Purpose

What Won’t Be Taken Away

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The story of Mary and Martha is one that most Christians are familiar with (Lk. 10:38-42). Perhaps it’s because of the fast-paced nature of our society and our proclivity to “multi-task” but there seems to be a special resonance with that story among people with whom I regularly interact. It’s not surprising. There are a lot of things to do, and just like Martha in the midst of getting things done, we can forget the most important things.

While I’ve written about this incident before, I want to focus on a particular part of the story today. In reminding Martha that Mary has chosen the “necessary” thing, Christ also says that what Mary has chosen “will not be taken from her.” Although the contrast isn’t made explicit, it does seem rather obvious. What Mary has chosen will remain; what Martha has chosen will not.

It’s easy to look at the exchange with Martha and Jesus and see it merely as a reminder that we need to purpose to spend time with Jesus. That’s a good reminder, and just like for Mary, it is a “necessary” thing for all that follow Him. However, it should also be an admonition to focus on the things that won’t be taken away. In other words, to focus on that which has eternal significance and not merely earthly import. To not, as Matthew 6:19-20 puts it, “lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal” but instead to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

What does this mean practically? 

  • It means that cleaning the house is probably not as important as the attitude that we express while we are doing it.
  • It means that getting things crossed off our to-do list, is not as important as whether  we are working unto the Lord (Col. 3:23).
  • It means that spending time at Jesus’ feet matters because it should effect how we do everything else throughout the day.

Our focus shouldn’t only be on eternity during our quiet time, but in each and every thing we do. 

In other words, we need to ask ourselves whether we are concerned with that which will not be taken away or whether we spending our time on lesser, and not necessary, things.

 

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Being Content

When You’re The One

Since I have a sister who is less than 2 years older than me, there was a time in our lives when a lot of our Christmas presents were identical. In fact, when my parents and grandparents would get us the same thing, they would wrap it in the same paper so that we knew to open those gifts together, ensuring that we didn’t ruin the surprise for one another. As we grew, the number of identical gifts lessened. As that occurred, my mom would often remind us that “although things may not be equal, they are fair.” She wanted us to be assured that while our gifts may not match, they were bestowing the same level of generosity on us both.

In reality, though, my mom could have rightly explained to us that it didn’t really matter whether things were equal, as any gift was an act of graciousness. Therefore, whether I experienced that graciousness to the same degree as my sister wasn’t the crux of the matter; what really mattered was whether I was appreciative of whatever generosity I did receive. My parents probably wisely thought that a preteen would not quite grasp that and so it was better to keep things “fair.” However, the lesson remains an important one. Because just like I was given to a comparison of gifts at Christmas, we are prone to compare the gifts that our Father gives us. Often times we forget that any gift is a undeserved.

Luke 4 may serve as a reminder of this. In speaking to the crowds, Christ reflects on some example of Old Testament provisions – a widow’s son who was raised from the dead, a leper who was healed from his disease. As our Savior shares, these weren’t the only people who were suffering; in fact, these weren’t the only ones who were suffering from these very same afflictions. Additionally, both of them were foreigners; they were not part of God’s chosen people, and yet God still decided to bless them and not others. While we may consider this “unfair,” it is not. Sometimes God chooses to bless us; other times others are the recipients of His generosity. The challenge is that we are often so focused on the times that we’re not, that we neglect the moments when we are. We are so concerned with what hasn’t been given to us, that we forget all that has. We may not receive everything we want or desire, but God gives us far more than we deserve. If He gave us nothing else (and He does), the gift of salvation through His Son expands and stretches the bounds of generosity to such a degree, that it alone should regularly cause us to pause, and give thanks. 

We’re used to dwelling on all the blessings that we seem to be missing. Sometimes, however, we’re the one upon which the blessing has been poured. We would do better to focus on those times and to recognize that while the distribution of God’s gifts may not be equal, they are far more than we deserve.

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