“But the Lord said to her, ‘My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.’” (Luke 10:41–42 NLT)

 

If your aim is to experience genuine revival in your spiritual life, in addition to being an ambassador for Christ and a neighbor like Christ, you must also be a worshiper of Christ. That’s the third ministry role found in Luke 10.

Some believers make the mistake of allowing their work for God to overshadow their worship of God. They convince themselves that what they say or do is indispensable to God’s kingdom. That their ministry is vital to the success of the Christian faith. That God needs them.

Newsflash: God doesn’t need us.

Another newsflash: Everything that believers do must emanate from our worship of God. Worship is the source of our power and effectiveness, so it must be our top priority.

If it isn’t, we will not burn bright for Christ. We won’t feel a sense of revival. Instead, we’ll find ourselves burning out. We can’t give out what we don’t possess. We can’t take people any further than we’ve gone ourselves.

We see this principle played out in the story of Jesus’ visit to the house of his friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in Luke 10. Storm clouds were looming large in the life of the Lord. In fact, He was on His way to Jerusalem to be crucified. Before that happened, He wanted to talk about the coming changes with His friends. This was an important evening.

Martha’s instinct was to prepare a good meal for Jesus—to stay busy doing things for Him. Mary, on the other hand, “sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught” (Luke 10:39 NLT). Martha saw obligation; Mary saw opportunity. The Creator of the universe, in human form, was sitting in her house, revealing life-changing spiritual truths. As far as Mary was concerned, washing dishes and setting the table could wait. Her priority was to spend as much time as possible in Jesus’ presence.

Martha grew annoyed with Mary for not joining her in her busy work. She took her complaint to Jesus. “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me” (verse 40 NLT).

Jesus helped her see where her priorities were out of order. “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her” (verses 41–42 NLT).

There’s a time for work and a time for worship. Martha’s mistake was offering activity instead of adoration, perspiration instead of inspiration, and work instead of worship. She didn’t realize that Jesus preferred her company over her service in that situation. He wanted her fellowship and companionship more than He wanted a meal.

There are countless ways to serve Jesus, but our worship must come first. That’s where our spiritual power and energy come from. That’s where revival begins. What we do with Christ is far more important than what we do for Christ.

 

Reflection question: What can you do to revitalize your Christian worship? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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