Lessons I Learned at Bethany: Serving

Friday, November 21, 2014

Luke 10:38-42 finds us in Bethany at the home of Martha and Mary.  Martha was busily serving dinner while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, listening to him.  Who was Martha serving?  She was serving Jesus!  

What did Jesus tell her?  “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” 
Dwight L. Moody said, "You've got to have fire to set fire with. You've got to have life to propagate life with." In science, this is the law of biogenesis.  You can only get life from the Life, and you can’t give life to others unless you have the Life.  Martha needed to hear the words of life from Jesus, all else was of little importance.

Does God care about candles, stained glass windows, choir robes, and religious customs and traditions?  No.  What God cares about is His creation: you.  

Today, we are busy with our duties, working with the talents God has given us, and serving.  Let us not forget to talk with our Creator and first love, Jesus Christ.  We must constantly be drawing from His well of living waters if we are to share His love with others.  Isn't it awesome that Jesus takes the time to spend with us?

"As Thou hast died for me, so may my love to Thee, pure, warm, and changeless be, a living fire."  --Ray Palmer

54 comments:

  1. i understand the gist of it, that busyness can detract from our soul's purpose, but still, service is service and someone needed to make dinner! :)

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    1. True, it's good to do what needs to done. But we all need to take a break once in a while to refresh and refuel our spirits.

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  2. Thank you, Bethany, for sharing this powerful reminder with us. Isn't is amazing how wrapped up we can get in our day-to-day activities that it's easy to forget what is important and that is our relationship with Jesus Christ. When we put Christ first and feed our spiritual appetite with His Word than all other things fall into place and our life has more purpose.

    Anyway, I am rambling :) Thank you for sharing! I really enjoyed readig what Moody said. Happy weekend to you!

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    1. Well said, Stephanie! When we give the Lord priority in our lives, He helps us get the rest in order. The Bible says that when we acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will direct our paths. Blessings to you!

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  3. "We must constantly be drawing from His well of living waters if we are to share His love with others."
    Absolutely! And I am so thankful that He is always with us and wants every one of us to have eternal life with Him.

    Lindy

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    1. Yes! We have so much for which we can be thankful!

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  4. What a great reminder of the importance of a relationship with our Redeemer.

    Blessings~

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  5. Bethany you are definitely right for God the most important is aman his perfect creation..

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  6. The Bible story of Mary and Martha has always been one of my favorites :)

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  7. I needed to hear this one friend! It is such a beautiful reminder of how to live and give back to others! Wishing you a wonderful weekend!! And just a heads up I would be following you via GFC but blogger is currently not allowing me to follow more than 300 blogs for some reason...when I can get the problems sorted I will be following you that way as well! Happy weekend! Nicole xo

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    1. A great weekend to you as well, Nicole! 300 is the GFC limit for all of us as far as I know :)

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  8. Lovely post and beautiful photo to accompany it! I hope your weekend is wonderful.

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  9. oohhhh beautiful daisies, lovely to look at today on this very chilly day!!

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    1. Brrr! I do like to see photos from summer; it's a very white world out there here today!

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  10. We can make a big mess if we do things in our own flesh, and I know. Great timing, for me :) So glad that you write these posts, and so good that God meets with me, even here at the blog's world! He never stops pursuing us.

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    1. Isn't it wonderful? God isn't some far away figure beyond the starry skies. He loves us and wants us to know Him.

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  11. beautiful post bethany thanks friend!

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  12. Beautiful photo of daisies! Lovely post!

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  13. Beautiful Bible Story! Nice photo :) Have a blessed weekend, Liuba x

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  14. Beautiful devotional. Some very inspired comments on a Bible event that many people just read over quickly. Very thoughtful. I appreciated it this morning as we start getting ready for Thanksgiving week.

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  15. Wise and very true words! I love this phrase- "You've got to have fire to set fire with. You've got to have life to propagate life with." You can only get life from the Life, and you can’t give life to others unless you have the Life.

    Well written, thanks for sharing.
    Blessings,

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    1. Thanks Laura! I keep a file of all my favorite quotes...so many people have thought of so many awesome things to say!

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  16. Amen! :) Thanks for this post Bethany.

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  17. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this passage. Have a blessed day!

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  18. I think about this passage a lot. I am a very "Martha" person, and I need to do better about being okay about just sitting quietly with Jesus.

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  19. It's beyond awesome, Bethany - Like you, I am in awe of His consideration of me. Inspiring post. We must be filled {by Him - with His spirit} before we can pour out to others. Sabbath rest is critical to ministry {preaching to myself here, lol} and as Believers we are all ministers of one sort or another. Have a blessed week!

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    1. Well stated that all believers should be ministers of one sort or another. God has a good work for us!

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  20. Hello Bethany, it is great to meet you and Amen to your post. Not only does He love us, but he is available anytime and anywhere. How marvelous is that! Have a wonderful week and God bless you. You have a very positive blog and I love it here. Your newest follower, Connie :)

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    1. I'm not sure exactly what kind of flowers they are; they grow wild in the ditch. :)

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  22. I've often wondered if Martha was huffing and puffing and complaining under her breath because she was doing all the work. It must have been a shock to her when Jesus took Mary's side. Interesting post.

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    1. I think she must have been a little overwhelmed to ask Jesus to tell Mary to come help her!

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  23. My mother was a Martha. I think I'm a mix of Martha and Mary. This is one of those aspects of the Bible that I understand spiritually, but from a physical standpoint, not so much. When everyone was done listening to Jesus I'm sure they were all starving. Maybe then Martha felt validated as she served them all her carefully prepared food. Perhaps she shouldn't have complained so much and told Mary to take notes. :)

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    1. Haha! As an avid note-taker, I love your comment Gail! If I had been Mary I would have been taking notes whether Martha requested or not!

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  24. Thank you for sharing much needed and inspirational thoughts.

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  25. your post came at the right time for me. i have been 'busy' doing work for the Lord and not finding time to sit and be refreshed by Him. so many times i say a quick prayer or read just a verse or two and go on my way. i am shortchanged and often what i do for Him is not bearing fruit because i am not seeking Him and his direction. great post and thanks for the reminder.

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    1. Glad it could be an encouragement to you! We have a wonderful God who takes good care of His own.

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