This morning, we continue our new message series entitled, “Seek.”  Over and over and over and over again, we’re called in God’s word to seek Him.  We know that if God calls us to do something, it’s not something that we’re going to do naturally on our own.

We were challenged last week to seek after God the way that He seeks after us.  Fervently, but patiently.  Urgently, but patiently.  Passionately, but patiently.  Like Jesus, deciding that not my will, but the Heavenly Father’s will be done.

Today, we’re learning more about the value of seeking God from the example that He gave us in the lives of the M&M sisters; Martha and Mary.

I’m not sure how many of you here have a sister, or are a sister yourself.  It seems to me that quite often, sisters are very different from one another.  One loves dresses, the other jeans.  One is sporty, the other is a book worm.  One eats salads, the other downs pizza.

Although they would die for each other, it may look at times like they are about to kill each other.  These differences are a breeding ground for drama and conflict.

Whether or not that is the case for you, it certainly does seem to be the case for Martha and Mary.  We first are introduced to them here:

Luke 10:38-42 (NLT)

38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village (Bethany as revealed in John 11) where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “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.”

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

Martha and Mary represent two unique aspects of our lives in Christ.  Although these two aspects are very different from one another and often conflict with one another, they are intended to complement one another.  There is the Martha, doing the work of ministry for Jesus and Mary, receiving the ministry of Jesus.

If you form a committee of doers and seekers, you can just sit back and wait for the drama to begin. 

The Martha doers just want to get things done.  The room needs flooring, so let’s go buy it so that we can get to work laying it!  They measure the area of the room and head down to the hardware store to buy what they need and have it finished by the end of the day.

The Martha seekers want to research what type of activities are going to be taking place in that room.  They want to be sure that they choose the right type of flooring.  Then, they want to be sure that the style and color are a good fit, too.  They’ll plan meetings to share ideas and opinions back and forth to be sure that as many as possible are in agreement.  Then, once the type and style and color of flooring is selected, they’ll get estimates from professional and amateur installers weighing out the pros and cons of each estimate.  A year following the meeting, the flooring installation begins.

Both Martha doers and Mary seekers are needed in the body of Christ.  In fact, in our own lives, there needs to be a healthy balance of times and seasons for both doing ministry and receiving ministry.

Myself, I’m a doer.  When I read about Martha’s plea to Jesus that it just isn’t fair for her to be doing all of the work, my heart leaps and I can quickly say, “AMEN!” 

However, Jesus said that all of her worrying and getting upset over all of the details of the meal didn’t matter.  He said that there is only one thing worth being concerned about.  Mary had discovered that better thing and He refused to take it away from her.

Mary chose to seek Jesus.  She chose to sit at His feet; to learn from Him, to build a relat