Watch Jeremy & Sarah on VICTORY Channel® Sun. 2:30 a.m. | 8:30 a.m. Wed. 11:30 p.m. | Thu. 8:30 a.m. Sat. 4:30 p.m. | 11 p.m. ET BVOV : 23

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