Disciplines for Life/Only One Thing is Needed
From Gospel Translations
| Line 13: | Line 13: | ||
|reviewed=Not Reviewed | |reviewed=Not Reviewed | ||
|newtitle=Only One Thing Is Needed | |newtitle=Only One Thing Is Needed | ||
| - | }} | + | }} |
| + | |||
| + | Had Martha known her temper tantrum would wind up in Luke’s Gospel, she probably would have kept a lid on it. But her embarrassment is our gain, for in Luke 10:38-42 we discover one of the most essential (and most neglected)keys to intimacy with God. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The story opens with Jesus and his disciples journeying through the town of Bethany, just two miles east of Jerusalem. It’s here, as Luke describes it, that “a woman named Martha opened her home to him.” | ||
| + | |||
| + | Now Luke doesn’t say, but I’m assuming that Martha opened her home to the disciples as well. Which means she had a minimum of 13 extra place settings to worry about. And it’s unlikely that she had an advance schedule of Jesus’ itinerary. Every indication is that this was a spontaneous, unexpected visit. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Put yourself in Martha’s sandals...Suppose your pastor and twelve of his buddies pulled into the driveway late one afternoon and said, “Jack! Betty! Good to see you! We were just driving by and thought we might stop in and have dinner with you.” How would you respond? | ||
| + | |||
| + | You would try to look enthusiastic. “What a privilege!” you’d say, a smile frozen on your face. As they came in you would start apologizing for the sink full of dirty dishes, the lawnmower parts spread out on the living room floor. At the same time you’d be mentally rummaging through the cupboards, wondering how you were going to stretch one box of Hamburger Helper into a full-scale banquet. | ||
| + | {{LeftInsert|When we fail to wait prayerfully for God’s guidance and strength, we are saying, with our actions if not our lips, that we do not need him.<ref>1. Charles E. Hummel, ''Tyranny of the Urgent''(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1967).</ref>}} | ||
| + | Can you just see Martha? She’s not running a restaurant—she’s running a home. | ||
Revision as of 13:50, 15 May 2008
|
Notice: This template is no longer in use. Please use |
Had Martha known her temper tantrum would wind up in Luke’s Gospel, she probably would have kept a lid on it. But her embarrassment is our gain, for in Luke 10:38-42 we discover one of the most essential (and most neglected)keys to intimacy with God.
The story opens with Jesus and his disciples journeying through the town of Bethany, just two miles east of Jerusalem. It’s here, as Luke describes it, that “a woman named Martha opened her home to him.”
Now Luke doesn’t say, but I’m assuming that Martha opened her home to the disciples as well. Which means she had a minimum of 13 extra place settings to worry about. And it’s unlikely that she had an advance schedule of Jesus’ itinerary. Every indication is that this was a spontaneous, unexpected visit.
Put yourself in Martha’s sandals...Suppose your pastor and twelve of his buddies pulled into the driveway late one afternoon and said, “Jack! Betty! Good to see you! We were just driving by and thought we might stop in and have dinner with you.” How would you respond?
You would try to look enthusiastic. “What a privilege!” you’d say, a smile frozen on your face. As they came in you would start apologizing for the sink full of dirty dishes, the lawnmower parts spread out on the living room floor. At the same time you’d be mentally rummaging through the cupboards, wondering how you were going to stretch one box of Hamburger Helper into a full-scale banquet.
Can you just see Martha? She’s not running a restaurant—she’s running a home.
Cite error:
<ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
